Wreath workshop success

A successful wreath workshop which took place in the Church Minshull village hall has had some tremendous feedback from attendees. Here, the organiser, Kathryn Cronin, tells us all about her inspiration for running the workshop and what took place....

On a hot muggy Tuesday in August, the loveliest group gathered in our charming Cheshire village to spend time exploring their creative side to design their very own wild garden style summer wreath.

The inspiration for the wreath workshop came from the lack of water that had all our lawns looking like the Serengeti. The design formed part of my RHS Tatton flower school demonstration and it definitely seemed to capture the mood of the summer. With expressions of interest from others in learning how to make it, the idea for a wild garden style summer workshop started to form.

When I first thought about running a summer wreath flower class, Church Minshull village hall was pretty much top of my list. The air conditioned hall belied her World War 2 roots. I was proud of her and the pub that put up one of the attendees. "You can feel there is community here" was a comment made. "Yes" I thought, "You can".

Everything needed to create the wreath was provided, including some rather splendid scissors from Japan. We used all British ingredients that were so locally sourced they could have almost walked to the village hall themselves. No air miles for this flower class. This eco friendly floral class used no floral foam either. Instead, a moss and copper ring wreath added to its environmentally-friendly credentials.

The wreath ingredients included dried grasses with other textured stems from my paddock for the base. Further decoration was added using privet and nigella seeds heads as a nod to everything in the garden literally running to seed such was the lack of water this summer. Scabious flowers and seed pods were included as a final floral flourish. All the ingredients were choosn to dry well so the wreath would be able to form a structured piece all summer long.

As well as having a wreath, the aim of the workshop was for its attendees to have a moment for themselves, to indulge their creative side in a relaxed and friendly environment. Oh, and there were a few yummy things to eat too, as well as tea in vintage tea cups, or course. Everyone needs sustenance for their art.

By the time I had returned the keys for the hall, I spied a wreath hanging on a door.

Of course, none of this is possible without the help and support of others. A huge thank you goes out to my splendid assistants who very much kept things in the village.

If you have missed this seasonal wreath flower class, fret not for their will be another chance to indulge your wild creative side in the Autumn. If you want to be the envy of your neighbours as well as indulging in the odd festive treat, look out for the wild garden style Christmas wreath floral classes too.