Located on Brixton’s buzzy Coldharbour Lane, Stems Wilder is
preened to Pinterest perfection – one glance at its pastel-coloured
facade and you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about. If a dusty
display of pampas grass is the only kind of floral display you have
in your lounge, round up your gang and swap the local pub for a
hands-on evening at Brixton Studios. During the “Arranging Stems
and Getting Wilder” workshop, and after two glasses of wine (both
included in the ticket price), you’ll be all set to create your own
masterpiece bouquet.

Not to be confused with the academy’s well-loved Covent Garden outpost in St Martin’s Courtyard (which,
FYI, is the only place you should be snagging your weekly bunch),
this Cotswolds floristry school is a breath of fresh air. After a
decade spent teaching budding students in the capital,
mother-and-daughter duo Gillian and Fleur Wheeler swapped the buzz
of their open-air London studio for the slower pace of life in
their hometown, Chipping Campden. Classes are intimate and
laid-back, with workshops focusing on the importance of design,
understanding different flowers and foliage and how to condition
and care for your blooms.

It’s no secret that we’re suckers for a countryside retreat, so
it shouldn’t come as any surprise that we’ve tracked down the UK’s
most rural flower school – the British Academy of Floral Art.
Located on the outskirts of Exeter, the property is surrounded by
seemingly endless rolling hills and swathes of lush greenery. In
keeping with the academy’s name, floral skills are treated as an
art form here. In fact, you can even dive straight in with a Level
Two Floral Design course (CV revamp pending). Can’t spare the time
to escape the city? There are plenty of online classes that you can
tune into, with the next virtual session taking place on 28
March.

A garden flooded with beautiful flowers is the result of
knowledge – and no, we’re not talking about which setting to fix
the hose pipe to. Spend an afternoon at the Green & Gorgeous
(they’re not kidding) garden and you’ll be a master of growing your
own flowers in no time. We’d strongly advise beginners to book onto
one of the growing sessions, where founders Rachel Siegfried and
Ashley Pearson will walk you through the cutting process and share
their wisdom so that you can successfully nurture your own garden
patch. Wedding on the horizon? Check out the floral design
class.

Flowers are complicated. Creating a flawless bouquet? It’s
tiring us out just thinking about it. Enter, Vanilla Rose – a
prestigious flower school nestled in the heart of Scotland. Each week, from Monday to Friday,
this place swings open its doors for its famous two-hour decorative
classes. Hone your skills in producing a simple hand-tied bouquet
or go the extra mile and learn how to craft your very own flower
crown. For those who’d prefer something a little more intensive,
there’s a five-hour workshop on offer, where you’ll have the chance
to create a large-scale floral arrangement.

A Hackney local hero, The Flower Appreciation Society pretty
much does what it says on the tin. For 10 years, art graduates Anna
Day and Ellie Jauncey have been inviting guests into their bright
and airy studio to take part in a range of seasonal workshops.
Highlights include a half-day taster class, an afternoon at the
in-house cutting garden and an intensive three-day career course,
designed for those looking to level-up from basic bouquets to
extravagant floral archways. The best bit? All materials and a
handful of tasty refreshments are included in the price.

Bristol’s coolest floristry school hosts a
series of workshops that promise to well and truly get your
creative juices flowing. Venture beyond the safety of designing a
basic bouquet and instead learn how to nail a table centrepiece and
what the perfect Mother’s Day bouquet should look like. And who
said wreaths had to be confined to December? Not Bristol Flower
School. For an alternative way to bring some seasonal stems into
your home, plan a visit around its spring wreath-making session, on
13 March.