Touring Florist - Chapter one
It’s been two weeks over in the wonderfully lush land that is New Zealand.
Luckily for me, I’ve had a pretty easy transition here (minus the 5am jetlag wake ups) and I was warmly welcomed into the home of Zoe & Sue from Field of Roses almost immediately after stepping off the plane.
Their flower farm & floral design studio is based in the beautifully rural location of Waingake Valley, just outside of Gisborne. They are a generous, kind and lovely Mother & Daughter duo, who specialise in growing roses, with over 1,000 of these glorious plants (hence the name!). They also have a large mixture of annual & perennial beds, with plenty of complimentary flowers growing in abundance, plus the hens, two cats & four cute as pie dogs.
Like something out of a fairy tale, these idyllic surroundings were the perfect starting spot and have allowed me to awaken my creative energies, which were definitely lacking after the last few months of dark English weather.
I spoke about this a little on my Instagram when I arrived, but it seemed worth revisiting what I wrote in my first Journal update from over here…
“I’ve found that creativity can very easily stagnate, particularly when it’s not fed and nourished. I noticed that I’ve been feeling particularly avoidant to create anything through this English winter, with limited forthcoming inspiration from my surroundings whilst our plants lay dormant. It seems working fully seasonally does have some drawbacks, which I’ll delve into more in my Journal pages soon.
But by soaking up the summer months out here, I hope to reignite my more energised self. I’ve arrived at the perfect time to visit many inspirational landscapes, as well as people. There are plenty of florists, growers, photographers & nature lovers who I can’t wait to meet, all of whom I hope will be able to cast a bit of their magic in my direction. Over the upcoming days, weeks and few months, I plan to explore this new space and spend time with the people I’m surrounded by, taking time to immerse myself fully into playing with nature.
So whilst I’m taking a slight side step from the business I’ve grown and absolutely love, I’m ok with that. It’s as if it’s always been tricky for me to move towards personal & professional growth, unless I push myself out of the ‘safe zones’. Standing placid in the familiar, waiting patiently for change or living days repetitively has never had much appeal, so here I am taking life by the reins.”
So I’ve been truly riding this initial wave of inspiration, with plenty of flowers to cherry pick from and many recipes to experiment with creating, I’ve been looking to make things daily since I arrived here.
I can’t promise that all of New Zealand will be so flower filled, but best to make hay whilst the sun shines (or as it rains whilst the recent northern cyclones have showered down on us).
A few of my recent creations from the last two weeks are viewable below, and keep a look out on Instagram for what’s next:
