I was delighted to again team up with the wonderful folk at Feel Good With Flowers to create the imagery for NZ Flowers Week 2019. NZ Flowers week is all about championing our homegrown flower industry and supporting our growers and florists. It’s a beautiful project that I’m truly so passionate about. Flowers are such an emotive thing and learning more and more about the industry only has me more besotted.

For the 2019 shoot, we again teamed up with Dulux NZ to create some stunning colour combinations, with Izak Van Der Merwe working his photography magic to make my ideas come to life.

For this shoot I wanted to focus on the language of flowers, and the symbology and meaning behind each of the six blooms we chose to represent for 2019. I hand illustrated book jackets for each vase to stand on, relating to each flower.

18 hand illustrated book jackets - some more intricate than others. Coming up with titles was the hardest part, I’m already thinking what I might do for next year.

Anenomes - a mystical flower with a checkered past as both a protector against negative energies and a potent poison. They are also said to predict the weather. Colours are Dulux The Pines Beach and Colombo St

Stock - as straight forward as its name, Stock is just pure and simple colour and joy. In NZ they’re predominantly grown in South Auckland which is where I live too, so I wanted to include a nod to that and the image of the Bombay Hills! Colours are… — Stock - as straight forward as its name, Stock is just pure and simple colour and joy. In NZ they’re predominantly grown in South Auckland which is where I live too, so I wanted to include a nod to that and the image of the Bombay Hills! Colours are Dulux Port Hills and The Pines Beach.

We choose our “star” blooms based on what’s in season and looking their best, which can sometimes mean changing our plans last minute - coz, you know, nature, weather, supply and demand etc. These roses were knocking it out of the park, and could compete with any top quality columbian rose but they’re grown right here in NZ!

A little bit of behind the scenes reality, even beautiful flowers appreciate a good bit of lighting. The smell in this room was unreal! We get more flowers than we need so we can pick and choose, and incase ‘someone’ breaks a stem or two cramming them in to the vase - I blame the dog.

Anthuriums are the flower of hospitality because they thrive almost anywhere. In NZ they’re grown in Ramarama in South Auckland. Colours Dulux Havelock North and Massey.

Roses signify all sorts of things but red ones, of course mean romantic love, fiery and passionate. Colours are Dulux Colombo St and Welcome Bay

Oriental Lilies representing success, prosperity and wealth. Colours are Dulux Napier and Havelock North

To see more floriferous content check out the Feel Good With Flowers gallery here!

I’m already thinking about this year, and I’d love to know your favourite flowers and if you have a story behind them!