An entry · Work · Life
Florist
Someone who translates what you couldn't say into stems and color.
From curious to committed
Your first steps.
A first visit can be enough. It can also be the beginning.
Meet the craft
One evening, a bench of stems, and something you carry home.
Explore experiences →Give it another afternoon
Notice what you want to come back to. Ask the teacher what regular practice would look like, and what support you would need.
Keep a note for next time →See the working day
Condition stems, sweep, watch; shops teach hands that turn up.
Explore ways into the work →These are starting points. A workshop is not a professional qualification. Entry requirements and recognised training depend on the work and the country.
Before you walk in
A few things worth asking the host before you book.
- Is this session suitable for someone who has never tried it?
- What should I bring, wear or prepare?
- What is included, and are there any extra costs?
- Can you accommodate my access needs?
- What could I try next if I enjoy it?
Teach this craft? Share what beginners ask you →
Showing London, and 27 elsewhere are hidden
Show every city →Work it
Do the work.
Jobs, apprenticeships, and training that put a person in the room.
Places to begin
- Certification
American Institute of Floral Designers
Certified Floral Designer
United States
The floral designers' institute; earn the Certified Floral Designer credential.
- Apprenticeship
British Florist Association
Floristry apprenticeship (UK)
United Kingdom
The UK florist body; the paid Floristry Trailblazer apprenticeship and qualifications.
- Apprenticeship
Capel Manor College
Floristry Apprenticeship (Level 2)
Enfield, London · Two years, employed while you train
You must already be employed in a floristry business; two days a week at college, the rest on the shop floor, accredited by City and Guilds.
Ways in
- Entry job
Flower shop assistant
Condition stems, sweep, watch; shops teach hands that turn up.
- Course
Floristry course
Color, structure, and the mechanics of a bouquet, taught over weeks.
- Route in
Flower market mornings
Wholesale markets open before dawn; buyers learn the trade by showing up.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasLive it
Live the hour.
Experiences, classes, and places where the presence is the whole point.
Places to begin
- Course
McQueens Flower School
Floristry Fundamentals course
Waterloo, London
A week of hand-tied fundamentals at a luxury floristry school, since 1999.
- Workshop
Moyses Stevens Flower School
Florist workshops at the flower school
Battersea Power Station, London
Hand tied bouquets, vase arrangements and bridal work, plus a five day Essential Floristry immersion for people serious about the trade.
- Workshop
The London Flower Academy
Flower workshops in the Covent Garden studio
Covent Garden, London
Bloomsbury Flowers teaches twelve people at a time in its own Great Queen Street studio, wreaths through ikebana.
Ways in
- Workshop
Bouquet-making workshop
One evening, a bench of stems, and something you carry home.
- Class
Seasonal wreath class
Most shops teach one when the season turns.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasWhy the human is the point
People walk into a flower shop carrying things they can't say (grief, apology, new love, plain hope) and walk out holding a translation. The florist's real material isn't stems; it's occasions. They read you in a minute of conversation and answer in color and scent, tied by hand. The bouquet wilts in a week. That's the point. Some messages should cost something living.
Kept nearby
