Wreathed in creativity: Autumn and winter flower workshops are a huge hit

The gorgeous aroma of eucalyptus, orange and pine fills my nostrils as I enter the glasshouse.

Sunlight streams through the windows and, even though it’s November, it’s so warm in here that I find myself quickly shedding layers of clothing.

I’ve come along to Loch-Hills Garden Centre on the outskirts of Ellon in Aberdeenshire to take part in one of the newly launched flower workshops.

From hand-tied bouquets to table decorations, wreaths and more, the workshops are designed for total beginners, and they’ll arm with you all the skills you need to go away and make your own creations back at home.

The plan – for me – is to make an autumn wreath under the watchful eye of centre manager Carolann Topp, who’s a talented florist and horticulturist to trade.

“I’ve made 15 wreaths for a fair today already!” beams Carolann. “Another two harvest-themed ones shouldn’t take us too long!”

Those who sign up for “proper” workshops will devote a half day to the cause with introductions to fellow participants, demonstrations from Carolann, and a sumptuous lunch thrown in.

Taster session

I, however, am being treated to a sort of “taster” session, and because it’s a one-to-one with Carolann, I’m going to speed through it much faster.

We start off with “oasis” rings – plastic trays filled with water-absorbing floral foam on which we’ll create our autumnal arrangements.

Once we’ve tied on bits of string, so we’ll be able to hang them up later, Carolann shows me how to cut bits of leylandii to size and shape it, before sticking it into my oasis.

“It’s what I call giving it a haircut!” she smiles. “Some of that’s too tall – it needs to not stick out too much, but you’re doing a grand job!”

Building up layers

The aim is to hide the rather unsightly oasis with foliage, and we build layers of greenery up from the base, adding in different varieties of ferns, eucalyptus and some sprigs bearing colourful berries.

“I foraged most of the foliage from round about Lochhills,” Carolann tells me. “It’s great to be able to use what’s right here on the doorstep.

“We’ll add in what we can, repeating patterns until we’ve covered up any gaps. You’ll hear me repeat myself a lot! “That’s because most of floristry is about repeating patterns and ‘framework’ – filling the frame.”

Before we add in any eucalyptus to the mix, we spray our wreaths with a special ‘leaf shine’.

This makes them look nice and shiny but also adds moisture to the leaves which will make them last longer.

Beautiful base

Once we’ve got a beautiful looking base layer of foliage, we add in some blood-red rosehip berries, being careful not to get pricked by the sharp thorns.

Alas, I do indeed get pricked, and hurl some rather undignified profanities as I do so. Ouch!

Next up, we decorate our wreaths with dried habanero peppers, which resemble miniature pumpkins, as well as orange slices, pine cones and acorns. The smell is just heavenly.

Bling-y

The grand finale is to attach a bling-y black and red tartan ribbon so we’ll be able to hang our creations on a door or wall.

However, they don’t have to hang – you can display them as features on a table if you prefer.

Staying alive!

As someone who has a bit of an unfortunate history when it comes to keeping plants alive, I ask Carolann what I can do to preserve the life of my fabulous wreath.

“It shouldn’t need watered for a good few weeks,” she says. “But take it down once a week and give it a water. It should last quite a long time if you take care of it.”

The autumn flower workshops are all about using rich reds and oranges, and the festive ones will ramp things up a bit, adding in cinnamon sticks and the like.

“I’ve probably made thousands of wreaths and bouquets over the years and I reckon I could make four or five in an hour!” says Carolann.

“But what I’m really teaching in the workshops is technique so that people understand the process of what’s happening, as well as gaining a bit of knowledge about the foliage we’re using.

“Then they can go away and make their own beautiful creations in the comfort of their own homes.”

Open to everyone

While all participants thus far have been women, Carolann says workshops are open to everyone.

“We thought we had a man coming along to one but it turned out he had bought the workshop as a gift for his wife!” she laughs.

“But yes, everyone is welcome – and we’ll make sure everyone who comes along has a brilliant time and leaves with a couple of items they can be really proud of!”

• Flower workshops at Loch-Hills Garden Centre take place on November 26, and December 7 and 8. They run from 10am to 3.30pm and include all materials and lunch. Participants will make a hand-tied bouquet and a table decoration or wreath.
• Slots are limited and must be booked at: loch-hills.com/
• Check out the Facebook page here.