2017 ASHS Annual Conference

At Texas State University, a student run floral shop provides floral designs and seasonal plants for holidays and special events on campus. Bobcat Bloom has been in operation since 2005. This unique learning experience is administered through the horticulture program in the Department of Agriculture. Students order flowers and foliage materials, create floral designs and deliver floral arrangements weekly during full semesters. These designs are advertised via email to members of the university's faculty and staff. The campus community is also able to utilize Bobcat Bloom for special events and functions. Bobcat Bloom offers these services at a discounted rate, allowing its clients (who often have tighter budgets) to have quality designs at every event. Students involved in this program gain knowledge of the wholesale market, how to communicate with clients, floral and plant marketing skills and advanced floral design techniques and principals. Participants in this program are also able to implement the design skills learned in the basic floral design class as well as gain real world experience in the operation of a floral studio. The unique nature of this program allows students to gain hands-on experience in the floral industry while simultaneously helping to enrich the lives of the faculty, staff, and students of the university through floral design and seasonal plants.