Floral Tips:
- Roses, gebera daisies, Casablanca lilies, white stock and hydrangea are great for quick and easy designs. You can find them at your local grocery store throughout the year, or you can visit your local flower mart for even better deals.
- Put a small amount of bleach in vases of warm water to help your flowers last longer.
- Submerge all flowers under water for 30 minutes before arranging to help them last.
After spending more than a decade on Wall Street, Michael Gaffney, founder of the American Schools of Flower Design, traded in stocks and bonds to embark on a life-changing adventure, flower design. Now, almost 20 years later, Gaffney is recognized as one of the country's most renowned floral artists, offering a unique approach to floral art that allows students to explore their creative passions.
Serving as a go-to stylist in the floral industry, Gaffney has designed arrangements and made visions come to life for award-winning festivals, weddings, A-list Hollywood events, including film premiers for Jennifer Aniston and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, magazines, television commercials and more.
His drive and philosophy has contributed to his stellar reputation, which led him to open his first school of flower design in Milwaukee in the early 2000's. Since then, he has expanded to Chicago, Minneapolis, New York City and most recently, San Francisco.
About the San Francisco School of Flower Design:
The San Francisco School of Flower Design is one of five campuses throughout the United States; other locations include Chicago, New York, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. Through a four- week, day or evening class series, students receive an intimate, hands- on floral education experience. School founder Michael Gaffney personally shares his in-depth techniques and experiences on topics such as European and Architectural design, editorial floral design and strategic event planning, offering students the opportunity to develop and heighten their skills in each class.
Classes are designed to provide students with a working environment that mirrors the real world flower industry, helping to prepare graduates for their careers, whether it be their first, second or third endeavor into the professional world. In addition, job placement assistance and mentoring after graduation is extended to all flower school alumni.
SF School of Flower Design
640 Brannan Street
San Francisco, CA
