Basic Floral Design Supplies

Whether you work weddings and events or you simply have a passion for creative decor, floral design is a great niche skill to add to your resume set. If you’re interested in becoming a professional floral designer, here are some tools you should stock your workplace with before you get started:

• Band-Aids: When working with fine gauge wire or plants that have thorns, you run the risk of pricking your fingers from time to time.
• Clippers: Most floral designers use ARS clippers, but it’s important for you to pick a style that you feel comfortable with, and one made to accommodate whether you are left or right-handed.
• Coated Chicken Wire: This helps provide the proper structural support for branches and stems.
• Fine Gauge Wire: You’ll use this if you are ever wiring flowers to a headpiece for someone to wear, or to piece together a decorative floral garland.
• Floral Putty: This is used when you need to adhere things to the vase your florals are being displayed in.
• Floral Tape: This can be used to gently wrap a handful of stems together.
• Paper-Covered Bindwire: This wire can either be used to hang a decorative floral garland, or to bind a group of stems together.
• Pin frogs: If you’re using a shallow vessel to hold your floral bouquet, this is a foam base you can use to secure the flowers inside.
• Ramie Covered Rustic Wire: This is used for creating frames for floral headpieces and small wreaths.
• Rubber bands: These are another tool you could easily use to bind stems.
• Scissors: These actually shouldn’t be used to cut the flowers themselves. You can use them for cutting other display supplies however, like ribbon or cardstock. .
• Straight Pins: You’ll use these if you’re making boutonnieres for your clients.
• Swiss Army Knife: This will be used to remove thorns, open packaging or to give your flower stems a clean cut.
• Water Tubes: You’ll need these in order to keep short stems hydrated.
• Wired Picks: You’ll use these as a way to extend and secure floral (or decorative non-floral) elements in your arrangement.

Want to learn more? The New York Institute of Art and Design offers an online floral design course that can teach you how to become a floral designer. Request your free course catalog today!