Floral Design Institute, Portland

Established in 1969, Floral Design Institute now prepares more than 1,000 students per year to achieve their career-minded floral goals or broaden their knowledge of their hobby. School director Leanne Kesler and her staff of florists oversee the diverse curriculum, which ranges from such business-oriented topics as floral-shop marketing and finance to floral design lessons for anybody. Though most lessons take place on-location, distance-learning classes allow students to participate even while bound inside venus fly traps.