If there is one plant that truly belongs in a New Zealand summer garden, it is the hydrangea. You see them everywhere from villas shaded by old pōhutukawa to bright coastal gardens where the sea breeze rolls straight across the lawn. They thrive here because our climate spoils them and because they love water. The clue is in the name. Hydro means water, and hydrangea roughly translates to water vessel.

We live in an information age, and for good and bad, this means you can access information on any topic with ease. It is scarcely surprising therefore that the same applies to death care. Whilst it is positive to see that as a society, we are more at ease to discuss death care matters, this has given rise to the existence of a growing body of knowledge about funerals, some very useful, sadly some of it ill-informed, says Michael Powell, General Manager of Davis Funerals.

Some flowers are flashy. Others whisper their charm quietly. Stock sits happily in the middle: elegant, fragrant, and with just enough history to keep things interesting. If you’ve ever caught that sweet, spicy clove scent in a bouquet, chances are you’ve just met stock.