Floriculture

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Purpose

The Floriculture Career Development Event is designed to promote the study of and interest in the production and retailing of flowers, plants and foliage through the agricultural education curriculum.

 

Objectives

1. Identify floriculture and bedding plant materials. 
2. Identify and understand the treatment of unhealthy plants due to pest, nutritional, mechanical or chemical injury. 
3. Understand the biological and scientific principles and develop the skills underlying propagation, growth requirements, growing techniques, harvesting, marketing and maintenance of established floriculture plants. 
4. Understand principles and develop skills of floral design. 
5. Identify and select appropriate supplies and equipment for the flower shop and greenhouse. 
6. Understand and demonstrate the use of safety procedures and practices in floriculture operations. 
7. Operate and maintain appropriate equipment for floriculture operations. 
8. Understand and demonstrate interpersonal skills necessary for successful employment in the floriculture industry. 
9. Understand and demonstrate proper sales and customer service skills. 
10. Understand general business practices appropriate to the floriculture industry. 

 

Event Rules

1. A school may enter only one team, consisting of four members, in this event. The score for a team will be calculated from all four members’ accrued points. 
   A school without a team may enter up to three individuals to compete for individual awards.
2. All contestants, whether participating as a team member or individual will participate in ALL of the following events:
   1. Identification of Plant Materials (40), Supplies (10) and Floriculture Pests (10) for a total of 60 Specimens total
   2. Written Examinaton (40 questions general knowledge and 20 problem solving-type questions, but not all mathematics-type problems).
   3. Making a floral design designated by the officials
3. Only those students who are competing will be allowed to participate in this event.
4. Under no circumstances will any participant be allowed to touch or handle plant material during the event except when instructed by the event staff.
5. Any assistance given to a participant from any source during the event, other than a floriculture official, will be sufficient cause to eliminate the team from the event. 

 

Event Format

 

Team Make-Up

An entry of one team consisting of four members OR up to three individuals per school. 

 

Equipment

1. Students are responsible for bringing their own clipboard free of notes or paper, pens and pencils, and a basic calculator. (No cell phone calculators may be used.) Clipboards must be clean and free of notes or paper. 
2. Event superintendent will provide Floriculture Scansheet and Floriculture ID Lists 

 

Event Schedule

Each contestant shall complete the event in the time allotted:

1. Identification of Plant Materials, Supplies and Floriculture Pests — 60 minutes 
2. General Knowledge Examination — 60 minutes 
3. Floral Arrangement Practicum —Up to 20 minutes 

 

Identification of Plant Materials (300 points)

1. Each contestant will be required to identify 40 specimens from the “Oklahoma State Floriculture CDE Plant List”; 10 specimens from the "Oklahoma Floriculture Equipment and Supplies List"; and 10 specimens from the "Oklahoma Floriculture Pests and Disorders List" for a total of 60 specimens.
2. Contestants must bubble the ID number, representing the appropriate name, next to the number of the specimen being identified on the scan sheet. 
3. Duplicate specimens may be used and may be represented by potted plants, cut flowers and/or a leaf or stem sample. 
4. Each participant will be allowed 1 minute per station – do not look ahead or skip over specimens. Participants will not be allowed to move ahead until directed to do so. 
5. All participants will participate in this activity. 

 

General Knowledge Examination (300 points) 

1. This portion of the event will consist of 60 questions (5 points each), addressing basic horticultural knowledge, with a focus on floriculture and problems associated with the floriculture industry. 
2. Questions will be written using the CIMC Introduction to Horticulture, 3rd Edition and/or Principles of Floral Design 3rd Edition published by The Goodheart-Wilcox Company, Inc. written by Pat Scace and James DelPrince.
3. Questions may be multiple-choice, true-false, and/or matching format(s). 
4. Each participant will be allowed 50 minutes to complete this phase of the event. 
5. All participants will participate in this activity. 

 

Practicum (100 points)

1. Make a floral arrangement.
2. Using the materials provided, participants will be allowed 20 minutes to complete the practicum activity.

 

Scoring

Identification of Plant Materials - 300 
General Knowledge Examination - 300 
Practicum - 100 

Total Points 
Individual - 700 
Team - 2800 

 

Team Activity for Top 4 Teams

1. After the results of the three events that ALL teams will participate in (Written Examination, Identification and Individual Floral Practicum) the top four teams will be announced. 
2. While awaiting those results, all participants, teachers and coaches will be allowed to review the Identification portion and will be told when the Individual Floral practicums will be ready to be picked up to be taken home.
3. At an announced time, the members of the top four teams will report to the Team Activity holding room to await their starting time.
4. Instructions will be given, and all teams will make the same items in a 30-minute period of “Prep Time”. 
5. Afterward, they will give a five-minute presentation to a panel of judges to be scored as well. 
6. There will be a score for the quality of items constructed as well as a score for the presentation. 
7. Those scores will be added to the preliminary scores to determine first through fourth place teams. High individuals will come from preliminary scores only.
8. Approximate Timetable for the Team Activity (Times may be adjusted depending on starting time.) 

 

Tiebreakers

1. Ties for team awards below 4th placewill be broken using the following criteria: 
   1. The team with the higher score in the identification section wins. If still tied: 
   2. The team with the higher score on the written test wins. If still tied: 
   3. The team with the higher score on the problem-solving.
2. Ties for individual awards shall be broken by substituting the word “individual” wherever the word “team” appears above. 

 

References

These suggested links are to help you study for the CDE. There are many good study sources; the links are by no means the only sites that will be helpful in your studies. 

• Introduction to Horticulture Third Edition, CIMC, Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, Stillwater, Oklahoma 
•  “Principles of Floral Design” Third Edition published by The Goodheart-Wilcox Company, Inc. written by Pat Scace and James DelPrince.  
• Oklahoma FFA Floriculture CDE Plant Identification List 2026
• Oklahoma FFA Floriculture CDE Equipment Supplies and Disorder Identification List 2026 
• Round Flower Arrangement (video example)
• Single Flower Corsage (video example)

 

Supplemental Materials and Forms

Oklahoma FFA Floriculture CDE ID List Floriculture Scansheet (Universal C 705C-1)Floriculture Scorecard