Walking down Charles Street with the kids, it's hard not to notice the gorgeous display of flowers outside the flower shop Twig. Along with their colorful window display, their storefront is occupied by a cascade of seasonal plants and blooms, surrounding a small wooden bench, which is often occupied by tourists strolling through the area in search of the perfect photo op.

While you would love to have the time to be able to stroll the streets at a leisurely pace, as a busy mom, its not surprising that life does not afford you such things these days. Take heart, however, flowery fun is not so out of reach, as Twig has something surprising in store for you.

Twig is a different kinds of florist. Their philosophy is that when flowers are refrigerated, you get a false sense of the kind of life left in your blooms. Because of this, Twig keeps all of their flowers in their storeroom, without any kind of refrigeration whatsoever.

Each day, the vases are cleaned, the water changed, and the stems trimmed to keep them vibrant. The way you see the flowers in their store, is the same way they will appear when you bring them to your home. However, Twig wants to make sure that when you bring those flowers home, they are displayed in the most beautiful way possible. Their solution to this is to offer floral design courses. Some of the topics include things like bouquets, vase arrangements, low centerpieces, and more. 

While they do require that patrons register for a 5-week session, substitutions are allowed if students need to switch class dates in one session with others. They are also currently offering a special so that if you pay the full amount up front, you are allowed to bring two of your best girlfriends along for free. The cost of the classes (which includes materials) is $375. Sign up and enjoy some pleasant evenings away from the kids where you will learn about the aesthetic principles of floral design, taught by one of their friendly instructors inside one of their amazingly fragrant stores.

Classes are currently offered on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights at 7 p.m. as well as Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. The next series of classes begin on June 7, 8, 9, and 11. There are 16 different series being offered. Prior to this month, all classes were taught at their 769 Tremont St. location in the South End, but they are now adding classes to their Newton location.

Twig is located at 83 Charles St. and can be reached by phone at 617-292-8944 x802. To reach their South End location regarding classes, call 617-292-8944. Their Newton location is at and 14 Austin Street. Check out their website here.