Bringing the spring garden indoors
By Chris Simon

Photo by Chris Simon The Painswick Horticultural Society hosted a flower arranging workshop in Stroud recently.

With spring in season, it might be time to bring some of those garden flowers indoors.

That's one option, at least, that the Painswick Horticultural Society is encouraging. Accomplished floral designer Jean Warrington lead a flower arranging workshop at St. James United Church in Stroud recently.

Flowers can be used for a variety of indoor beautifying purposes, including dining room table centre pieces and decorations throughout the home, said Warrington.

"Spring has sprung," she said. Usually, at this time of year, we don't have flowers. But these ladies will be going into a competition, so I'm teaching them how to do a dining room arrangement, and arrangement in an egg cup and a taller arrangement."

During the workshop, participants learned to design three separate bouquets; a table display, and tall and miniature arrangements, said Warrington.

"(A miniature) is small; it can't be taller or wider than five inches," she said. "They learn how to prepare a bouquet from fresh cut flowers form their own flower beds."

Warrington suggests using a maximum of three different colours and plenty of greenery, and ensuring the table arrangement looks the same on both sides.

"All the oasis you use should be covered," she said. "You should not be able to see the oasis. That takes away from the look."