Outside, towering snowbanks and biting wind made winter feel endless, but inside the Marion Council on Aging, it might as well have been April.
About 30 women gathered around round tables on Feb. 3, focused on the greens and fresh flowers in front of them. The floral scent permeated the room, a reminder that spring is on its way.
Three times a year, the Marion Garden Group hosts a hands-on flower arranging workshop showing just how simple it can be to create something beautiful.
“We usually have one member who’s especially good at arranging,” Garden Group member Pam Norweb said. “The rest of us gather greens from nature, and we buy the flowers.”
“Flower arranging isn’t as hard as people think,” said Norweb. “If you stay creative and relaxed and a little loose with it, it just brings joy.”
The Garden Group is known around town for its beautification efforts, said Kerry Saltonstall, who spearheads the workshop. From window boxes to plantings at busy intersections, their work brightens Marion year-round.
But the workshops hold a special place. They’re scheduled near Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Thanksgiving, moments when a small bouquet can carry a lot of meaning.
“This is our educational piece, where we share the fun of arranging flowers,” Saltonstall said. “It’s really accessible. You don’t need a big budget…You can forage in your own yard and find something lovely.”
“If you understand a few basics of design,” she added, “you can make an arrangement out of almost anything.”
On a frigid winter day, working with flowers feels especially welcome. The creative focus helps, and so does the conversation drifting from table to table.
“People know each other, and it adds a little fellowship,” Saltonstall said.
Many participants return again and again. Lori LeValley is one of them.
“The atmosphere is wonderful,” LeValley said. “There’s always a great selection of flowers, and we learn their proper names and how to group them. Every time I’ve come, it’s been fabulous. I take pictures of everything I make.”
At the last workshop, LeValley brought the arrangement she made home and then took it right back out the door.
“I have a lovely neighbor who lives kitty-corner from us. She’s alone,” LeValley said. “So I brought the flowers to her. And, she said, ‘You brought these for me?’”
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