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Floret Online Workshop


Bring your flower dreams to life

MASTER THE SKILLS TO GROW AN ABUNDANT CUT FLOWER GARDEN OR BUILD A FLOWER BUSINESS IN YOUR BACKYARD

Whether you want to:

Grow flowers in your backyard to share with your family, friends, and community …

Build a flower business from a hobby that you love …

Or simply bring more joy and beauty into your life through flowers …

You’re in the right place.

In the Floret Online Workshop, New York Times bestselling author Erin Benzakein pulls back the curtain of her flower-filled world to show you step by step how to grow, harvest, and sell beautiful cut flowers in your backyard or on a small plot. In the workshop, filmed over an entire growing season, Erin shares key strategies, systems, and time-tested techniques used to build Floret’s thriving, profitable flower business on a tiny 2-acre property.

Join flower lovers from around the world who have created abundant cutting gardens, launched successful flower businesses, and discovered the joy of growing and sharing seasonal blooms through the Floret Online Workshop. This comprehensive workshop includes more than 150 instructional videos, a beautiful 290-page printed course book, Q&A sessions with Erin and Team Floret, support from fellow flower growers around the globe via the Floret Learning Community, and so much more.

Enrollment in the Floret Online Workshop is offered just once per year.

SMALL SPACE: BIG IMPACT
NO FARM REQUIRED

Learn to grow an abundance of flowers on a tiny plot

Backyards

Farm fields

Side yards

Allotments

Easements

Rural homesteads

Urban lots

Rented fields

Parking strips/verges

Churchyards

Pastures

Former sports fields

Benefits beyond the blooms

GAIN THE CONFIDENCE & BUILD THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO LIVE A FLOWER-FILLED LIFE
CONFIDENCE

Break through self-doubt by building your skills and using Floret’s time-tested techniques to grow an abundant garden.

CLARITY

Outline your vision, identify your strengths, and create actionable goals for your garden, farm, or business.

TRAINING

Master the specific skills needed to grow an abundance of flowers on a small plot, no matter where you live.

SUPPORT

Get guidance, encouragement, and support, plus answers to your questions from Team Floret.

COMMUNITY

Create connections, build relationships, and make lifelong friends with fellow flower growers through our learning community.

"I have taken other workshops and learned from other farmer-florists that I admire and love, but Erin is an open heart—and that is priceless. This workshop speaks to the heart more than anything else. Thank you for sharing your human struggle with us, for teaching us—not only how to grow flowers and the technical side of business—but for sharing your fears and your weaknesses and your strengths."
Gabriela Salazar | La Musa de las Flores

Beautiful Business Ideas

Convert your hobby into a seasonal business or new career

Learn creative ways to sell your homegrown flowers, including:

Florists

Roadside stands

Bouquet parties

Weddings & special events

Bouquet subscriptions

Chefs & restaurants

Flower trucks

Farmers markets

U-pick flower patch

Charitable organizations

Agritourism

Flower workshops

Course Outline

SIX COMPREHENSIVE MODULES DIG DEEP INTO SMALL-SCALE FLOWER PRODUCTION
Erin Benzakein with an armload of dahlias in the Floret field Module 1

Getting clear

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of Floret. Discover potential sales outlets and learn about various seasonal flower business models for inspiration. Learn key steps to successful goal setting and how to build a business around your strengths. Get expert tips from successful farmer-florists in various climate regions.

Erin Benzakein writing a garden plan Module 2

Planning the farm

Learn key strategies to design a productive and profitable cut flower garden or small-scale flower farm. Learn to plan and manage annual tasks without overwhelm. Learn the secrets to succession planting and variety selection in order to have a continuous harvest of blooms throughout the growing season.

Erin and Chris Benzakein spreading compost onto a field Module 3

Getting a good start

Learn the essentials of producing top-quality cut flowers using time-tested, organic growing techniques. Dig deep into seed starting, soil preparation, fertility, plant propagation, specialty crops, and specialty bulbs. Discover growing techniques to increase production and efficiency on a small scale.

Erin Benzakein watering seedlings in a greenhouse Module 4

Get growing

Learn essential strategies for efficient transplanting, weed prevention, and flower support systems. Get step-by-step tutorials on everything from a basic irrigation set-up to season extension through the use of low tunnels. Get Floret’s list of recommended supplies, tools, and gear needed to grow and harvest beautiful blooms.

Erin and Chris Benzakein arranging dahlias in the Floret studio Module 5

Sales & marketing

Learn how to effectively price, market, and sell your flowers with confidence. Understand and evaluate the various sales channels and value-added opportunities for your flowers to decide which is the right fit for you. Learn essential techniques to attract and retain customers on your website and using social media.

