Cornish Florist Takes Top Honours in America
- Jackie Whittaker
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Bodmin-based Caroline Crabb is celebrating this week after winning first prize in the AIFD’s Designs of the Decade competition.
The American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) launched this unique, year-long competition to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2025. The competition consisted of six individual, decade-themed challenges, spread throughout the year, with winners receiving a registration to the AIFD "Reflection" Symposium in Palm Springs, Florida this month.
Getting to the Final in Palm Springs
The Designs of the Decade competition began in August 2024, with the first of six decade-themed design competitions. Each competition celebrated a different decade of AIFD history and the art of floral design and was open to all professional floral designers and floral enthusiasts. Caroline was the winner of the 1990s competition earlier this year. The final decade competition, focusing on the 2010s, ended in May, with all of the winners then congregating in Palm Springs for a grand final, held alongside the AIFD Symposium. Each winner was competing for the Designs of the Decades Cup as well as some fabulous prizes.
Caroline Crabb Wins First Place
With a competition theme of “The Future is Looking Rosy” acknowledging the sponsorship by Alexandra Farms in Colombia, all six finalists were given the same stems and materials to create their design in just 45 minutes. A key criteria was that their design had to use at least six roses grown by Alexandra Farms and incorporate any two other items from a selection of pink aluminium wire, pink zip ties, yarn-covered wire and pink cellophane.
As overall winner of the Designs of the Decades Cup, which was presented during the annual 2025 Awards Ceremony, Caroline wins a cash prize plus 100 Alexandra Farms garden roses of her choice, an invitation to the 2026 Annual Designers & Friends Farm Visit at Alexandra Farms in Colombia and a free general registration to the 2026 AIFD Symposium in Orlando, Florida.
Caroline told Editor of The Florist Magazine, Caroline Marshall-Foster, “I am over the moon and thanks must go to my amazing cheer squad. AIFD has a special place in my heart and being part of Symposium is an amazing experience, not just with incredible presentations but the chance to meet so many wonderful florists. I was thrilled to win the heat, to take the top prize at such a prestigious event is the icing on the cake.”
Congratulations Caroline from everyone at the Floristry Trade Club!
