From Jo Flowers and Hart Floral —

Litha is a celebration of mid-summer. Traditionally centered upon the summer solstice, it has been a point where people have gathered for thousands of years to feast and bask in the beauty of summer at its peak.

The class Madison and I (Jo) created is a reflection of that. A combination of two unique approaches to floral design that compliment and reflect each other.

Centering around locally grown British flowers sourced from gardens across England and handmade ceramics by local artisan Paige Mitchell against the backdrop of the Historic Bylaugh Hall, Litha is really about celebrating England at its highest point seasonally and creatively. 

We kicked off our four-day Midsummer class with a welcome supper for our attendees, Situated in the Brick Room at Bylaugh Hall - This would be home to our classes over the next few days. 

The days were spent teaching and guiding our attendees through floral designs from our colour palette for each day that reflected our evening suppers, which were all styled separately.

We wanted the Welcome Supper flowers to mirror that of the English Midsummer countryside, swaying grasses, sun drenched flowers and seed pods all growing seamlessly from the bricks, as if these had grown there naturally. The windowless room allowed a cool summer breeze to flow around the room adding natural movement through our designs. It was perfect.

Litha 2018 therefore returns to Bylaugh Hall on the 26th – 29th June. The four day retreat celebrates the season, surrounding attendees with all that the summer garden has to offer, allowing new floral skills to develop in a spectular seeing. From bouquet theory and practice, to urn arrangements, centre-pieces and installation work, Litha 2018 brings florists together to hone their skills and share in the creative environment.”

Scroll down for a tutorial on how to create your own beautiful buttonhole welcome cards!

From Knot & Pop —

With the venue in the midst of being restored to its former glory, we wanted the Welcome Supper to set the scene and to tell the story of the surrounds.

From the grand entrance with large urn arrangements and reclaimed orbs placed surreally on steps, the Welcome Supper styling further cemented the history of the venue and the regrowth it’s going through.

Taking restoration therefore as inspiration, for the dinner we used doors as the table tops, found with Jo Flowers at a local Norfolk Reclamation Yard, Morways.

We had such a great afternoon there – combing through hundreds of doors to find the perfect three to form the table-tops, rummaging through roof tiles, endless bricks, wooden slabs and more. It was such a fantastic creative process as it allowed some truly original ideas to develop.

A palette was established for the Welcome Supper that pulled in the green of the Plaster Room, with knowing the doors would be open and the colour link through. Always thinking sight lines!

Shades of yellow, brick brown, weathered whites, and creams sat against plenty of texture with reclaimed tiles acting as table mats, bricks becoming centre-pieces and the beautifully crafted ceramics of Kana London playing perfectly to the setting.

The brick idea for flowers came with seeing the items at the yard, and the concept then crystalised with how they could actually become the vessels for flowers. To touch, feel and handle sometimes really does trigger ideas, like nothing else.

The room was styled with abstract feature props that Jo selected - old doors, sections of arches, chimney stacks and oddities that added to the story-telling of the venue in renovation period. It was the perfect setting for the Welcome Dinner with it being the room that would then play host to the following days workshops.

We considered all aspects to give attendees a unique experience. Therefore, with guests coming from all over the world and meeting one another for the first time, welcome button-holes with their name were placed on place settings and worn through the Welcome Supper. A touch that everyone loved.

Buttonhole Place Card Tutorial

by Jo Flowers

Step 1  — Start with broad flat leaf to begin foundation of your buttonhole

Step 2 — Add focal flower

Step 3 — Add smaller adjacent flowers in groupings of 2 or 3

Step 4 — Wrap with tape

Step 5 — Wrap with ribbon

Watch steps in order through gallery below.

Photograph Gallery

Story Details: 

Flowers by Jo Flowers and Hart Floral Photography by Taylor & Porter Styling and Production by Knot & Pop Venue, Bylaugh Hall Stationery by Little North Sea Studio Plateware, Beakers, Tealights and Ceramic Spoons by Kana London Cutlery by Helene Millot Bricks, Doors and Large Room Props by Morways Reclaim Yard Chairs by Wed Head London