Meet the florist: HELEN WU
November 2023
Hello, flower lovers!
Ah, November! This month sees the glorious blossoming of jacarandas, those magnificent trees that light up the urban landscape with enthusiastic explosions of the most luscious purple-lilac colour you can imagine … they really are a sight to behold! As is the work of our featured florist this month, Helen Wu, founder and co-owner of Sydney florist & gift shop - Lime Tree Bower specialising in floral designs and a curated giftware collection that delights the senses. Helen has a real way with colour and creates wild and artistic arrangements intended to inspire happiness and bring smiles to the face of her clients.
Helen, who has had a passion for art since childhood, became enchanted by floristry nearly ten years ago and originally started Lime Tree Bower as a floral design studio specialising in wedding flowers. In 2021, she partnered up with teammate Nerija Jaraminas and opened up their flagship retail shop in Sydney's Northbridge (with online store to boot), expanding into beautiful giftware for all occasions. Together, they create bold and adventurous designs for weddings, corporate events and private functions. Lime Tree Bower’s mission is to ‘spread joy and positive energy through the power of flowers, plants, and gifts’.
Helen loves to play with unique textures, sizes, shapes and unexpected hues to create visual drama and depth, and takes inspiration from fine art, nature and travel. In addition to her busy day-to-day work, Helen shares her unique approach to designing with flowers in small, fun floristry workshops suitable for all skill levels. She’s a busy lady!
I love Helen’s designs as they are rich with a kaleidoscopic range of colours and textures, and often whimsical in character. She regularly combines a huge variety of blooms in her bouquets, uses creative lines and flourishes and always aims to delight the senses. Her work never fails to make me happy!
Our flower for November is Helen’s favourite: the tulip. Here’s what Helen had to say when I interviewed her for our 2023 Planner.
1. Which flower inspires you the most and why?
The tulip! It’s so elegant and comes in a huge range of colours and textures – simple, double, frilled, parrot – all unique in their own beautiful way. They always remind me of Spring.
2. Any fun facts about tulips you’d like to share?
Tulips grow even after they are cut. When you buy tulips and place them in a vase of water, they will continue growing by seeking the direction of the light – so magical! They also tend to open up during the daylight and close at nightfall.
3. Can you share any styling tips for tulips?
Tulips have a unique stem line, so I let them do their thing; I don’t force them to be a certain way. I recommend clustering them together for impact, as they can feel a bit spidery if left on their lonesome. They can be hard to design with in a larger arrangement, as their stems snap fast, but I like adding them to roses, carnations and orchids for a timelessly beautiful look. They also jazz things up when matched with funky tropicals – tulips are very versatile!
You can find Helen’s website here or follow her on Insta here.
Shannon x
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