Su Whale praises the shamrock and suggests some suitably green foliage alternatives for floristry work.

Su Whale encourages us to embrace scented shrubs to add style and colour to spring arrangements.

Supermarkets will be full of prewrapped cellophane bunches and bouquets for Mother’s Day at all price points and in all colours. Easy for the shopper to pick up but distinctly lacking in originality. This is where florists’ have the advantage of being able to design not only bespoke gifts but wrap flowers and plants far more inventively and creatively to suit individual tastes and budgets.   That being said, Mother’s Day is not the occasion to be spending lots of time on comp

While spray roses are sometimes viewed as the little sister of single headed roses, they are anything but. In every shade and variation of colour that you could wish for, they are good value for money with anything between five to a dozen heads on a stem, depending on variety. How to buy spray roses  Stem Length: 40-70cm, sold in batches of 10 stems. Cost per stem can vary, based on the length of the stem and the size of the flower heads. The taller varieties with large bloom

Make the most of seasonal flowers and foliage.

The common primrose, or Primula vulgaris, is always the first plant to flower in Su's garden.

Celebrated globally, IWD promotes the social, political and cultural achievements of woman all over the world.

Reliable and versatile freesia work with every style of wedding and floristry work. Su Whale explains more.

Billy Buttons is just one of the many inventive common names for Craspedia, which is also known as Drumsticks, Woollyheads or Billy Balls.   Pronounced ‘kras-speed-de-uh’ this long-lasting, unusual flower is a native of Australia and New Zealand, although it can be grown in the UK. There isn’t really another flower quite like it with its slim, leafless stem and compact, bright yellow heads. It’s easy to see where its common name, Drumsticks, comes from.  Craspedia in Floral D

Leafy Couture in Leeds have been creating beautiful flowers, arrangements and installations since their establishment in 2006. Its founder, Sarah Richardson, has trained with some of the best floral designers and creatives in the UK and US and now, as a college-level tutor, teaches and mentors budding and professional florists alike. She has styled photoshoots for luxury brands like Jo Malone, Joe Browns and Anthropologie, and is the recommended florist for some of the North’

Simple sales opportunities with a bit of creative thinking. Su Whale explains.

A beacon of brilliant yellow, Forsythia is currently having its brief moment of glory before being overshadowed by the more prolific blossom of cherries, apples and plums. For eleven months of the year, Forsythia is a rather unremarkable shrub, but in late spring the arched stems of ‘Golden Bells’ or the ‘Easter Tree’ are unmistakable.

Where would we be without Hypericum? Dependable and available all year round in an ever-expanding range of colours, this workroom staple ties in seamlessly with every season. Fruiting naturally in the autumn, Hypericum is a deciduous shrub that is covered with simple, bright yellow flowers in summer. Commonly known as St. John’s Wort, Tutsan, or in the States, Coffee Bean; Hypericum is found worldwide, and there are nearly 500 species within the genus.  Hypericum Colour Range

We are so used to having Iris in our shops all year round it’s easy to forget that it is in fact a spring flower, blooming naturally between February and March. Tall and reliable, it has become something of a workroom staple, despite its relatively short vase life.  When and how to buy Iris  Iris is sold in batches of 50 stems with an average stem length of 60 cm.  Tightly budded Iris need time to open, so it’s always a good idea to buy in advance and keep some in stock, part

Weddings are an essential part of a florists’ portfolio so its important to make the most of this business opportunity.