September

We do Cambo a bit differently this year, with a small group so we can spend more time teaching and taking more inspiration from the garden. I often say it’s a magical place and this year I’m thrilled that everyone agrees, and some say it changes them.

But, before the garden there’s ice cream and a walk around historic St Andrews with a chance “hello” from Bill Murray, who happens to be in town for a celebrity golf thing.

I find the little Rudbeckia I spotted last month, now fully grown, and use it to start me off on a bouquet.

Rachael brings her prized Floret Violas with her and combines them with the famous Cambo Toad Lily and a lilac palette.

Helen Warner takes everyone into the garden and captures the very essence of this class in this one photo of Daisy.

Rachael teaches Ran how to capture her flowers the old fashioned way.

Hee Young with the best scented flower in the world: Actaea Queen of Sheba.

October

I’m so reluctant to leave Cambo that we move our Autumn Four Seasons and The Bouquet class to Scotland and Molly gets to come along too….

After a special early-morning tour of the garden from Haggis, the Head Gardener’s dog, we leave Jo and Karen in there with their cameras. Jo reports later that this garden was the turning point for her, making her realise that there really are no rules .

Karen’s inspirational flower (with special Grace Alexander Cambo seeds) gets captured by Sarah Mason when an exciting shaft of light appears during the tea break.

I think Jo would agree that all we have learnt about light this year can be perfectly distilled into three pieces of Cambo Lunaria.

(Photo by Sarah Mason)

And after all of that travelling around I was knackered and so were lots of other florists who all gathered at Middleton Lodge for The Knackered Florists’ Retreat – aka a day of faffing with flowers, chatting and drinking gin. Just what we all needed.

(Photos by Eva Nemeth)