Ada Kelly, a student at the Elva...

Ada Kelly, a student at the Elva May School of Floral Design, stepped back from the work table and admired her latest creation. “All I’ve ever done before this was go out and pick a rose,” she says.

Kelly, a retired laboratory technician, plans to work part time in a flower shop after finishing a four-week basic course. The soft lilac and pink-toned arrangement was the third she’d made since enrolling in the small, family-run school in Fullerton.

Nearby, John McElrath, a former military aircraft mechanic, was busy putting the final touches on his arrangement. “After fixing planes for 16 years, I felt like I was in a rut,” he says. “I wanted something more individual and creative.”

He decided to team up with his sister, who ran a flower shop in Garden Grove. As the new co-owner, he handled deliveries and purchasing. But after he tried his hand at floral design, he liked it so much he decided to get professional training. “It’s relaxing,” he explains. “And I can see the whole thing through from start to finish.”

The school was founded in 1947 by Elva May Devlin, a Fullerton florist who also founded the American Institute of Floral Designers, a nationwide professional organization. The school’s present owner, Randall Stark, purchased it from Devlin 12 years ago and retained the original name.

Although no official certification is needed to work as a florist, it is difficult for those with no experience to find

entry-level jobs, according to Stark. “There are only about 20 other schools like this in the U.S.,” he says. It is the only floral design school in California certified

by the state Board of Education.

In addition to the elements of design, the school’s curriculum includes proper buying, marketing and handling techniques. “We try to teach students cost-control concepts right from the start,” says director Steve Stark, owner Randall’s son. “Even though it’s creative work, it’s still a business. We try to point out the common pitfalls.”

Students are taught traditional approaches as well as more exotic European and Asian concepts. Courses are taught in topical segments and include instruction in wedding, party and sympathy designs. Telephone: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

Address: 410 W. Amerige Ave.

Telephone: (714) 525-8464

Enrollment: Tuition for the basic, four-week course is $1,250, plus a $50 registration fee. Experienced florists may enroll in segments of the basic course and attend special workshops held throughout the year.