The Eco Flowers Retreat At The Farm - Day Two, table centre flowers

Release your inner garden florist at this glorious one, two or three day retreat at Common Farm Flowers between Bruton and Wincanton in Somerset.

Imagine having three acres of flowers from which to cut. Imagine learning all about harvesting flowers, conditioning, and then creating with them. Imagine giving yourself three days in which to do all this: time for yourself, time to nurture your creativity, time to learn how your passion for flowers needn’t cost the earth.

These days can be booked individually, or book all three to make up our full Eco Floristry Retreat for £900. You can book the full three day retreat here.

Members of our Club receive a 10% booking on all website bookings. Find out more about the club here.

Day two: table centre flowers

On day two we consider how we can fill a table with flowers for a wedding or event and we make larger, more formal arrangements. Using sustainable mechanics we will create pedestal vase arrangements in the afternoon, with flowers and foliage we cut in the morning.

Whether you’re an enthusiastic amateur florist, or a pro who wants to refine their sustainable floristry skills, this is a great day for you to take a fresh look at dressing a table with flowers so that you can wow your friends and clients alike with your creative ideas, practical solutions, and the beautiful results of your work.

Click here for details of Day One.

And click here for details of Day Three.

This one (or two or three day) workshop will suit people just wanting to have fun with flowers as well as people with more experience who want to hone their eco-floristry and styling skills. There will be plenty of opportunity to photograph the work as we create it, and Georgie has a wealth of props and vases in her studio, all of which can be used opportunistically.

The cost of the workshop includes all materials you will need to use on the day. All creations not made in vessels belonging to Common Farm can be taken home by the students at the end of each day. (You may wish to bring buckets or vases to transport your arrangements home in!)

Here's what some recent students had to say about this workshop:

"I have just returned home from the Eco Flower Retreat Day 2. May I thank you and say it was one of the most enjoyable days I've ever spent. Being let loose on your beautiful farm and then getting to make a "Constance Spry" vase dinner table arrangement was so enjoyable . I've learnt a lot, St Mary's will never be the same again! Amazingly that arrangement has filled a very large vase & 3 smaller ones at home!I hope to come for another day next year. Again, thank you for your time & sharing your skill."

"I attended the three day floristry course which was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. My floristry work has definitely come on leaps and bounds! I learned so much about cutting, conditioning and how to manage timing and scaling what I do. I’m now able to get much better results without that much extra effort. I would thoroughly recommend this course, both as an investment in your floristry and also as a chance to take some time for yourself. I spent three days in great company just thinking about what a lovely time I was having!"

Why do a workshop or demo with Common Farm Flowers?

Georgie Newbery has been building her small business growing flowers for sale and creating floristry with material she’s grown on the farm since 2010. She is a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Floristry Judge, RHS dahlia trials committee member, and Garden Media Guild New Talent Award Judge.

Georgie does not see other flower farmers and florists as competition, but rather as potential colleagues and collaborators. Georgie knows that it is in her interest to teach her students everything she knows. And she spends a great deal of time talking to other flower farmers and small business owners and learning as much as she can around the subject of running small businesses and farming gardens and small acreage.

There are no secrets held back from you at a Common Farm Flowers workshop.

Information about all our workshops at the farm:

You are welcome to join our workshops whether you grow for pleasure or profit, although some workshops will be more suited to flower farmers or small business owners. This should always be clear in the workshop description.

Full day workshops at the farm generally take place between 10am and 4pm.

The cost of a full day workshop includes lunch at a local farm shop. It is important that you please advise us of any food allergies / intolerances / other preferences at the time of booking. Please bring any mid morning / afternoon snacks you might like.

Workshop numbers are generally restricted to a maximum of 10 students. Garden tours are limited to 20 people.

Workshops at Common Farm Flowers take place in our studio barn, as well as out on the farm where there is no cover. Please wear clothes suitable for the weather (eg layers, waterproof clothes) and bring shoes / boots that are designed to walk on rough, grassy paths. Even on a sunny day flip flops and sandals aren’t advised and we suggest long trousers where possible due to the risk of ticks, bites and stings. A sun hat and sun protection are also advised, as we can’t always stand in the shade.

We will be in touch a few days before the workshop with your joining instructions. This email will come from nicola@commonfarmflowers.com. If you’ve not heard from Nicola 48 hours before the session takes place please email nicola@commonfarmflowers.com but do please first check your junk / spam items and make sure you are checking the inbox of the email address you used to book your place.

Please familiarise yourself with our terms and conditions in case you need to cancel your workshop place.

Nearby Bruton and Wincanton are full of lovely places to stay to suit every budget. See our local links page for good ideas or get in touch and we will do our best to help.