Floristry

What is Floristry?

Floristry is the craft and business of arranging and selling flowers for all kinds of occasions. Florists create bouquets, wreaths, centerpieces, corsages, and other designs using cut flowers, foliage, and sometimes decorative objects like stones or moss. Shops display flowers in coolers or on the street, and arrangements can be simple or elaborate, depending on the style and event. Floristry also covers the delivery and display of flowers for weddings, funerals, religious ceremonies, and everyday enjoyment.

Where does Floristry come from?

The practice of floristry has roots in many cultures, with each developing its own styles and customs. In Paris, flower sellers formed a guild in the 17th century and later opened the first dedicated flower shops in the 19th century. The Netherlands became a center for flower growing and trading, with flower arrangements sold from the mid-1800s and the opening of horticultural colleges. Floristry as a profession grew with the rise of flower shops, markets, and global trade, and today it is shaped by both tradition and changing trends.

How Floristry is made

Florists source fresh flowers from local growers, wholesalers, and large international auctions. Arrangements are made by trimming stems, selecting flowers and foliage, and placing them in vases, baskets, or foam for support. Styles range from dense, round English Garden designs to the minimalist lines of Japanese ikebana and the experimental forms of Modern European floristry. Florists use seasonal and imported flowers, adapting to customer needs and cultural preferences.

When and where Floristry is used

Flowers are arranged and sold for many occasions: weddings, funerals, religious ceremonies, holidays, and personal gifts. Shops also provide flowers for corporate events, home decoration, and special days like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sending flowers became a way to connect with loved ones from afar. Floristry is also part of everyday life, with arrangements found in homes, offices, and places of worship.

Forms of Floristry

Floristry includes many regional and cultural styles. Ikebana from Japan emphasizes simplicity and symbolic alignment. English Garden style uses abundant seasonal flowers in radial patterns. Modern and Dutch styles experiment with form, space, and materials, sometimes using exotic blooms. Each country adapts designs to local flowers and customs, and fashion can influence which flowers are popular.

What Floristry means

Flowers have different meanings in different cultures, and their colors can symbolize love, luck, or mourning. In Britain and Commonwealth countries, poppies are used to remember fallen soldiers. White flowers may mean purity in some places and death in others. The language of flowers, developed in Victorian times, still influences choices today. Floristry is shaped by tradition, social events, and the changing tastes of customers.

The flowers of Floristry

RoseWoody perennial plants with showy, often fragrant flowers in many coloursOrchidA vast family of colourful, often fragrant flowers found almost everywhere on earthTulipSpring-blooming bulbs with showy, cup-shaped flowers in many coloursLilyTall bulb flowers with large, colourful blooms in many gardens and culturesIrisA large group of perennial flowers with striking, six-lobed bloomsPeonyLarge spring flowers in pink, red, white, yellow and purple, grown in gardens worldwideCamelliaEvergreen shrubs and trees with showy blooms, best known for tea and garden flowersDelphiniumTall garden flowers with spurred blooms in blue, purple, pink, and white

Traditions that use it

Where to see Floristry

🇬🇧 London · All yearA floristry class at a London flower schoolA half day or full day learning to build a hand-tied bouquet with seasonal stems at one of London's flower schools.

Days and festivals

Questions people ask about Floristry

Good reading and sources

• Floristry on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data