I have to tell you a little secret about floral
designers. We do more than stick flowers in a vase or play with pretty
flowers all day long. OK, we do play with pretty flowers all day long
BUT there is a lot more to being a florist that you may not know about.
Besides the creative side of designing, we are part business person, part quality control inspector, part scientist, part engineer, part counselor, part student .
Florists
are part business people. Fresh flowers are ordered daily, weekly, or
months in advance depending on the orders we receive, what flowers are
in season, or for everyday stock. They can be ordered with local
wholesalers or with national companies. As all companies, we prefer a
good product at a fair price and we also prefer dealing with companies
that follow what is known as a cold chain. What this means is that the
flowers are harvested in the fields and are immediately put in
refrigeration at the growers, and are kept consistently cold from the
growers to the freight companies to the wholesalers then to the local
florists. The longer they are kept in the cold, the longer they will
live and we won't have to dispose of them.
Florists
are quality control inspectors. Once the flowers are delivered to us,
we unwrap them and "process" them. Each flower is examined for rot,
damage, or breakage and are generally stripped of any foliage that would
be under water. They are then cut with a sharp knife and put into a
bucket of cold water treated with special flower food. We are also
consistently checking the flowers on a daily basis for freshness and appearance.
Florists
are part scientist. Since there are many types of flowers, there are
also many different factors in their care. Tropical flowers do not like
the cold coolers that are 35 degrees Fahrenheit, hydrangeas take in a
lot of water so they should be in a bucket with more than usual amount
of water, etc. The flowers are stored in a walk-in cooler or in a
display cooler until they are used for designing. We also know to keep
fruit and other produce out of the cooler. Fruit produces ethanol when it ripens and that
ethanol kills flowers.
Florists
are part engineer. We are asked constantly if we can design something
and truly....sometimes....when we say yes, we actually are not sure how we
can. BUT, we as designers always either know another designer who does
know how to do something or we just figure it out. Plus, we have floral
tape!!
Florists
are part counselor. We deal in emotions. Flowers are used in life's
events such as weddings, birthdays, well wishes, births and funerals.
While some are happy and cheerful, other times they are sad. Florists
can direct you to the right wording, the appropriate flowers, all the
while listening and congratulating or consoling. We have
lots of Kleenex around as well.
And,
lastly, florists are part student. In this day and age, we cannot sit
on what we know, we must be learning, either a new design, a new
product, a new computer program, or a new marketing technique. Our
local wholesalers offer hands on classes as well as national speakers.
We read home magazines as well as industry magazines looking for new
trends. We also attend industry conventions, always searching and
learning. We also teach whenever we can. Florists teach other florists
as well as the public about flowers and plants.
Floristry is not plunking a flower in a vase, it's actually a multitude of skills, so next time you receive a floral design, you know all that went into it.
Luan M. Kurriger, Manager
Bank of Memories & Flowers Pewaukee
262-695-9911
www.bankofmemories.com
