Organic flower-growing, bouquet-making workshop set for Sat., July 19

flower bouquet
flower teachers
Flower bouquet workshop instructors are, left to right, Molly Dillingham, Melissa Betrone, and Sky DeMuro.

If you love flowers this workshop is for you! Learn how to select, grow and arrange beautiful cut flowers at a Saturday morning workshop in the historic Alan Chadwick Garden at UC Santa Cruz.

On Saturday, July 19, flower growers Melissa Betrone, Sky DeMuro, and Molly Dillingham of the Chadwick Garden will team up to teach you how to grow and create your own organic flower bouquets. Participants will get hands-on practice as they make a bouquet to take home. The workshop takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Workshop topics will include discussions and demonstrations of organic growing methods, recommended tools and seed sources, how and when to properly harvest and handle cut flowers, and how to extend their “vase life.” The trio will also discuss varieties that perform best in the Monterey Bay region’s growing conditions, with a focus on flowers and native plants that perform well with little watering. 

Dillingham will demonstrate the basic techniques and principles used to create beautiful bouquets, and workshop participants will practice their own bouquet-making skills.

Cost for the workshop, including materials, is $40 for the general public (pre-registered) or $50 at the door; $30 for Friends of the Farm & Garden members (pre-registered) or $40 at the door; and $25 for UCSC students and limited-income participants (pre-registered) or $35 at the door. Pre-register online at http://flowerclass.bpt.me. Note: cash or check only at the door.

For more information or to pre-register by check, call 831.459-3240, or email casfs@ucsc.edu. Participants are welcome to bring a bag lunch and enjoy a picnic in the beautiful Chadwick Garden following the workshop.

Free parking is available at the Merrill College parking lot at UC Santa Cruz, located just above the Chadwick Garden. For directions, see http://casfs.ucsc.edu/about/directions.

This event is cosponsored by the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden and the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems.