an invitation for virginia florists
Join florists from across Virginia to compare notes on difficult deliveries, staff safety, and practical shop policies
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then spend the afternoon creating alongside Meredith Wheeler of Secret Flowers in an exclusive floral sculpture workshop.
Date: Saturday, August 1, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM-3:00 PM
Location: Orchard House School, 500 N Allen Ave, Richmond, VA 23220
Cost: FREE (no, really!) and lunch is on us!
Hosted By: Blue Octopus Consulting, Blakemore’s Flowers, and Virginia Department of Health
we've all had an order that didn't feel right...
An anonymous sender, a refused delivery, a call that leaves your staff asking, "What do we do now?"
Florists are often closer to harassment and stalking situations than we realize. Most of us have handled these moments on our own and it’s time we put our heads together.
Join florists from across Virginia on Saturday, August 1 in Richmond.
"If it feels weird and creepy, it probably is."
We'll spend the morning trading notes and building policies and tools you can actually use, then spend the afternoon creating side-by-side in a floral sculpture workshop with Meredith Wheeler of Secret Flowers.
meet meredith
Secret Flowers is a floral design studio based out of Richmond, VA and run by Meredith Wheeler. With an aim to create a place “Where Springtime Lingers”, Secret Flowers is centered around surreal and imaginative forms.
a first-of-its-kind project
This workshop is part of a statewide initiative funded by the Virginia Department of Health in partnership with Blue Octopus Consulting and Blakemore's Flowers (Harrisonburg).
The project began after VCU researchers documented how florists can unexpectedly become part of situations involving harassment, stalking, and intimate partner violence, often without guidance or consistent industry practices.
Together with florists across Virginia, we are developing practical resources that help shops respond with confidence while protecting staff, customers, and recipients.
This program was made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the non-research cooperative agreement CDC-RFA-CE-24-0027: Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) through the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The program is solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.