Jill Bainger of Jillybud Florist I George Street, Palmerston North, creates her signature bouquets with commercially grown flowers and natural foliage. Nature’s intent is not perfection, an adage and an attitude that has distinguished the bouquets of a Palmerston North florist at an international contest.
Jillybud Florist owner Jill Bainger beat out florists from around the world to win first-equal in the Flowers and Design category at the International Wedding Awards.
She creates bouquets and flower arrangements for weddings across the central North Island from her George St store.
The judges were impressed by Bainger’s creative use of wild and garden flowers to create displays and bouquets with the same professional polish as those using commercially grown flowers.
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She said commercial flowers were cultivated specifically for volume, consistency and longevity. The slight imperfections of flowers grown in the wild gave them character, and made the craft and overall appearance of the displays more beautiful.
Bainger said she was a “florager”, a florist who mainly forages for their flowers rather than buying them from suppliers.
“Obviously, we have to use some commercial flowers [for a reliable supply], it wouldn’t be viable not too.”
She uses commercially grown flowers to fill out bouquets, and tries to find a balance between overly bland polish and personality.
Bulls bride Samara Reid was so thrilled with Bainger’s contribution to her 2020 wedding she nominated the florist for the national round of the competition, setting her up to win the New Zealand title and qualify for the global finals.
Bainger said she was happily surprised to win the international award, and it took a while to sink in as it was the first time she had bene involved in a global contest.“I actually didn’t open the email when it arrived, I just thought I wouldn’t have won.”When she finally read the email it seemed too good to be true. She thought it must have been a mistake, so she contacted the organisers to double-check.The competition’s national winners would normally go onto the finals in Italy and be challenged with practical tasks, but the Covid-19 pandemic restricted the criteria to submitted photos from 10 weddings and wedding testimonials.Why? Because the chaotic start to 2021 has underscored the catastrophic effects of misinformation. Inflammatory rhetoric left unchecked – and amplified across social platforms – has harmed how countries have responded to the pandemic, and has damaged democracy.Stuff’s ethical reporting is built on accuracy, fairness and balance. With millions of New Zealanders turning to us every day, it’s our mission to make Aotearoa a better place.But the way journalism is funded is changing and we need your help to sustain local newsrooms.If Stuff is a regular part of your day, please consider becoming a supporter. You can make a contribution […]
