Gaultheria shallon
Salal
“abundance and quiet endurance”
Salal, or lemon leaf, grows wild in the coastal forests of the Pacific Northwest, where its berries were a valued food for the region's First Nations peoples long before florists prized its foliage. Its broad, leathery leaves keep their deep green colour for weeks, and it has come to represent abundance and quiet endurance. In the workroom it is the dependable backbone of an arrangement, framing showier stems without stealing the light.
In season, and in the studio
Salal is in season all year round, so it is in the studio this month. In the studio's bunches it is foliage: the frame every bunch is built on, and the green that makes the colours read. The studio buys it in deep green, and at the bench each colour is read for its own meaning.
What each colour says
- Deep greenresilience and lasting plenty
