Hosting Workshops on a Flower Farm
Heather Payne Photography
Team Flower Workshop
Have you ever thought about hosting workshops on your flower farm? If so, how should you host flower farm workshops?
Diversifying your business and adding different revenue streams is proving to be very beneficial these days. Parts of the floral market have been profoundly affected, and florists and farmers are challenged to find new ways to sustain their businesses during the ongoing pandemic.
The saying "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket," rings true today. Drawing on your prior careers, hobbies, strengths, interests, and even consistent questions you get from your customers can lead to some exciting and profitable business opportunities. If one area of your market struggles, it's nice to have various revenue streams to fall back on.
Use your passions and experiences to enhance your business and love of flowers. There are so many unique opportunities out there! I've found that my love of and prior experience teaching elementary and middle school pairs well with a variety of on-farm and virtual workshops. I can teach others about a myriad of topics in the world of growing and arranging flowers. People are always eager to learn a new skill, especially when it involves flowers!
I've hosted story times, seed workshops, private picking and arranging workshops, craft events, etc. A favorite each summer is hosting a story time in the garden, centered around flowers. This allows me to incorporate my love of teaching children into my business. We read books about seeds, flowers, farmers, and gardens. I have the children pick flowers when they arrive, and we use them to interact with the stories and for our craft, which is a flower suncatcher. We do rhymes and songs and decorate a cookie to look like a sunflower for a snack.
In my first year, I ended up having 90 children of a variety of ages sign up. (I've since learned that I need to limit the number of participants!) It is always a wonderful morning in the garden, sharing my love of teaching and flowers with moms and kids. It educates them about flowers, brings them out to the farm, and will hopefully draw them back to purchase flowers.
Heather Payne Photography
Team Flower Workshop
What Type of Flower Farm Workshop Should You Host?
Are there on-farm or in-studio events that you could host to get people excited about your designs and/or flowers? Consider your hobbies and interests and whether they could connect to flowers in some way.
Are you an artist or someone who appreciates art? Host an event that combines art and flowers—such as learning to paint flowers, creating unique vases, or even painting with flowers as the paintbrush!
Do you enjoy cooking or baking? Your event could include various ways to use edible flowers in cooking and baking.
If you enjoy exercise, host yoga or pilates in your garden or studio space.
Alternatively, join forces with another business or expert and play off each other’s strengths.
What are some questions that you consistently get in your business? Is there a way to educate your consumer on that particular topic? When I first opened the u-pick portion of my flower farm, I found that many people were very intimidated by picking their own flowers and choosing the right ones for a bouquet. It was an excellent opportunity for me to host a workshop about picking and choosing key bouquet ingredients. I currently host 2–3 every summer. It helps to ease peoples' fears, gives them confidence, gets them excited about my flowers, and provides a great revenue source for my farm. It's a win for my customers, offering much-needed education—and a win for me, offering income.
Heather Payne Photography
Team Flower Workshop
There are many on-farm, in-studio, or virtual workshops that you can hold to address areas where customers may need education. Your target audience may be your regular customers or other florists or farmers. Here is a list of potential educational topics:
Seed starting
Arrangement workshops
Drying flowers
Flower crafts
Harvesting flowers
Key ingredients for a bouquet
Selecting foliages and fillers
Edible flowers
Dying using natural materials
Selecting and using the right container
Mommy-and-Me events
Foraging
Other Revenue Options for Flower Farms
Heather Payne Photography
Team Flower Workshop
If you've been involved in retail in the past or have a love of crafting, you might consider items to sell online or in a farm store using flowers or centering around a flower theme.
Are there new product lines you could develop for your business that have a minimal cost to produce? I tested drying flowers last season and found that I could use them in various ways across my business: holiday wreaths, bath salts, ornaments for the tree, and dried flower wreaths. I've always enjoyed crafting, and the bath salts were easy and fun to make and sold out many times. It was a unique item created from flowers that people could give as a gift or use to take a relaxing bath. What's better than soaking in a tub filled with flowers?!
Look through your Pinterest boards for ideas. Think outside the box a bit. Reflect on past experiences and education. Listen to what customers are asking for. These are all great ways to generate ideas to diversify your business. People are always looking for new, unique ways to enjoy nature. As those who grow and work with flowers, its our joy to share that with others in ways that mutually benefit the consumer and our business. Reflect, listen, and make it happen!
