It’s finally been lovely and sunny here this week in the South East of England and I am fully embracing it after what has felt like the longest coldest winter! So this post, a herald to spring couldn’t feel more appropriate. Last month I had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Rawan who had travelled from Kuwait to my studio for a one to one workshop.

Spring urns

It was the end of Febuary when the class took place so I did think I was probably being a bit too over ambitious in hoping to get my hands on some Blossom to use within our designs. However the amazing Mary, one of my go to local growers came through with the goods as always and got me my very first blossom of the year and it was absolutely exquisite! I did a little happy dance when I went to collect it from her. The blossom just added the ‘piece de resistance’ to all the designs, especially the urns.

This was the demo urn I created during our class. I started with the blossom to begin with to create my initial shape, letting the natural movement of the branches guide me with where best to place them. Next adding the taller more elongated Fritillaria Persica (which I have decided is one of my all time favourite flowers) to follow the lines created with my blossom.

Why sometimes you should forget the rules…

Along with placing a couple of Snap Dragons within the urn as well. This is why I don’t fully convey the flower rule of only arranging in odd numbers. In principle yes, odd numbers do tend to work best, however I always say if it is pleasing on the eye then don’t worry about the rules. This is a statement I whole heartedly stick by. The blousy headed blooms, in this case were the garden roses and those utterly stunning Icelandic poppies. I placed tucked down a little lower within the design. Finishing lastly with the beautiful Maiden’s Blush Lilac and apricot Statice that acted as a frothy filler that complimented the blossom perfectly.

This was Rawan’s stunning urn and considering this was her first ever time creating a large scale urn design and using foam free mechanics to do so aswell she did a phenomenal job! Both a herald to Spring with the blossm and fritillaries especially.

Bridal Bouquets

Next up we focused on creating bridal bouquets, showing Rawan how I create my designs using my front facing technique. I think over time, florists adapt their own tricks and techinques to creating their bridal bouquets and this is the one I like to use, to create a more elongated ‘rugby ball’ shape which I favour over round. We spoke about the mix of ingedients being key along with prepping your stems as this makes the actual ‘building’ part of the bouquet much easier. One thing I will never tire of when working with flowers is how two people can be working with the same/similar ingredients and yet each bouquet will look so completely different. This is aspect of working with flowers has always fascinated me since my student days and just hightlights how unqiue and handmade floristry truly is.

My Demo Bouquet

Above was the demo bouquet I created. I adore the mix of warm muted colours blended with the pops of lilac Clematis and Burgundy Fritillaries. They lift the bouquet adding another dimension. It was my first time using Pieris, this one was British grown and I am a big fan! Gorgeous silk ribbon from Little Acorn silks that I decided to leave hanging. Blowing in the wind when I took this shot it looked so pretty.

Above is Rawan’s beautiful bouquet. I was so impressed with how well she grasped the techinuque and her confidence with the ingredients she chose. The apricot limonium, a flower she hadn’t used before was a particular favourite of hers on the day and she decided to use it within her bouquet too. She also explained how a bridal bouquet in Kuwait would never feature foliage, only flowers. She finished her bouquet by tying the ribbon in a one loop bow. Something I had never seen before but a popular way of ribboning bridal bouquets in Kuwait. It was really interesting finding out from Rawan about Kuwait culture and traditions. Espceially in relation to flowers and weddings.

Centrepieces

The last part of the day with focused on centrepieces. Creating a low design using these gorgeous ceramic bowls. We spoke a lot about shape and movement and again choosing the right mix of ingredients. I also told her to invest in a lazy susan, I would be lost without mine! They are ideal for when you are creating multiple centrepieces for weddings.

Again, how different do they look? Both a herald to spring in their own individual way. I veered towards the burgundy tones (it’s the Fritillaria Persica, I just can’t get enough of them!) Rawan opted for the red poppies which really make a statement in her design. They compliment the warm peachy tones in her centrepiece too. You will naturally gravitate more towards certain varities of flowers which I think is a huge part of what shapes your own floral style.

A really special and uplifting day that left me not only feeling on a creative high but humbled to learn so much more about Kuwait from Rawan then I did before. I’m looking forward to following her floral journey with her business, Jardin De Fleurs and seeing all the beauty she creates along the way.