“In September, jelly cakes are decorated with lotus flowers - as a memory of summer,” sugar florist Natalya Lupich

“Peony in the language of flowers represents romance, happiness, wealth”

- At the end of the summer, I formed such a bouquet. (pictured), - shows Natalia Lupich. - Flowers entered there: roses, peonies, irises, petunias, dahlias … The most difficult in modeling was the cappuccino rose. This is a multi-petal flower with a double center of a rather complex structure. Thin delicate petals seem to twist into a figure eight. To get the desired result, I had to experiment a lot. While achieving perfection, I created three variants of the flower. The main thing is that I liked the end result. A delicate, fragile rose can decorate any cake or dessert, give them sophistication and a festive look.

- What are the most popular flowers on cakes?

— Roses and peonies, I think. Although I must say that the choice of decor for cakes is influenced by seasonality. In spring, they are mainly decorated with magnolias, sakura or apple blossom branches, daisies and bluebells, forget-me-nots. In summer, in addition to roses, peonies and dahlias, which are the favorites of wedding decorations, sunflowers, cornflowers, poppies have become very popular. In autumn, it can be marigolds. In winter, it is, of course, the poinsettia (Christmas star). Now, in September, lotus flowers are popular. They are usually decorated with jelly cakes - as a memory of the summer.

What does each flower symbolize?

– For example, the lotus is a sacred plant of the East. She was worshiped, treated by her. The enormous vitality of this flower is surprising. Under unfavorable conditions, lotus seeds do not germinate, but they do not die either… It is as if they “fall asleep”, not missing the opportunity to germinate again. And in this state can be several centuries. There are cases when seeds stored in museum collections germinated after a hundred or more years. Lotus is a freedom-loving flower. If you pick a bud, it will not bloom. If you cut a lotus in a flowering state, then after an hour the petals will fall off. This flower is called “capricious aristocrat”. She lives only in clean water. If lotuses grow in the lake, then everything is fine with the environment in this place. Lotus is a symbol of purity and enlightenment. Each evening, the lotus petals close and the flower is immersed in water, only to regenerate the next morning.

- Who would you advise to give lotus cakes to?

— This is a good gift for young people who have just embarked on the path of development and self-improvement. Giving a lotus, you can encourage and support a friend in difficult times, give hope for the best.

“It was believed that if you put a sunflower flower under your pillow at night, you can see a prophetic vision”

- Your irises and peonies are incredibly good …

- The name of the flower in Greek means “rainbow”. Cockerels, as we call them, have been known to mankind for more than four millennia. In the language of flowers, iris means sincerity and friendship. It is a symbol of purity and perseverance. The symbolic meaning of such a gift speaks of deep devotion. Shades of irises are of great importance. Yellow iris means love and respect, lilac peacefulness and trust. Peony, in the language of flowers, personifies romance, happiness, wealth. In China, the peony is called the “royal flowers”. In ancient times, one of the emperors, who was a passionate admirer of horticulture, introduced special positions for ministers of flowers. In particular, a young Chinese woman with a rabbit hair tassel had to take care of the peonies. Her duty was to regularly clean the dust from the flower petals. Peonies are also a symbol of a strong marriage. Now not a single fashionable wedding ceremony is complete without these flowers. They are used to make a bride’s bouquet, and also decorate the venue of the holiday, because these flowers symbolize a happy, comfortable and long family life.

- Who would you advise to give cakes with irises?

- Irises are more suitable for men’s cakes, because they are interpreted as a symbol of honor and courage. The interpretation came from the long xiphoid leaves.

“Your petunias and dahlias are no different from the real ones.

- Petunias made from sugar fondant are used in company with other flowers to decorate birthday cakes. Thin and refined shoots can stretch the shape of the bouquet upwards compositionally, or, conversely, can hang down in a cascade of flowers. It looks incredibly beautiful on slender birthday cakes.

A presented bouquet of dahlias means a long-term union and devotion. This symbolism has been preserved in many European countries, so spherical light buds are often used to decorate wedding halls and arches, as well as in a bride’s bouquet.

What does the sunflower symbolize?

- This is the flower of the sun. Since ancient times, people have believed in her magical powers. The sunflower was also called the flower of revelation. It was believed that if you put a sunflower flower under your pillow at night, you can see a prophetic vision. Usually sunflowers grew in the yards near the wattle fence. They decorated houses, painted the walls of the upper rooms, doors, tables, beds, chairs, chests, cradles and even beehives. Very often we see sunflower ornaments on embroidered towels. For us, the sunflower is not only a symbol of beauty and radiance, but also prosperity, love for the native land. Therefore, Ukrainian confectioners most often decorate their cakes with sunflowers for solemn events. This flower is one of the symbols of Ukraine, as well as blue-eyed cornflowers, which have become a popular element in the ornament of Ukrainian embroidery.

“My creative credo: “Where there is a desire, there is a way”

- Does it happen that your sugar flowers are mistaken for real ones?

- This has happened more than once. One day a friend of mine came to see me, whom we had not seen for a very long time. She knew that I was making flowers from sugar mastic, she saw photos on social networks, but when she saw them, she did not immediately believe that they were mine, and not real ones.

What flower would you like to create?

- I want to create more than one flower. The natural world is so diverse that just walking along a city street, you can meet an interesting plant. And it doesn’t have to be luxury varieties. It can be a jasmine with fragile but fragrant flowers or a sprig of lilac. Or even an ordinary clover, which we may not notice while on a forest lawn. That’s probably the clover I want to do now most of all - in memory of the past summer.

- What is your creative credo?

“Where there is a will, there is a way.” It seems to me that this expression is a specific pointer that I need to follow.

An interesting conversation with another craftswoman, Galina Kiseeva from the city of Alexandria in the Kirovograd region, which creates portraits of people and animals from poplar fluff that amaze with realism, read here.

Photo from Natalia Lupich’s album