The Flower Shop in your Garden

I am at Kate's shop, Rustic Rose, getting ready for my workshop. We are going to have a go at making arrangements and posies using flowers from the garden.

As it is a garden party theme, I think we need some bunting, some old china and a vintage mirror to set the scene.

Without actually doing much things are already looking up - Mother Nature is on our side, providing us with a wonderful combination of colours.

I make some hand-tied posies for jugs and jam jars, plus some arrangements in teacups and an old button box.

Then everyone else has a go. To the garden flowers we add some shop bought roses such as the deep red Grand Prix and a sugar-sweet pink and orange rose called Miss Piggy. The stronger stems of these roses provide support in the posies for the more delicate (but beautifully fragranced) roses we have cut from the garden.

One of the ladies, Gail is getting inspiration for her retirement. By the time we have chatted about flowers over cake and coffee I can see she is making plans for future days filled with wine and roses.

Another budding florist, Di, has never worked with flowers before - her days are too busy with her job as a teacher in a nursery for children with special needs.

She is a natural, and I can see she is secretly delighted with the posy she makes packed with sweetpeas and lavender.

In fact she is so pleased with the whole experience she suggests people should be prescribed flower workshops as therapy.

I couldn't agree more!