Nostalgic Arrangements and Flower Stories
A Day with Anna Potter (@swallowsanddamsons)
Join us during late summer at The Contented Mole - think dahlias, turning foliage, seed heads and all the illuminated bounty of September, on the retrospective cusp of autumn. Using flowers and vegetables from Annabel’s cutting garden, foraged foliages and unexpected hedgerow branches and berries, Anna will demonstrate a naturalistic, large urn arrangement, with an open Q&A discussion throughout. There will be coffee and homemade biscuits on arrival and an opportunity to look round Annabel’s garden and greenhouse during the day.
After a delicious home cooked vegetarian lunch, Anna will create a foam free hanging installation, showing techniques and tips on choosing ingredients, longevity and impact.
The day will end with afternoon tea and there will be an opportunity to buy Anna’s books or to have yours signed.
Anna Potter is an author and co-founder of Swallows & Damsons, a UK based flower shop. Swallows & Damsons opened its doors in 2008 and has remained a little flower shop in the heart of the community, whilst designing and teaching world wide for clients including Gucci, Architectural Digest, Domino magazine, Food 52, Harpers Bazaar, The Telegraph, Gardens Illustrated and Town & Country Magazine. Anna has also authored two best selling books, The Flower Fix and Flower Philosophy.
Known for bringing an unexpected and uniquely wild feel to floristry, Anna moves beyond the confines of blooms in floral decoration, incorporating a wealth of natural products and curiosities. Celebrating imperfections, subtlety in colour and form in her designs, with inspiration from the rich darkness of Dutch still life paintings, Swallows & Damsons are modern day influencers in a new wave of floral art and design.
Garden and Flower Photography
with Éva Nemeth
A one day class with Éva Nemeth (@eva_nemeth)
In this one day workshop with Éva Nemeth, you'll learn how to take the best pictures of flowers, your floral designs and gardens. The day will begin with cake and coffee and then Éva will go through all the technicalities of getting the best out of your DSLR or Mirrorless camera, including aperture, shutter speed and ISO. We’ll discuss in detail light and composition.
We’ll then head out into the garden to put all this into practice. The garden has far reaching, beautiful views and there will be plenty of Spring flowers to inspire you both in the garden and the the fields beyond. During this practice, Éva will also spend dedicated time with every one of you.
After a delicious homemade vegetarian lunch, we'll talk about editing and Éva will do an introduction to Lightroom.
And to finish the day, we'll create a beautiful flat lay using ingredients foraged from the garden.
Éva Nemeth is a professional photographer based in Oxfordshire with a passion for gardens, flowers and the countryside. She works with some of the UK’s best garden designers and florists and her work features regularly in magazines such as House and Gardens, Gardens Illustrated and Country Living. Her teaching style is gentle and very encouraging.
There will be styled scenes, arrangements within my home and garden, as well as the beautiful landscapes to nourish your creativity throughout the day.
A Day of Dahlias and Dutch Masters
with Sarah Statham
A one day class with Sarah Statham (@simplybyarrangement) and Annabel Anderson (@thecontentedmole).
In this one day class, we’ll spend time learning and discussing the best ways to grow, care for and arrange dahlias in the Dutch Masters Style. I have been growing dahlias for many years, taught by my dear late father. I grow them in the cutting garden where the dahlias are interspersed with an abundance of other summer flowers, sweet peas and annual climbers woven around handmade hazel structures.
We’ll then gather together flowers and foliage to make our own Dutch Masters-inspired arrangements.
The focus will be on abundance and making a centrepiece that can be photographed to achieve a dark, moody Dutch Masters effect. We might also explore other areas of light to capture photographs with a different effect.
The class includes a delicious homemade vegetarian lunch, a vessel to take home filled with flowers, lots of guidance on growing dahlias within a home garden and tuition on creating a stunning centrepiece worthy of a great photograph.
Sarah Statham is a renowned florist based in ‘a small corner of Yorkshire’. Through her inspiring and gentle guidance she teaches people how to ‘do the flowers’, helping them tell their their own story and pursue their dreams through flowers. Sarah is also well known for her beautiful photography and Instagram account @simplybyarrangement.
A Summer Flower Workshop
with Annabel Anderson
A half day class with Annabel Anderson (@thecontentedmole)
Enjoy a relaxing flower filled morning at the home of The Contented Mole learning how to pick, condition and arrange flowers. You will learn how to arrange flowers in a natural garden-gathered style. After coffee, tea and cake, Annabel will give you a tour of the cutting garden and greenhouse showing you what is flowering at the moment and how she grows a variety of flowers for cutting throughout the year. There will be plenty of time for you to ask questions on how to grow cut flowers in a garden setting. We will then head back indoors where there will be an abundance of conditioned flowers and foliage already picked for you to choose from. Annabel will demonstrate how to make a hand-tied bouquet then will guide you as your make your own bouquet. She will show you how to condition flowers and how to care for them when you get home so that they last. This workshop is suitable for all abilities whether you are a complete beginner, just love flowers or fancy some time out in a beautiful location.
