Why You Should Attend A Flower Workshop
- Written by
- Deepika Sulekh
Why is this on the bucket list? Well, I tried it out for myself, and here’s why…
If you’re hosting a party, helping with a wedding, or just want a better way to make use of your winter garden, knowing how to decorate with flowers is a plus.
Recently, I attended XOX Floral’s Flower Workshop: Arranging from the Winter Garden, and what a fascinating experience it was. Just taking a couple of hours out of my life to learn something new, meet new people and talk flowers did wonders for my mind – I found a new way to relax, reignited my creativity and learnt some bouquet making skills.
This workshop was all about arranging from the winter garden. Especially at this time of year, you may not see so many colours or the vibrancy in your garden that you might have at other times, but it doesn’t have to be all about flowers. Embrace the season; the foliage, conifer, succulents, or dry flowers can look just as good and create a whole new vibe. When you’re looking for what to pick in the winter, don’t look for what’s not there, see what you already have.
Here’s a little bit of what I learnt, but just reading about it won’t do it justice, you’ll need to go and try it for yourself.
When decorating vases
- Always start with a base, foliage works well, basically something you can criss-cross your flowers through.
- Go with the lines, every flower wants to go a different way, let it look natural.
- Jam jars and coffee jars make great vases, simple and easy.
The key to bouquets
- Criss-cross your stems. Start by holding the centre firmly and keep turning the bouquet as you add your flowers.
Making buttonholes
- Keep them simple and elegant. Roses, eucalyptus and even berries look great and give it a graceful, vintage look.
And some more handy tips I picked up:
- Cut your stems on an angle – so there’s greater surface area for water uptake.
- Any time you receive a bouquet, it’s a good idea to recut the stems before putting them in a vase. One way to rejuvenate them is to fill a bowl with water and cut the stems under the water – this prevents air bubbles.
- When tying the bouquet, wrap your string around twice before knotting it. It holds the bouquet better and is easier to tie.
- Think about height when you’re creating table arrangements, you still want to be able to see your guests when you’re sitting down at the table.
At the end, you may not realise it, but you’ve learnt about depth, texture, colour and technique while having some fun!