Floristry Student Working on a Bouquet of Flowers

Floristry and event styling

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A welcome from the Head of Floristry, Event Styling and Art and Design - Louise Quigley

Hello and congratulations on your offer to study with us! I'm delighted you've chosen to join our floristry department at Capel Manor College.

Whether you're taking your first steps into floristry or looking to develop your existing skills, you've chosen a course that will inspire your creativity, build your confidence and help you develop the practical and commercial skills needed for a successful career in the floristry industry.

Floristry is about so much more than arranging flowers. It's about combining creativity, design, colour, texture and craftsmanship to produce beautiful work for a wide variety of occasions. Throughout your course you'll learn professional floristry techniques while developing your own creative style, producing designs that are both commercially relevant and visually inspiring.

Depending on your course, you'll study at either our Enfield, Mottingham or Gunnersbury Park Campus, learning from experienced florists in professional workshops. You'll work with fresh seasonal flowers and foliage while developing the practical skills, creativity and confidence needed to succeed in the industry.

Our tutors have extensive industry experience and are passionate about helping every learner achieve their potential. Whether your goal is employment, starting your own business, progressing to higher-level study or simply developing a new creative skill, we'll support you every step of the way.

I hope you're as excited as we are to get started! We look forward to welcoming you in September and helping you begin the next stage of your floristry journey.

Course overview

Our floristry courses combine creative design with practical, hands-on learning to prepare you for employment, further study or running your own floristry business.

Based at our Enfield, Mottingham or Gunnersbury Park Campus, you'll develop professional floristry skills through a wide range of practical projects. You'll learn how to design and create floral arrangements for weddings, events, celebrations and commercial environments while developing your understanding of colour, design principles, customer requirements and business practice.

Throughout your time with us you'll have opportunities to work on real commercial projects, create displays for college events, design shop windows and pop-up flower shops, and contribute to prestigious events such as Chelsea in Bloom and The Radio Times Cover Party. These experiences allow you to build confidence, develop professional skills and create an impressive portfolio of work.

Lilacs in bloom at Capel Manor College's Enfield Campus

Modules and structure

Your course combines practical workshop sessions with creative design projects. As you progress, we'll encourage you to become increasingly creative, independent and commercially aware, preparing you for employment or further study within the floristry industry. Throughout the year you'll develop your knowledge and skills in areas such as:

  • Floral design principles
  • Hand-tied bouquets and gift arrangements
  • Wedding and event floristry
  • Funeral and sympathy designs
  • Table centres and venue decoration
  • Seasonal and contemporary floral design
  • Plant care and conditioning techniques
  • Colour, texture and composition
  • Customer service and commercial floristry
  • Window displays and visual merchandising
  • Sustainable floristry practices
  • Business skills and working with clients
Floristry student at Capel Manor College creating a hoop display.

Equipment and uniform

Floristry is a practical subject, and you'll spend much of your time working in our professional floristry workshops. Most specialist floristry tools, flowers and materials will be provided during your practical sessions. As you progress through your course, your tutors may recommend purchasing your own floristry knife or secateurs, but this will be discussed during induction. You will also be using laptops/computers and the Microsoft Office suite, including Microsoft Teams. Don't worry if you don't have everything on day one - we'll explain everything you'll need during induction. Before you start we'd recommend bringing:

  • Comfortable clothing suitable for practical work
  • Closed-toe shoes with good grip
  • An apron (if you have one)
  • A notebook and pen
  • A refillable water bottle

Meet the team

Louise Quigley

Fisun Houssein

Victoria Cowell

Shelley Jefferson

Julie Price

Donna Sallows

Tracey Benton

Amanda Watts

Leaha Meale

Preparing for study

If you'd like to get a head start before September, here are a few ideas:

Watch

• The Great British Florist
• RHS Chelsea Flower Show coverage
• BBC Gardeners' World
• Floral design demonstrations on YouTube
• Videos from professional florists and floral designers

Think about how flowers, colour and texture can be used to create different moods and tell a story.

Visit 

If you have the opportunity, visit:

• A local florist
• Garden centres
• RHS Garden Wisley
• RHS Chelsea Flower Show
• Flower markets
• Botanical gardens

Notice the different flowers, colours, textures and styles being used and think about why they work together.

Keep curious

Follow:

• British Florist Association
• Flowers from the Farm
• RHS
• Chelsea in Bloom
• Independent florists and floral designers on Instagram

Keep an eye on seasonal trends, new design ideas and sustainable floristry techniques. Inspiration can be found everywhere!

Floristry and event styling FAQs

Floristry offers a wide range of exciting and creative career opportunities. Our students progress into roles and areas including:

• Retail Florist
• Wedding Florist
• Event Florist
• Funeral Florist
• Freelance Floral Designer
• Visual Merchandiser
• Floral Stylist
• Self-employed Business Owner
• Higher education
• Apprenticeships

Throughout your course you'll gain experience in:

• Floral design
• Hand-tied bouquets
• Wedding and event floristry
• Funeral and sympathy work
• Seasonal displays
• Plant care and conditioning
• Commercial floristry and customer service
• Window displays and visual merchandising

By the end of your course, you should be able to:

• Create professional floral arrangements for a range of occasions
• Care for and prepare fresh flowers and foliage
• Design floral work using colour, texture and proportion
• Work confidently with customers and respond to design briefs
• Show that you've developed commercial awareness and business skills
• Build a professional portfolio of floristry work
• Show that you are ready for employment, further study or self-employment

Not at all! Our courses are designed to help you develop your skills whatever your starting point.

We're looking for enthusiasm, creativity and a willingness to learn, not previous experience. Everyone joins us with different levels of confidence, and our tutors will support you as you develop your practical skills, creative flair and professional knowledge.

Whether you've arranged flowers before or simply have an interest in design and creativity, we'll help you build the confidence to succeed.

Throughout your time with us you'll have opportunities to:

• Compete in prestigious events such as Chelsea in Bloom
• Design floral displays for awards ceremonies and college events
• Run pop-up flower shops and develop commercial skills
• Create professional shop window displays
• Meet experienced florists and industry professionals
• Build an impressive portfolio of work
• Develop the skills and confidence needed for a successful career

Have questions?

Speak to our Admissions team via live chat from 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday or email admissions@capel.ac.uk.