Each year the Gilmer-Smith Foundation sponsors a winter floral workshop to teach people that they can make pretty flower arrangements in the winter months.

Twenty women gathered at the Gertrude Smith House yesterday to attend the workshop led by horticulturalist Cindy Puckett.

“We’re trying to teach people that there are things in the winter months that you can use to make fresh arrangements,” Puckett explained.

Ann Vaughn, director of the Gilmer-Smith Foundation, echoed these thoughts. She said, “Our idea in having it in mid-winter is to show people that you don’t just have to make flower arrangements when the flowers are blooming in summertime.”

Puckett said she has been giving the workshop each year for the past eight years. She said she always receives good feedback from those who attend.

“When the workshop is over, they’re really proud of what they’ve done,” said Puckett.

While many people come back to the workshop each year, Puckett said there are always new faces at the event. LuAnn Lovelace of Mount Airy came to the workshop for the first time this Sunday.

Lovelace said she has never had success when trying floral arrangements of her own.

“I never thought I could do it,” said Lovelace. “I tried before with no success.”

She was invited to the workshop by Puckett, but Lovelace said, “I had my doubts.”

But when the workshop was finished, Lovelace had an arrangement that she felt proud of. She said, “I loved it. Mine is beautiful.”

Lovelace will probably continue making arrangements on her own now. “I think I will, having the right materials and knowing what to look for,” she said.

The workshop began with a lesson from Puckett about winter floral design. The objectives for the participants were to learn basic design principles and recognize an abundance of materials in the winter landscape for arrangements.

The workshop was free, but participants were asked to bring their own containers. The Gilmer-Smith Foundation provided the plants and other supplies for the arrangements. Puckett said some of the many plants used were winter berry, Holly, Nandina, Cypress, Pieris, Camelia, and Osmanthus.

Lovelace said one of the most important things she learned at the workshop was how to structure the arrangement, paying attention to height and depth.

Puckett taught the class to insert trim leaves around the outside edge of their oasis or floral foam, then to choose a center stem. The arrangement should be 1 1/2 to two times the height of the container according to Puckett. Two side stems determine the width of the arrangement, and stems placed in the front and back of the arrangement determine the thickness. This completes the skeleton.

Puckett’s handout for the group said the choices for the skeleton stems should be the showier plants. After participants completed their skeleton, they filled the rest with less ornamental fillers then added some embellishments.

The workshop ended with the participants taking pictures for a scrapbook and enjoying hot cider and cookies together.

Vaughn said of the program, “This has been a great success.”

For more information about programs sponsored by the Gilmer-Smith Foundation, call 786-6856.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.