Floral design classes offer students an opportunity to make their own flower arrangements and learn about design concepts for a balanced, professional-looking finish. There are a variety of class levels available, from beginning to expert, so both new and experienced florists can find the right option to learn new skills. Many courses also offer certifications upon completion for those interested in starting a career in floral design. Below, we’ve rounded up the best online floral design classes to help you get started.
Best Floral Design Classes of 2023
“The program includes seven courses, such as Design Tools and Basics and The Business of Floral Design.” Best Budget: Skillshare “A low-cost monthly membership of around $14 per month will give you access to all the floral design courses available.” Best for Career: Ashworth College “Ashworth College is a great fit for students who want to end the program with a diploma in-hand and participate in a live commencement ceremony.” Best for Beginners: American School of Flower Design “Once you purchase a class, your flowers will be sent via FedEx overnight shipping, and the course will be immediately available to view.” Best for Continuing Education: Floral Design Institute “To register, you must have finished their Basic Floral Design course or have completed 500 hours of on-the-job training.” Best for Hobbyists: Udemy “These stylish arrangements are popular among hobbyists, but don’t replace the foundational knowledge available in some of the aforementioned programs.” Most Creative: Team Flower “If you want to learn how to make floral arrangements that look like they could be on an influencer’s Instagram page, Team Flower is for you.” Best Free Courses: Create Academy “Every class is available for a lifetime after purchase, so students can revisit instructions for specific projects at any time.”
Pros & Cons
Overview
If you decide to enroll at the Penn Foster Career School, you can become a skilled floral designer in roughly five months. This well-rounded floral design course is for people who are considering a career in floral design. And, of all the course offerings geared toward career florists, this site had the best balance of features. The learning experience is well-formatted and consists of a mobile-friendly design and progress tracking. Once enrolled, you’ll be assigned a dedicated success coach. The program includes seven courses, such as Design Tools and Basics and The Business of Floral Design. The tuition is in the middle of the road, costing $899 if you pay automatically monthly or $769 if you pay in full. In addition to the program’s cost, students will be required to purchase some additional supplies to complete hands-on floral exercises at home. Also, it’s important to mention that the Penn Foster Career School is both regionally and nationally accredited.
Pros & Cons
Overview
With several useful features, like reviews and course previews, Skillshare is a standout for online learning. The floral design coursework available on Skillshare is going to be more appropriate for someone who is a hobbyist or for someone who already has the basic knowledge and wants to try out some new techniques. If you are looking to start a career in floral design, consider one of the courses above. However, if you are on the fence and want to see if you’ll like it, try a class on Skillshare first. There are around 17 classes in the floral design section including Design A Hand Tied Bouquet, Flower Arrangements for Container Gardens, Design a Dried Floral Bouquet, and more. Nearly 4,000 students have taken the most popular one on Bouquet Making. This site earned the Best Budget title because you can get the most value for your money. A low-cost monthly membership of $14 per month will give you access to all the floral design courses available. If you have a free trial, you can even take one or several floral lessons for free.
Pros & Cons
Overview
Both Penn Foster Career School and Ashworth College are excellent choices for starting a career in floral design. However, there are some differences between the two options. Ashworth College could be a better fit for students who want to end the program with a diploma in-hand and participate in a live commencement ceremony. The class is broken up into 16 lessons, covering topics like Basic Design Techniques and Wedding Design. This floral design program runs for four months, but you have up to a year to complete your course work after registering. Tuition is either $699 or $899, depending on how you pay, which is a great value when you consider some of the more expensive options. Ashworth College is a highly accredited school and an excellent choice for anyone looking to advance their career. However, we chose Penn Foster for the best overall because it offered more upfront information about courses and the learning process.
Pros & Cons
Overview
Want to learn from a legendary floral designer? At the American School of Flower Design, you can. There, courses are taught by Michael Gaffney and are ideal for beginners looking to dip their toes into the floral design world. Each session will teach you how to master one popular flower arrangement. In addition, each course comes with the flowers and supplies needed to complete the arrangement, making the cost of roughly $150 per lesson seem even more reasonable. Once you purchase a class, your flowers will be sent via FedEx overnight shipping, and the lesson will be immediately available to view. Before you decide on one, check out a preview of the course video to see how Gaffney approaches floral design. If you love his teaching style and want to learn more, he also has some botanical design books for purchase. There are several in-person workshops at various locations across the country as well.
