Decorative Floral Design

Decorative Floral Design is an in-person, hands-on course focused on the technical foundations of five arrangement styles. Participants will study the elements and principles of design, the techniques and characteristics associated with each style, and the plant materials best suited to each approach. The course is a required core component of Longwood Gardens’ Floral Design Certificate program.

The five projects are Mass Design; Design in Sand, featuring a banded dish; Floral Topiary; Dutch Garden, an all-around parallel design; and Cascade Design. Flowers and other consumable supplies are included, and classroom tools will be available for use.

When: Thursdays, November 5–December 10, 2026

Showtimes: 3:00–6:00 pm each class day

Tickets: $605; $544 for Longwood Gardens members and Innovators. A 10% discount on classes is applied automatically at checkout for members and Innovators.

Admission: Registration includes all-day admission to the Gardens on each day the class is held onsite.

Instructors: Jane Godshalk AIFD and Cres Motzi AIFD

Instructor background: Jane Godshalk is an Artistic Judge for the Garden Club of America and a Certified Evaluator for the American Institute of Floral Design. She has earned floral design credentials from Longwood Gardens and the Stoas University in the Netherlands, holds a fourth-level Sogetsu Ikebana teaching certificate, and has represented the United States at the Chelsea Flower Show in London and at the World Association of Flower Arrangers in Dublin. Her work has received national recognition from the American Horticultural Society and the Garden Club of America.

Cres Motzi is a Longwood Gardens Certificate of Merit graduate and an internationally trained floral designer. She earned professional and advanced Dutch design diplomas from Boerma Institute in Holland, became an AIFD member in 2010, and has completed European Masters Certification with Tomas de Bruyne of Belgium. Motzi works as a freelance designer for events and weddings, demonstrates floral design, writes for floral publications, and is an AIFD Certified Floral Evaluator and Judge as well as a third-grade Sogetsu Ikebana teacher.

Venue: Longwood Gardens

Location: Grove Studio 108

Ages: Intended as an adult learning experience.

Supplies: Flowers and all other consumable supplies are included with registration. Classroom tools will be available. Students who want to purchase their own tools should bring wire cutters, floral scissors, and pruners.

Registration deadline: October 25, 2026

Cancellation policy: Registration may be canceled up to two weeks before the event for a refund minus a $30 processing fee. Refunds are not available when a program has been moved to a scheduled inclement-weather date. Cancellations can be requested by email or by calling 610-388-5454.

Certificate: This course is a required core course for the Floral Design Certificate.