Working with fresh flowers brings something special to our lives. The art of floral design is a proud form of art that has been around for thousands of years. The diversity of style is amazing and will reflect a variety of social, religious and cultural trends.
The art of floral design plays an important role in our society. It is an important part of social interactions and interior design. It is important in relationships and for enhancing the overall quality of our lives. Working with flowers is fun but also brings a dimension to our life that is purely pleasing. Having a bad day, then make a bouquet. Feeling sad, bring some joy to your life by working with a bunch of flowers that smile for you.
Flowers are both beautiful and functional. We enjoy their colour, their scent and often forget the real significance of a flower from the plants’ perspective is to provide a means of reproduction. Flowers have played a role in many cultures throughout the years, symbolizing an identity, a goal or aspiration and even may have special religious significance.
We also mark special days with flowers – births, deaths, weddings and a host of other special occasions to give thanks, to say “ I love you “ or to just say I am thinking about you. In fact, individual types of flowers have been given special meaning, which you may consider when you are giving flowers as a gift.
Roses have long been the chosen flower to signify love and long-stemmed red roses are for sure the sell-out flower on Valentine’s Day. However, white roses symbolize purity and yellow roses symbolize happiness and friendship. Lilies are often one of the most chosen flowers for both weddings and funerals, with white lilies being symbolic of the purity and virtue of the bride. Sunflowers are the symbol of warmth and happiness while purple lilacs signify first love.
The floral industry itself is huge. It is a multibillion-dollar industry that brightens our lives at every special holiday and event in our lives. It does make a great contribution to our economy and provides a host of employment opportunities.
However, there are not many places for individuals to learn how to be a “florist.” someone who understands flowers and how to treat them to ensure long-lasting bouquets. There is a skill that needs to be learned in order to design and work with a variety of floral elements. Floristry is an important component of the horticultural industry. However, it is sometimes difficult to find training that is offered close to you when you need it. If you are located within travelling distance to Saskatoon, training has just become a little bit easier.
The Saskatoon School of Horticulture is offering a variety of options in the floristry field. Those interested can obtain experience doing floral design by offering a variety of floral design classes that will give the participant the great joy of working with flowers but also provide the necessary skills to work in the industry or run a florist shop. Please note participants will receive a certificate for each level of education that is completed. We even offer a more in-depth certificate program in floristry for those who wish to achieve more certification.
— Hanbidge is a horticulturist with the Saskatoon School of Horticulture and can be reached at 306-931-GROW(4769); by email at [email protected] or check out our website at www.saskhort.com.
