“This is the year of the trendy prom cuff,” says Rand Powell of Foley’s Florist in Berea, KY.

Rand considers the ultimate prom challenge to be “creating one-of-a-kind customized designs that reflects the wearer’s dress, her signature style and the designer’s artistic talents.”

Rand created this non-traditional prom wrist corsage, described as[read more]

“Back in the 1980’s a phalaenopsis orchid was a treasured item and a high-end order,” says Lisa Belisle AIFD. “Today you can often buy one in a big box store for $20. Our industry needs to step up our game and sell design, not just a plant in a pot.”

With that goal in[read more]

Why recreate a British designer’s holiday wreath design in your floral business?

Because it sells, it’s versatile and can trigger add-on sales.

Not only has this idea successfully crossed the ocean, wreaths are also a good place to make use of leftover flowers.

“This design sells very well for us at Christmas fairs,”[read more]

Can passion create a second chance to thrive for plants, floral arrangements—and you?

It has for Master Gardener Kathy Bondar, who turned her plant-tending side business into a new floral design career when she lost her job in 2007 during the recession.

Today Kathy’s 2nd Chance Plants is a floral studio with[read more]

Can you honor fall traditions in your own fresh and personal floral design way?

You can—and appeal to conservative and free-spirited customers alike.

That’s the lesson from Portland, Oregon, floral designer Meredith Cope. Her modern take on the 1,500-year-old cornucopia inspired four other ideas for contemporary autumn and Thanksgiving floral arrangements.

Could these[read more]

It’s impossible to define. There is no formula. It can be maddeningly personal or regional.

Yet people seem to know it when they see it.

What is it? Wow. Arrangements that have it sell. Designers who produce it consistently set themselves apart.

How can you add wow to your designs? Try new styles[read more]

How can you serve customers with a strong cultural heritage? Ask. Listen. Respect.

That’s the recommendation from Shayai Lucero, shop owner and member of the Acoma and Laguna Pueblo people of New Mexico.

Shayai’s bouquet design for a Native American bride was selected as the Most Inspirational Wedding design in the [read more]

Too often we think of sympathy flowers as funeral flowers and lose our creative edge.

Sympathy flowers serve a purpose. They express visible emotional support for the deceased’s friends and family. And helping clients express their emotions with flowers is the ultimate customer service a florist can provide.

“To grow a successful[read more]

Want to inspire oooooos and ahhhhhhs from smaller designs? Choose clean lines, unique forms and strong color combinations.

That’s the approach of Tre’ Garner, whose modern coral rose pave design with an eucalyptus collar was selected as the most inspirational get-well arrangement in the 2017 INSPIRE Design Showcase.

Tre’ shares her techniques[read more]

Like most creative florists, Adrianna Duran-Leon AIFD loves experimenting with new products to see what happens. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” she says.

Her experimental and modern-edgy style of design is popular with her customers, who refer to it as ‘Adri style.’ “When a client requests an ‘Adri design’, I[read more]