Caitlyn Neufeld is a floral designer, an organic master gardener, and a teacher. She is the creative behind Deerleap Florals, which specializes in creating floral designs for life’s most treasured moments.
Caitlyn’s floral practice is centered around her deep appreciation of the nourishment our minds and bodies receive from nature - connecting us to ourselves and each other. Placing an emphasis on the seasonal and ephemeral nature of flowers, she creates pieces with intention and artistry at the forefront of her design process.
She believes that flowers are used as symbols to mark significant moments on our journey, and every stem can contribute to the visual impact of a moment forever etched in our memories.
Values we hold dear
Local first
Sourcing organically grown local flowers first allows us to deliver the best of the best, build meaningful relationships and connect with our community. We get to use flowers picked at their peak with minimal transportation. This reduces the carbon footprint associated with importing cut flowers and the environmental impact of pesticide use. Choosing local flowers first honours the hard work and dedication of local farmers while adding beauty to our designs, we can’t think of a better fit.
Seasonality
Guided by the seasons, our work highlights flowers in their prime. For this reason, you won’t see us using peonies in October or ranunculus in August. We believe that flowers ground us in the present, capturing the beauty of the moment.
Sustainability
Sustainability is at the heart of our practice. For all of our large scale floral pieces, we use reusable floral mechanics and flower picks. All of our floral waste is composted on site and we do not package florals with single use materials. We believe it is our responsibility to protect and preserve the beauty of nature by minimizing our impact.
Garden grown
By using garden flower varieties whenever we can, we help maintain biodiversity by promoting the cultivation of uncommon flower species, avoiding the reliance on a limited range of mass-produced varieties. Our intimate knowledge of flowers allows us to create designs that highlight lesser known flowers that we believe have a positive impact on our ecosystem.
In the Garden
A terraced field held together by pieces of driftwood, the Deerleap flower garden took form during the winter of 2018. Witnessing the seasonal shifts on this small plot of land provides space to observe natural cycles, accept impermanence and fall in love with flowers over and over again.
We believe that growing some of our own flowers connects us to the process of seed to design and forms a deep understanding of the complexities associated with working with the rhythms of nature.
Let’s work together
Reach out to Deerleap Florals if your floral design vision is aligned with our work and practices. We can’t wait to hear from you.