Floral chit-chat

Whether you’re a flower novice, flower-lover or maybe even a fellow florist, I hope that my blog so far has interested or inspired you somehow, even in the smallest way!

I’m interested to know if there is something in particular you would like me to post about!? I’d love to hear from you and get your feedback!
Lets chit chat all things floral! See comment section below! 

(Ps! You don't even have to have a gmail account or sign up-simply choose anonymous..)

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The Human Bouquet...

Get a load of these kooky floral get-ups from fashion house Moschino’s 2018 spring collection! 

A bit ridic but cool as hell at the same time! 

I’m totes wishing that this is what I wore for Halloween on the weekend! The human bouquet is where it’s at!! 

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Spring has Sprung!

Wooo hooo! Spring is here! 

It's gotta be my fave time of the year for flowers, as a lot of my favourites are back doing the rounds. Nowadays so many flowers are available all year round so I'm always excited when I get to say hello to certain blooms I haven't seen for a whole year! It makes them that bit more special when they are only around for a short time of the year. And of course one of the best things about spring flowers is that so many are bursting with fragrance!

"Spring is nature's way of saying, lets party!" -Robin Williams 

Here are my absolute spring faves...

Photos via Pinterest

Ranunculus- I love the variety of colours but I'm especially fond of their very circular shape as well as their fluffiness. If you love peonies, no doubt you probs heart these bad boys too!

Tulips!! I love the different looks you can achieve with tulips- Classic yet contemporary but can also be quirky or elegant! You can't beat a vase of tulips en masse. Parrot tulips are the ultimate- super showy with their large, frilly almost ice cream-like heads. 

If you didn't know, tulips continue to grow despite being cut and put into water. You may notice after a day or two that they are much taller or perhaps are starting to slightly droop over the sides of the vase much to your dismay! 

Handy hint- A good trick is to twist the stems to turn the bloom in towards the vase and they should slowly begin to straighten up again! It's important to choose the right vase as well, one that is tall enough to cover at least half the height of the tulips. A customer recently told me another trick to keep tulips upright.. apparently if you pierce the stem with a pin just under the bloom this will work a treat!?? Yet to try this trick myself!

Poppies- such colourful characters! They make such a fun and theatrical display. I love watching them open and shed their sepals!

Ehrlicher jonquils- love 'em or hate 'em! I love 'em! Their scent can be rather overpowering for some. To me they're a quintessential spring flower.

Photos via Pinterest

Sweet pea you sweet thang! I love it's soft scent, the frilled petals and how the individual stem is so wee and delicate yet when you put a whole load of em together they can create a big, fluffy cloud of colour. I also love the variety of colours they come in, from hot pink to blush to plum and coral etc. 

Daphne- Not particularly the physical beauty that makes it well-loved to many or one of my faves, but its beautifully intense, fresh, citrus fragrance! 

Daphne always makes me think of my mum and grandmother...

Lots of customers tell me it reminds them of theirs too and how it brings back fond childhood memories ...Yet another magical quality of flowers and another of the many ways in which they bring us joy!

Lilac- blink and you might miss it! It never seems to be around for long! I love the draping clusters of blooms and of course both its colour and perfume. So effortlessly pretty.

HOORAY FOR SPRING!

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I dedicate this post today in loving memory of my wonderful, flower-loving grandmother Athne, or "Annie the Granny" as she was fondly known.
2nd July 1932-22nd September 2010

Autumn Glory across the ditch!

In May I spent 10 days back in New Zealand to visit my family.

As much as I love Sydney, I had been looking forward to escaping the big smoke to go and enjoy rural life for a little while! With nature on my doorstep, it was a chance to really take the time to stop and smell the roses!

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

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Mothers Day: double the cray of V-Day

Hellooo!

Has been a wee while since I've posted! 

Let me start with...Mothers Day! This year I tackled my third Mother's Day! Boy it was a big one! Def the most challenging and successful one for me yet! 

MD takes the cake when it comes to floral events. It's the biggest and busiest day for most florists and is in my experience so far. Surprisingly to some, it's even bigger than Valentine's Day!

Lots of people have recently asked me about what it's like working as a florist on Mothers Day, and all I can say is "crazy!" I have worked and organised some big events back in my hospo days, but let me tell you, something such as running a Melbourne Cup event for a fully booked restaurant of boozy, rowdy punters ain't got shit on working as a florist on a day like Mothers Day! 

Now I could give you a run down of the entire day, however that could end up with this post becoming a novel! 

It takes a massssive amount of preparation, organisation and manual labour go into catering to a special occasion like this. Not to mention the insane amount of flowers that are needed! 

I really can't even begin to explain how huge of a challenge it is and how ridiculously busy it is. 

It's hard yakka alright! It is exhausting and can be stressful at times but I love the fast-paced energy, hustle and bustle and teamwork that comes with it. 

I love that Mothers Day is such an important occasion in our society and if you've read my post "Say it with flowers" then you'll know how symbolic flowers are and gifting them can be. 'Scuse the cheese but it really is all about bringing joy and happiness to people, spreading love and beauty. This could not be more true on Mothers Day!

Gotta give a shoutout to all my florist friends for their MD grind! Mad respect! I hope you all killed it and recovered well and your poor old hands got treated to a much deserved mani! 

