Part 3: FAQs
In Part One of this little series we laid out our ‘floral philosophy’. In Part Two we examined some of the big challenges facing florists in the UK and how they’re impacting us here in Bournemouth. Here in Part Three we’ll answer some of the most commonly asked questions we receive in our shops about all things floral. If we’ve missed anything that you’re dying to know, DM us!
Why don’t you just sell British flowers?
If we could, we absolutely would! And we’d like to think that in the not-too-distant future this will be a distinct possibility. The truth is, right now there just isn’t the infrastructure, variety, and consistent year-round quality in the UK-grown flower industry to facilitate variety of designs, continuous stock, and customer demand. The good news is, there are some incredible British flower farms becoming established (we use Brothers Farm and Spindle Flowers here in Dorset), and great networks linking small-scale growers like Flowers On The Farm. Much has been written elsewhere on the sustainability of constantly importing cut-flowers, and it’s a complex debate. Our position is that we will use British Flowers where availability, volume and quality allows, and import from trusted suppliers everything else. Our hope is that in the years to come the balance will swing firmly in favour of local farms!
Why don’t you offer full wedding flower packages?
We are currently in the midst of slowly launching our micro-wedding packages - simple offerings for brides who love the Little Perth style, are happy to trust us to produce beautiful bouquets and arrangements, and who aren’t able to spend thousands on their wedding flowers. We’ll have two options; the Florist’s Choice Package where the bridal bouquet will use the exact stems and colour palette that we are using in store on that particular week; and the Bespoke Package where there will be a little more input over colour and stems. We’ll dedicate a whole blog to this soon, but in the meantime drop us an email if we can help.
BUT, in answer to the question, having done many big weddings previously, we do have some struggles with the industry and how the world of wedding flowers operates. From the expectations placed on florists to meet exact wishlists (“what do you mean I can’t have yellow peonies for my February wedding?”) and the unsustainable demand this is putting on out-of-season imports; to the undervaluing of flowers in a lot of budgets (“we’d like 8 bouquets, 8 button-holes, an arch, centrepieces, and a hanging display and we’re hoping you can do it all for under £1000!”). It’s an area we’ll be cautiously stepping into, but very much in our own way!
Why are your bouquets so expensive compared to supermarkets?
Each week we offer one design - our Florist’s Choice Bouquet - that is available in three sizes: Small (£35), Medium (£50) and Large (£80). These bouquets feature high-quality, beautiful, super-fresh stems that have been carefully selected by our Floral Designers, working to contemporary palettes and naturalistic front-facing designs. As long as they’re well cared-for at home, they’ll last considerably longer than those sad-looking Sainsbury’s flowers that have been mass-assembled (often by machines) and plastic-wrapped. We also always have smaller bunches and single-stem selections to suit smaller budgets, or for when you just need a little splash of colour in a bud-vase. As firm believers in supporting small and local, we appreciate transparency on where our money is going and I’m sure you do too. So when you buy a gorgeous £50 bouquet from us you’re paying for the highest quality stems we are able to source. If we were to also add on a fee for the time spent coming up with the design, the hours spent ordering from our suppliers, conditioning time, arranging time, packaging, delivery, and all the other costs incurred in running a couple of busy florists in Dorset then the price would actually be considerably higher, and sadly supermarket prices have made that an impossibility! We appreciate every single sale, and when you choose to buy from an independent florist it goes to employing local people and keeping our local high streets alive - rather than into the pockets of major supermarket conglomerates.
How long will my flowers last?
In general, bouquets from Little Perth should last you between 1-2 weeks, sometimes longer depending on the stems used. Many of the stems we use can often be dried at home too - meaning bouquets that will last you for years! Some flowers (like hydrangeas) are impressive feature flowers that bring a lot of joy, but can also be really temperamental. Enjoy them for as long as they last, but don’t expect them to live as long as other stems in the design - just remove them when they’re done and let the other flowers shine! The big factor with all flowers is how well they are cared for. Like all living, perishable things they need a whole lot of TLC to thrive (don’t we all), so here’s what we recommend…
If you’re not heading straight home after picking up your flowers, ask our team to pop them in a water-wrap for you
Clean your vase and pop fresh water in
Choose a spot away from heat sources and direct sunlight
Chop the bottom of your stems at an angle and repeat this every couple of days
At the same time, replenish your water (if you wouldn’t want to drink it, neither will the flowers!)
Carefully take out stems as they wilt and let the others have their moment in the spotlight!
Why do you only deliver on Fridays?
At the moment we just deliver flowers to addresses in BCP on Friday afternoons whilst we establish ourselves as a go-to florist for residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole to send bouquets from. As soon as there is a big enough daily demand we’ll increase our delivery days and take on a flower delivery driver. Until then it’ll just be Jon out-and-about in the flower wagon on a Friday with his little helper in the backseat eating snacks and requesting Frozen songs! So if you’d like to see us delivering to your area more often, keep those Friday delivery orders coming in!
How can I become a florist?
This is absolutely one of our most commonly asked questions, and it’s one we love to answer! The quick response is that floral design takes a lot of study, graft and skill to pursue a career in - but if you’re prepared to invest years into it then it can be an incredibly rewarding and fun career. There are several routes into floristry that are open to anyone considering stepping into it. Firstly, you could find a college local to you that offers courses. You’ll get a broad introduction to the world of flowers, and get the chance to try your hand at a number of arrangements and see if it’s for you. Our only caution on this route is to try and find a college that teaches sustainable floristry methods, and contemporary styles. Secondly, you could try and find a role at a local florist and slowly learn the ropes from a mentor. These jobs are few and far between, so if you spot one then drop everything and go for it! But expect to be doing lots of sweeping floors, basic conditioning, planning delivery routes, answering phones, and loading vans for installations. Our Floristas here at LP generally don’t start getting involved on the arranging side for 6-12 months. Finally, a more common route nowadays is to find a contemporary career-change course to invest a chunk of your time and money in, immerse yourself in the world of flowers, take any and every opportunity to gain experience (like helping out freelancers at weddings, providing arrangements for small events etc), and then when you’re ready - start your own thing! My journey was a mix of all the above over about a decade.
Later this year we will be launching a 6-week ‘Exploring Floristry’ course where you will get to spend six evenings with our floral designers learning the basics. It will be very much designed as an affordable ‘taster’ (not a complete, accredited course) where you can dip your toe in and see if floral design is for you. If it is, we’ll be able to point you in the direction of ‘what next’ and support you along the way. If you’d like to be kept informed about this course, drop us an email!
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Thanks for reading our three-part dive into how we function as a florist here in Southbourne & Westbourne! If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to ask next time you’re in (we adore talking flowers!), drop us an email, or a DM!