Have you an eye for detail? Do you love flowers and have a passion for creating arrangements and designs through flowers? There are a few courses in the area of floristry that might be the right pick for you. Why not be part of a wonderfully colourful and beautiful area of life?
What is floristry?
Floristry refers to the production, business, trade and commerce in relation to flowers. Different aspects of floristry include flower arranging, flower display and flower delivery, handling, floral design and others.
What third level courses are available?
Universities and colleges in Ireland are offering courses in the following subject areas:
- Professional Floristry (PLC)
- Floristry (PLC)
- Christmas Flower Arranging
- Floral Art
- Floral Design – Flower Arranging
- Botany (undergraduate)
- Horticulture (undergraduate)
All courses above are mostly PLC style courses while there are also courses you can do in different flower schools across the country.
Studying floristry in college
While there are no exact undergraduate courses available in the area of floristry there are still plenty of options for you to choose from. These include a number of PC courses in Further Education Colleges around Ireland as well as Flower schools run by professional florists.
Different courses will differ in their content, especially if you choose a certain area, for example, Christmas arrangement. PLC style courses will normally be 1 year long but flower schools and other courses may only be a few weeks long in some cases.
If you study a QQI Level 5 Profession Floristry course you will gain the relevant skill and knowledge to go forward and work in the area. You will look at different areas including flowers conditioning and handling, floral design for occasions, floristry plants, interior planting, plant design and care, retail selling, retail display, communications and more.
The majority of courses require you to be quite hands on to take part in practical work. They adapt a ‘learn by doing’ style of studying while gaining experience in the field to give you an idea of what it will be like to work as a florist in future.
If you would like to take another route with plants and flowers, there is always the option of studying different undergraduate courses such as Botany or Horticulture.
Career options
The most obvious option in this area is to go on and work as a florist in a flower shop or even set up your own floristry business. It is an area that will always see demand as flowers never go out of style and are a huge part of main events from birthdays to weddings, celebrations and more.
As mentioned above, should you have an interest in flowers and plants and want to delve into the area a little deeper, you could expand your study to undergraduate courses such as botany or horticulture which are a slightly different angle to plants and flowers than floristry. Floristry is the art involved in flowers while botany or horticulture looks at the science side of things.
Skills and qualities important in this area include creativity, an eye for detail, an eye for colour, strong time management skills, organisation skills, people skills, communication skills, the ability to work well with others, the ability to meet customer demands, artistic ability and good knowledge of plant and flower care and handling.
Related Jobs
- Florist
- Botanist
- Horticulturist
- Artist
- Entrepreneur
- Event planner
- Interior designer
- Retail
- Salesperson
Further Study
Visit postgrad.ie for more information.
FAQ
Different courses and different colleges will have different entry requirements. It’s always safest to check with the individual higher education institution which is available on their websites. As a general rule Leaving Cert students should have a minimum of six subjects which should
include: Two H5 (Higher Level) grades and Four O6 (Ordinary Level) grades or four H7 (Higher Level) grades. Subjects must include Mathematics, Irish or another language, and English.
There are many flower schools to choose from in Ireland that accept students from beginner to advanced level. The likes of these courses can often be online and sometimes do not have specific entry requirements.
Where can I study?
For other courses in the area you would like to explore, you can do so here.
Did you know?
- China claims to have the oldest flower in the world known as the archaefructus which is believed to be around 125 million years old.
- It is believed there are more than 270,000 different species of flowers.
- Tulips were worth more than silver or gold back in the 17th century with one bulb costing over £2,000.
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