Business blooming for County Derry's Farmgirl Florals

Eleven years ago ex-banker Louise McLaughlin decided to take a risk by moving away from the corporate world into a career in floristry.

Eventually setting up on her own in 2019, Louise's elegant arrangements have seen her company go from strength to strength since.

Louise’s flowers are stunning displays of sustainability and intricate romantic design.

The Armagh native places importance on using locally sourced Irish and British flowers.

Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Sperrins, Farmgirl Florals' main studio is located near Park village with a second studio based outside Newry, in the heart of South Armagh.

Louise shared how she is passionate about flowers and loves a whimsical, ethereal wild garden style.

“I am a fully trained florist and I have honed my craft over the last decade to create stand out florals to add the wow factor to your day. I use stunning, seasonal, luxury blooms for all my work. I also strive to be as kind to planet earth as possible including a minimal use of floral foam. I am also adding to my little flower farm annually to use some stunning local foliage, herbs, grasses and flowers in my work, these little touches make all the difference.“"

"I will always strive to create the most stunning floral arrangements and installations. My aim is to create a unique look for anyone’s special event and make a big floral impact.”

Explaining her journey into the floral industry Louise said: “I felt like I was finished with corporate work and wanted to try something new. I decided to study floristry for three years at Greenmount College alongside my job. To get into the work I worked alongside other florists doing freelance work. We worked on loads of different events and weddings where I got loads of experience. I was doing anything I could to get as much hands on experience as I could so I contacted florists that I looked up to and asked could I tag along for the experience of the wedding scene. We went to some amazing venues for weddings and I built up a great portfolio off the back of it.

“When I was off on maternity leave from my day job I started doing a lot of practice as well as building my social media presence. This was a way of building experience for eventually going full time. In the meantime I focused on doing some specialist courses in England with well known floral designers Jay Archer, Sabine Darrell and Joseph Massie. I absolutely admired and loved their work. These courses definitely helped to build my confidence and think more seriously about setting up my own business.

“Covid lockdown hit when I was about to hand my notice in to the day job but I soon realised that wasn’t a good idea when weddings and events were being cancelled and no bookings were coming though. So there were a couple of years of not doing very much but as soon as covid was over I got up and ran and haven’t looked back since.”

Sharing her favourite parts of the job, Louise said: “I love working with different colours, textures and different types of flowers. 

Personally I enjoy working with clients to create a vision and seeing that vision come to life. It is satisfying when clients are happy and blown away when they see the designs on the day. I love growing my own flowers, it hasn’t been fully successful yet but I will keep trying.”

When it comes to sourcing her products Louise has travelled the length and breadth of the country to get her hands on the perfect flowers.

“Clients have requested certain flowers and I have travelled all over Ireland to get them. A lot of work goes into planning, sourcing and ordering flowers. Sometimes more time can be spent preparing than designing them but that is all part of the process.”

For anyone thinking about getting started with a career in flower arranging Louise has this advice.

“I think if you want to start a career in floristry you definitely have to have a natural creative flair to make it work. The industry is oversaturated and you have to work hard to make a name for yourself. It can be difficult to stand out from the crowd but with determination it can be done. Floral arranging is a lot more hard work than people think. It can be very physical, there will be days where you will be aching head to toe especially after the demands of a wedding. Days are long, there will be 24 hour days in the lead up to important events. You can’t do this job in a 9-5, it is a commitment. There will be pressure to get things perfect for people so you have to be devoted and patient also.”

You can follow Louise on @FarmgirlFlorals on Facebook and Instagram.
Or visit farmgirlflorals.com