Rachel Wardley, owner of Tallulah Rose Flower School, sweeps around us while we snip stems and strip leaves, conditioning flowers and foliage for our final pieces.
“I’m your assistant for the day”, she says. “Anything you need, just ask”, that last word pronounced in a soft Yorkshire accent with gentle tones.
And, she means it.
It’s just one of a ton of gorgeous memories I can tuck into from the intensive four-week course in Floristry at her school in Bath.
I enrolled in the November Career-Change course and even now, feel the the thrill of excitement at a decision that almost didn’t happen. The idea to throw my wish out there in the spirit of the Law of Attraction was a friend’s and it seems the Universe listened, re-jigged a few naughty atoms out of the way and the next thing I knew I was following orders from the GPS on my phone to my Airbnb hosts’ home to begin a wonderful flowerful adventure.
That first morning, . . .
You know the tingle you get that flutters just under the skin when starting anything new? Part,“Oh, my God, this is going to be brilliant!” alongside, “Please God, don’t let me make a fool of myself!”? Well, step behind the blue door at no. 28 Milsolm Street and leave any doubt behind you. For, up the next landing, the scent of a flower-filled room wraps around you, the welcome from Rachel is so right and this sets the tone for the entire month.
I had been following @tallulahroseflowerschool on Instagram with interest, drawn in via the website and friendly, inspiring prose in the intro. There was a video of Rachel talking about the school where she demonstrated the art of the hand-tied bouquet, (probably the most sought after skill of the florist), to stunning results. How I didn’t give up right then, I don’t know.
The updated website introduces you to Team Tallulah with photos taken by resident photographer, Emily Kelly @youliveonit who also gave us a snapshot of ideas for capturing IG ready photos.
At the forefront is uber-chic Rachel @rachelwardleystyle who studied under the late Jane Packer following a career in fashion and who, most annoyingly, has probably the most stylish haircut I’ve seen on anybody.
The teaching is shared with two other talented working florists, Saffron, @saffronsflowers and Verity, @myflowerylife both of whom had no hesitation in letting us know how much they love their jobs. And you know what, it showed. See what I mean as we go on.
There is Ai, also a trained florist, who arrived every afternoon to tidy and make everything good again while simultaneously offering more smiles and praises on our efforts.
Then there was Lemmy. . . the cutest classroom doggie in the world and loved by all who meet him.
SO, on DAY 1
After initial introductions, I loved how we got right down to it and started doing! We were eased into our new flowery world, making a living wreath with succulents on a moss base. This was followed by Kokedama, a ‘plant-in-a-moss-parcel’, wrapped and hung with twine. I loved both these for the ease as well as the sustainable methods used, the idea that these keep on living long after, immensely uplifting.
We were gently warned that the arrangements we would learn would grow incrementally more difficult each day; this was true. But we were never alone with our challenges. While we worked there was advice should you need it without the ‘helicopter’ teaching to unnerve you. There was a buzz of energy and positivity, a sense that they were there for us, that nothing was too much trouble, no question too silly, no request too tiresome.
A little example-:
the time that my hands just wouldn’t connect to my brain while doing a bridal hand-tied and Saffron gave me her hand to use as the ‘vase’, forming an ‘o’ with her thumb and index finger, and got me to make the bouquet, checking in front of the mirror, until I was satisfied. I absolutely loved the result.
The daily itinerary went something like this: discuss the previous day’s tasks before conditioning flowers and foliage for the next exercises. Rachel does few demos, feeling this defuses any discomfort of comparison or need to ‘copy’. Rather, we were shown the mechanics and the creative stuff was up to us. It seems scary, (it may not suit everybody), but Team Tallulah help you forge your individuality and this team has maga-talent to share.
Here's a photo of another of my hand-tied bouquets that the gorgeous Saffy is holding for me, all beautifully wrapped.
The new thing for me was getting familiar with the mechanics of the craft. I had always made my own wreaths and arrangements but in a very low-tech fashion. It was great to get to grips with the techy bits of the professional florist. You know, like floral tape, oasis blocks and garland foam cylinders, water tubes, and so on.
The Small Urn arrangement was a joy to do. This involved putting a lead weight with metal needles called a ‘frog’, in to the bottom of the vase and pressing chicken-wire into it before adding your florals. This prevents the finished display of gorgeousness from toppling over. I can’t tell you how it felt to be able to pick and choose from the massive array of flowers and foliage and indulge in the craft. This is the result.
On the team exercise, Verity was our guide.
We chose a door as our backdrop; distressed, knocked-about paintwork with chunky lock. Perfect. The other team chose the overhead arch framework made of thick branches. Determined to go the sustainability route we went for a foam-free alternative of chicken-wire inside our water-filled trough covered in moss. Very soon we found that our stems were failing to stay where we put them. Verity encouraged us to be brave and start again. Gulp.
“This is good”, she said. “You will find things like this happen in real life so make your mistakes freely here”. We cut the tape that formed the ‘mesh’ across the trough and stuffed the inside with handfuls of moss inside the chicken-wire and re-taped. This worked. Brilliantly. Happy Days.
A similar thing happened during the Large Urn arrangement when stalks shifted out of place because the chicken-wire I had inserted left holes too large in parts. I so didn’t want to use foam, which would have been much easier. Instead I opted to have a fight with an inanimate object. In hindsight I should have taken the whole lot out and started again, but that’s hindsight for you.
