Strengthening floral design education to support the floriculture industry

Floral design education is a critical but often overlooked component of horticultural training that directly affects the global floriculture supply chain. A focus group of educators at the 2025 American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Conference identified key challenges in floral design instruction, including time constraints, limited budgets, staffing shortages, material costs, sustainability concerns, and lack of academic recognition. These issues affect not only universities, but also growers, wholesalers, and retailers who depend on well-trained professionals to handle, evaluate, and market floral products.

Floral design courses are resource-intensive, requiring fresh materials, specialized equipment, refrigeration, and extensive preparation time. As horticulture programs merge and faculty responsibilities increase, these courses are sometimes viewed as costly electives rather than essential applied training. Reduced instructional capacity can lead to fewer graduates with practical knowledge of postharvest care, product quality, and design mechanics—skills that directly influence product performance and customer satisfaction.

Educators emphasized the growing importance of sustainable floristry, including reduced use of single-use plastics, alternative mechanics, and increased use of locally grown materials. These topics align with changing consumer expectations and emerging market opportunities for producers.

Greater collaboration between industry and education, along with expanded professional development through organizations such as ASHS, will help ensure that floral design education remains relevant, rigorous, and capable of supporting the future needs of the floriculture industry. ASHS plans a workshop to address these challenges at their August conference, Dallas.

You can read a full paper on the topic at the link here. You can learn more about the ASHS Conference here.