Erin Benzakein harvesting orange flowers in the Floret greenhouse Module 6

Harvesting & caring for cut flowers

Discover how to get the longest vase life out of your farm flowers. Utilize Floret’s time-saving techniques to harvest, assemble, and package bouquets and bunches beautifully and efficiently. Learn key concepts related to proper stage of harvest and postharvest handling and care.

Erin Benzakein with a handful of sweet peas in the Floret field

Learn from Floret founder Erin Benzakein

Flower farmer, designer, author & instructor

Considered to be one of the country’s most influential farmer-florists, Erin Benzakein has shaped floral design trends, redefined small-scale farming, and inspired thousands to grow and share seasonal flowers.

Author of The New York Times bestseller, Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers, Erin, along with Floret’s original 2-acre flower farm, has been featured widely in the press and garnered prestigious awards including the Martha Stewart American Made award for Floral & Event Design and Better Homes and Gardens’ blogger award.

Her first book, Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden, won the American Horticultural Society’s 2018 Book Award and continues to inform, inspire, and delight flower lovers around the world. Erin’s third book, Floret Farm’s Discovering Dahlias, is an inspiration-packed guide full of wisdom and breathtaking photography. Growing Floret, an Emmy-nominated documentary series about Erin, her husband Chris, and their farm, debuted on the Magnolia Network in the summer of 2021.

Erin’s passion is cultivating beauty in the world by helping others discover the joy of growing and sharing seasonal flowers. Thousands of aspiring and established flower growers and florists, including virtually all the emerging leaders in the field, have honed their craft at one of Floret’s workshops. Floret’s training has helped growers from more than 50 countries build thriving flower-based businesses and gardens, and fueled a global seasonal flower movement.

Fast Facts

Floret Online Workshop by the Numbers

50 +

Where Floret Online Workshop alumni grow flowers

150 +

Number of video tutorials included in the course

¼

Typical plot size of Floret Online Workshop students

16 –76

Age range of Floret Online Workshop participants
Seeds and garden planning materials laid out on a table

No Travel Required

CARVE OUT MORE SPACE IN YOUR LIFE & YARD FOR GROWING GORGEOUS FLOWERS

Join our virtual classroom and participate in the Floret Online Workshop no matter where you live.

YOUR GOALS

Grow a garden and life you love

YOUR PACE

Learn at your own pace—rewatch the videos as often as you’d like

YOUR LEARNING STYLE

Watch videos and take notes in your course book

YOUR SCHEDULE

Participate whenever and wherever you’d like

YOUR COMMUNITY

Connect with flower lovers all over the world

The Harvard of Flowers.
Cynthia Zamaria | Cynthia Zamaria House & Flower

Who is the workshop for?

The Floret Online Workshop is geared towards:

  • Beginning and intermediate flower growers and gardeners wanting to grow flowers on a small plot, but in a bigger way.
  • Established growers wanting to improve efficiency, elevate marketing, or expand into new outlets.
  • Florists wishing to grow their own seasonal blooms.
  • Gardeners wanting to build a seasonal business, side gig, or new career centered on homegrown flowers.
  • Teachers and garden coordinators for local schools, community gardens, and institutions.
  • Dreamers who want to start a flower business.
  • Anyone looking to bring more joy and beauty into their life through flowers.

The Floret Online Workshop is NOT for:

  • Large-scale farmers or tractor-dependent agricultural operations hoping to learn high-tech, mechanized systems.
  • Growers seeking in-depth horticultural lessons or the science behind organic farming or pest- and disease-management systems.
  • Anyone looking for a get-rich-quick scheme. Building and running a flower business takes a lot of hard work and dedication. If you’re not a motivated person and are uncomfortable with challenging situations, this may not be the course for you.
“Before taking the Floret Online Workshop, I struggled to balance my career and my family. Taking the step to learn about flower farming through Floret has changed the entire plan for my life. I am now able to help my husband run our farm and be part of every aspect of my children’s lives. You can do this and make it work—it is not impossible.”
Lisa Biles | The Flower Shed

COMPREHENSIVE. CONVENIENT. LIFETIME ACCESS.

REGISTER ONCE—PARTICIPATE YEAR AFTER YEAR

With lifetime access to the course content, you will get any new videos, worksheets, and course book additions. Plus, you’ll be invited to go through the workshop each year.

Press

FLORET WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN:
The New York Times logo Conde Nast Traveler logo Martha Stewart Living logo Country Living logo

ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FLORET ONLINE WORKSHOP
FAQ

Get answers to our most common questions

Read FAQ
WORKSHOP CONTENT

Learn more about our training

See curriculum
REVIEWS

Hear what alumni have to say about the workshop

Read testimonials
WORKSHOP STORY

How the online workshop came to be

Read story
CONTACT US

Our team is standing by to answer questions

Email Floret

Questions About the Workshop

  • What is the registration period for the Floret Online Workshop?

