Tag Archives: floristry courses

Valentines Day: Tales from a Florist

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we were sure that the Bloom College floristry school teachers would have some great tales to tell from their many years working as florists.

They didn’t disappoint – and here are their most romantic or memorable Valentine’s Day stories. They’re what we’ve called ‘Valentine’s Day: The Best…and Worst’!

Most romantic:

With only 1 story in this category – it had to be a good one! And it is…

A little boy (around 8 years old) got his Mum to bring him in to the florist to help him buy a flower for his ‘valentine’ at school!!

So cute…and we’re sure she loved it! Isn’t first love sweet?

Most memorable:

These are great – and definitely not easy to forget…

Like the wife who ordered a dozen roses for her husband – with the heads cut off…and a note to say she wanted a divorce!

Or the guy who ran in the front door of the florist in his pj’s! He had snuck out the back door while his partner was in the shower, because he had forgotten to get her something and she had presented a lovely gift for him. He was in a desperate hurry, quickly bought the biggest made up arrangement in the shop, then ran out the front door and down the road to sneak in the back door before she got out of the shower!!

And finally – the husband that ordered 2 sets of flowers. The first set (from him) was to be delivered first. Then the 2nd set to be delivered afterwards (from a ‘secret admirer’). The husband then waited to see if the wife told him about the second delivery…

We’re not sure how these stories ended, but we can probably take a good guess!

At Bloom College Flower Design School we create Floristry Courses and Flower Workshops for beginners, the hobbyist and those wanting to pursue floristry as a career.

Our classes are a place where participants have fun, meet new friends and find their inner creativity. No prior experience is necessary, and we have a range of Courses and Workshops available across our three locations: Port Melbourne, Collingwood and Geelong.

What Happens…..

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…When a Bloom College staff member (and floristry newbie) takes a class?

I’ve been with Bloom College for a while now, and while I can appreciate the beauty of flowers, and the work that the teachers and students create, I’d never actually had a go myself.

So – when the opportunity came up for me to join a class, I jumped at it!

The class fell just before Christmas – and when I found out we were making Christmas table arrangements I promptly bragged to my family that this year our table would look better than ever (no pressure!).

The day of the class, I was really looking forward to it, but I didn’t quite know what to expect. I was doing the class with another staff member (a devoted flower lover), and when the flowers arrived that morning for our class, I joined in her excitement.

When the teacher (the lovely Nicole) arrived I was still feeling pretty excited, but also a bit nervous. What if everyone else made this amazing table arrangement and mine was no good? Most of the other students had done floristry classes previously and I worried that I would be left behind as they ploughed on through.

As Nicole took us through what to do, I was feeling nervous – what if I couldn’t remember what she said and mine looked nothing like it should? Nicole patiently took us through the steps involved – but it seemed like so much to remember!

It was then our turn to have a go. I moved to my workstation (with my beautiful bucket of flowers waiting for me) – and I dived right in. Once I got going I found myself blocking out everything around me as I was fully immersed in what I was doing. I loved the feeling of being free to do what I wanted to, of placing the flowers in a way that spoke to me, and where I thought they should go.

Part way through I turned to my colleague and realised we hadn’t spoken for at least ½ hour. This was extremely unusual for us, but highlighted how ‘in the moment’ we’d both been.

As I looked around the room I noticed that everyone’s arrangements were quite different. I really enjoyed seeing how each person had interpreted what we were doing in a slightly different way.

After I was done I proudly took some photos of what I’d created – I couldn’t wait to share them with my family and friends.

Taking my flower arrangement and adding it to my family’s Christmas table was a proud moment for me, as they all gushed at how great I’d done.

Taking this class has given me a new appreciation for how enjoyable working with flowers is, and how great it makes you feel (both during and after the class). I also now know first hand how it can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but once you dive in and just get started, that thoughts of being nervous get pushed to the back of mind.

At Bloom College Flower Design School we create Floristry Courses and Flower Workshops for beginners, the hobbyist and those wanting to pursue floristry as a career.

Flowers In The City

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WOW WOW WOW!!

