Julie Woodford

Which course/s did you study at Tallulah Rose Flower School, and when?

I had always wanted to attend the four-week Career Change course, but I was working full-time in healthcare at the time. During the pandemic, when life slowed down a little, I enrolled on the Online Career Change Course in September 2021. After completing it, I also took the Sustainable Farewell Flowers course.

I had always dreamed of visiting the school in person, and in 2024 I finally attended the Wedding Flowers Masterclass at Levens Hall which was incredible. Rachel has created such a special place, and you can feel it as soon as you step into the courtyard and see the iconic Tallulah Rose School window. The workshop space felt immediately familiar, as all the online sessions were filmed there. The room was filled from floor to ceiling with incredible seasonal British flowers, and the historic Levens Hall gardens provided the perfect backdrop for creating large-scale wedding installations.

What did you most enjoy about the course/s?

The online course is filmed so beautifully, and Rachel guides you with such ease through each design, always working with the most exquisite flowers. The course content is methodical and detailed, providing a solid foundation for a career in floristry. It covers everything from floral design, sustainable mechanics, planning and costings, to photographing your work, building a portfolio, and developing your brand and business.

I loved being able to revisit the online course and rewatch sessions as my floristry practice evolved. The private Facebook group meetings with Rachel were also invaluable offering a place to ask questions, share experiences, and champion one another.

What has been your most memorable moment since finishing the course?

Creating a large outdoor installation to celebrate the opening of a new jewellery boutique in midwinter, using only local and seasonal flowers. Drawing on the mechanics I’d learned through Tallulah Rose, I designed a broken archway framing the entrance, with meadow-style plantings enveloping the large Georgian windows. The flowers, seed heads, and foliages told a story of midwinter and remarkably, the installation lasted almost six weeks! We received so many kind comments, and several people even thought a new florist had opened on the high street.

Where are you currently on your floristry and growing journey?

I’m now a small-scale flower grower and season-led florist, working with customers, local clients and independent businesses who share similar values.

I love sharing my passion for growing and creating with homegrown flowers. Alongside my own work, I’ve collaborated with Alitex who make beautiful traditional greenhouses, leading growing and floristry workshops, and I co-lead a therapeutic horticulture programme at The Serge Hill Project, combining my healthcare background with my love of growing and flowers.

I’ve also discovered an unexpected love of storytelling through photography and writing. I create a seasonal journal called Cultivate, which readers can subscribe to via my website, exploring the rhythms of the gardening year, sharing cultivation tips, and celebrating the beauty of seasonal flowers.

Describe a typical day in your floristry life.

It’s hard to describe a typical day, as no two weeks are quite the same. Early in the week I’m usually in the field sowing, propagating, planting, and weeding and later in the week I’m harvesting flowers for orders or projects. This is combined with moments for writing and photographing and a weekly therapeutic horticulture session supporting people recovering from illness.

Working with homegrown flowers keeps you closely in tune with nature and the rhythm of the seasons. I didn’t realise it when I first began, but that connection with a slower, more intentional way of living and working creatively was exactly what I was seeking.

What was the best piece of advice Rachel gave you?

“When you’re designing and creating with flowers, think about how they grow.”
That simple guidance frames how I see and work with flowers.

What makes your floristry and growing business unique?

I work intentionally on a small scale, growing flowers exclusively for my own designs. My focus is on creating with homegrown, foraged and scented floral ingredients and working with customers and clients who value seasonality, sustainability, care for others and a sense of place.

What advice would you give to a student just starting out?

Make time to practice regularly. Use your flowers again and again to experiment, refine, and always take photographs your work. It’s through repetition and reflection that you find your own style.

What do you enjoy most about having your own business?

The freedom. It’s liberating to create your own path that leans into your strengths and pursue work that feels most meaningful. I particularly love working with customers and collaborating with clients who share the same appreciation for seasonal, homegrown flowers.

What is your favourite British flower to grow, and why?

There are so many and my favourite changes with the season! Some I love because they’re generous and easy to grow, like sweet peas. Others for their scent, such as English roses. And then there are the delicate, more temperamental ones like Icelandic poppies which feel all the more precious for their fleeting beauty.

I love foliage in equal measure to flowers, especially discovering new varieties to use in my designs. Foliage brings texture, movement, and depth, and I love how leaves shift in colour and character as the season progresses.

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