    Enrollment in the 2024 Floret Online Workshop will open in the fall of 2023. Be sure to add your name to our waitlist to be notified.

  • What is the format of the workshop?

    The course includes more than 150 videos on a password-protected site, plus a 290-page printed course book. Once the workshop kicks off, we release one module per week. For each of the six modules in the workshop, you'll watch multiple video lessons, which are broken down into bite-sized pieces, making it easy for you to go back and rewatch particular segments. As a student, you're also invited to join the Floret Learning Community, a private discussion group where you can connect with other students from around the world. You’ll also have the opportunity to submit questions for Erin and Jill to answer during the six weekly Q&A session videos.

  • I live in a different climate than Floret. Will the workshop materials be relevant to me?

    Absolutely! We've had students from nearly 50 countries ranging from cool climates to very arid areas and everywhere in between successfully complete our course. The workshop covers the fundamentals of growing flowers on a small scale and includes core principles such as seed starting, plant propagation, and use of season extension structures that are applicable or easily adaptable to other climates. Plus, Floret’s marketing tutorials are relevant no matter where you live and grow flowers.

  • My schedule is complicated. Will I need to log in at a specific time each week? What if I fall behind?

    There are two main ways to take the course depending on your schedule.

    Option 1: Follow along in real-time during the 6-week course. If you’re following along this way you will be able to submit questions for the weekly Q&A sessions hosted by Erin and Jill and pose questions in the Floret Learning Community for our support team to answer.

    Option 2: Go at your own pace. If you have a busy schedule, not to worry. You can work through the material at your own pace whenever you like. There is no specific time you need to log in to access the workshop content—it’s available whenever you are. While you won’t be able to submit a question for the weekly Q&A sessions, you’ll be able to watch them later since they are recorded.

  • Is the workshop right for me if I don’t have much gardening or growing experience?

    Yes! We’ve had students with varying levels of farming and gardening experience complete the course, including many with no experience at all. For example, Mercedes Attig, a student in our 2020 workshop shared, “This is my first year, and the Floret training was essential. I’ve never even grown flowers before. I had zero experience and never would have been able to do this without the class. I gained at least 5–10 years of experience in 6 weeks.”

  • I have a background in farming and horticulture. Will the workshop be too basic for me?

    No. Experienced farmers, gardeners, and landscape professionals have greatly benefited from the course. The small-scale, high-intensity methods we teach are unique to the Floret Online Workshop and have helped experienced growers expand their production and make existing operations more efficient, productive, and profitable. Consider Cristina McCutcheon’s words: “I’ve been involved in the horticulture/agriculture industry for almost 20 years, and this is by far the best and most complete presentation of material I have seen. The fact that it also allows those of us who cannot take a break from our lives to attend lengthy programs or become interns is a gift beyond measure. I continue to return to the course offerings and continue to find them an invaluable resource as my farm evolves.”

  • What is the timeline for the Floret Online Workshop?

    Once the workshop begins in January, we release one module per week for 6 weeks. Students have lifetime access to the workshop content, plus any new material we add to the course each year.

  • Will you be hosting any on-farm workshops?

    We do not currently have plans to offer any on-farm workshops.

  • Can I purchase the learning modules individually?

    The Floret Online Workshop is only available as a complete course. Individual modules are not available à la carte.

  • Will I need to download any special software for the workshop? Will I need any supplies?

    The workshop is hosted on a web-based platform, so you will need an Internet connection to take the course. You can access the content on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other mobile devices.

    As part of the course, students receive access to a custom Excel-based workbook and in order to use this planning tool, you will need to have or download Microsoft Excel. For students who prefer pen and paper over digital planning tools, we offer an alternative planning method that doesn't require any additional software.

    There are also some planning activities within the program that require a few basic supplies such as poster board, glue sticks, graph and tracing paper, and markers or colored pencils.

  • Does access to the Floret Online Workshop expire?

    No, unlike other online courses that restrict access to the content after a year, or only allow you to view it on one device, you will have lifetime access to all of the content and any updates we make to the course.

  • Does the Floret Online Workshop include floral design tutorials?

    The workshop provides detailed instruction on making and packaging mixed bouquets and flower bunches, but the course does not include wedding-type design tutorials.

  • Does the Floret Online Workshop include information about seed-saving?

    We do not include information about seed-saving in this course, however, we are currently working on some special resources we hope to share in the future.

Floret Online Workshop Waitlist

Sign up to be notified when registration opens for the next Floret Online Workshop.

Erin Benzakein in the field with an armload of dahlias

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Have a question? Be sure to visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

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