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Sustainability Statement

‘Eco Sustainable Sympathy Design
Contorted Hazel Planted Heart

As floral designers, we are privileged to constantly see our floral work bringing joy or evoking emotion in the recipients or beholders of our designs. With this in mind, we understand the importance of sympathy and funeral work. What an honour to create something for a loved one to express such deep emotions as loss and love.

As humans, when we experience loss it’s often a time for reflecting on the fragility of our earthly life and indeed our planet. I believe in Britain traditional funeral and sympathy floral designs have been the ‘go to’ for many customers, without the awareness of the harm the materials and process may have to the environment, or that there may be alternative options available. Therefore, with the utmost sensitivity, I feel it is our duty, as those who have gained further awareness and solutions through the FREESIA community to guide people, particularly at this difficult time for them. So many people would like to choose the more eco sustainable alternative, if only they are given the choice and can see that there is no compromise in the beauty of the designs.

In Britain 80% of our funerals take place in crematoriums, where there is no place for a stand or pedestal so for my eco sustainable sympathy design I have chosen to create a heart shaped design for the top of a coffin. Our hearts sustain us, and although they are not technically heart shaped, the heart shape form has been a symbol of love since medieval times. There are a number of theories why the heart shape has become a symbol of love. One is the shape of the leaves of a now extinct plant, silphium, which were said to be a key ingredient in a love potion used by the Romans.

I created the heart weaving branches of contorted hazel into the shape and securing using wax hemp twine. As part of the heart shape, I created a frame to raise the top of the heart slightly at an angle using the contortions of the wood and pinning them with wooden skewers. (See image) I adhered stachys leaves to the raw ends to protect any surface the wreath is placed on.

Into the contorted Hazel I wove variegated ivy trails from my garden. Conditioning the ivy will keep turgid for several hours, sufficient time for a funeral tribute. In extremely hot or humid weather, I would attach small bamboo tubes into the frame as a water source. As the majority of funerals are cremations there is usually no resting place for a coffin top, so I chose to incorporate plants into this design. These can be taken out after the funeral and distributed to family and friends to plant in their special place of remembrance. Each plant base is wrapped in flat moss to keep it moist, and then put into a natural hessian pouch.

Within the hazel frame I criss crossed willow twigs to create a platform to support each plant. The heart structure may be reused many times and the client may enjoy the plants for months ahead.’

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List of Botanicals & Supplies Used

Botanicals

Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’
Salix
Hedera helix
Petunia atkinsiana
Genus
Lobelia
Calendula officinalis
Begonia
Stachys byzantine
Buckiella undulata

Supplies

Wax hemp twine
Hessian