April is one of the most inspiring months in the floristry calendar. This is my favourite season, so full of optimism and newness, gorgeous Spring bulbs, bright colours and flowers that shout sunshine. For florists, April flowers offer a powerful opportunity to inspire customers, celebrate seasonality, and bring the feeling of spring into homes. For florists, this is more than a seasonal shift; it’s an opportunity to help customers bring that sense of optimism indoors throug

Karen Barnes is an expert at identifying and interpreting key seasonal trends and translating them into commercial opportunities for florists. Jump to: Spring Trends Spring Hand-Tied Spring Vessel Arrangement Minimalist Spring Arrangement Watch how Karen brings popular spring  trends to life. Discussing colours, designs and packaging to inspire your spring range. Showcasing three designs that will be featured in future videos. Karen also offers insight into why it is importan

Top industry consultant Karen Barnes shares her experiences of destination weddings; hard work but always fabulous!

Easter is a growing retail opportunity for florists. Easter is not just a small seasonal event—it’s a major spring retail opportunity driven by home decorating, gifting, and family gatherings. By focusing on seasonal flowers, gift bundles, table décor, and early promotions, florists can significantly increase sales during the Easter period. I have found that over the years in retail floristry, Easter has had its highs and lows, but in recent times, especially in the UK, spend

How do you deal with a difficult bride without losing the contract? Karen Barnes shares her tips and explains why diplomacy is so important.

Karen Barnes explains why PR matters and shares her tips for generating valuable free media coverage through careful planning.

Spring is the florist’s season of renewal. This is my personal favourite season! Shop windows brighten, palettes soften, and customers return in search of colour, fragrance and feeling after the quiet austerity of winter. Spring flowers don’t just brighten arrangements, they carry emotional messages of hope, love and fresh beginnings that resonate deeply with buyers. For florists, understanding both the aesthetic value and the meaning behind spring blooms helps create arrange

Winter bouquets carry a unique kind of charm. They are rich with seasonal colours, textured foliage, berries, evergreens, and classic blooms and they bring life and warmth to homes during the coldest months of the year. While Winter flowers may appear hardy, the cold weather can present a different set of challenges than warmer seasons. Freezing temperatures, dry indoor air, and sudden temperature changes can all shorten the life of a bouquet if not handled with care. Whether

Karen Barnes is an expert at identifying and interpreting key seasonal trends and translating them into commercial opportunities for florists. Jump to: Christmas and Winter Trends Christmas Garland Winter Vase Design Winter Floral Arrangement Watch how Karen brings popular winter & Christmas trends to life. Discussing colours, designs and packaging to inspire your winter & Christmas range. Showcasing three designs that will be featured in future videos. Karen shares expert

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest single peak days of a florist calendar. For many florists, it can account for a significant portion of annual revenue, but it can also be one of the most stressful periods of the year. It is the only peak that I have never enjoyed. Due to heightened customer expectations, tight delivery schedules, high wholesale prices, and intense competition (both local and online), getting Valentine’s Day right requires more than just beautiful flowers

As we come out of Winter and nature merges us into Spring, we as florists sense the change – in hedgerows, in gardens, in parks and anywhere where plants, trees and plant material are growing. Early Spring flowers emerge, delicate, symbolic, and full of promise. These blooms carry emotional weight far beyond their petals. For florists, they are more than seasonal offerings; they are storytellers, mood-setters, and the first messengers of renewal each year. Understanding their

Kick start the new year by making some business-based resolutions. Karen Barnes suggests how.

I personally love Winter greens with seasonal festive flowers, berries and branches. Planning ahead for your floral and plant collections over the Winter season is the key to positive sales and marketing and should help make peak trading manageable and profitable. Always look to your suppliers and think about where you can get the best stems, good quality and good prices; where possible negotiate on pricing and delivery dates.   Seasonal and British-grown flowers and foliage

Bridge Farm is the UK’s leading horticultural expert, with a legacy cultivated over decades of innovation and sustainable growing. At their state-of-the-art facilities and glasshouses, they combine leading edge technology and advanced horticultural science to optimise nature. They deliver the very best of each season, growing naturally at scale. Growing more than 70 million plants a year in a low-carbon, water-efficient, biomass heated glasshouse. They carefully select and br

Floral industry expert Karen Barnes extolls the virtues of great teamwork in your business and suggests ways to achieve it.