Spring is so close now that we can smell it - literally! The jasmine is just starting to flower which means beautiful, colourful, happy spring flowers, and arguably the prettiest, most fragrant month of the year!
Here's a look at what's coming into the market in September!
1. Jasmine (Polyanthum)
We absolutely love jasmine all year round. But when the soft pink buds started to appear in August we really get excited. When the buds open up into small, star-like white flowers is when you will probably smell it before you can see it, and if you're sinus' don't mind it then it is the best and most familiar smell of spring. We really love putting this in a vase en masse on it's own and letting it's long vines drape down onto the table beneath it.
Image Source: Elise Hassey for Floreat
Colours: pink buds morphing into white flower and glossy, dark green leaves.
How long they last in a vase: 7-10 days
2. Waratah (Telopea)
You'll recognise this beautiful flower as the NSW floral emblem and one of Australia's most well known native flowers. East Coast Wildflowers (our source of all amazing Australian natives) bring the most perfect Waratahs to the Sydney flower market and we admire the care they take in growing them - they manually place a cover on every single individual pink flower to protect them from sun damage. We'll often use them in mixed bouquets but they are so magnificent displayed in a vase on their own.
Predominantly a beautiful, traditional red, for a brief moment, we will also see amazing pink and white Waratahs in the market soon!
Image Source: Elise Hassey for Floreat
Colours: red, "shady lady", pink, white and "fire and brimstone"
How long they last in a vase: 7-10 days
3. Forget me nots (Myosotis)
One of the only naturally "true blue" flowers available through the year, forget me nots have been sneaking in to the market over the last few weeks.
Symbolizing faithful love and memories, forget me nots are a dainty flower, the size of a tiny button, with a hint of yellow in the centre, and such a pretty element to a garden style bouquet, or even gorgeous just to have a pretty posy of this on your own next to your bed or in the bathroom.
Image Source: Pinterest
4. Blossom
Blossom is still has exploding around the market. Flowering branches in white, red and pink are appearing all over.
A feature of the market at this time of the year is Phil Caruso's amazing blossom, that he picks in huge branches, that can be a real feature in a vase on it's own! We love using this in special places like Jardan.
Image Source: Elise Hassey for Floreat
Colours: Shades of pink and white
How long it lasts in a vase: in this cool weather the buds open slowly at different stages over the course of a week or two, while the branches can live on forever.
5. Pieris
You might have already noticed the white or pink pieris flowers blooming on people's front lawns. Sometimes called Lily-of-the-valley shrub, pieris have chains of urn-shaped flowers, resembling the well-loved Lily-of-the Valley. At the height of the season the bunches are so lush and filled with masses of flowers, which drape down in really long and elegant tassels in our all white bouquets, also making them a really beautiful choice for weddings.
Image Source: Canva
Colours: pink or white with dark green leaves
How long they last in a vase: 7-10 days
6. Rhododendron
Rhododendron are often confused with Azalea, but with their much thicker, paddle-shaped evergreen leaves and big round clusters of brightly coloured flowers, which when flowering are so breathtaking they want to make you whip out your phone for a pic.
While they are often deceivingly unassuming when picked, being tight with brown buds, but they are worth sticking with because when fully open, they are striking.
Photo by Randall Schieber, Image Source bhg.com
Image Source: Canva
Colours: Shades of Purple, Red, White, Pink, Yellow
How long they last in a vase: 5-10 days depending on their stage of opening
7. Stachyrus
Stachryus is such a striking and unique tree. A unique alternative to a blossom, it's brown branch is arched so gracefully and the small, bell-shaped pale yellow flowers hanging off them make it look almost like a very grand, winding staircase - that or a string of pearls - either way it has a bit of an opulent feel about it.
Specially grown by our friends Alison and Wayne in Bilpin, we love using Stachyrus in our unique bouquets and weekly flower arrangements for shops and restaurants.
Image Source: Canva
Colours: Yellow/cream
How long they last in a vase: around 1-2 weeks before the buds start to go limp.
We wrote a bit about Ranunculus, Sweet Pea and Hellebore, amongst others, in our last July/August market update when they were just starting to come into the market and now that we're a bit further into the season they are thriving - they are stronger, there is more of them around which means a bigger range of colours. Here's a little recap of their flower profiles from last month's market update:
8. Anenomes
Anenomes are our market bunch this week! They are such an appealing flower for so many people. They have a softness about them that's very pretty and inviting, yet their bold, black centres also make them striking and a little bit edgy. We often source these from Andrew McFarland, the owner of Eugalo (read more about his work here) who year after year produces the most beautiful, blush coloured anenomes - so beautiful that one time we almost had to battle another florist for them.
Image Source: Elise Hassey for Floreat
Colours: white with a green centre, blush pink, white, bright purple, fuschia or red, with a black centre.
How long they last in a vase: 5-10 days
9. Ranunculus
Ranunculus are one of the most perfect flowers! Their rose-like heads, which are formed from layers of tissue-thin petals, bring so much joy to everyone who sees them. Don't be fooled by their delicate petals though, they are surprisingly robust and long lasting. When fresh, their heads are tightly closed and smaller in size, opening up over a few days to reveal the most soft and fluffy flowers.
Image Source: @floretflower Instagram
Image Source: @trillefloral Instagram
Colours: colours range from pale yellow to apricot, red, white, pink, orange and burgundy.
How long they last in a vase: 5-10 days, their colour fading and changing slightly over this time.
10. Sweet Pea
True to their name, sweet pea have the sweetest scent. For a relatively small and delicate flower, their fragrance packs a pretty big punch. Those sold at the Sydney Flower Market normally have straight, strong stems that are around 15-20cm tall, which makes them perfect in a short vase on their own. We also love using them en masse as a bridal bouquet, so they've arrived just in time for wedding season.
Image Source: Canva
Colours: Sweet Pea come in the most unique colours, shades that aren't very common in flowers, such as watermelon, really interesting shades of purple, blush pink, and a deep, rich burgundy.
How long they last in a vase: 7-10 days but as the lower petals start to brown you can just pick them off and enjoy the top blooms for days longer.
11. Hellebore
There are so many incredible colours and varieties of hellebore, sometimes called Winters Rose in other parts of the globe. One of the best things about hellebore is all the different shades and patterns that appear in the one flower face and their little nodding heads add a beautiful natural movement to an arrangement.
Image Source: floretflowers.com
Colours: darker plum shades, burgundy and almost blacks, to vibrant yellows and whites, and a whole range of pinks and soft greens.
How long they last in a vase: 4-7 days, but be sure to buy those that have been cut at the right stage of their flower life (after the centre stamens have dropped) otherwise they will droop very quickly.
12. Wax flower
For a very hardy, robust flower these are super delicate and pretty to the eye. Over the last year or so we've noticed the range of wax flower coming into the Sydney market has grown substantially and we are not complaining. The more common red bud and white varieties have been joined by a wider range of pink and purple shades. Some have pretty flowers dispersed throughout their lemon-scented leaves, while others are more densely packed with cluster upon cluster of waxy flowers.
Image Source: @craigiosciott Instagram
Colours: white, red, pink and purple
How long they last in a vase: 7-10 days.
Browse Floreat's bouquets in our online shop or contact us if you'd like to chat about something in particular!
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