A to Zinnias

We at A to Zinnias are genuinely passionate about everything flowery! I’m Heidi Shammas. Since the age of three, I have worked as a florist. Okay, so perhaps I exaggerated a bit there. The truth is that during our visits to Moline, Illinois, where my grandmother worked as a florist, she would let my sister and I rummage through the trashed flowers and create "arrangements" for our mother. Regardless of how attractive they ultimately were, our mother adored them. When I was five years old, I used part of my mother's rose bushes to win my first floral design contest. This arrangement didn't sit well with her, but I believe my first-place finish lessened the impact! I suppose you could say that I was born a florist. Fast forward to college, when I pursue a Political Science undergraduate degree at North Carolina State University. I had a part-time job in the floral section of a Harris Teeter supermarket while I was in school. This is where I really learned the fundamentals of floral design, such as the guidelines for visual triangles and how to use green pots. I've since figured out how to deftly breach those rules, but first you have to understand the fundamentals! I eventually ended up in Savannah, Georgia, where I was enrolled in the graduate program at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Being a poor college student and being in the prime age bracket for marriage while I was a student at SCAD made it difficult for me to afford wedding gifts. I would offer to make the flowers for their weddings as a wedding gift as a result, and gradually I started getting recommendations from friends of friends of friends. A to Zinnias was founded at that time, and I am beyond thrilled to continue my floral journey by making gorgeous floral arrangements for clients near and far.