The spring season
April heralds the ‘official’ start of the British flower growing season, and it also means the start of our workshops for the year at the School of Sustainable Floristry. In particular, it is when we hold the Spring Season of the Season-Led Sustainable Florist Programme, our flagship professional training programme designed to take our students through the four seasons of floristry, building their skills, confidence and creativity with the flowers and foliage that each season offers.
Spring is all about working with the cream of the crop during the start of the growing season, and our Flower Barn was filled with a cohort of new and returning students as well as a painterly palette of zingy toned flowers and foliage, flowering bulbs (the tulips!), delicate blossom and emergent buds.
With the walled garden and perennial beds filled with so many tender young stems, and plenty of new growth, our spring season focused on mastering the art of cutting and conditioning so flowers stay hydrated and fresh for longest. Wilting heads can be a real risk in this season, and understanding your materials, why that happens and how to avoid it is so important if you are to create arrangements that meet the needs of your customers and sees them coming back again and again.
As with each season, the course covered the fundamentals of floristry and helped our students develop their skills and artistry in arranging. We also paid particular attention to the question of managing the often stuttering start to the season and unpredictable flower supply, as well as the skill of designing for maximum hydration and ‘performance’.
From cutting and arranging flowers for vase arrangements and bridal bouquets, to managing sappy foliage in moss-filled funeral arrangements, to designing a large-scale impactful floral installations and tumbling urns, our students spent 3 beautiful, sun- and flower-filled spring days between the Walled Garden, the Flower Barn and the Main House, learning, sharing and arranging together.
If you are interested in joining us for the Summer Season, from June 19-21, sign up here.