How To Prepare Your Floristry BenchYvette

When it comes to creating showstopping arrangements, preparation is KEY.

Taking the time to properly prep your botanical material, set up your bench with your tools, and envisage the design you want to create before you place the first flower is the sign of a great florist. Even just a little preparation can mean the difference between a rushed, messy arrangement, and something that will blow your clients away.

To get started, we need to make sure we’ve got a designated place to work. We recommend finding a workbench that’s approximately 90cm in height. Kitchen and laundry benches are usually a good place to start looking, as these benches will usually come with a large in-built sink area which is perfect for filling up your vases and buckets. They’re also quite spacious, and given that we recommend having about one metre of space to arrange on, this is a big tick.

Another advantage to kitchen/laundry benches is that they’re purpose-made to deal with spills and water. Whatever type of bench you choose, make sure that the table part is equipped to deal with water and can be easily cleaned. This is why we don’t recommend arranging on your dining table – it’s likely to get nicks and water damage!

Don’t be afraid to look around for custom options either – at the Bloom Studio we used the beautiful, wooden Ikea table tops and had the legs custom fitted to make them the correct height. We also had wheels added for movability. Add a thick coat of gloss on top to protect the wood from scratches and water damage – and ta da! You’ve got some gorgeous, custom floristry benches.

Now that we’ve got our floristry bench set up, let’s have a look at the tools we’ll need on hand.

First and foremost, make sure you’ve got your trusty, highly absorbent hand towel close by for mopping up any spills as well as keeping your hands dry.

You’ll also need:

• Pair of protective gloves – important for making sure you don’t get nicked and for removing any leaves on flower stems
• Flower cutting snips – ideal for cutting softer flower material
• Secateurs – for cutting hard-stemmed foliage and sticks
• Apron – for protecting your clothes from any splashes or dirt, as well as providing a handy pocket to keep your tools in
• Parafilm floral tape – for wiring and taping
• Snips sharpener – to keep your snips nice and sharp
• Wire – we recommend having a variety of sizes

(Pssst. We have all the basics available in a ready to go pack if you’re not sure where to start!)

Now that you’ve got your bench and tools all set up, you’re ready to start arranging! For some easy arrangement tutorials check out our Bloom Basics course – it’s the perfect place to get started on your floristry journey.