 Heather Platt has been involved in the floral industry
for more than 17 years beginning at an early age working with her
parents, Skip and Caren Kerr in their store, the first Grower Direct
Fresh Cut Flowers location in Canada. She quickly recognized her
affinity for flowers and took the plunge 11 years ago in purchasing her
own store. Since that time she has expanded and currently owns three
stores in the city of Edmonton, Alta.
Over the years Heather has taken advantage of every opportunity to participate in floral design seminars and national conferences, and to work closely with some of the industry’s seasoned pros. One of the individuals with whom she hasworked most closely is Deborah De La Flor, aifd, pfci. Heather to this day looks to Deborah as her mentor.
All of this hard work has paid off and Heather will be officially inducted into the American Institute of Floral Design (aifd) in July of 2007 at its national symposium. In addition to this she is scheduled to be inducted into American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) at the Society of American Florists (SAF) 2007 annual convention.
She currently co-panels with Deborah De La Flor on four hands-on training workshops per year for Grower Direct Fresh Cut Flowers and its 65 retail stores.
The flower industry is one that holds a special place in Heather’s heart and she is always eager to be involved at all levels.
Heather summarizes her positive can-do attitude as follows:
“ I can't believe that everyday I wake up and am ready to get to work well before the stores even open. I get so excited every time I see something that’s new or even old that I may not have seen in a while. New staff look at me like I am crazy but my senior ones just smile and say ‘she really means it,she is excited.’ I intend on getting even more involved with the industry as time goes on. After all, it is the best industry in the world!”
This avant-garde arrangement, featuring the graceful forms of stargazer lilies and mini calla lilies, demonstrates that simple does not have to mean standard or boring. The shallow glass container filled with multi-coloured river rock, provides a creative option through which to express your condolences.
This stylized composition, featuring exotic blooms of pincushions, ginger, verbernum and bird of paradise, demonstrates the unique and contemporary feel tropical flowers can create when utilized in a sympathy arrangement. The sleek container and vibrant colours and textures also make this arrangement extremely eye catching.
This chic, circular design puts a new spin on traditional sympathy pieces. Roses, verbernum and tulips create a stunning mixture of colour and texture. I wanted the curly willow wreath to have an element to it as well so I included some gorgeous parrot tulips around the wreath.
Beautiful shades of light pink impart a spring element to this exquisite sympathy wreath. A ring of intricately woven pussywillows surrounds a dramatic blend of pink gerberas, tulips and snow white calla lilies, which in turn creates this lovely, versatile tribute.
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