What is flower personality?

Flower personality is the individual expressive character of a plant material, conveyed through its silhouette, growth habit, form, and line direction. Every material in a considered design has a personality expressed through its outline and body - not merely a structural utility, but an intrinsic expressive quality that can be identified and responded to. In formal-linear design, treating flower personalities responsibly - identifying the character of each material and placing it where that character is most fully expressed - is regarded as the highest design skill. It also carries an ethical dimension: the designer has an obligation to the material. Recognising flower personality requires intensive study of silhouettes in the world of flowers - learning to identify the effect of gathering and releasing, of delicate silhouettes as well as dominant ones. The concept originates in the German floral design tradition and is attributed to Gregor Lersch and Peter Assman. Sources: Lersch (310), Assman (310).