Fleurish Workshop With a Forsythia Floral Arbor

A Forsythia Floral Arbor With Yellow Narcissus

Setting: A group floral design workshop

Flowers: Foraged forsythia and locally sourced narcissus for the floral arch – hellebore, la belle epoque tulips, sweet pea, and ranunculus for the bouquets

If you have experienced Utah in the early spring, you have seen vibrant yellow chasing the snow as it melts. That is forsythia – a shrub with long delicate branches that reach out as if shooing winter away. With its honey-like scent and dazzling golden color, forsythia rings in spring loudly and joyously.

When Bree of Lin Floral Co and I teamed up to create the Fleurish Workshop, we felt inspired to plan the entire day around forsythia and scheduled the workshop to align with the first blooming branches. We foraged for much of it, and sourced the rest from local flower farms.

I often tend to embrace unconventional designs crafted with locally foraged materials, and for this workshop’s installations, the unexpected element was not the shape or setting, but the color. This bright yellow hue is not often asked for in wedding designs, so it was a fun opportunity to display how such a bold color can still look airy and fresh. We softened it up just enough with pale yellow narcissus, also sourced locally. The focal point was a simple three-ingredient arch. But with the daffodil yellow, these designs were impactful without the need to stuff in many floral varieties.

We started this workshop co-teaching how to create a wispy garden arbor. Next, Bree taught blooming aisleways, and I finished the day with a bouquet class. We used hellebore, la belle epoque tulips, cream sweet pea, ranunculus, and other floaty spring blooms in the bouquets. The pale creamy yellows were a perfect soft pairing underneath the bright installation.

Click here to learn about my next workshop with Lin Floral Co – happening in April in Salt Lake City.