The June Garden Workshop
- Paula O'Hara
- Jun 14
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 14
Here are a few photos from our recent Mentoring Day in the Garden with The Rosehip and Berry.
When we looked out on the morning of the workshop the weather was not looking very summery but we had enough shelter around the garden to crack on and typical of the weather this year it was winter one minute and summer the next.
The girls arrived with big coats and snips at the ready! After a tour around the garden and a look at what was growing Hollie got right into demonstrating a hand-tied bouquet cutting ingredients as she went. There was a selection of feathery grasses, foxgloves, nepeta, snapdragons, silene, sweetpea vines, violas and of course roses expertly arranged in her hand after about 10 minutes. The girls then had time to make their own bouquets choosing from what was available. It was lovely to see attendees bringing their own floral choices and individual style to the most exquisite arrangements and buttonholes. Charlene from Gracehill Flower Farm in Armagh here made her way down with armloads of gorgeous, massive peonies in prime bloom and delicious colours much to our excitement!
After a stop for refreshments it was onto the floral centrepieces. Each attendee was given their own ceramic bowl handmade by local potter Ciaran Headley. These foam-free designs were created using chicken wire secured with pot tape. It was exciting to see how the attendees bowls all had their own style, colours and materials. I was delighted the Bearded Irises played their part so beautifully!
We stopped for lunch and then it was onto the studio to style and photograph their work in the good light. We chose items and linens that complimented their bowls and I took a few photos of each of the girls at work.
After that the girls worked together to create a fully sustainable large floral installation in the gazebo. The sun came out and it all looked absolutely magical, both what they were creating and the laughter and chat as they all placed ingredients together. Out here the Elder is everywhere right now so we used this as the foliage base and added lupins, honeysuckle vines, garden roses, grasses, silene, daucus, foxgloves, and of course those big-headed peonies!
A table was set for dinner with linens, candles and plates. The hand-tied buttonholes were placed into kenzans in tiny bowls with berries strewn between. A sprinkling of little elder flowers over the linens finished the look. Finally the creatives who work so hard all year long to make things perfect for their clients got to sit down and enjoy a meal surrounded by the beauty that they created. Hopefully all went home with hearts, hands and stomachs full!
Interested in attending a workshop?
Our mentoring days are limited to 2-3 people max. It's part learning/part retreat. We want participants to be in a playful, relaxed space open to experimentation and their creative curiousity. You do not need to be a florist. This day is open to anyone with a passion for flowers and creating art with them. We have had florists, photographers, artists, hobbyists and gardeners here, or quite often people entering a pivotal time in their lives with career or life changes. There's a shared love of garden flowers, joy in the details and arrangements with a little of the wild meadow about them - floral styling directly inspired by the season and place it's made in.
Get in touch via the contact page to learn more.
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