Ref: S1D37109
Autumn is a great time of year to focus on the best perennials and woody plants for cutting. Discover how these backbone plant groups can keep the flowers coming when many annual cutting gardens have run out of steam. Rachel will demonstrate with her floral designs what you can grow to create engaging, naturally stylish displays at this time of year. Taking centre stage will be dahlias and chrysanthemums whose formality is softened by late flowering daisy-shaped perennials and the airy waft of grasses. The structure will be provided by fruiting branches and characterful cuts from trees, shrubs and climbers.
In the morning, Rachel will take you round West Dean Gardens to show you how to pick and condition for optimum vase life. Back in the Orangery, she will demonstrate how she translates the garden to the vase, or, in this case, to one of her hand-thrown footed bowls using sustainable floristry techniques.
In the afternoon, you will turn your hand to creating an informal hand-tied bouquet in a garden-gathered style.
Go home with your bowl arrangement and bouquet, plus some growing tips and seeds, so you will have plenty to pick in your own cutting gardens next autumn.
A hand thrown bowl, chicken wire, flowers and seeds will be provided.
Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio, this includes stout covered footwear (no sandals or open toes).
Please dress in clothing and shoes suitable for working outside in the gardens.
Student registration: 9.15am - 9.30am
Course teaching: 9.30am - 5pm
Morning session: 9.30am - 1pm
Lunch break: 1pm - 2pm*
Afternoon session: 2pm - 5pm
Teaching finishes: 5pm
*Lunch can be purchased on campus, view options
Rachel is a flower farmer and floral designer who has been growing and arranging flowers for her business Green and Gorgeous for over ten years. She arranges her seasonal blooms for weddings as well as running courses at her farm in Oxfordshire. Her naturalistic style is illustrated in her book 'The Flower Book'.
