🌸Flower School 🌸

A Mini Day of Sustainable Floral Design

Spend a flower-filled mini day at The Botanist learning the foundational skills behind beautiful, thoughtful and sustainable floral design.

Instead of focusing on just one arrangement, Mini Flower School is a hands-on introduction to several different areas of floristry. You'll learn how flowers are processed and prepared before moving through bouquets, sustainable vase design and small-scale wearable floral work.

Sustainability is woven throughout the entire workshop. We'll focus on foam-free mechanics, plastic-free wrapping, reusable and compostable materials, and techniques that allow you to create beautiful floral designs with less waste.

Think of it as a mini floral intensive — lots of flowers, lots of hands-on practice and plenty of opportunity to ask questions along the way.

With only 4 participants, this workshop is intentionally small and hands-on, giving everyone plenty of individual instruction and time to practise each technique.

No floral experience is necessary. Complete beginners are welcome!

🌿 Part One — Processing & Flower Care

Before we design, we start where florists actually start: processing the flowers.

You'll learn:

• How to properly process fresh flowers and foliage

• Cleaning and preparing stems

• Hydration and conditioning

• Basic flower care and storage

• How processing affects vase life

• How to identify and work with different types of flowers and foliage

• Ways to reduce unnecessary waste while processing flowers especially to use for smaller pieces like accessories or bud vases

💐 Part Two — Spiral Hand-Tied Bouquet + Sustainable Wrapping

Learn one of the most useful foundational techniques in floristry: the spiral hand-tied bouquet.

We'll work through how to hold and place your stems, create shape and movement, balance flowers and foliage and build a loose, garden-inspired bouquet.

Once your bouquet is complete, we'll show you how to professionally wrap flowers without plastic, using sustainable wrapping techniques and materials.

You'll learn:

• The spiral hand-tied technique

• How to create balance, shape and movement with our signature wild look

• How to properly tie and finish your bouquet

• How to prepare stems for gifting or transport

• Plastic-free floral wrapping techniques

• How to create a beautiful, professional presentation using recyclable, compostable and reusable materials

🏺 Part Three — Sustainable Vase Arrangement

Next, we'll move into vase design and foam-free floral mechanics.

You'll learn how to create a reusable chicken-wire floral mechanic and use it to build a dimensional, garden-inspired arrangement without floral foam.

We'll explore:

• Creating and securing your chicken-wire mechanic

• Why and how we design without floral foam

• Establishing shape and structure

• Working with focal flowers and supporting blooms

• Creating height, depth and movement
  

• How to achieve a loose, natural floral style

*Please note that you will use the same flowers from the hand tied technique for your vase arrangement. Your finished piece to bring home will be the vase arrangement.

🌸 Part Four — Boutonnière

Time to work small!

You'll learn how to select and prepare delicate flowers and foliage and turn them into a finished boutonnière.

This portion introduces some of the finer techniques used in wedding and event floristry and teaches you how to create something beautiful on a completely different scale while continuing to consider waste and sustainable material choices.

🌼 Part Five — Flower Crown

We'll finish Flower School with something fun — wearable flowers!

Learn the basics of creating a fresh flower crown, including choosing appropriate flowers, preparing smaller botanical elements and building a comfortable, whimsical finished piece.

And yes, you absolutely get to wear it home.

♻️ Our Approach to Sustainable Floristry

Throughout the day, we'll talk about how small choices can make floral design more sustainable.

Rather than relying on traditional floral foam and excessive single-use plastics, we'll introduce you to techniques and mechanics that can be reused, recycled or composted whenever possible.

The goal isn't just to teach you how to make beautiful flowers — it's to show you how to make them thoughtfully.

What You'll Take Home

By the end of the day, you'll have created:

• A foam-free chicken-wire vase arrangement

• A fresh boutonnière

• A fresh flower crown

More importantly, you'll leave with a foundation of practical and sustainable floral skills that can be used again and again.

What's Included

• All fresh flowers and foliage

• Vase and sustainable floral mechanics
  

• All supplies required for your boutonnière and flower crown

• Use of floral tools during class

• Demonstrations and guided hands-on instruction

• Three of your finished floral projects to take home

Limited to only 4 participants.

This is one of our smallest workshop formats, allowing plenty of one-on-one instruction, questions and hands-on learning throughout the day.

ALL LEVELS WELCOME — no previous floral experience required.

🥪 Lunch Break

We'll take a break partway through our flower-filled day to eat, recharge and get ready for the next round of designing.

Please bring your own lunch, snacks and anything you'd like to eat during the day. You're welcome to bring something from home or pick up something from one of the nearby spots before or during class lunch will be one hour.

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Workshop Booking Policy

Thank you for registering for a workshop at The Botanist! We put a great deal of care into preparing each class, including ordering fresh flowers and materials specifically for your workshop and reserving your space.

Cancellations

• 7 days or more before your workshop: Eligible for a full refund.

• Less than 7 days before your workshop: Eligible for a transfer to another workshop date or store credit.

• 48 hours or less before your workshop: Non-refundable and not eligible for store credit or transfer, as fresh materials have already been purchased and prepared.

No-Shows

Participants who do not attend their workshop without prior notice are not eligible for a refund, store credit or transfer.

Transfer Your Spot

Workshop registrations are 100% transferable. If you're unable to attend, you're welcome to send a friend or family member in your place. Please let us know before class so we can update our attendance list.

Workshop Cancellations by The Botanist

In the unlikely event that The Botanist needs to cancel or reschedule a workshop due to low enrolment, instructor illness, severe weather or unforeseen circumstances, you may choose a full refund, store credit or transfer to another workshop date.

Thank you for supporting our small business! Your understanding helps us continue offering thoughtfully curated workshops with fresh, high-quality materials and intimate, hands-on instruction.