Flowers in the City…and by ‘City’ I mean the one and only Big Apple – New York City. Whenever I travel I am always drawn to check out the local flower industry – in particular seeing the difference between regions and how they trade. When I visited New York City in 2014/15 it was no exception to this.

One of the glaring differences between how we trade here in Australia as compared to New York, is the very convenient way that all the wholesale flower suppliers are in one area. So much so that the block is actually known as ‘The Flower District’. Most of the flowers available are imported from The Netherlands and are of impeccable quality, and there is a huge variety to be found. Not only are all the suppliers within one area, the streets are also amass with flowers, plant material and potted plants. As my trip coincided with Christmas and New Year, fresh Holly with stunning red berries and spruce were available on mass along with many other Northern hemisphere goodies that we can only dream about down here in Australia!

What I found most interesting is that after 9am the wholesalers are open to the public. The Florists have been in from around 4am onwards, and have snapped up all they need (at wholesale prices). They then take it to their studios or (less commonly in Manhattan) stores. I found that the majority of florist studios are within the flower district and are not open to the public.

Florists are aware that what they do best is to arrange flowers and that this is where their money is to be made. I met florists with contracts for many hotels and restaurants. In fact – one floristry business (with a team of florists) services just one restaurant each week. They have so many arrangements in this particular restaurant that it takes 7 florists to fill it each week! I was in awe of their work, with one section of the restaurant ceiling being covered in hanging pomanders of all sizes. While another area had hall stands covered in arrangements, and walls had wreaths with the diameter of 2 metres. It was just spectacular!
The few Floristry stores that are in Manhattan are pure treasures. One of my favourites was in a book store that leads into Club Monaco clothing store. It is small by our standards, but very sweet. They sell mostly pre arranged flowers rather than cut bunches.

I did come across one very clever lady with the most sustainable business (which I love) called ‘Petals on Pedals’. The owner travels out to the farms each week and only sources locally grown flowers and materials, then the arrangements are delivered by push bike around Manhattan. This would be a great idea (and very possible) for an enterprising florist back here in Australia (in either Melbourne and Adelaide in particular).

So – if you are thinking about a trip to NYC my recommendation is that you DO NOT MISS the Flower District.

At Bloom College Flower Design School we create Floristry Courses and Flower Workshops for beginners, the hobbyist and those wanting to pursue floristry as a career.

New Year…Brand New Floristry Workshops…

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The Bloomers have been working hard behind the scenes to sneak in a Christmas present before we take a well deserved break.

A whole range of BRAND NEW themed workshops are up on the website now and ready for bookings in Port Melbourne. If you’re in Geelong or Collingwood, let us know if you’d like one (or all) of these in your area by emailing us at enquiries@bloomcollege.com.au.

Introducing…(click on the photo to be taken to the course info)

Vases, Vessels & Foam

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Choosing your vessel or vase is another area of floristry that you can really let your creativity soar. Just about anything goes, and the choice of vessels available for arranging flowers is wide and varied. From jars, to cans, bottles, tea cups, or baskets…re-using and recycling is a perfect way to put new life into something old.

Rummage through your cupboards, op shops and garage sales for anything varied and different. Save glass jars, tins and plastic food containers of all shapes and sizes. Even the most unattractive of containers can be used to line a basket or vessel that would otherwise not be waterproof.

Materials like hessian, banana leaves and dried or fresh lotus leaves can be used to cover unsightly or damaged containers. Use sticky tape to make grids across the top of containers to hold the flowers in place.

Just be sure to use clean vases or vessels, and choose the appropriate size and weight to balance you arrangement physically and visually.

A common question we get in our floristry courses and workshops is what the best method of soaking foam is. Simply add water to a sink (the height of the water should be slightly lower than the height of the brick), then place the foam brick with the branding facing up. Gently rest the brick in the sink (do not cover the brick with the water). Allow the brick to soak and absorb the water for a minimum of 20 seconds.

We love showing our floristry students the many varied vessels and vases they can use to make their arrangements. Now that we’ve given you some ideas, it’s over to you to see what you can find. Happy hunting!

