Everything gets Better with Flowers!

Donna Jones Holland
1 day ago
7 min read

Updated: 12 hours ago

On Friday, I finished a two week career change Floral Design course, with Tallulah Rose in Kendal and boy did I have a ball! Knee deep in seasonal British blooms everyday and the best tutor Rachel, not to mention the other pupils whom quickly became my extended family, Christian, Lauren, Sheilagh, Zoe, Olivia and Toni!

I miss them all so much!

I really didn't expect that to happen!

All 30 something's to my obvious 50 something! Erm.....!

Anyway, before I leap into the detail, let me tell you all I left a part of me behind as I walked through that studio door.

**Insert happy sigh here......

I shed a skin!

I know it's not the nicest analogy but it is fitting!

Re born?

I don't think so, but I'm definitely reinvigorated! I left walking taller and feeling freer.

I'd been wanting to very much to be a Florist for what? 20 odd years? Maybe longer and flowers have always been a big part of my life, as has cooking, writing, interiors and hosting. There's a link there I'm sure!

Walking from the car park of Levens Hall on a very murky, cold and rainy Monday in March, I already felt more energetic and more than ready to leave the last few years of the French fractured adventure behind. I'd also put myself last in my household for far too long and the course, despite being delayed by me twice, came just in time really. I was so fed up and lacking direction, purpose and indeed self pride.

I'd stopped loving myself really and my life felt a little too monotonous for my liking! Only I could sort that out I suppose! So, well before we left France, I booked the course! In fact my dear husband paid the deposit as part of my birthday gift. Bless him!

During the first few hours at Floral school, I sat there at my table worried that I wouldn't bond with the others who, let's face it were around the same age as my first two adult children! I think the youngest was 31 and the oldest 38!

An average of 25 years between us!

Ouch!

I was expecting a class room full of bored housewives of a certain age! My age! Not a class full of Hip young things! I had been hoping for a few good wine fuelled nights out with said ageing lovelies!

I really need not have worried, because we did indeed form a tight bond and also became a great team to boot. More than that, I left madly proud of each and every one of them! I would also be happy to have any one of them as my adopted child, should they ever need another mother! I adored them all. Still do! What a lovely bunch of coconuts!

They in turn certainly re awoke my happier younger self! She got lost somewhere but she's back, new and improved!

We were a motley crew, so many mid life crisis' between us! Yes, apparently since Covid lockdown, the 30 somethings have skipped a chapter or three and moved straight to granny hobbies!

Makes total sense to me!

Remember, they got to stay at home baking sourdough way sooner than they ever expected. They saw the choice they had ahead of them! They could either choose creative control or a company treadmill!

Those petals chose well!

In many ways they showed me how lucky I am already. Since my third child was born, now 24 years ago, I've always been able to be creative and be at home. What I lacked was the plan to do something concrete with my natural talents!

They all had genuinely brilliant reasons for taking the course. Z an NHS nurse who had literally stopped caring and wanted to be a wedding floral designer. S, who worked in marketing but found she wasn't challenged enough and had zero autonomy. C, a banker who wished for something more 'him', creative and to be home on his farm more. T, who farms and is a landscaped designer, exploring an even more creative way of life to work along side her young children. L, who already had moved from marketing into a new farm shop and O who hailed from Vermont in the USA, an ex blueberry farmer turned wedding florist and grower. Oh and me, writer, faffer and all round complicated wreck!

The class of March 2026 folks!

We were brilliant!

I love that for us!

Three of them were new ish or nearly divorced and that had heightened the need to re discover the floral designer lying dormant within them.

Again, I was reminded that my 37 year marriage whilst not always perfect, is a good one with a lot of love and support available to me.

Reinventing oneself is normal isnt it? Especially after any kind of trauma or turmoil!

I totally get it!

As we worked together and often ate together, we all got to know each other very well but hands down our L won 'the introduction of the year' title! Her introduction was pure warts n all and truly broke the ice, smashed it in fact! I am forever grateful for her brutal honesty and for showing us all, the way to let it all go.

