Sustainable Floristry: 8-Week Career Change Course

Thinking about a career change but not sure where to start?Our Introduction to Sustainable Floristry is a hands-on, beginner-friendly course created for those curious about turning a love of flowers into a profession. You’ll work with locally grown, seasonal blooms while learning the real foundations of floristry — not just how to arrange, but how to think and work like a professional florist.About Belinda (aka Bel) Bel is a farmer-florist and co-owner of Botaniculture (retail flower shop) and Flowers from our Farm (wholesale flower farm). With over 35 years of experience in the retail gift-giving industry — including running both a busy brick-and-mortar and online store — Bel brings practical business knowledge alongside design skills. Her teaching is grounded, transparent, and focused on building confidence.About Mark Mark is a horticulturist and co-owner of Botaniculture and Flowers from our Farm. Mark brings a lifetime of horticultural experience and a deep understanding of floriculture (flower farming). His knowledge of soil, crop planning, seasonality, and growing quality stems underpins everything we do. He shares the growing side of the story — the part many florists never see, but that changes how you will design forever. Together, we offer a genuine, behind-the-scenes look at a working flower farm and floristry business — honest, seasonal, and rooted in experience. If you’re ready to explore floristry in a way that feels real and sustainable, we’d love to welcome you.Overview: At Botaniculture, flowers start in the ground — not in a bucket. Each week, you’ll work with locally grown flowers, freshly picked from our own farm or thoughtfully sourced from nearby growers, always naturally in season. You’ll experience how availability shifts week to week, how colour palettes are shaped by climate, and how stem length, texture, and structure influence your design decisions. Rather than forcing an outcome, you’ll learn to respond to what the season offers. This practical understanding — working with nature instead of against it — is what underpins sustainable, long-lasting floral work.Week One: Introduction to Floristry We start with a warm welcome, a cup of tea, and a conversation. Bel will share her journey into floristry — from a curiosity about flowers to building Botaniculture into both a working flower farm and a thriving retail business. She’ll talk about the challenges, discoveries, and joys along the way, offering insight into what it takes to turn a passion for blooms into a fulfilling creative career. Next, we’ll introduce the essential tools of the trade and the discipline of preparation: cleaning, trimming, hydrating, and assessing the quality of flowers. These foundational habits shape everything that follows and give you a solid footing for your own floristry journey. Your first creation will be a seasonal market bunch, made from the blooms naturally available that week. You’ll thoughtfully build and wrap your bunch, leaving with flowers in hand — a tangible reflection of the field and the start of your hands-on experience.This introduction to sustainable floristry is held at our Burwood Brickworks location, home to the Botaniculture retail store and farm shop, where you’ll see how a love of flowers grows into a thriving business.Week 2: Hand-Tied Garden Bouquet In Week Two, we move from harvesting to designing. The focus is on seasonal bunches — learning to see how colour, texture, and form interact in a bouquet. We start with a discussion about working with the natural palette of the season. You’ll explore how different stems complement one another, how texture adds depth, and how to balance movement and structure to create a harmonious, natural-looking bouquet. With fresh flowers in hand, you’ll learn how to hand-tie a garden-style bouquet, arranging stems in a way that feels abundant yet effortless. You’ll also experiment with eco-friendly wrapping techniques, presenting your work in a way that is both beautiful and sustainable. By the end of the session, you’ll have created a seasonal hand-tied bouquet, wrapped and ready to take home — a true reflection of the flowers you’ve worked with and the season you’re in.Week 3: Garden Style Vase Arrangement Week Three shifts focus from bouquets to vase arrangements, exploring how to bring seasonal flowers together in a way that feels natural, abundant, and sustainable. The session begins with a discussion on low-waste floristry — how to work thoughtfully with stems, foliage, and materials to create beautiful designs while minimising waste. You’ll learn the principles that guide sustainable floral work and why they matter for both the environment and professional practice. With flowers in hand, you’ll create your own natural garden-style vase arrangement, learning to balance height, texture, and form. You’ll see how seasonal availability and stem structure influence placement, and how to make an arrangement that feels effortless but carefully considered. By the end of the session, you’ll have a vase arrangement to take home, alongside the knowledge to approach future designs with sustainability and seasonal awareness at the forefront.Week 4: Working with Wildflowers In Lesson Four, we explore the world of wildflowers — abundant, textural, and full of character. The session begins with practical knowledge about sourcing seasonal flowers. You’ll learn how to work with local growers, navigate wholesalers, and understand flower pricing, giving you insight into how florists access and select blooms throughout the year. With guidance, you’ll then create a front-facing wildflower vase arrangement, combining Australian natives with South African wildflowers. You’ll learn to showcase the natural structure and movement of the stems, creating a vibrant, layered display that celebrates the season and the unique qualities of each flower. By the end of the session, you’ll have a wildflower vase arrangement to take home and a stronger understanding of sourcing, styling, and working with seasonal, textural blooms.Week 5: Hand-Tied Wildflower Bouquet Week Five is all about bringing together texture, colour, and form in a hand-tied wildflower bouquet. You’ll start the session with a conversation about different pathways within the floristry industry, exploring career options, opportunities, and what it takes to work professionally with flowers. Then, with a mix of Australian native and South African wildflowers, you’ll create a front-facing bouquet. The focus is on arranging stems to show off their natural movement and character while building a composition that feels balanced and abundant. You’ll also learn how to wrap your bouquet sustainably and present it beautifully, ready for display or gifting. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with a finished bouquet in hand and a clearer understanding of how to approach both the creative and professional sides of floristry.Week 6: Event Flowers Part 1 Week Six introduces the world of event floristry, where planning and timing are just as important as design. The session begins with a discussion about seasonal availability and peak demand, helping you understand how the calendar, crop cycles, and flower quality influence what can be used and when. You’ll learn how to plan floral work efficiently, making sure your designs are both beautiful and practical for events. In the hands-on portion, you’ll create bud vase clusters and table centrepieces, learning how to design for different scales and settings. The focus is on using seasonal flowers creatively while maintaining cohesion and balance, so your arrangements look effortlessly curated yet thoughtfully composed. By the end of the session, you’ll have a set of event-style arrangements and a stronger understanding of how to design, plan, and work with flowers for special occasions.Week 7: Event Flowers Part 2 Week Seven continues our focus on event floristry, this time turning attention to sourcing and styling. We discuss where to shop for flowers and sundries, sharing our favourite local growers, wholesalers, and flower markets. You’ll gain practical insight into selecting quality blooms and materials, understanding availability, and navigating pricing — knowledge that helps you work efficiently and professionally. In the hands-on session, you’ll create a bouquet with a matching buttonhole, learning how to coordinate designs for a cohesive event look. You’ll practice composition, scale, and finishing techniques to ensure both pieces complement each other perfectly.Week 8: Living Wreath We close our journey together with a creative celebration. You’ll create a living wreath using seasonal plants, moss, and foraged twigs — a piece that reflects the full circle of growing, harvesting, and designing with intention. We’ll gather for a farewell afternoon tea, reflecting on what you’ve learned and the path ahead — whether that’s growing for joy, deepening your creative practice, or stepping into a new career in flowers. (For those ready to take the leap, ongoing work experience opportunities remain open beyond the course, offering continued mentorship within our working farm and retail store.)

• A Botaniculture apron and curated floristry essentials toolkit to keep
• Seasonal, locally grown flowers each week — yours to design with and take home
• Hands-on instruction in harvesting, conditioning, and designing with living crops
• Practical skills in sustainable flower design and working with seasonal availability
• Small-group, personalised teaching with insight into running a grower–florist business
• Work experience opportunities for career-change students

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