First Year Impact of Extension Floral Design Program

In July 2015, Mississippi State University began a new program in horticulture extension; floral design. Multilateral programs were developed with appeal to amateurs, professional florists and producers. Survey instrumentation sought to find if participants increased floral design knowledge, learned new skills related to floral design and potential use of new knowledge/skills. Programs were initiated to accommodate learning needs for three distinct groups. Amateur designers were accommodated in the Floral Enthusiast category. Monthly workshops were structured with demonstrations highlighting design features, post-design care and handling, followed by hands-on learning and individualized critiques. Most participants reported an interest in a certification, similar in scope to the Master Gardener program. Professional florists have needs in keeping up with technical advances in a changing industry. Outcomes of a focus group meeting found florists had difficulty finding time to practice new styles and techniques. The floral studio at Coastal provided a place for trial and error practice.  Participants reported positive results when creating designs practiced in the workshops, including decreased labor and sales process confidence. Participants were encouraged to post finished work immediately upon project completion to social media platforms. One florist received an order minutes after posting while another attributed $700 in retail sales using new techniques. A 90-minute lecture/demonstration titled Beautiful Things From Mississippi was delivered at four MSU Research and Extension Centers, main campus, and numerous farmers markets and meetings throughout the state. Participants in this program reported an increase in sales after interaction with extension. MSU Extension was able to help one producer increase visibility by featuring his products in demonstrations and Facebook shares. A cut flower grower with limited market area developed cut-willow variety pack as a foray for shipping.