I did struggle to find my voice at first, as I've never been great at talking about myself! Yes, I can write about Moi until the cows come home but actually speaking it outloud? Hate it!

Once the introductions were done we dived into designing for two weeks, also covering the as important business aspects of floristry. It was glorious! Getting up and getting ready for school was no hardship! I was often irritatingly early! What a joy though, what a blessing it is to love what I'm doing!

Rachel the owner and tutor, is very calm, patient, encouraging, kind and doesn't stifle creativity. She also has a great sense of humour thankfully. I doubt very much that my floral wings would have had such free rein to grow on any other course!

Very quickly we learned each other's signature style and I think in the coming years, we would be able to recognise each other's creations at 20 paces! My style is wild and abundant. I totally own it now. Why not!

Now the course is over, I'm a little lost. Scratch that! I'm bereft! I have realised that learning suits me as much as designing does. I could certainly teach, I had a good teacher! I also chewed the cud with everyone about a business plan that would suit my talents! Being encouraged to chat with each other about our values, goals and dreams was invaluable! It's surprising how quickly we recognise talent in each other!

I just feel so awake now and I also I've grown so much in confidence. I think being with a younger team made all the difference in the end. I needed them and I was absolutely meant to be on that exact course.

For me its not quite over and out, as I'm returning for the 3 day intensive wedding course at the end of May! I'm also going to sign up for distance RHS courses to keep the learning train moving forward when back in France

I had so much fun designing hand tied bouquets, planters. living wreaths, bridal crowns, boutinieres, bridal bouquets, farewell tributes, meadows and gosh, I'm sure I've forgotten something? Oh yes, we created several larger floral installations as a team, just as we would as freelancers!

We only used British grown, seasonal blooms and thats liberating! It could be limiting but Rachel has a great network of local growers. No plastics, if we could help it!

I have to say, I didn't realise there were so many different types of tulips and ranunculus! Once can absolutely still bloom during British spring time!

All of our tutorage was obviously elevated by the backdrop of a historic stately home, Levens hall, in the heart of the Lakes! The weather didn't perk up until the second week sadly! I hardly saw the stunning landscape in the end but I will be back soon! No matter, the rain probably made that first week, more intense learning wise and thats a good thing!

I have a clear vision of what I want now and I have given myself time to achieve it! Rome wasn't built in a day folks and we still need to figure out our next move!

I oddly did enjoy being solitary at the Airbnb. It's been too long since I've been the one that left home to do something! Unfortunately the bed and pillows almost broke me! Still, despite a lack of decent sleep, I was fuelled by the excitement of school! I felt lucky to have the opportunity. Many florists are self taught and never really get the opportunity to train formally. They can miss out of professional developement, which is a shame. Floral design moves as fast as high street fashion folks and obviously we are all trying to make everything better for this wonderful planet we live on! Educate yourselves designers! Book that course, you'll not regret it, I promise.

In retrospect, this course wasn't about confirming or discovering a talent. No. It was more about seeing if I could fit the industry and also what I could bring to the industry table? I believe I very much found the yellow brick road out of the 'what next' fog! Therefore and unsurprisingly, flowers will certainly continue to be very much part of my creative make up going forward. Possibly married with my other other obvious skills and yes, it's okay to recognise what you bring to any given table flower pots. Sing your own praises, because waiting for someone else to confirm them just wastes time!

Fill in those gaps and find yourself in the process, no matter your age! The only thing you should ever regret is not doing it sooner!

One thing I do know for sure, is that I will always be grateful to the lovely Rachel and her team for the inspiration and knowledge. She advises with our best interests at heart and I miss her dreadfully today, now that school is out! Some teachers are worth their weight in gold eh?

The golden ticket? The lesson?

If you have a dream, go get it petal, sooner rather than later!

It's not gonna be easy, but it will be worth it!

Oh and do it for you! Just you. No one else.

Love, flowers and a bucket of gumption!

D x