State’s Only

Florist Trade School

CROMWELL — Connecticut’s only florist trade school, formed just over a year-in-a-half ago to alleviate a shortage of trained floral designers, resumes classes in January with both basic and intermediate floral design courses.

Owned by the Connecticut Florists Association (CFA) and licensed by the Connecticut Department of Higher Education, the CFA Floral Design School basic session will reopen at a facility in Cromwell January 5 and run 13 weeks, teaching basic floral design to a class of an estimated 25 students. The intermediate session begins January 28 and runs nine weeks in the same facility.

Louise Pastormerlo, who also teaches floral design at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, will teach the basic class. For an $850 fee, students will receive 30 clock hours of live instruction and flowers and materials. Topics to be covered include care and handling of cut flowers, basic floral design, retail flower shop operation, holiday designs, introduction to wedding design, designing with balloons, introduction to sympathy designs, permanent flowers, green and blooming plants, and visual merchandising.

Debra Grote, AIFD, a nationally renowned designer, will teach the intermediate class. For a $1,099 fee, students will get more than 38 hours of instruction and their flowers and materials. Intermediate students will also be required to complete an internship with a florist. Topics will include design mechanics, color theory, pricing, productivity, wedding, and sympathy design.

For information on the new school, contact CFA director Bob Heffernan toll-free at 800-352-6946 or download the school catalog at www.FlowersPlantsInCt.com.