Florist Sarah Gillespie recently highlighted the creative use of flowers for Halloween-themed arrangements during an interview. “We try to create some spooky things at our store to celebrate the season,” Gillespie said, showcasing one of her designs. The arrangement featured roses splattered with red paint, mimicking blood. “It’s not real blood, folks—that would be wild,” she clarified, explaining that the effect was created with paint.

Another unique element in the arrangement was blue thistle painted black to resemble spiders, a detail Gillespie uses to evoke the spooky atmosphere of fall and winter. “They look like little spiders,” she said, adding that these touches help embrace the season’s theme.

Gillespie, who was an educator for many years, also spoke about how she incorporates education into her floral business. She recently hosted a field trip for high school students from local schools, including Avon and Ben Davis, to teach them about the floral industry. “We gave them a tour and talked about how flowers come into the United States and how we grow flowers locally in Indiana,” she explained. Gillespie emphasized the diverse job opportunities within the floral industry, from growing and hybridizing flowers to the logistics of transporting them worldwide.

She also discussed the challenges the industry faces, including disruptions in logistics, such as those caused by recent hurricane Milton in Florida. “It starts to get pretty serious pretty quickly when you’ve got a bride with a wedding coming up,” Gillespie noted.

For those interested in Gillespie’s floral services, she can be reached through her website at gillespieflorists.com.