'I'd love to see more men in the job that's bringing me so much joy'

While some of his peers busied themselves with football training and video games, Jamie Kelly was in his auntie Tracy's flower shop sweeping floors and quietly learning the tricks of his trade.

By 14, he could already handle a pair of scissors better than some apprentices, Tracy said.

By 16, Jamie was her right hand man. He was good with customers, knew the Latin names for all the most popular flowers, and, crucially, "had a natural eye, and that can't be taught".

Now, still only 18, Jamie is one of the final three people to be shortlisted for the British Floristry Association's Floristry Student of the Year.

And it looks like the Ballynahinch teenager could go all the way, if only on the strength of his industriousness alone.

As well as continuing to work full-time with Tracy, Jamie also runs his own business and is completing his level three floristry studies at the College of Agriculture Food & Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) at Greenmount Campus.

Drive along the Demense Road, just outside Ballynahinch, and you'll probably notice a splattering of colour among the green fields and hedgerows.

That's Jamie's Greenhouse Journey - Jamie's roadside plant and flower stall.

"People get confused because there is no greenhouse," he began.

"But once upon a time there was, until it was blown away in a big storm a few years ago."

The stall opens every weekend and runs on an honesty box model, meaning it is mostly unmanned and customers are trusted to leave money for whatever they take.

"You just add everything up, pop the cash in the box and that's you sorted."

There has, however, been one hitch.

"Last week was the first time somebody took advantage of the honesty box [by taking flowers without paying]," said Jamie.

But no cloud is without its silver lining.

Many of Jamie's thousands of social media followers reached out to send their support, with one lady kindly covering the cost of what had been stolen.

"She'd never called to the stand but she sees all my videos and says they make her smile, so she referenced [the bank transfer] 'keep smiling'."

Jamie was creative from a young age, Tracy recalled.

"He liked crocheting and things like that."

Soon after arriving at secondary school, Jamie realised an academic education didn't suit him.

"University, it just wasn't for me."

But what he wanted to do instead, he wasn't sure.

Without much premeditation, Jamie joined his local young farmers society, where he happened to see an advertisement for a floral art competition.

"I put my name down and I was quickly on the phone to Tracy, who came up with an action plan for what we were going to do.

"She said: 'Right you're coming down to the shop'."

After two weeks of being taught various techniques to elevate his competition entry, he was asked to help out over the Christmas rush.

The extra pair of hands proved useful, so came a follow-up invitation to become "a Saturday boy".

"And the rest," Jamie said, "was history".

After gaining a few years of hands-on experience in the shop, Jamie enrolled in a level two floristry course at Greenmount, where he was awarded the highest marks in his cohort.

Now he is completing his level three part-time, and Tracy, who has trained top-mark students before, thinks her nephew could be on track to become the highest achiever in his year again.

Jamie laughed: "You don't need formal training, but if you have it you can call yourself a professional."

Jamie knows of no other young men working in any other high street flower shop.

He believes this is partly explained by a misconception that floristry is a "girly job".

"But it's quite interesting, because you walk into the wholesalers and they're all men."

He said he would like to see "more men to take up the job" that has brought him so much joy.

"The creative aspect of it is quite instant.

"Flowers come in, you condition them, there's a bit of work behind it, then it's like instant gratification."

Asked if floristry is an art or a trade, Jamie took a second to think and looked at his auntie.

"What would you say, Tracy? A bit of both?"