Natural Garden Structures
with Alistair Hayhurst
A one day class with Alistair Hayhurst (@underwoodcrafts)
In this one day class, we’ll spend time learning and discussing the best ways to source, prepare and use different materials for weaving, the tools to use and how to install small garden structures.
Starting the day with morning coffee and homemade cake, Alistair will then demonstrate how to weave and teach you how to make your own willow obelisk to take home. This structure can be use for all types of climbing annuals such as sweet peas and beans. After a delicious vegetarian lunch, Alistair will teach you how to create a willow edging hurdle followed by making willow bird feeders. The day will end with afternoon tea and cake and guidance on how to install and care for the creations you have made.
I first met Alistair Hayhurst of Underwood Crafts several years ago when he supplied me with hazel and peas sticks to make my garden arches and supports. Alistair specialises in the production and teaching of a wide range of coppiced crafts from hedge laying and hurdle making to cleft fencing and yurt construction and has worked on projects at the The Garden Museum in London and The Newt in Somerset. He has an infectious enthusiasm for his work and we are delighted to be welcoming him here to teach at The Contented Mole.
A Morning in the Cutting Garden
A half day class with Annabel Anderson (@thecontentedmole)
Enjoy a relaxing flower-filled morning at the home of The Contented Mole learning how to pick, condition and ‘do the flowers’. You will learn how to arrange flowers in a natural garden-gathered style. After morning coffee and cake, you will spend time exploring Annabel's cutting garden and greenhouse, and she will show you what is flowering at the moment and how she grows a variety of flowers for cutting throughout the year. There will be plenty of time for you to ask questions on how to grow cut flowers in a garden setting.
Annabel will show you different ideas for decorating your home with flowers and foliage and demonstrate an arrangement. She will show you how to condition flowers and how to care for them so that they last. You will then create your own arrangement in a vessel for you to take home. This workshop is suitable for all abilities whether you are a complete beginner, just love flowers or fancy some time spending a relaxing morning in a beautiful location.
Flower Pressing
with Annabel Anderson
A half day class with Annabel Anderson (@thecontentedmole)
Join me in my home and garden for a morning of flower pressing. This art has been around for centuries and it was first used by plant hunters as a way to preserve and record plants accurately.
In this workshop, you'll learn how to choose flowers, prepare, press and display them through the seasons. After cake, tea and coffee and an introduction, we will spend time exploring the garden and selecting suitable material. We will then head back to the house, where I will show you how best to prepare and lay your ‘treasures’ in a press that is yours to take home. You will learn how best to mount pressings and there will be lots of ideas about how to display them. There will be an abundance of pre-pressed flowers available to make your own pressed work of art, which is yours to keep.
Photographs by Bohemia Photos
Still Life Styling and Photography
with Alejandra Sinclair and Annabel Anderson
A one day class with Alejandra Sinclair (@bohemia_photos) and Annabel Anderson (@thecontentedmole).
In this one day class, we’ll spend time learning and discussing the best ways to style flowers, fruit and props to create a beautiful still life photograph.
After morning coffee and homemade biscuits, we’ll gather together ingredients from Annabel’s cutting garden where there will be an abundance of Spring flowers and bulbs. Annabel will teach you to how to create a beautiful arrangement in a vessel which is yours to take home. We will then move to the studio, where Alejandra will guide you through styling your arrangement using backdrops and props to tell a visual story. After a delicious vegetarian lunch, Alejandra will teach you the photographic techniques she uses to create a beautiful, atmospheric still life photograph and will guide you individually to achieve a photograph with your own camera. The day will end with afternoon tea and cake.
Born and raised on a farm in Argentina, and now based in North West England, Alejandra Sinclair is at home surrounded by nature. She finds inspiration in some of the smallest and yet most valuable gifts given by life, be it fruit, flowers or meaningful objects that link stories between generations. Stylistically, her photographs align best with fine art. The lighting is strong and dramatic and there its a reassuring timeless quality to all her work.
Photograph by Bohemia Photos
‘Deck the Halls’ Christmas Workshop
with Annabel Anderson
A half day class with Annabel Anderson (@thecontentedmole)
Come and spend a festive morning at The Contented Mole and learn to make your own luxury wreath using an abundance of natural and seasonal materials, many of which I have grown here or foraged from my field. There will be delicious festive treats and refreshments to enjoy throughout the morning and lots of ideas on how to decorate your home for the season using natural ingredients. I will also be giving a table centre demonstration during the morning. All materials will be provided including a high quality ribbon from V V Rouleaux.
