10 of the Best Floral Design Classes and Courses in Australia
Mastering the art of floral design is no easy feat. There’s much more to it than just casually bunching up a selection of flowers and greenery. It takes skill, patience and a lot of practice to create something that is not only beautiful but also evokes meaning.
Here, we’ve rounded up the best floral design workshops, classes and courses you can enrol in across Australia. Regardless of whether you’re a beginner who just wants to have some fun and get in touch with your creative side, you’re looking for a stress-free way to host a special gathering like a birthday or hens party, or you’re serious about pursuing a career in the florist industry, there’s something here for everyone.
Brush up on your wiring skills, master the art of arranging bouquets, table centrepieces, terrariums, Kokedamas and abbors, relax your mind and best of all, have fun.
10 Best Floral Design Classes in Australia
1. TAFE NSW
If you’re serious about getting into the floral industry and even opening your own florist, TAFE has the course for you. Taught by experienced industry professionals, you’ll learn everything from advanced botanical knowledge to basic business and retail skills. For those wanting a taste of the industry, TAFE offers their part-time certificate II in Floristry, where after 18 weeks you’ll graduate with the qualifications to be a floristry assistant.
For the more advanced, there’s the Certificate III in Floristry, which will help you grow your career as a qualified florist, and the Certificate IV in Floristry where you’ll learn the most advanced floristry techniques to flourish in this creative industry.
2. Pearsons School of Floristry
Any flower-fanatic will know Pearsons Florist. With over 50 years of experience, Pearson's has built a reputation as one of Sydney's most trusted florists. The family-run business that is known for selecting only the finest and newest flowers in season, also run their own School of Floristry so you can actually create their iconic extraordinary bouquets yourself.
There’s a huge range of different courses on offer depending on your needs, skills and time available. For beginners, they hold short two-hour, and 1-2 day workshops, or there’s even a five-week Flora Design Series. For those wanting to start a career in floristry, there’s the Certificate III, which runs for a period of three, six or nine months.
3. Yuga Floral Design
Try your hand at Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, with a class run by Setsuko Yanagisawa, owner of Yuga Flora Design in Glebe, Sydney. In contrast to western-style floral arrangements where flowers are casually placed in a vase, Ikebana aims to bring out the inner qualities of flowers and other live materials via certain rules of construction and ancient principles to ultimately express emotion.
In Yanagisawa’s two-hour classes, you’ll learn about the different angles branches are placed at, what each placement means, why certain branches and flowers are used and walk out feeling zen.
4. Au Revoir Shiloh
Love dried flowers? Au Revoir Shiloh in Fremantle, Western Australia, regularly hosts preserved flower arrangement workshops in which you can choose from a carefully select floral bar, complete with natives, pastels and other stunning floral pieces.
To make your experience all the more merrier, treat yourself to complimentary prosecco, tea and coffee and a shared grazing board while you craft your bespoke your floral design.
If you want to expand your creative side further, Au Revoir Shiloh also have a range of clay, candle-making and polymer clay jewellery workshops available.
5. Flowers to Impress School of Floristry
Aside from offering a range of courses from short courses for beginners to nationally accredited qualifications at their Toowoomba, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Townsville and Cairns locations, they also have online classes. These virtual classes are perfect for those who are located outside of Queensland or want to learn from the comfort of their own home and at their own pace.
6. Tessalaar Flowers
Tessalaar Flowers are one of Australia’s leading wholesalers to florists around the country and on their website they’re also the one-stop directory where florists advertise their floristry courses.
The courses are categorised by state and there’s also online courses available, too. If there are no courses available in your state at the time of checking, make sure to check back regularly as new courses are added regularly.
7. The Eddies Studio
This Adelaide-based creative pop-up workshop and flower studio hosts a variety of workshops and event experience, which are customised for private gatherings like birthdays, baby showers, hens parties and corporate events. Their workshops make for a stress-free and enjoyable way to come together and celebrate that special event.
8. Sydney Flower School
Based on-site at Sydney Markets, Flemington, a team of passionately skilled floral educators hold ongoing classes and short courses. Their one-off lifestyle classes are perfect for those with no previous skill, experience or knowledge, but want to spend a few hours getting in touch with their creative side. If you have a birthday or other event that you’d like to organise a floristry class for, they can also arrange bespoke classes. Otherwise, there are also industry-relevant and professional business development courses for those who are keen on pursuing something a bit more in the floral industry.
Not located in Sydney? They also have online classes so you don’t have to miss out on all the fun.
9. Team Flower
Team Flower’s classes are completely online and they aim to provide instant, on-demand access to classes at any time. Looking to perfect your bouquet skills? There’s a class for that. Interested in centrepieces? There’s also a class for that. Extravagant abbors? Yep, there’s that, too.
For those who are limited on time but want the full package, choose from their fast-track flower arrangement classes tailored for professionals who want to sharpen their skills, refresh their knowledge and advance their techniques.
10. Bloomin’ Marvellous
This Melbourne-based floristry workshop welcomes all budding florists, and emphasises on basic elements of design, covering a range of techniques. They offer standard bouquet and table arrangement classes, but what you’ll really fall in love with is their terrarium, Kokedama and fancy fishbowl classes.
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