Celebrity florist Nikki Tibbles hosts flower workshops up and down the country. Gayle signed up for a masterclass
She’s one of the UK’s top florists, loved by the Royals and A-listers alike.
The fabulously named Nikki Tibbles is renowned for her commissions with some of the world’s most luxurious brands and venues such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Claridge’s, Kensington Palace and The V&A.
With three stores in London, she’s also worked with the British Fashion Council and Scottish designer Christopher Kane.
I was lucky enough to be invited to take part in Nikki’s first workshop in Scotland and jumped at the chance.
Held at the swanky G&V Royal Mile Hotel in Edinburgh, the session focused on designing and making your very own bouquet using seasonal flowers.
Fourteen of us had signed up for the afternoon masterclass, all of us women, which was a bit of a shame – where were all the men?!
A few ladies were really into floral artistry whereas I’d never tried anything like this in my life; I’m as far removed from green-fingered as you might imagine.
First up, Nikki – who founded her company Wild at Heart in 1993 – announces we’ll making her hand-tied bouquet, Red Skies, inspired by the colours, textures and emotions of autumn.
“Opulent hydrangeas symbolising heartfelt emotions take centre stage in this design,” she tells us, a twinkle in her eye.
“It’s our favourite autumn design, with delicate berries, dark, romantic leaves and roses.”
We’re each given a huge vase of flowers to play with (red robin, burgundy hydrangea, burgundy chrysanthemum, red hypericum, blueberry rose, roma astrantia and nerine) and we need to separate them into piles and get rid of any foliage which might end up in the water, causing them to rot quickly.
“Take a focal flower, maybe a rose, use it as the central flower and arrange the other flowers around it,” advises Nikki.
“If you’re right-handed, hold the bouquet in your left land, and place individual flowers with your right.”
It’s not as simple as that, though, and I need to create a “spiral” effect, which I screw up slightly.
As I add more flowers in a bid to form the perfect dome, I realise there’s a hydrangea that’s bulging out in a rather ungainly fashion.
Luckily, there are a few buckets of “spares” so I’m able to add more flowers to bulk it out.
Nikki is more than happy to help, plucking off leaves which are hindering my creation, pulling a few flowers into shape, and twisting the spiral to form a nicer dome.
I’m delighted with the finished result – and eight days on, it’s still as gorgeous – but if it hadn’t been for Nikki, it might not have turned out so well.
After a few hints and tips on how to condition my flowers so they last as long as possible – Nikki estimates around nine days – I ask her what makes a good florist.
“You can’t really teach anyone about scale, colour or proportion – it all has to come from within,” she says.
“An interest in anything visual is more important than the skill of being able to make a buttonhole.”
Nikki first tried floristry 24 years ago, when she did the flowers for a friend’s wedding.
She was working in advertising at the time and looking for a change in career.
“I’m creative but I can’t paint, I can’t draw and I can’t write,” she says. “I realised flowers were the perfect medium to express myself.”
The team at Wild at Heart work on events worldwide, ranging from weddings to gala dinners for 800.
They’ve done ceiling and wall installations and created a “magical forest of sparkling trees” for a 21st birthday.
“It’s about having a complete assault on the senses,” says Nikki. “Scent, sight and atmosphere is key, and we use a lot of candlelight.”
Despite her passion for flowers, Nikki never has them at home.
“It’s like taking work home with you,” she laughs. “I’d rather have dogs in the house!”
And dogs she has – six rescue dogs in fact.
She founded the Wild at Heart Foundation, an animal welfare charity which encourages people to “adopt rather than shop”.
“I have two great passions – flowers and dogs,” she smiles.
She regularly travels to countries like Romania, Spain and Cyprus to bring back maltreated dogs to rehome.
Sophie Dahl, Noel Gallagher and Josh Wood are among those to adopt from the Wild at Heart Foundation.
As I prepare to leave with my stunning bouquet of flowers, I realise I am a massive fan of Nikki Tibbles. Someone who loves dogs and flowers? She’s a woman after my own heart.
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Nikki runs Wild at Heart shops in London’s Notting Hill, Pimlico Road and Liberty of London. wildatheart.com
The Edinburgh workshop was run by Bloom & Wild, who she’s collaborating with in the creation of a stunning collection for its online customers. www.bloomandwild.com
Workshops cost from £75 to £150 and you can take your bouquet, worth £100, home.
For details on Nikki’s animal welfare charity, see www.wildatheartfoundation.org
