How to Turn Your Love of Flowers into a Floral Design Career

 Floral designer Chelsea Fuss describes what it takes to start working with flowers full-time.

Do you ever dream of spending your days surrounded by stems of garden roses and lilacs? Gathering and composing arrangements of colorful, fragrant blossoms day after day, instead of sitting behind a desk? Owning a flower shop is one of those romantic jobs many people dream of. But what is it really like? And how do you get started with a career in floral design?

My flower obsession began early, as a kid, more specifically as a teen. I think I knew  West Vancouver Flowers were my future when I spent most Friday nights as a teenager in my flower garden, making bouquets. I read every book I could get my hands on about floral design, dabbled in making wedding flowers, and in university, filled my art history course notes with flower shop business plans. After working for other florists, I opened my own shop at the age of 23. Since then, my career has evolved, but it still very much revolves around flowers.

Read on to understand how to learn the basics of floral design and what it takes to have a career in flowers.

Learn the Basics

Start with the basics by signing up for a flower class. Some classes are more traditional, others more academic and accredited through local universities, and other course offerings are taught by florists who open up their shops for hands-on workshops. There are even online courses (I teach one!). Before you delve into seeking work or starting a business, you’ll need to learn the basics of flower ID, composition, conditioning, and the industry’s best practices. Look for a class that teaches in a style you like, but that also provides the basics of technique and composition. If your goal is to have a flower shop and run your own business, investing in a business course will also be beneficial.

Read Up!

Check your local library and bookshops for flower arranging books. Find florists you admire, study their work, and read their books. Here are a few recommendations to get you started:

The Flower Recipe Book by Aleathea Harampolis

Jane Packer’s Guide to Flower Arranging by Jane Packer

Flower Workshop: Lessons in Arranging Blooms, Branches, Fruits, and Foraged Materials by Ariella Chezar

Flowers A to Z: Buying, Cutting, Arranging by Cecilia Heffernan

Practice

Create on your own terms, just for fun, before delving into collaborative efforts. Make a goal of creating one flower arrangement per week to get into the practice of working with flowers. Don’t stress too much about how good the result is, just create for the joy of it and make floral design a natural part of your life. Capture on camera the work you like the best. Find flowers through foraging, farmer’s markets, your own garden (or a friend’s!) or your local florist shops. Buy or pick the ingredients that inspire you and begin creating!