By Jasmine Noble
With the main event of December slowly creeping closer, the festive workshops have officially begun! Amongst modern calligraphy classes and skincare evenings, Wild About Flowers brought back their annual wreath making workshop, having introduced two dates on the 4th and 6th December. The class cost £55, and included a wreath to last all of the festive period, as well as freshly brewed mulled wine and homemade mince pies and Christmas treats, with 10% off of your next purchase.
The event was held at the home of Wild About Flowers, a beautiful Grade II listed building in Keynsham High Street, adorned with softly scented candles and plush jewel-toned furnishings. The workshops lasted a generous 2 hours, and with the soft melodies of Christmas carols playing and indulgent treats on tap, created a haven of festive fun. Each wreath was fully prepped by senior florist Ivy, in what was explained as the ‘old-school’ floristry technique- using moss which had been soaked overnight as the base material rather than soaked oasis. As Wild About Flowers had already built and wired the wreath bases, it offered workshop attendees more time to indulge in the creative processes of foliage building and pine-cone-placing.
Ivy had prepared 3 wreaths to demonstrate the stages of construction involved in creating the mossy base, as to make sure those who wanted to make more wreaths in the future left the workshop with the knowledge to do so. The stages showed building the soaked moss onto the wire wreath base, pinning the moss to create an even sausage-like ring, and backing the wreath with plastic to protect the surface the wreath is placed or hung upon. Ivy then demonstrated how to how to bind foliage to the moss ring with wire, explaining to leave an inch from the stem of the foliage when wrapping the wire, and adding that her favourite technique was to group a mixture of fluffier and denser foliage’s together to build a visually rich base.
The attention to detail behind each choice Wild About Flower’s made is truly what sets their workshop apart from others, sourcing as much luxury British-grown foliage as possible, and offering a generous selection of 10 different foliage’s. As well sourcing home-grown stems, Ivy and Angela considered the sensory aspects to the wreaths; purposefully choosing foliage that was soft to the touch, fragrant stems such as rosemary and lavender, and visually varying focal stems. As far as finishing touches were concerned, Wild About Flowered offered a glorious pick ‘n’ mix stand of luxury foliage’s and dried hydrangeas, with even a touch of copper for those with a sparkle affliction. Whether attendee’s wanted a warm-toned wreath with winter berries with dried orange slices, or cool-toned with fresh foliage and a more neutral appearance, all tastes were catered for.
Angela and Ivy mingled around the benches throughout the evening, offering composition advice and topping up glasses, creating a cosy and friendly atmosphere whilst ensuring everybody completed their wreath and left feeling proud of their creation. At the end of the night, event-goers were debriefed on how best to care for their wreath, instructing to lightly spray the moss base in the morning to ensure longevity. Wild About Flowers annual wreath workshop is a truly indulgent evening to introduce yourself into the festive season, and would make the perfect early present, or a night of fun with friends.
This blog was originally published here.