I was pretty stoked to finish the MD mayhem and head off on holiday across the ditch to lil old (inserting Kiwi accent here) "Nu Ziland."

Great timing right!? Perfectly planned.

I've just returned after 10 days in the motherland. I ate about 200 feijoas and got to enjoy a beautiful autumn in all its glory. 

More about my trip on my next post! 

Til then.. 

Thank you for reading!

Like my man Yeezy said..

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Ps! Here is a photo of me and my amazing Mum.. 

The early bird catches the worm...

The other morning I actually sprung out of bed with such eagerness and gung-ho and it was 4.30am! Yikes! I was excited.. I was off to hit the flower markets! 

I actually don't get to the flower markets as often as I'd like to, so any time I do, it's always special. 

If ya haven't been to the Sydney Flower Market before, let me tell ya, its pretty spectacular. 

While most of us are still ZZZing in bed at 5am, the day is already underway at the markets. It's rowdy and there are people buzzing about everywhere. It's another world. An absolute feast for the eyes and nose. I especially love the hustle and bustle of it all. It's so alive and magical and I'm always surprised how everyone is so friendly and chatty so early in the morning! 

Thursdays aren't a big market day so it was really chilled, which I didn't mind. It was a great chance to have a good old nosey around, without rushing.

I was reminded about flowers that I had completely forgotten existed or hadn't seen since last season. And there's always something I've never seen before.

This trip to the market was just for fun. I wasn't after anything in particular or buying for a special occasion. Just for myself really and whatever took my fancy.

Oh boy did I find some goodies! 

Highlight of this market visit: Errythang, but esp. dwarf pineapples and hanging amaranthus.

Low: Wearing white converse! Doh!

Check it out for yourself...

THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM.. AFTER COFFEE THAT IS!

IF ONLY YOU COULD SCRATCH N SNIFF!

FAAAAVES 💖 💖 💖

PIMP MY RIDE!

"THEY SEE ME ROLLIN'... "
NOT JUST FOR YOUR NAN!
(SHOUT OUT TO MY MATE/FELLOW KIWI/WORKMATE SOPHIA FOR
TAKING THIS SNAP OF ME! THANKS FOR JOINING ME AND BEING 
JUST AS EAGER! I LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE MARKET ADVENTURES WITH YA!)

MARKET DELIGHTS.
TULIPS, ROSES, EUCALYPTUS, AMARANTHUS, CARNATIONS,
DAHLIAS, DWARF PINEAPPLES, BLACK PHILODENDRON LEAVES.

TUTTI FRUTTI CUTIE!

VOILA!!!

THANKS FOR READING!

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"The earth laughs in flowers."

Just wanted to share some colour with you all...

Maybe you've already seen this (it is a couple of years old now) or maybe you haven't..

SONY created the dopest marketing campaign for their 4K TV and created an explosion of colour over a town in Costa Rica, with 8 million flower petals erupting from a volcano!
It is totally epic! Ultimate Flower Power!!

It made me think of this quote...


"The earth laughs in flowers."
                              - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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image via http://www.orangejuice-etc.com

Feast your eyes here...

And see the behind the scenes for more.

They also did another COOL AF ad but using glitter this time...

Palm trees & warm breeze

All this rain here in Sydney at the mo and the fact that summer is now officially over has got me dreaming of an island getaway.

I'm an absolute sucker for anything tropical (even when it comes to the whole pineapple on pizza debate, yep I'm down for it!)

Tropical blooms are so fun and vibrant and quirky! I love 'em! To me they're all about good vibes and sunshine! They whisk me away to an imaginary paradise, to the palm trees and warm breeze. 

Here's a lil TROPICOOL inspo for your hump day!! A few of my absolute faves...

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images- pinterest

Say it with flowers...

A customer told me recently that her young granddaughter had told her that the reason we lay flowers on a grave is "to make dead people smile."
I agree! And I think that's a pretty lovely way to look at it!

I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge that flowers make us feel happy!
It's amazing how the raw beauty or uniqueness of a flower can demand our attention and admiration and make us feel a certain way.
It's even been scientifically proven that flowers improve emotional health! Studies found that the presence of flowers created happy emotions and better feelings of life satisfaction, leading to more positive social behaviour and other positive effects on our mood!
If ya didn't know, the act of giving flowers dates wayyyy back, hundreds of years!
It was a way to communicate and in the Victorian era, flowers were used to send coded messages. It allowed the sender to express feelings toward the recipient that society didn't allow to be spoken aloud! (I've seen some "interesting" card messages to recipients that should definitely not be allowed to be said aloud, ha! )

Delivering flowers is one of the highlights of my job because I get to see the joy and excitement people experience upon receiving a beautiful bunch of blooms! Its sooo nice to see! Sometimes people are so surprised, they don't believe it's really for them!

No matter what the occasion, whether it be a congratulations, the loss of a loved one or simply just because, flowers will always say what words cannot.
I love the way flowers evoke emotion whether you're either giving or receiving them, how they always tell a story and the way they bring people together.
I hope this inspires you to go out and share those positive flower power vibes with the special peeps in your life! Go put a smile on someone's dial, or maybe even your own!

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A bunch of Sweet Pea for your Sweet Pea?

From David Austin to Dandelion...

Here are just a few of my fave snaps I've taken along the way...