A true florist works for the ‘Love of Flowers’. To be a skilled florist takes a lot of experience and dedication. Floristry nationwide is a very satisfying, creative career, but most flower lovers don’t see the hard work involved, unless they decide to join the flower industry.
A typical day in the life of a florist involves receiving and conditioning the fresh flower delivery, clearing up and disposing of the leaf, stem and packaging fallout.
However, one of the first things to attend to is the flower orders for the day in order of priority. This usually means fixing card messages on all funeral tributes prepared the day before and ensuring that all wreaths and funeral sprays are delivered to the Funeral Directors in plenty of time for all tributes to be listed and accounted for. Any Birthday, Anniversary or special occasion flower bouquets and floral arrangements will then be prepared for delivery as soon as possible.
Setting up the day’s flower display can be great fun but quite time consuming. This flower presentation is an art in itself and the factors to be taken into consideration will be the variety and colours of flowers available, flower water change and product care where necessary, and a selection of flower bouquets and plants available for spontaneous buys. A good florist’s shop keeping skills will ensure flower presentation is maintained continually, re-arranging, removing and condensing empty or half full vases, and maintaining a clear and safe floor by regularly sweeping away any leaf fall.
Customer service is of course a very important aspect of the floristry trade nationwide. A florist’s customers rely on her to talk to them about which flowers are available at various time of the year; which flower colour and tones work well together; what various flower costs are; the appropriateness of each flower for different people and certain occasions – how long will the flowers last and how should I look after them?
If you need to buy flowers but don’t know what to buy, don’t worry, your florist will guide you through the process. Flowers are her passion!