handful each year is no easy task. Across retail, design, seed breeding and cultivation, women continue to influence every facet of the global floriculture sector through creativity, leadership and innovation. This year, Florists’ Review highlights professionals from multiple countries who are making a meaningful impact—not only through their distinctive talents, but also through their commitment to supporting their communities and inspiring their fellow (and future) colleagues. We’re proud to present our 2026 class of remarkable women in floristry.
Urban Petals | Greer, S.C. | @urbanpetals
Anna Stouffer is a South Carolina-based business owner and florist. While working in a law firm, she practiced floral design and quickly became noticed for her talent, eventually leaving the legal profession entirely to pursue her booming flower business. From there she found a brick-and-mortar home for Urban Petals and even added a flourishing retail component. Today, Stouffer continues to grow through all aspects of her business, including retail and wedding design. Her work has been featured in Martha Stewart Real Weddings and Style Me Pretty. She continues to work with renowned designers and offers workshops for aspiring and growing florists.
After a career in law, you transitioned into floristry and trained with some of the most esteemed designers in the world. How has that education shaped your personal aesthetic?
I said from the beginning of my flower career, “If I’m going to pursue this, I’m going to learn from the best.” So, I selected designers to study with who truly inspired me. I was drawn to the gardenesque style, and designers who approached their work with a tailored refinement and restraint.
That sounds like a juxtaposition to have garden-style and restraint in the same sentence, but both styles call to me. They’re the traits I strive to reflect in my own work and the [foundation of] my brand’s signature tailored, garden-style designs.
I started with zero flower knowledge and invested heavily in my floral education from day one. I also chose to learn in varied settings, including: 1) workshops with hands-on opportunities to practice and have my work critiqued; and 2) freelancing, and therefore quietly absorbing logistical, workflow and curated design details around me while I worked.
I learn best by hearing, seeing and doing, so the decision to take in-person workshops was absolutely the right decision for me. The floral education gave me a broad view of the industry, one that I had little insight into previously. It honed my sense of color, helped me get comfortable with abstract concepts and opened countless doors for future work.
You emphasize the importance of including the client’s vision in design. What do you find most challenging and rewarding about this approach?
I find this approach is freeing and rewarding. I work for the client. The client’s vision becomes my vision. It’s my roadmap for the event and guides all decision-making throughout the process from consultation to execution. I usually can look at a client’s vision board—whether it be phone pictures, Pinterest, or bits of this and that—and know exactly what they want, even if they don’t believe they know themselves.
I find this approach is my only option if I want to earn the client’s trust and ultimately exceed their expectations. The main challenge I find is managing expectations. But ultimately, it’s my job to guide the client to a powerful result with clear, gentle and concise communication. That often takes a lot of research and brainstorming on the back-end but is well worth the work!
In additional to design, you also offer services through Urban Petals Lifestyle Boutique. How did your brick-and-mortar store come about?
I always said I would never open a retail shop. Never say never. In 2016, I moved my design studio to a new and bigger location. The new location also came with foot traffic. People routinely came into the studio expecting a retail flower shop. I kept the windows filled with eye-catching displays, which kept people engaged and curious. In 2017, I felt the draw to retail as a way to connect with more people and diversify my business. The retail business, the connections I had made with my customers, saved my business during 2020. I fell in love with merchandising and helping customers curate beautiful spaces in their lives.
You teach a variety of workshops. Tell us about them.
I offer workshops geared to both community members and industry professionals.
My Floral Design 101 Workshops teach basic floristry and primarily focus on designing arrangements. I teach foundational design principles and techniques. The advanced classes build on the foundational principles through various applications. I plan to expand these classes in 2026 with topics such as color theory, bouquet making and large urn arrangements.
During the Christmas season, I host Wreath Workshops in the retail shop. It has become our most profitable and popular workshop. It’s a treasured holiday tradition for us and our customers.
For industry professionals, I teach Sustainable Large-Scale Installations. I was honored to teach this curriculum at the ASCFG [Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers] Design Workshop in July 2025. We will be offering a multi-day workshop at my shop in Greer, S.C., later this year highlighting sustainable large-scale installations. I offer consulting for serious industry professionals wanting to refine their sustainable installation processes. Inquiries can be made directly to me at flowers@urbanpetalsllc.com.
I also host destination workshop experiences at unforgettable locations! The first such workshop was held at Fleurish Greenhouse in North Carolina in September 2025. It was an intentional experience designed to let us slow down, be inspired and savor the season. Guests designed flowers together, gathered around a beautifully styled table to enjoy a delicious family-style dinner under a setting sun, and were delighted with intentional gifts throughout the event. For details about upcoming workshops, visit Urban Petals.
What is a personally rewarding event you designed and what made it so?
One event that comes to mind is an event we designed last October at a mountaintop venue. It was the second wedding we designed for this family, which is always rewarding! No event is challenge-free, but everything came together more beautifully than I dreamed. The most rewarding part of the event for me was working with the bride and her mom. They had a clear vision for the day and every interaction with them was gentle, respectful and trusting. The wedding fell during peak Dahlia season, and I sourced hundreds and hundreds of local Dahlias and paired them with Alexandra Farms garden roses. It was such a treat to have the event and local Dahlia season line up. The palette was bright, joyful and seasonally appropriate. Some events and clients just fill up your creative and kindness reserve.
