Too Cool for School

So many times I have heard from friends, old residents of mine (while I was an RA and GRF at Cornell), and people I've met through travels "I love flowers but I don't really know what to do with them." I always respond by telling my friends that it's okay not to know, as arranging flowers for a vase can be pretty simple if you let the flowers "speak" for themselves. I find that if you have an eye for design or at least an eye for what looks bad, you'll know when an arrangement looks well put together. Still I think my zen outlook towards flower arranging comes from the fact that I was in a junior garden club when I was young, and flowers have been a part of my life for over 20 years. For others, designing with flowers doesn't come that easily.

There is a solution out there for those of you who have friends or you yourself are newbies to floral design and arranging: Little Flower School of Brooklyn, NY. Nicolette Owen and Sarah Ryhanen are two close friends who have come together for their love of plants, education, and everything beautiful to help Gen X/Yers like us without a single sense of design skill but plenty of desire to learn. Based in Brooklyn, Nicolette and Sarah have set up a shop and a number of in-house classes on a plethora of plant topics, including winter-happy plants and succulents, to flowers for Mother's Day, to a very special Cherry Blossom event. Their designs are absolutely divine, and their personalities are the cutest - I'm sure they are some of the best floral design teachers around!

Check them out at their own blog, Sarah's blog, and Nicolette's site for a listing of classes, dates, and topics - there's 3 spots left for the Cherry Blossom event! And if you're ever in the neighborhood or attend one of their classes, be sure to stop in and tell them Stephanie sent you and says hello!

Plant on and rock on,

Stephanie

Song for the Garden: Jackhammer - The Spinto Band
Photo Credit: SR, 2010