“I like to say that designing woodlands gave me new eyes: I started to look at everything in the garden and in nature from a different perspective, seeing so much beauty in overlooked gifts of Mother Nature. Gone were the days where I focused on the flowers only. I paid a lot more attention to the beautiful foliage of annuals, perennials, herbs, ground covers, vines etc. and started to incorporate them in designs. When grocery shopping I also got new eyes: the crinkly kale leaves and shitake mushrooms became part of most designs, as well as the occasional long aubergine colored beans, or the seckle pears, key limes, and lady apples; the gorgeous spiral sections of romanesco, as well as baby artichoke, became newly found treasures. Many students have told me that they started to look 
at their garden through different eyes and had made beautiful centerpieces from what they had harvested at any time of the year. Texture can be found anywhere in the garden; it adds so much interest to any design, whether it is a bouquet in a vase or a woodland wreath or a centerpiece. Give it a try – you will love the new plethora of elements to design within your own backyard!”
In partnership with the Botanical Garden we are privileged to welcome Françoise Weeks, internationally acclaimed floral stylist. This innovator uses natural materials to go way beyond boutonnieres and corsages, creating truly unique rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and handbag embellishments. Wedding planners and floral magazines embrace the art form. Indeed, news sources from the Huffington Post to Modern Wedding Flowers have featured her eye-popping designs.
Françoise will be right here in Naples at the March 4th General Meeting, and in two hands-on workshops on March 5th. The General Meeting on March 4th will be held in Kapnick Hall from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Guests are invited. Register here.
Special Workshops
There are two workshops on March 5th, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Buehler Auditorium. The workshop fee is $100, includes all materials and is limited to 20 participants each. Guests are invited. Register here or at naplesgardenclub.org by Feb 18th.
We’ll watch her create the jewelry’s base out of decorative aluminum wire, and then embellish it in one of two styles. In her Botanical Haute Couture workshops, students decorate with elegant, dainty florals while in her Textural Woodlands workshops designers repurpose overlooked seedpods, tendrils, succulents, and other foraged flora, into stunning wearable pieces of art.
A gifted, sharing teacher, Françoise leads workshops in her Oregon studio, has written a book, offers online courses, and makes public appearances at Garden Clubs and Flower Schools worldwide. Her creativity and mechanical ingenuity have won a global fan base from China to Mexico and here in the US
Françoise is uniformly and glowing reviewed by her many clients. One student writes, “Her eye is pure magic”. And another says, “She is a true master…not only with flowers but in showing you how…”
Check out www.francoiseweeks.com to see her creations, learn more about her workshops, book, and online courses and to read many other wonderful testimonials from her clients and students. We are so fortunate to host this admired teacher and floral designer.