Le Jardin Francais is among the most attractive flower retailers I’ve ever set foot in. Sooner or later once I end my Atlanta information, I am going to embrace it on the listing of locations you have to go to on a visit to town. Strolling into Le Jardin Francais is like strolling right into a greenhouse – mild streams from the massive street-facing home windows, and flowers emerge from each nook whereas vegetation develop proper within the heart of their show tables. I had the chance to take one in all their floral design workshops earlier this April and discovered some nice classes in arranging and flower care.
Marie-Laure, the proprietor, invited me to bask in a floral design workshop. Once I mentioned sure, my thoughts instantly began swimming with pleasure to choose flowers from Le Jardin Francais and could not wait to convey my association house. I did not count on Marie-Laure to be taught quite a lot of system suggestions from her workforce.
As a substitute, you begin the category with pastries and low then we collect round to workshop why French flower arranging is completely different from a standard floral workshop.
Marie-Laure instructed us concerning the journey it takes to turn into a famend florist in France. College students should attend formal faculty the place they be taught every little thing from rising and sourcing to pruning and arranging. Then they’ve apprenticeships, and eventually, they’re allowed to observe on their very own. The typical scholar spends 4-6 years of studying All of the strategies wanted to turn into a grasp florist.
After Mary-Laure took us across the retailer exhibiting us the completely different varieties they needed to work with, she collected a big bunch of flowers and started to chop and prepare her bouquet whereas all of us stood again and watched in admiration.
She started inserting every flower within the vase as second nature as she continued to inform us that the place you supply your flowers is simply as essential as placing your bouquet collectively. Procuring flowers from a good grower will make sure that your bouquet lasts so long as doable. Most flowers in your grocery retailer go from being lower in a subject as buds, to a chilly darkish truck, to a vivid grocery retailer, to your desk, and in any case that trauma, they die comparatively shortly.
The very first thing we discovered is the best way to correctly lower a stem. The issue with most do-it-yourself flower preparations is that individuals use pruners to trim the ends of their flowers, thus crushing the stems and disabling them from ingesting water to remain alive. Marie-Laure confirmed us the best way to use a flower knife to expertly trim our stems to form. Slicing your stem with a knife takes a sure precision that may be harmful when utilized at house. I extremely advocate studying from a real-life skilled, since you’re reducing again on your self. Additionally you solely need to lower the comfortable stems. Stiff stemmed flowers, like this dogwood bloom I used from a single department, ought to nonetheless be lower with pruning shears.
The following factor we discovered was the best way to create the bottom for our flowers, after which the best way to create steadiness. Most of Le Jardin’s bouquets are very tidy and stuffed with a lot of texture, so Marie-Laure helped us outline our floral type whereas utilizing her suggestions. My floral aesthetic tends to be extra on the wild and free facet, however I used to be stunned that some construction helped elevate my bouquet to a extra ethereal degree.
For my bouquet, I selected a mixture of vintage pink hydrangeas, backyard roses, white ranunculus (which surprisingly lasted 3 weeks!), rice flowers, pink dogwoods and a few greenery filler. All mix to create this trendy mix of untamed and daring flowers.
I used to be amazed at how shortly the three hours zoomed by and on the finish of the category, I left extra educated and knowledgeable concerning the talent these women put into creating stunning preparations. In case you are fascinated with a floral arranging course, the following one is in June and you may register right here. In case you are a flower fanatic, I hope you’ve got the chance to attend as you’ll be taught to use these expertise to any dimension association sooner or later. It is an expertise in contrast to every other in Atlanta, and one which has outfitted me with sufficient data to confidently put together flowers at house, however when wanted, I am going to nonetheless contact the consultants at Le Jardin Francais for preparations.
