How to Work With Flowers and Get Paid For It

Copyright (c) 2010 Nadine Davis

For anyone whose has even the slightest streak of creativity in them, there would not be many vocations more delightful and rewarding than being a florist. How wonderful it would be to rise for work in the morning, knowing that you're heading off to your florist shop to spend the day surrounded by beauty.

So is working with flowers as much fun in real life as it seems? Just what does the job involve, is it difficult to do and does it take a lot of training to learn it? Some quick research shows that there are a surprising number of other tasks, other than arranging flowers, that a florist would be expected to deal with in a normal day. Here is a quick summary of the most important tasks a florist does, along with some key attributes required to be effective in the role:

Arrange flowers:

> Knowledge of different types of flowers and plants, and the best options for display.

> Good sense of colour and texture, and how it works in combinations.

> Flair for the aesthetic appearance of an arrangement, bouquet or other grouping of flowers or foliage.

> Ability to select different colours and types of flowers and foliage which will be pleasing to the eye in shape and dimension when arranged together.

> Knowledge of conditioning and cutting techniques to prepare flowers and foliage for storage.

> Able to use small hand tools and fasteners to secure arrangements in displays.

Organisation and administration:

> Purchasing skills to maintain stock levels of fresh flowers, dried flowers and other stock items.

> Control of stock-on-hand, and the ability to ensure regular supplies of fresh stock.

> Store presentation and housekeeping, including designing and arranging the shop front display.

Regular book keeping type tasks like balancing the register at the end of the day, day to day banking, record keeping of payments and receipts and sending off the mail.

> Prioritising customer orders for special occasions such as weddings and other ceremonies.

Sales and Marketing:

> Discuss and provide advice on large orders such as a wedding party - provide the customer with samples and assist them to choose suitable bouquets, corsages and buttonholes.

> Write and place ads in newspapers, magazines, other publications and on the internet to increase business.

> Pricing the arrangements, cut flower bunches and other products displayed for sale in the store.

This list shows that there is more to being a good florist than being able to put together a pretty arrangement. Many florists own their own business, either in a shopping centre or other retail outlet, some work for large companies, designing and preparing stock for re-sale, and others work from home, marketing flowers locally through word-of-mouth and newspaper advertising. There may be more to it than just the flowers, but it's still a beautiful way to make a living.