The Leesburg Garden Club invites flower enthusiasts to a very special symposium on Wednesday, September 21 with award-winning floral designer Holly Heider Chapple. She'll have everyone hands on and up to their elbows in gorgeous blooms while she takes everyone through design basics, interspersed with insight into her own show-stopping techniques. The event is open to everyone from beginners to professionals: the only requirement is a love of flowers.

"Holly's great — she's a local girl, who started arranging flowers for various affairs and events in Loudoun County and now she's world famous for her distinctive style," said Suzi Worsham, chairperson for A Day With Holly Heider Chapple. "She does floral symposiums for Martha Stewart Weddings, she's in the Martha Stewart magazine, The Knot, and any publication that features floral arrangements. Holly also teaches all over the U.S., in London and she's getting ready to go to China. She comes up with the most fabulous ideas. She isn't your typical florist and she makes it all so fun. She's really the "IT" designer."

A Day with Holly Heider Chapple takes place at Riverside on the Potomac, Leesburg. Your day begins at 9 a.m. with registration, vendors, coffee and sweet treats from Savoir Fare Ltd. The morning session with Holly runs from 10-12. Savoir Fare's fabulous boxed lunch will appease appetites during the mid-day break, followed by another 2-hour session with Holly. After the symposium, please stay for the cocktail party and enjoy the special hors d'oeuvres dished up by some of the area's finest caterers.

You'll be asked to join in when Holly makes a garland. She will demonstrate how to build a large urn arrangement with her "no oasis" technique and also work with larger groups to create a seasonal arrangement in a compote. As the day unfurls, participants can look forward to door prizes and other surprises. Most of all, you'll be learning tricks of the floral trade from one of its most sought-after designers. The event is a fundraiser, thanks to Holly's generous discount for her time and the donation of the venue, Riverside on the Potomac, by Suzi and Travis Worsham. The proceeds will directly benefit Leesburg Garden Club's special community projects, including the Native Tree Walk at Ida Lee Park and several scholarships for deserving, college-bound seniors with an interest in horticulture, to name two.

During the symposium, raffle tickets will be sold for two extraordinary prizes: Holly donated a ticket to Flowerstock, her 2-day festival in October at her farm in Waterford, and the Worshams donated a brunch for six at Riverside.

The cost per individual is $150 until Tuesday, September 6; after that date, the cost per ticket is $175, if space is available. For each ticket sold, $130 is a tax-deductible donation to the Leesburg Garden Club, a non-profit 501c3.

For information and to register: leesburggardenclub.com