Behind The Flora

Meadow Reverie

From the scent of spring to celebrating womanhood with art and flowers, discover the inspiration behind Meadow Reverie, our new-season bouquet.

“Won’t you join me in my meadow? / Let’s delight in all we see. / And frolic in the sunshine, / As our love grows by degrees!”

Robert Edgar Burns

To celebrate this season’s themes of fresh starts and the feminine, our new bouquet Meadow Reverie evokes the freeing feeling of the open spaces that inspire its name. A mood-lifting mix of pale pink, white and yellow flowers, arranged with lush green foliage, offers a light, floral scent – imagine the first feel of sunshine on skin after a long winter or bare feet wandering across soft grass.

The meadow has inspired art across the world, from Japan’s Musashino Plain paintings and Italian Renaissance painter Raphael’s ‘Madonna del Prato’ (1506); to French impressionists Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir – both created artworks named ‘In the Meadow’ in the late 19th century, featuring young women surrounded by flowers. Because the meadow nurtures reproduction, providing the perfect environment for animal courtship and pollination, many of its unique flora symbolise the natural power and beauty of the female form. We gift delicate, yet wild and hardy mimosa to the women in our lives as a sign of love, solidarity and friendship; a tradition that commemorates women’s struggle and strength during World War II, and now continues as part of International Women’s Day.

In ancient mythology, meadows and pastures were thought to be protected by the daughters of the gods, a group of shape-shifting nymphs called the Epimelides. Their name derives from the Greek words epi (protector) and mêlon (sheep or apple tree), signifying their role as guardians of sheep flocks and fruit trees. One of the nymphs, Penelopeia, is also thought to be the mother of Pan – god of the wild, the fertile and the season of spring. This season, we hope our Meadow Reverie bouquet brings you protection, fruitfulness and the pure joy of Spring.