Paul Andrews - Founder & CEO, Family Business United

Family Business Florists Celebrating Across UK

Over 1000 florists bunch together to celebrate first ever National Florist Day on June 8th

Flower Power is unique; goose bump inducing blooms that are used to celebrate every single life event; happy to sad, weddings to birthdays, new babies to exam successes and all the ‘just because’ purchases for a natural, healthy ‘pick-me-up effect’ only flowers can give.

And behind the goosebumps are a band of local, independent florists, many that have been owned by families for generations, who weave their magic to not only create the most amazing creations but make sure consumers have the very best, most wonderful, and totally affordable flowers they can buy.

This year, for the first time ever, they are coming together to celebrate all that is wonderful about the flower industry and showcase just how the magic happens.

With a week-long celebration which began on June 1, florists up and down the UK and Ireland will share the stories about flowers, their secrets and tips to make them even more special, host events, activities and competitions and of course show off thousands of flowers … some of them in the most unexpected places!!

In fact, National Florist Day sees growers, wholesalers, suppliers and florists of all shapes, sizes and styles joining forces to show the public just what goes into floristry.

Because being a professional florist is most definitely not ‘playing with flowers’ as founder Caroline Marshall-Foster explained. “There is this misconception that florists spend their day wearing pinnies, surrounded by fragrant blooms, popping a few flowers in a vase here and there, and that it requires little skill or brain power."

"The reality is very different. Being a good florist, and running a successful floristry business, takes years of training, is hard graft and can be pretty stressful too."

"Not only are you dealing with every emotion - funerals are particularly hard - but it’s physically demanding too; trust me lugging crates of flowers and buckets of cold, smelly water are not a fun part of the gig!"

“Then there’s the whole area of buying to consider. Prices have shot up over the last few years so you need to be really careful to avoid waste, you need to speak Latin to know your varieties, know what will and won’t be good at any given week, cut and condition every stem so the customer gets the very best blooms and be a constant clock watcher to make sure deliveries get out on time!”

But as Caroline says, being a florist is also one of the most rewarding careers there is and the fact flowers touch everyone’s life is the reason most florists have made it their profession.

“Florists are facing incredibly challenging times but there is also something magical about working with flowers, and florist shops are often at the heart of every community. Not only purveyors of beautiful blooms but engaging with everyone, across all ages and often seen as a safe place for a drop in and chat."

"Add in the fact that there is simply no occasion where flowers can’t convey a message; be it “I love you”, “I’m sorry”, “Congratulations”, “you’re amazing” or “thinking of you”, and you really can “say it with flowers” every day."

"In fact, whether it’s just a few stems in a jam jar or a humongous bouquet of luxury roses, flowers convey emotions like nothing else in the world and when you see the smile on a person’s face when you deliver their gift it makes your heart sing and the cold, smelly water and long hours are worth it.”

National Florist Day is the industry’s way of sharing that fabulousness and showing the public that there is so much more to flowers and floristry than meets the eye.