GARDEN TO VASE WORKSHOP
Flowers grown in a garden setting are, quite simply, the best materials it is possible to handle as arrangers. Flower arranging is much like seasonal cooking in that the quality and provenance of the produce is paramount. Cutting from a garden and arranging straight into the vase means arrangements are both as fresh as possible and of a garden-grown character not possible to source at larger floral wholesalers. They are not mass-grown or cultivated to be uniform - every flower is individual and quirky, varying from stem to stem in colour and shape, bringing a sense of spontaneity not only to the arrangements themselves but also to the creative process of arranging them.
Our popular Garden to Vase Workshops take place in spring, summer and autumn, celebrating that particular moment in the year. Over two days we explore the ways in which seasonal, locally-grown and foraged materials can become a vital and holistic part of our creative practice. In each design session you’ll discover new plant varieties and deepen your understanding of how they behave and change with the seasons. You’ll learn how to study the natural materials that the garden provides - flowers, leaves, twigs, seedheads, fruits, vegetables, grasses and weeds - to arrange them in a way that references how they grow in a garden setting. Together we’ll examine what it means to take a nature-led and garden-inspired approach to designs, creating arrangements that evoke the style and character of different gardens from the prairie planting scheme and abundant perennial border to the cottage and kitchen garden.
DAY ONE
21 MAY
18 JUNE
8 OCTOBER
INTRODUCTION
We come together over coffee to meet and get to know one another and to set our intentions for the workshop. The studio will be filled with an array of seasonal materials freshly harvested from our garden in the Hampshire countryside. We’ll begin by talking you through the AESME SCHOOL OF FLOWERS naturalistic philosophy and what it means to take a garden-inspired approach to arrangements.
HAND TIED BOUQUET
An airy and textural bouquet seemingly gathered from the garden moments before. The hand-vase technique allows us to showcase the beauty of every ingredient without contorting or spiralling.
SMALL VASE WITH CHICKEN WIRE
A low-slung arrangement for the table with spindly branches, carefully clustered flowers and lightly gestural ‘whiskers’. These are balanced and harmonious designs for the table that delight and surprise, composed in an elegant ceramic vessel.
DAY TWO
22 MAY
19 JUNE
9 OCTOBER
LARGE ARRANGEMENT WITH PINHOLDER
A statement piece with sculptural branches for outline shape and balance, and voluptuous focal flowers layered with textural, fragrant fillers. We’ll explore the possibilities of using a pinholder (Japanese kenzan) for structure and assess each ingredient to create an impactful asymmetric design.
CREATIVE FREESTYLE SESSION
In this session you’ll be encouraged to flex your design muscles. We’ll conjure an imaginary brief using the prompt of three descriptive words. You’ll choose a vessel, select materials and refine the colour palette. Anything goes, with one proviso: have fun!
This is a two day workshop which will run from 10am to 3.30pm each day with a short break for lunch. If you are visiting from outside of London and are looking for ideas on places to stay, shop and eat in our wonderful home city you can find suggestions here. Directions to the studio in Shepherd’s Bush can be found here. Teas and coffees throughout the day are provided, as are the use of snips, aprons, flowers and mechanics. We stock a small range of our own brand ceramics, books and Japanese tools to buy at the studio.
£990
You can pay in full for this course at the time of booking or reserve your place with a £500 deposit. The remaining balance is due six weeks before the course start date.
Please read our Terms and Conditions in full before booking.
21-22 MAY
Tulips, bearded iris, star of bethlehem, Jacob’s ladder, allium, sweet pea, daisy, Granny’s bonnet, cornflower, meadow rue, clematis, poppy, fringe cups, Sicilian honey garlic, scorpion weed, larkspur, geranium, geum, flax, love-in-a-mist, laceflower, rose, mullein, valerian, wood fern, meadow sweet
18-19 JUNE
The first flush of roses, foxgloves, wild carrot, rambling rose, Marguerte daisy, poppy, sweet pea, delphinium, allium, penstemon, huechera, strawberry, beauty bush, clematis, clary sage, golden oats, beans, scabiosa, peony, geum, fennel, cardoon, yarrow, campanula, veronicastrum, potentilla
8-9 OCT
Glittering metallic grasses, gleaming fruits, textural rosehips, chrysanthemum, asters, nasturtium, nerines, gaura, dahlias, sedum, elder, rose leaf, Japanese anemone, sacred bamboo, yarrow, abelia, hollyhock, Cupid’s dart, echinacea, sunflower, ox-eye daisy, marigold, sanguisorba, turning leaves
