What is a florist?
Florists are specialists who grow certain plants to meet specific high standards. They raise new cultivars to continuously improve their stock and they show the flowers competitively. The flowers are grown for their beauty alone and not for any use such as medicine or food. By the middle of the 17th Century there were four florists’ flowers, Ranunculus, anemones, carnations and tulips. Later, Auricula, Polyanthus, pinks and hyacinths also joined the list.
For more information about florists’ societies see the Shire Garden History book, ‘Florists’ Flowers and Societies’ by the late Ruth Duthie.
ISBN 0 85263 953 8. First published 1988.
The Society – origins and survival