Having worked seasonally during my college years in a flower shop, I came to Francoise's class on flower arranging thinking I might be ahead of the curve. Not so! Francoise offers a very different and much more creative approach to the standard practices I was exposed to during my short time churning out arrangements for the "floral industrial complex." I very much enjoyed her expulsion of certain myths around choosing and preparing materials as well as her enthusiasm for almost anything growing in the garden, underscoring a chorus of diverse color and texture offered by what most would consider cast-off greens or even weeds. Moreover, as we swashbuckled our way through new floral frontiers, Francoise did not short change us on technique. I came away feeling as though I could create arrangements that would be as structurally sound as they are unique and beautiful. Finally, as a gardener and budding orchardist, I also appreciated her sensivity to the individual qualities each plant offered to her craft. A class with Francoise is not about how it's s'posed to be done, but a joyful romp through what CAN be done.

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