Professional Introduction to Floristry
Five days of intensive, hands-on floristry with Claire Cowling
Monday 9th to Friday 13th November 2026 | 9.30am–4pm
Monday 18th to Friday 22nd January 2027 | 9.30am–4pm
 
Thinking about becoming a florist?
Perhaps you're considering a career change, thinking about starting your own floristry business, or simply want to find out what it really takes to work professionally with flowers.
Our Professional Introduction to Floristry is an intensive five-day course designed to give you a genuine insight into the world of professional floristry, combining practical floristry skills with the knowledge needed to work with customers and run a successful business.
Over five full days, Claire Cowling of Thrive Floristry will share the practical skills, knowledge and experience gained from more than 35 years in the floristry industry, working across weddings, events, retail floristry and sympathy work.
This isn't simply five days of making pretty flower arrangements.
We'll look at the practical skills, materials, flower buying, business, sales and customer service that sit behind professional floristry, giving you a solid foundation and a realistic insight into what working as a florist involves.
You'll be working with flowers and natural materials every day, learning professional techniques and creating a range of designs covering some of the key areas of a working florist's business.
The course is held in a small class setting, allowing plenty of opportunity to ask questions, practise techniques and learn directly from Claire.
Day One – Florist's Toolbox, Flower Care & Hand-tied Bouquets
We'll start with the essentials.
We'll look at the tools of the trade, what you really need in your florist's toolbox, how to use your tools correctly and how to care for them.
We'll also cover flower care and conditioning — one of the fundamental skills of professional floristry. Understanding how to handle, condition and care for flowers properly is essential if you want your designs to look their best and your flowers to last.
Practical – Hand-tied Bouquet & Professional Wrapping
You'll learn the principles of creating a well-constructed hand-tied bouquet, including stem placement, shape and balance, before finishing your design with professional wrapping and presentation.
 
Day Two – Sundries, Stock, Buying & Hatbox Arrangements
There's much more to floristry than flowers!
We'll explore the sundries and materials used by professional florists, from wires and tapes to containers, wrapping materials and other essential stock.
We'll also look at buying flowers and managing stock — what to look for, how to choose flowers, quantities, quality, seasonality and making sensible buying decisions.
Practical – Seasonal Hatbox Arrangement
You'll create a beautiful seasonal hatbox arrangement, putting your knowledge of flowers, mechanics and design into practice.

Day Three – Wedding Floristry
Wedding work is a huge part of professional floristry, and we'll spend a day looking at some of the skills and considerations involved.We'll discuss working with couples, understanding their requirements and translating ideas into flowers, as well as the practicalities of working on weddings.We'll also explore seasonal flowers, colour, style and proportion, and how individual wedding flowers need to work together as part of the bigger picture.Practical:Wired buttonhole & tied bridal posyYou'll learn the techniques behind creating a professional wired buttonhole and a tied bridal posy.Day Four – Sympathy FloristryWe'll discuss how to deal with sympathy and funeral orders with consideration, sensitivity and empathy, and how to listen carefully to families and translate their wishes into meaningful floral tributes.We'll explore the different types of sympathy work, working with seasonal and natural flowers, design considerations and the practicalities of creating funeral flowers.Practical:Sympathy sprayYou'll create a sympathy spray, putting the techniques and knowledge from the day into practice while considering shape, proportion, mechanics and presentation.Day five - The Business of Floristry & Planter DesignBeing a good florist is only part of running a successful floristry business. We'll look at some of the key areas involved in working professionally, including social media, sales, pricing, customer service and presenting your business. We'll discuss how to attract customers, turn enquiries into orders and make sure your floristry business is commercially viable. We'll also look at the importance of good photography and social media, and how to showcase your work effectively.Practical: Planter design & stylish wrappingPlanters are particularly popular and can be a great addition to a florist's product range, offering another way to increase average order value and generate repeat sales.We'll then put this into practice by creating a gorgeous seasonal planter and professional wrapping, looking at presentation and the little details that can make a real difference to how your work is perceived by customers.
 
Is this course for you?
This course is designed for anyone who is seriously considering a career in floristry or starting their own floristry business, as well as those who want a comprehensive introduction before deciding what direction to take next.
No previous professional floristry experience is required.
You don't need to know the names of hundreds of flowers or already have a florist's toolbox. We'll start with the basics and build from there.
What you do need is enthusiasm, a willingness to learn and a love of flowers.
 
You simply need to bring yourself, comfortable clothes and shoes suitable for practical floristry, and a willingness to get stuck in!
Learn from experience
With 35 years in professional floristry, three RHS Chelsea Gold Medals, five floristry books and experience across weddings, events, sympathy flowers, retail and large-scale installations, Claire brings a wealth of practical knowledge to this intensive introduction.
If you're serious about exploring a future in floristry, this is a chance to spend five days learning, creating and finding out what professional floristry is really all about.