Bowie’s agriculture and floral design program, Bulldawg’ Blooms, is blossoming on campus by providing colorful, seasonal arrangements available for purchase throughout the school year.
These arrangements are individually selected by students in the program and include a pamphlet with directions to ensure the arrangements stay vibrant.
“We order flowers, and since the flowers are delicate, they take a few months to arrive,” Bulldawg’ Blooms member Hannah Fellers said. “We then have to write out what we want to do for the arrangement and begin planning.”
Creating a floral arrangement is a very lengthy and time-consuming process, which changes depending on what flowers and materials are being used.
“First, we start with soaked floral foam, a green foam block that acts as a sponge, which then goes in the vase we’re using,” Fellers said. “Next, we use tape to keep the flowers secure. Whenever we’re using flowers in an arrangement, it’s helpful to cut the stem off at an angle, so as much water gets into the stem as possible. Then we add the statement flower, and from there start adding smaller flowers, incorporating the general theme that the class has decided to work with.”
The arrangement themes are mainly decided by season as well as holidays surrounding the months.
“Students in Bulldawg’ Blooms have a meeting each month,” Bulldawg’ Blooms adviser Paige Gomes-Green said. “During this meeting, they decide what the arrangement themes will be. The theme is usually based on holidays or the season during that month.”
The arrangements are purchased by semester or full year. The fall semester costs $90, and the customer receives arrangements for October, November, and December. The spring package costs $150, and the customer receives arrangements for January, February, March, April, and May. A full-year subscription is $200.
“As the teacher, I don’t individually decide the prices,” Gomes-Green said. “My wholesaler does. I base prices on what the wholesaler is selling their flowers for. From there I price out each individual piece that we use for the arrangement, and then we add up the total cost to determine the price range.”
The arrangement’s prices are dependent on the quality of the flowers used. Bulldawg’ Blooms is known to use high-quality supplies.
“I think the arrangements are worth the price because the flowers are high-quality and expensive to get imported,” junior Olivia Nanda said. “So, it’s a really good deal. I remember when I ordered floral arrangements last year, the arrangement was extremely well done and lasted much longer than any of my store-bought arrangements.”
Bulldawg’ Blooms purchase their flowers and greenery from the company ‘Southern Floral,’ whose prices determine the cost of arrangements.
“A single arrangement could vary from $20 at the lowest, to $200 maximum. The price depends on what flowers are being used and how much the wholesaler is pricing them,” Gomes said. “Typically with arrangements, it depends on what type of arrangements are being made, and whether the flowers are artificial or real, since there are different processes for each.”
The floral design class is offered as a fine arts credit at Bowie, with a beginner class prerequisite leading students to the floral design pathway.
“I would recommend joining Principles of Agriculture first as a freshman because that is the intro class to all of the agriculture classes,” Gomes-Green said. “After that class is completed, you can continue to the floral pathway and take floral design. Beyond that, students would take advanced floral and then floral practicum.”
This year, the Bulldawg’ Blooms program did not receive nearly the amount of orders they were hoping to, making it very difficult to keep creating arrangements for the student body and staff.
“We’ve only received about five orders this year so far. Last year they did not have a lot of orders either,” Gomes-Green said. “We’re kind of in a little recession, and it’s been a challenge. To grow our numbers in the coming months, we will need to advertise more and provide examples throughout campus, to allow students to see the true value of our arrangements.”
Students interested in purchasing personalized floral arrangements can help support the Bulldawg’ Blooms floral program by scanning the QR code on page five to register and buy monthly floral arrangements from the ‘Dawgs.
“These purchases help fund our program,” sophomore Bulldawg’ Blooms member Brooklyn Soptick said. “I want potential buyers to know that the arrangements are handmade by students who truly put a lot of work into them, with the enjoyment of the Bowie community in mind.”
