A four-session growing and design series with Mermaid City Flowers
October through spring
Spring flowers are made in fall.
The flowers we wait for all winter begin months earlier while most gardens are being put to bed.
In this four-session series, you’ll grow a spring cutting garden alongside me. We’ll plant in fall, follow the garden through winter, return as it wakes in spring, and finally bring the season full circle with flowers in our hands.
I’ll teach you how I grow spring flowers for Mermaid City Flowers: what I choose to grow, when I start and plant, how I care for the garden through the cold months, when I harvest, and ultimately, how I use those flowers in my floral work.
And you won’t just learn about them. You’ll grow them yourself.
At each fall session, you’ll take home a carefully selected collection of plant material to grow at home, provided at the point in the season when it’s time to use it. You’ll put what you’ve learned into practice between sessions and return with a garden that’s been growing right along with you.
The Four Sessions
October · The Fall-Planted Cutting Garden
Your spring garden starts here.
We’ll explore the flowers I plant in fall for an early spring harvest: why I choose them, how I start them, when they go into the garden, and what fall planting gives us that waiting until spring doesn’t.
You’ll leave with the first part of your growing kit, a planting guide, and what you need to get started at home.
November · Bulbs, Corms & Winter
As the soil cools, it’s time for the next stage of the spring garden.
We’ll work with fall-planted bulbs and corms for cutting, including the different ways I approach these crops for spring production. We’ll also cover winter sowing and how I manage the cutting garden through the cold months.
You’ll leave with the next installment of your growing kit and materials to carry your garden through winter.
March · The Garden Wakes Up
We come back together as our gardens begin moving again.
Bring your photos, questions, successes, failures, and surprises. We’ll compare what happened across our gardens and talk about what I’m doing in mine now: what I’m watching, what needs attention, what’s approaching harvest, and what can wait.
Then we’ll turn toward cutting, learning when spring flowers are ready to harvest and how to condition them for the vase.
April · Garden to Vase
This is what we’ve been growing toward.
We’ll look at the progression of the spring cutting garden and then turn our attention from growing to designing.
I’ll demonstrate how I work with spring flowers before you create your own arrangement using an abundance of seasonal flowers from Mermaid City Flowers, supplemented by anything you’d like to bring from your own garden.
You’ll leave with your arrangement and the experience of growing a spring cutting garden from fall planting through the vase.
What’s Included
Four Sunday afternoon classes from October through spring
A curated collection of plants, seeds, bulbs, and corms for your spring cutting garden
Winter-sowing materials
Seasonal flowers and materials for the final design session
Take-home guides and follow-up resources after each class
A midwinter check-in between our fall and spring sessions
A small class of no more than 20 gardeners, with plenty of time for questions
Details
Dates: Oct 4, Nov 1, , Sunday afternoons
Location: The Studio on Colley (1701 Colley Avenue)
Registration is for the complete four-session series.
No previous flower-growing experience is necessary. If you joined me for Summer Garden to Vase, consider this the next chapter. If you didn’t, this is a perfect place to begin.
A four-session growing and design series with Mermaid City Flowers
October through spring
Spring flowers are made in fall.
The flowers we wait for all winter begin months earlier while most gardens are being put to bed.
In this four-session series, you’ll grow a spring cutting garden alongside me. We’ll plant in fall, follow the garden through winter, return as it wakes in spring, and finally bring the season full circle with flowers in our hands.
I’ll teach you how I grow spring flowers for Mermaid City Flowers: what I choose to grow, when I start and plant, how I care for the garden through the cold months, when I harvest, and ultimately, how I use those flowers in my floral work.
And you won’t just learn about them. You’ll grow them yourself.
At each fall session, you’ll take home a carefully selected collection of plant material to grow at home, provided at the point in the season when it’s time to use it. You’ll put what you’ve learned into practice between sessions and return with a garden that’s been growing right along with you.
The Four Sessions
October · The Fall-Planted Cutting Garden
Your spring garden starts here.
We’ll explore the flowers I plant in fall for an early spring harvest: why I choose them, how I start them, when they go into the garden, and what fall planting gives us that waiting until spring doesn’t.
You’ll leave with the first part of your growing kit, a planting guide, and what you need to get started at home.
November · Bulbs, Corms & Winter
As the soil cools, it’s time for the next stage of the spring garden.
We’ll work with fall-planted bulbs and corms for cutting, including the different ways I approach these crops for spring production. We’ll also cover winter sowing and how I manage the cutting garden through the cold months.
You’ll leave with the next installment of your growing kit and materials to carry your garden through winter.
March · The Garden Wakes Up
We come back together as our gardens begin moving again.
Bring your photos, questions, successes, failures, and surprises. We’ll compare what happened across our gardens and talk about what I’m doing in mine now: what I’m watching, what needs attention, what’s approaching harvest, and what can wait.
Then we’ll turn toward cutting, learning when spring flowers are ready to harvest and how to condition them for the vase.
April · Garden to Vase
This is what we’ve been growing toward.
We’ll look at the progression of the spring cutting garden and then turn our attention from growing to designing.
I’ll demonstrate how I work with spring flowers before you create your own arrangement using an abundance of seasonal flowers from Mermaid City Flowers, supplemented by anything you’d like to bring from your own garden.
You’ll leave with your arrangement and the experience of growing a spring cutting garden from fall planting through the vase.
What’s Included
Four Sunday afternoon classes from October through spring
A curated collection of plants, seeds, bulbs, and corms for your spring cutting garden
Winter-sowing materials
Seasonal flowers and materials for the final design session
Take-home guides and follow-up resources after each class
A midwinter check-in between our fall and spring sessions
A small class of no more than 20 gardeners, with plenty of time for questions
Details
Dates: Oct 4, Nov 1, , Sunday afternoons
Location: The Studio on Colley (1701 Colley Avenue)
Registration is for the complete four-session series.
No previous flower-growing experience is necessary. If you joined me for Summer Garden to Vase, consider this the next chapter. If you didn’t, this is a perfect place to begin.
