Petersham Flower Arranging Workshop in Richmond: £150 Vases

Petersham Nurseries sits on Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Richmond TW10 7AB, and its flower arranging workshop for this winter is Festive Flower Arranging on Wednesday 16 December 2026, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, at £150. You arrive to coffee, tea and homemade biscuits, watch a demonstration by the nursery's in-house florists, then make a Christmas vase arrangement with seasonal flowers, freshly cut foliage, natural branches and dried fruits.

The story starts in 1997, when Gael and Francesco Boglione moved their young family from central London to Richmond. Their new home, Petersham House, overlooked a local plant nursery that had been carved out of the grounds of the Queen Anne house in the 1970s. The family took over the nursery, and in 2011 Lara Boglione took the reins as managing director.

This is not a dedicated flower school. Petersham Nurseries is a garden nursery, shop, teahouse and restaurant, and the floral workshops are part of a seasonal events programme run by its own florists. That is the attraction: you work among the glasshouses and antique furniture the place is known for, with plants and cut material from a working nursery rather than a city wholesaler's van. The workshops are mid-week mornings, all on Wednesdays this winter, so they suit people with a free weekday more than weekend visitors.

Festive Flower Arranging, the £150 morning on 16 December, is the class most people can still book. Its sister event, Festive Wreath Making on Wednesday 9 December from 10.30am to 1pm, costs £195 and was already sold out. That session included teas and coffees on arrival, a glass of mulled wine, a mince pie and everything you need to make your own wreath to take home.

Earlier in the season, Festive Tablescaping ran on 18 November from 10.30am to midday, and the programme carries on into 2027. Floral Winterscape on Wednesday 27 January 2027, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, costs £105, the cheapest floral event on the list. Flower Arranging: Blossom and Branches follows on 10 March 2027, and a Living Spring Wreath class on 17 March 2027.

The session follows a simple shape. Coffee, tea and homemade biscuits come first, on arrival. A demonstration from the in-house florists follows, showing how they put together a Christmas vase arrangement from seasonal flowers, freshly cut foliage, natural branches and dried fruits, the same four ingredients you will then work with. You then make your own version at your place and take the finished vase arrangement home.

That format suits two kinds of visitor. Beginners get to watch a full piece built before touching a stem, which is less daunting than being handed a bucket straight away. People who already arrange at home pick up the nursery's approach to winter material, where bare branches and dried oranges carry as much of the design as the flowers do. Either way, you leave with a centrepiece ready for the Christmas table nine days later.

At £150 for two hours, the vase class costs more than most London bouquet sessions. You are paying for the setting and the material: natural branches, dried fruits and freshly cut foliage, a demonstration from the nursery's in-house florists, and a morning spent in the glasshouses rather than a city studio. If price matters most, The Flower School by Flower Station in NW11 charges £50 for a December wreath class.

Skip the wreath waiting list unless you are flexible. With the £195 date gone, the realistic way to get a Petersham wreath is to watch for the spring Living Spring Wreath class instead. The January Floral Winterscape at £105 is the best-value choice on the calendar, and it falls in a quieter month when the gardens are bare and the glasshouses feel calmer.

Workshops are booked through Eventbrite, and tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, so be sure of the date before you pay. That rule is stricter than at most London flower schools, which usually let you move to another session. Plan on arriving a little before 10.30am, because the welcome coffee is part of the class and the demonstration starts the morning.

The nursery asks visitors to come on foot, by bike or by public transport where possible. Car parking is limited, and on Sunday mornings spaces are prioritised for the congregation of St Peter's Church next door. The workshops are listed on the What's On page of the nursery's website alongside talks and supper events.

The Garden Nursery is closed on Mondays except bank holidays. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. The Teahouse keeps Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 4.30pm with final seating at 3.45pm, Saturday from 10am to 5pm with final seating at 4.15pm, and Sunday and bank holidays from 11am to 5pm with final seating at 4.15pm.

Petersham sits between Richmond Hill and the Thames, which makes the walk the best part of the trip. From Richmond town centre, follow the towpath upstream and cut across Petersham Meadows, where cattle often graze, to reach Church Lane. After the class, walk up into Richmond Park through Petersham Gate, or follow the river to Ham House, the National Trust mansion a short distance further along.

Bus route 65 runs along Petersham Road between Richmond and Kingston, a useful option in December when the light goes early and the meadow paths turn muddy. If you plan to eat afterwards, the Teahouse is on site, and the workshop finishes at 12.30pm, well before its final seating.

Address: Petersham Nurseries, Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Richmond TW10 7AB. Festive Flower Arranging: 16 December 2026, 10.30am to 12.30pm, £150. Festive Wreath Making: 9 December 2026, £195, sold out. Floral Winterscape: 27 January 2027, £105. Tickets via Eventbrite, non-refundable and non-transferable. Garden Nursery closed Mondays except bank holidays.