A week at McQueens Flower School
It’s late January, it’s miserable and grey in Glasgow. But this can’t dampen my mood as I board a train at Queen Street Station. I’m going to spending a week at McQueens Flower School. It’s floral dreams come true.
Back in 2009 I completed a BTEC in floristry. Since then I’ve worked in several different flower shops, freelanced for many wedding florists and currently run my own floristry business. But I don’t think you should ever stop learning. You could say I’m a big nerd.
Day 1
Within the first hour of being here I know this is going to keep me on my toes. We’re making a towering floral tree. And just to stretch us that bit further, it’s going to be ombre.
We exclusively used waxflower for this design, so the tree had a green, lemony scent.
Day 2
We made an enchanting floral chandelier. Truly a work of art. To add that final dazzling touch we twisted and looped together pale pink callas to hang from the chandelier.
I’d made floral chandeliers before but this method was new to me. So much of floristry is thinking creatively, one technique might not work in all scenarios. It’s great to have this method in my arsenal.
Day 3
We switched it up with an editoral shoot. Our task was to create a scene that would sell a wheelbarrow. There was an abundance of colours, textures, shapes to create this fun, garden-inspired design.
Day 4
A romantic, statement piece, overflowing with roses and ivy. The tall yellow forsythia gave this design a punch. And the two large chandeliers gave the added touch of opulence. I love the decadence from the sheer amount of flowers used to create this piece.
Day 5
The last day! A vibrant yellow and cream flower wall, abundant with fresh foliage was the final piece. This used agra wool floral foam, a material that I use in my own studio. It's a more sustainable and planet-friendly alternative to traditional floral foam.
Working on such large scale and innovative designs was a great way to grow my skills as a florist. I'm buzzing with excitement and anticipation to put all these extra learnings into practice.
