Wed, Feb 25
|Gainesville Garden Club
Floral Design Series
The Art of Flowers
Time & Location
Feb 25, 2026, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Gainesville Garden Club, 1350 NW 75th St, Gainesville, FL 32605, USA
About the event
FFGC Floral Design Series 1-6
Come learn the art of floral design and surprise yourself as you develop new and artistic skills! The course is a series of six units in basic floral design...each unit focusing on a different design aspect.
Instructor: Claudia Bates
Claudia teaches floral design across the state and has taught in 35 states. She is a former president of GGC and a former President of FFGC. She is currently serving on the NGC Board as a member of the Flower Show Schools Committee. She is a member of Wildflowers, and is recognized nationally as an exceptional and talented teacher. She last taught this course three years ago at GGC and several folks who took it the first time want to sign up again. It’s fun. Come learn from the BEST!
What to Expect:
During the day, Claudia will lecture, demonstrate and then help us each make our own arrangement. The each class concludes with a review of everyone’s work...this is so helpful as you learn from Claudia and from each other! Certificates are presented after completing all six units. There will also be a BONUS CLASS on how to arrange that DOZEN ROSES you’ll be expecting when you successfully complete the Course series from your special honey!
Learning Modules:
Unit I - Containers, Basic Tools and Vertical Designs Objectives:
What is flower arranging?
Basic tools and mechanics
Basic components of a design
Types of containers
Basic forms of plant materials
An overview featuring the demonstration of vertical line designs.
Unit II - Conditioning Plant Material & Triangular Designs Objectives:
Care, cutting and grooming of plant materials
Mechanics for different containers.
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
Demonstration of symmetrical, asymmetrical and diagonal designs.
Unit III - Elements and Principles of Design & Curved Designs Objectives:
Compatibility of plant materials with containers
Selecting materials for curved geometrically-based line designs
Use of fruits and vegetables in designs
Demonstration of Crescents and Circles
Unit IV - Table Settings and Horizontal Designs Objectives:
Table settings
Co-ordination of floral designs with table components
Demonstrations of functional and exhibition tables for Flower Show
Unit V - Accessories, Features & Bases Objectives:
Use of bases
Use of features and featured objects
Use of accessories
Demonstration of a Feature, Featured Object, Accessories and Bases
Unit VI - Transporting Materials & Expressive Designs Objectives:
Conditioning and transporting plant materials to flower show
Discussion of Distinction, Tricolor, Designer's Choice Award
Demonstration of Expressive Design and Interpretive Design
What to Bring:
Bring your lunch... drinks will be provided.
Units 1-3: Bring your snips... all materials will be provided.
Units 4-6: Bring your snips and desired flowers and components (line material - features and accessories) ... instructor will provide guidance prior to class and will also have containers and line material that students may borrow as needed.
Tickets:
$120 for all 6. That's only $20 per class!
Available Seats:
Space will be limited to 30 participants.