Learning The Floral Trade

By ASHLEY BUNKER

The Progress

The Front Porch Flowers and Gifts in Overton hosted a fieldtrip visit for a group of Moapa Valley homeschool kids on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The Front Porch owner Charlene Udall, and her assistant Keely Watkins, welcomed eager students who were excited to learn about the field of floral design.

“There is so much that goes into making floral arrangements,” Udall said. “There is math when we arrange flowers using symmetry, balance, budgeting, and more. There is science in how we care and store the flowers. There is art in how we arrange them by color, proportion and texture just to name a few.”

Children were able to take a tour of the local flower shop during their visit and see how it operates. They learned about the various reasons why people would need flowers including weddings, funerals, holidays, anniversaries, cheer-ups for friends and more.

The children saw how the flowers come in, the process required to take care of flowers, their safe storage in the large cooler and, of course, the design room where the magic really happens.
Quinn, age 8, loved the design room.
“When I grow up, I want to work at the Front Porch and be a floral designer!” Quinn said.

Afterwards, the children got to create a floral arrangement of their very own. Watkins guided the eager students step by step, until they created their own masterpieces. They learned about the different categories of flowers: fillers, mass and greenery.

Nash Mulcock, a local homeschooler, said that he loved using the clippers- a tool that floral designers use to adjust the shape of the stems and flowers.

Rorie Boss, a local mom, said that she enjoyed seeing the kids getting involved, and seeing their excitement with their finished creations.

“Charlene and Keely did a great job on explaining everything and showing the kids what to do,” she said.
Udall enjoyed the opportunity to share what she does at her local business.

“The Front Porch Flowers and Gifts loves to serve the community!” she said. “We especially like to teach the children about what we love!”

The Front Porch Flowers and Gifts offers two locations: Overton and Mesquite. They are open Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are closed on Sunday.