The ‘church pew end’ was interesting. This might be used for weddings or funerals and a version of this could be used on chair backs, pillars or poles, for instance. We used the traditional method of a foam paddle attached to the back of a stool with plastic ties. The tendency to work ‘flat’ is kind of natural when doing this for the first time. We were encouraged to come out and down,
and don’t forget the sides, for an overall flattering effect.
I chose a textural look, using orange berries on a base of glaucous coloured eucalyptus, ivy and ivy berry with Ammi, oxypetalum, and lilac-blue clematis for my flowers for contrast and movement. (I matched it up for the Candelabra arrangement but added Roses and Nigella seed heads for extra wildness).
I loved this but it took me ages and I felt so slow but, again, Verity assured me there is no competition on time, it is about practise. The more you do the faster you will become.
Exactly. You have to remember this was Flower School, and as such you aren’t meant to know everything and sometimes things go a bit strange. Like my (Sympathy Flowers) coffin spray- nicely executed, if I may say so myself. Looked really good to the eye; huge blush red Hydrangea heads on a bed of eucalyptus, ferns, red hypericum berries and blue-black Viburnum berries. It photographed like roadkill. Albeit a good 2 weeks later having lost a few 'legs'. Seriously. Maybe it was all that red??? Got to laugh.
I struggled with the Large Urn arrangement for another reason.
Saffy was our coach. The minute she came over she said she felt I was using foliage that wasn’t ‘me’. That’s why you’re not happy. An immediate Ping! moment.
I was using shiny ruscus (nothing wrong with ruscus, just not the look I was going for) for the length and drape but it really looked wrong. Too bling. As soon as we pulled out all the strands the entire arrangement took a turn to authenticity, changing for the better. That sums up TR. You go there to find your voice, your own style. It was a satisfying feeling, one which was repeated throughout the days and weeks under the helm of tutors with the patience of saints.
The generosity of spirit pervades as much as the scent of flowers. A sort of philosophy of kindness seems embedded, practised effortlessly by women who so obviously want to be doing what they do. Where else would you find your tutor offering to make you (real) coffee and bringing it to you, because you’re too busy playing with gorgeous blooms. Or, foraging in their garden (in November drizzle) to bring you much loved jasmine trails because you really loved that in your bouquets? It may seem sentimental, but I don’t care. Those small acts make a big difference.
In the three weeks of practicals we covered a crazy amount including: the essential hand-tied bouquet, (so hard), ‘meadow’ in a metal trough, group installation, table-centre wreath, small urn arrangement, (my personal favourite)), front-facing bridal bouquet, flower crown, top-table/mantlepiece arrangement, candleabra, garland, large urn. I loved them all.
Then, ZAP! Week 3. Business Week.
We started with the usual first-thing answers to questions from the previous weeks’ tasks in front of our work spaces with our stuffed-to-the-brim cookie jars and sweet Lemmy,tap-tapping paws around us saying hello.
We made mood-boards for our brand, considering what it feels like, what our style, our values are- using the quote “Who are you and why should I care” from Rachel to muse over while we scanned pages and pages of magazines for cut-outs to form our ‘picture’. One board was all about our audience, who we are selling to, who might be attracted to our style. Doing this makes you think really hard and it’s encouraged by Rachel as something to revisit, anytime we find we need answers to our own questions about who we are as a brand, especially as we grow and change.
We visited the New Covent Garden Flower Market- set-off is 4 a.m.!- and toured the flower-filled space with Saffy and Gus @augustus_bloom (the loveliest man) of Agustus Bloom Flowers.
I felt like a proper florist grown-up when I bought my first huge bag of moss for an upcoming wreath workshop I had planned after the course. We headed off to Lassco for a talk by Gus in a room styled with antiques and a long table for our group meet. He treated us to a demo of a hand-tied, made with left-over bits from a job, and made it look so easy, (it’s not!) It was beautiful.
Of course, there is no business without a name. We thrashed out likely targets for our websites, Instagram accounts and our business bank accounts. By the way, it’s a misconception your business name has to have the word ‘flowers’ or the like, in it. You only have to look at past student Kirstie Deane of @rubyandthewolf to see how she’s ripped that rule to shreds.
The fourth week took us to our final pieces and lists of all the necessary items to make them. We had a generous £100 budget. Plus, we could use any bits left from previous purchases for the school exercises that were still useable. (I love that nothing goes to waste).
THAT FINAL DAY
I chose to go big. And wild. A huge wreath for a wall and extra-large overhead hanging floral chandelier. I was encouraged, Absolutely! Rachel had a massive hula-hoop for my chandelier. Of course she did. Going the eco-friendly and sustainable route, I wrapped the hoop with moss held in with chicken wire to keep stems where they were put.
I made the wreath from scratch, from large branches. A muted palette of blue eryngium, metallic blue-black viburnum berries, fat bundles of gorgeous scented waxflower, tons of eucalyptus parvula and populus, pistache, mimosa, ivy berries, and an abundance of twigs. (I do love a good twig!) Foraged jasmine trails à la Saffy and lichen-covered branches added to the natural, wild, from-the-garden effect. I was, let’s just say, in my element. Along with my table setting, I was mad-happy with the results.
Such gorgeous flowers and photos. It sounds like the most wonderful time and I've loved seeing your creations over on instagram. The flower crown is my favourite xx