Touring Florist - Chapter Four
So instead of a fortnightly update for chapter four, you’re getting the full month of March in one blast. The main reason for this is that things just got pretty busy there for a second, so I kind of dropped the ball on updating this Touring Florist series.
But not to worry, this bumper edition will capture the highlights of everything you’ve missed all in one spot. It will include my adventures flowering for some kind & lovely souls, trips visiting some eye opening growers, and also a few of my travels around North Island (all of which will be very hard to forget in a hurry).
As I start to pass the midway mark of my time here, it’s been a chance to start considering my return to the UK this summer, and what that looks like for me personally, as well as for Bryonia. I feel like Manchester might not be the spot I wish to return to, but everything is currently a work in progress for now. I’ll be sure to share any news and updates with Bryonia’s Floral Lovers Club first.
Now onto the update, and thank you for continuing to read & champion these touring florist adventures, I can’t thank you enough for your support to date.
Flowering, Flowering, Flowering
I came out here thinking the balance would be about 50% flowers and 50% adventures, but in reality, it’s all been about the flowers. Not that I’m complaining!
However, the season is beginning to teeter to a close, and with a pending trip to South Island, I feel that the flowery content will begin to slow down by May. I’m grateful for this as it will allow a little pause and recoup before returning to the UK in June.
Dahlias have well and truly been the showstoppers, hogging the limelight for a good few of weeks now. But some unnoticed stars of the season here have included coreopsis, lobularia, agastache & astrantia - all worthy of a mention for delighting me with their twiddly bits and wild natures.
Charity Workshops
I really enjoyed running these charity group sessions for a lovely number of flower lovers, florists & growers in New Zealand.
We used beautiful handfuls of seasonal flowers to playfully create our hand tied bouquets, each one was considered and created with a unique personality.
In total, a sum of $1,800 was raised (~£900) with all profits donated to the Flower Growers Fund & Red Cross Disaster Relief to support those impacted by the recent cyclones & flooding.
I’ll be writing up a full Journal post soon on these workshops, and sharing some images which best captured the day. But every year I like to organise & donate my time to at least one event where all proceeds are given to an important cause, and this one felt particularly special after experiencing many tales of the devastation felt in New Zealand.
Grower visits & North Island
North Island you definitely delivered some goodies haven’t you!
Over the last month, I’ve spent time wizzing around the North Island, exploring the landscape and visiting growers. It’s honestly been a fab way to travel around the country and see some beautiful flowers in the process.
Special mentions go to Sarah at Emerden, Julie at The Pickery, Milly at Primm Gardens & Aila at Hands in the Dirt for having me. And a special mention to Pip + Mike at Purple Dahlia who invited me over and booked in for a sustainable mechanics one to one, which I really enjoyed teaching.
Some other more touristy journal entries on my favourite spots are pending.
Phew that was a pretty chunky one to summarise, and it seems like I have a lot of Journal entries stored up in my backlog, so I promise to not leave things so long between now and the next update.
Enjoy your weekend ahead,
Jenna
x
