By EMMA BUTT in Rotorua
Bunches, bouquets and ... crayfish? In 40 years of floristry Natalie Snowball has seen it all.
As well as creating arrangements for all the usual occasions, the owner of Rotorua business Natalie Florist has had the challenge of incorporating a crayfish into one
of her designs.
"I had never been asked to do that before," she said. "I suspect it was for a joke or something."
After hundreds of weddings, funerals and Valentine's Days, Mrs Snowball is closing the doors of her Pererika St floristry tomorrow.
The "70ish-year-old" plans to retire and is looking forward to a little rest and relaxation.
"It is time to move on," she said.
Since training in Hamilton, Mrs Snowball has been a florist in Rotorua for 40 years and a member of Interflora for 46 years.
During that time she has seen many changes in floristry, including when people feel it is appropriate to send flowers.
She said funerals used to be a lot of work for florists, with people ordering wreaths, but that no longer seemed to happen.
"People used to want 50 roses for funerals, it used to keep us busy for days," she said.
Traditions on Valentine's Day had also changed. Mrs Snowball said nowadays it wasn't just men buying flowers for their sweethearts, but women as well.
"If he forgets, she will send him one, which will give him a prod," said Mrs Snowball.
She had enjoyed her years in the business and would miss the people she had worked with and many of her customers, she said.
However, she was looking forward to having some time off to visit friends, travel, read and hit the shops.
And after years of seeing other people receive flowers, Mrs Snowball finally received a bunch for herself this week.
