Floral arrangement series kicks off Feb. 10 at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

A new event is coming to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens starting in February, and if you’ve ever been interested in the art of arranging flowers, this one might be for you.

Holly Carlisle, owner of the local floral studio Rosegolden, will teach a series of four classes starting Feb. 10 focusing on the four seasons. According to former Communications and Marketing Director Blake Ells, the classes are as follows:

Feb. 10, Winter: Minimalism. Students will learn more about minimal design while using negative space and emphasizing the natural character of each material. Arrangements will be made in a shallow vessel and Ikebana-inspired.

April 7, Spring: Ephemerality. The class will teach students to “discover how to capture the ephemeral feel of this season.” Arrangements will be made with bulb flowers and blooming branches.

June 30, Summer: Juxtaposition. Students will focus on using juxtaposition as a design tool and a way to “elevate the common alongside the cultivated.” Arrangements will be made using a taped-off glass vessel.

Nov. 3, Fall: Transition. This class will lean toward change and how to “feature fall’s transitioning foliage.” Students will create arrangements with “woody” materials identified while visiting the Southern Living and McReynold’s gardens.

Admission for the series of classes is $740 for members and $800 for nonmembers, and individual classes are $185 for members and $200 for nonmembers. For more information visit bbgardens.org.

Editor's note: This article was updated at 8:45 a.m. Jan. 30 to clarify that Blake Ells is no longer with the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Mindy Black is the new director of communications and marketing for the gardens.