At Bloom College Flower Design School we create Floristry Courses and Flower Workshops for beginners, the hobbyist and those wanting to pursue floristry as a career.

Private Floristry Workshops & Corporate Training

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Bloom College has more than just floristry courses and flower workshops. Did you know that we also offer private one-on-one floristry workshops, floristry business owners training, staff training, or corporate workshops with any of our highly trained and experienced teachers?

We can provide training for:

> An experienced florist that wants to learn a new skill in an area of floristry that they haven’t worked in yet.

> Someone who has some floristry experience, but would like to hone in on some particular skills, or learn correct techniques for something they haven’t previously had formal training in.

> A floristry business owner that wants help to train their staff.

> A floristry business owner who would like help in business planning, or how to run a profitable floristry business.

> A large corporate office that wants to run a workshop in their offices for their staff.

> An event organiser that wants to hold short workshops for their attendees as part of the larger event.

As you can see, private training can take on a whole range of options, and we tailor each session to your particular needs. We speak with you, find out what you need from the session, then provide a written quote.

We’ve held floristry training for people who’ve come to our classrooms from far and wide – other parts of Melbourne, Victoria, interstate, and from overseas. Our sessions are fun, hands on, and our teachers will guide you along in a relaxed environment.

Would you like to find out how Bloom College can help you with your private floristry training needs? Simply send us an email at enquiries@bloomcollege.com.au or call us on 1300 816 356.

Blooms We Love

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Here’s a (very) small sample of some of our FAVE blooms out now. They look great as part of Christmas themed decor, wedding bouquets…or let your creativity run wild!

Bouvardia.
Image Credit: picturesofflowers.org

Berzillia.
Image Credit: nwwholesaleflorists.com

Trachelium

Some of our flower workshop and flower course students have been already been using some of these in class this week – and it’s been great to see what they come up with!

At Bloom College Flower Design School we create Floristry Courses and Flower Workshops for beginners, the hobbyist and those wanting to pursue floristry as a career.

This week at Bloom College

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With our Career Change students in their final week this week, it’s been a sea of colour and beautiful blooms in the Port Melbourne classroom…take a look and see what we mean!

It’s been so great to see the progression of these students since they started last month. We wish them all the best and look forward to seeing what they do next.

We still have so much on offer in 2015 at Bloom College in all 3 of our locations. From Flower Basics and Flower Therapy Courses, to Christmas themed Floristry Workshops (including Hampers and Gift Wrapping), and our super popular Event Styling Workshop this weekend – we aren’t slowing down just yet! For the full schedule see here.

Flower Crowns at MMA

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On the 15^th October, Bloom College hit the road, and travelled out to Epping, where we held a series of short Flower Crown Workshops at Melbourne Market Authority (MMA).

Flower Crowns are so popular right now (think: Spring Racing Carnival, Weddings, Events – anything!), so participants were keen to learn how to create their own.

The results speak for themselves…

Do you LOVE Flower Crowns? Well you’re in luck! We still have space at our Flower Crown Workshop at our Port Melbourne classroom on Friday November 13^th. For further information, and to book, head here.

Presentation: Wrapping

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Flowers are a great gift to give – you can give them when you visit a friend in their home, to brighten up someone’s day if they’ve been unwell, to say thank-you – or just because…

To make the flowers just that bit more personal, you can quickly and easily wrap them before leaving home.

Here we show you the basic steps involved:

By following these steps, you can then get creative, and customise the look of your flowers by experimenting with different papers, ribbons, and accessories. A hand written card always goes a long way too.

Do you LOVE flowers? Unleash your creativity in one of our 5 or 6 week Flower Courses, Event Styling Workshop, or Flower Workshops where you can learn to make your own Flower Crown, Terrarium, Vintage Posy, or Wedding Bouquet. We also offer a Floristry Career Change Course – next classes are starting in March 2016 (with some close to full already!).

For more information and a full course list, visit our Courses page, email us on enquiries@bloomcollege.com.au or call us on 1300 816 356