Death and the Maiden

This bouquet has an enchanted garden look that people are enjoying this summer. It’s about drinking wine under big sweeping trees and being surrounded by beautiful flowers. We’re very organic with our love of nature.
For me, this would be great for if I had a party with friends. If you had a bit of a feast, an old-fashioned pagan sort, and had this on a countertop or on an old wooden table, it would look lovely.
This bouquet symbolises rebirth; it’s a bit theatrical. We change our look with the seasons. We’re a fashion store. There are soft colours, a bit of shabby chic. There is lichen and sticks of wood. The lime green over the skull is dramatic.
I’ve tapped into the minds of people who go hunting. The goat skull is a gift from a girl who works here, whose partner is a hunter. That skull’s at the bottom. At the top there’s a deer skull.
One of the girls here makes jewellery out of skulls. Juliet Moore. She makes necklaces out of bird breast bones. Skulls represent the circle of life; their alternative meaning is knowledge.
You’re learning as you get older and when you’re with someone, the knowledge you have grows with each other.
There’s always a balance with love; with love you’ve got to take the good and the bad. It’s not overly romantic.
I included red rose buds which are true and lovely. They also symbolise secrecy. And there are some full blown roses. Dahlias, which I really love, mean instability. They are next to the skull of knowledge and reflect all the journeys you go through in your relationship.
Ivy is used at a lot of weddings. It symbolises fidelity and marriage. Jasmine is for friendship. There are lots of different varieties but I’ve gone for a general one, a lovely pink one. The orchid is elegant and contrasts with the rawness of the skulls. There’s a frail fineness to them. It’s not necessarily about roses.
I’m married and if I’m given treats of flowers. I like the leftovers at work that didn’t make the bouquet. Maybe two things and a bit of greenery. My husband likes to go out in the garden and sometimes he brings me a treat, like some weeds. But it’s the beauty of nature.

By Manuela Lipsham of Flowers Manuela;  From How do I love thee?, in which four florists were asked to reinterpret the Valentine's Day bouquet. Sunday magazine, Sunday Star Times
10 February 2013