Pros & Cons
Overview
Your education doesn’t stop once you earn a diploma in floral design from an accredited university. The most skilled floral designers are those who continually add to their knowledge base and earn more certifications. One popular floral program, the Advanced Floral Design Certification, is offered through the Floral Design Institute. Recently, this organization began offering an online option, which makes the certification even more appealing to people who are unable to travel. To register, you must have finished their Basic Floral Design course or have completed 500 hours of on-the-job training. This training is intended to help florists enhance their skills in Wedding Design, Contemporary, European and Asian Design, Tropical Flowers, and Floral Marketing. The cost is $950, but you’ll also need to purchase fresh flowers and supplies to complete specific assignments. If you already work at a floral shop, consider asking your employer if they would help cover the training cost.
Pros & Cons
Overview
Like Skillshare, Udemy offers a ton of classes on a wide variety of topics. This site also provides users with reviews and course previews, as well as robust instructor profiles. The main difference between Udemy and Skillshare is how you pay. For Udemy, each course is purchased a la carte, which means it costs more if you decide to take more than one class. However, there are many more floral design courses—upward of 50—and they tend to be more thorough. Offerings include Floral Design—Not Just Flower Arranging, Floral Design 101, The Complete Guide to Flower Box Arrangement, and more. Classes take between 45 minutes and three hours to complete, and they focus more on trendy floral design techniques. These stylish arrangements are popular among hobbyists, but don’t replace the foundational knowledge available in some of the aforementioned programs. The classes range from around $25 to $100, which doesn’t include any flowers or supplies needed.
Pros & Cons
Overview
Team Flower offers students an inviting online learning platform for all things floral. One of the main draws to the site is the online community the company has created for its students. Their website has over 2,000 members, while its Instagram account has more than 50,000 followers. Team Flower’s online classes are broken down into three sections: design, business, and growing. The site currently offers about 15 classes, but new lessons are added periodically. While the site is a little glitchy, the course content is creative and exciting. If you want to learn how to make floral arrangements that look like they could be on an influencer’s Instagram page, these are the instructors you want teaching you. Each course description details exactly what to expect and pricing. For instance, the Bouquets and Personals class includes six hours of instruction and costs around $499 if you make a full payment (there’s also an eight-month payment plan option where you can pay $74 per month). Beginner classes are available for $199. If you’re unsure about your purchase, each lesson comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Get an idea for the company’s teaching style and floral aesthetic by checking out Team Flower’s YouTube channel for free.
Pros & Cons
Overview
Create Academy doesn’t offer certifications, but its online floral design courses are an excellent choice for hobbyists. Students can opt for free lessons in short videos or a paid collection of longer courses, which cost about $200 to $315 depending on the topic. Course collections feature topics like floristry and gardening, which can be chosen individually or combined in bundles. Every class is available for a lifetime after purchase, so students can revisit instructions for specific projects at any time. Current and upcoming floristry class titles include The Complete Floristry Masterclass, The Art of Presenting Flowers, and How to Create Forever Flowers. Since Create Academy’s courses are not part of a certification program, students don’t have to adhere to a timeline. Each class can be started, paused, and stopped whenever needed, which makes this school an especially great pick for students seeking a flexible schedule. Unlike options like Skillshare, Udemy, or Create Academy, students at Penn Foster will receive their certification in floral design upon completion of their classes. This comprehensive program is also praised for its easy-to-use online interface and assigns a success coach to each student to help them with questions along the way. From there, we analyzed which of the top contenders were the best fit for each category. For example, the Penn Foster Career School earned the title of best overall because it offers career-appropriate floral design courses with modest pricing and a lot of extra perks, such as mobile-friendly learning and career support. The American School of Flower and Design won as best for beginners because its course selection is available on an a la carte basis and the flowers are included in the class fee. Each site included here contains original content taught by experts in the field, which is why we feel these courses are among the best on the internet. If you choose to sign up for the Advanced Floral Design Certification from the Floral Design Institute, a continuing education course, you will learn how to refine your skills in Wedding Design; Contemporary, European and Asian Design; Tropical Flowers; and Floral Marketing. The courses on Udemy, including Floral Design—Not Just Flower Arranging, Floral Design 101, The Complete Guide to Flower Box Arrangement, and more, range from $25 to $100, not counting the cost of supplies. If you are interested in signing up for a more career-oriented class, such as at the Penn Foster Career School or Floral Design Institute, you’ll pay upward of $700 for your course.
