Last Wednesday evening I went along to a Wedding Flowers course at the Academy of Flowers in Covent Garden and had an inspirational evening! Situated in the newly redeveloped St. Martins Courtyard, the Academy of Flowers is surprisingly one of the only flower shops in the area. Since Covent Garden originally was a fruit, veg and flower market, it seems fitting that the Academy of Flowers has brought this old tradition back to life here.
The shop itself is delightful. Outside the old bicycle is a nod to bygone times and inside is a treasure trove of vases, cards, fragrance, stationery and candles and of course beautiful flowers and plants. The light and airy basement where the classes are held is spacious and modern and provides a well-designed, perfect setting for the flower school.
The evening started off with Gillian Wheeler, principal of the academy, demonstrating the skill of a hand tied bouquet. Working with roses, freesias, bouvardia and calla lilies we created very simple, elegant designs. The bouquets were relaxed in appearance, given the use of different shapes and varieties of flowers, and finished off with an ivory satin ribbon.
Always hungry to learn something new, I was absolutely delighted when Gillian then began to show us a number of wiring techniques. We made a small corsage from some lisianthus, ivy leaves and wired hyacinths which smelled absolutely divine. Not sure my first attempts at wiring were very successful, but it was a valuable insight into how to get started and I've already had a few attempts at home since then.
The evening was very enjoyable and finished up with a glass of wine to compliment all our hard work. What more could you want?!
