OK I received this from Leanne at the floral design institute. There is a formula to figuring this out.
Sphere: 4 π r 2
The "r" is the radius of the sphere - the radius equals 1/2 of the diameter.
When determining the number of flowers for a pomander ball, you start with this formula. When stating the radius, you will want to include the depth of the flower head to get the proper measurement. Thus, the radius is 1/2 of the diameter plus the depth of the flower. For example, a 3" orb with a rose that is 1" deep would have a 2.5" radius (1/2 od the 3" diameter plus the 1" flower = 1 1/2" + 1" = 2.5")
The surface area of a 3" orb with a 1" deep rose is figured as follows:
4 x 3.14 x 2.5 x 2.5 = 78.5 square inches
Circle (for a flower face) - π r 2
The "r" is the radius of the circle - the radius equals 1/2 of the diameter.
When determining the surface area of the flower, you would measure the diameter of the flower's face. Divide this measurement in half to determine the radius. For example, a rose with a 2" diameter would have a radius of 1 inch.
The surface area of a rose with a 1-inch radius would be figured as follows:
3.14 x 1 x 1 = 3.14 square inches
To figure the number of roses (noted above) to cover a 3" sphere (noted above), you would divide the smaller number into the larger. The answer is the number of flower blooms you will need to cover the entire surface of the sphere. To be safe, you may want to ass another 20% to the final count. This will allow for size variation and breakage.
Example: 78.5 divided by 3.14 equals 25 blooms. To be safe, I would purchase 30 blooms.
I hope this helps you out. I know it has helped me in the past on numerous occasions. Let us know how many you use in the end.
