Cover Image Source: @eugalo Instagram
We are well and truly into Winter now but that doesn't mean that the blooms have slowed down at the flower market. Even more beautiful Winter flowers are entering the market each week, and it's so exciting waking up to something new. Here are a few that we're really enjoying working with:
1/ Anenomes
Anenomes 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: 3-6 days
2/ Daphne
We've written about Wayne and Alison (owners of Aliway Flowers at Bilpin - read more about their work here) quite a few times on our blog because they are such a reliable source of unique flowers and foliage for us. This month we are most excited about their sweet smelling Daphne which flowers from mid-Winter to Spring. This week it's our pick for "market bunch".
Image Source: Elise Hassey for Floreat
Image source: Google images
Colours: their pink and white flower clusters, pack in a tremendous fragrance. Just one small bunch is enough to fill a room with their sweet, fruity scent.
How long they last in a vase: 7-10 days, sometimes up to two weeks!
3/ Cherry Blossom "Prunus"
This week feels like the first week of the season that blossom has exploded around the market. Flowering branches in white, red and pink are appearing all over, but one of our favourite's would have to be a variety of Cherry Blossom called "Prunus".
Alison and Wayne know just when to pick them, which means they have very few open flowers when we first receive them, but slowly, over the course of a week or two we get to marvel over their buds blossoming into rose-like clusters.
Image Source: Canva
Colours: Shades of pink
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.
4/ Banksia "Giant Candle"
Craig and his team at East Coast Wildflowers never fail to supply the most impressive and wide range of Australian native flowers at the market. At the moment we are loving the "Giant Candle" banksia, which has a gorgeous golden colour. They're such a versatile and long lasting flower, great in a vase on their own, with "rustic flowers" or their sculptural stems make them perfect for more masculine arrangements.
Image Source: Canva
Colours: a rusty yellow with green leaves.
How long they last in a vase: fresh for weeks! But their green leaves dry out beautifully too, so you can keep them for much longer in an empty vase.
5/ Mulla Mulla
Yet another treat from Craig and the team at East Coast, Mulla Mulla is one of those flowers that's changing the general population's perceptions of natives from bland and daggy to interesting and fun. We love using Mulla Mulla to add colour to native arrangements and they're also wonderful at home or in the office, holding their colour and form when they dry out.
Image Source: Canva
Colours: A pale mauve with green leaves
How long they last in a vase: fresh for around 7 days but their purple colour fades only very slightly when they dry out, so you can keep them for much longer in an empty vase.
6/ Dried Grasses
I'm unsure why I expected natural grasses to be widely abundant in Summer and scarce in Winter, but that's absolutely not the case! "Cool season grasses" grow in the cooler months and are dormant in Summer, so it's about this time of year that our local growers appear at the market with all different types. There are a few we love to use that have a beautiful soft texture and a very natural, organic look about them.
Red Fountain Grass, Image Source: Canva
Phragmite Spear Grass, Image Source: Canva
Colours: Natural, earthy shades of sand and maroon.
How long they last in a vase: many don't need to be placed in water at all, while others can stay fresh and in tact (i.e. their fibres aren't falling away from the stem) in a vase with water for a good 7-14 days before drying out nicely.
Cymbidium Orchids, Tulips and flowering Camellia are still in their prime and going strong, so we're taking advantage of their peak season and using them in abundance. Here's a little recap of their flower profiles from last month's market update:
7/ Cymbidium Orchids
The lovely Neville Schaefer of Schaefer's Orchids only makes an appearance at Sydney Flower Market each Friday in the Winter months when his Cymbidium orchids are on full show, and what a treat it is when he's there. Our orchid order is always impeccably packed in boxes so that his prized Cymbids don't get damaged on their journey back to our studio.
Image Source: Elise Hassey for Floreat
Colours: White, shades of pink, yellows and orange, burgundy, green and coffee
How long they last in a vase: these last well, changing in colour and slowly losing blooms after 7-10 days
8/ Tulips
One of the biggest supplier's of tulips in Australia is de Boer tulips (which translates to "The Farmer"), who began their family business in the fields of Holland. Based in Victoria, they are now the biggest supplier of tulips to the Sydney Flower Market and their contribution to the Australian local flower industry is invaluable. Their wide range of interesting single, double, parrot and frilly tulips are some of the most beautiful we've seen, and even since last month new, fascinating varieties in oranges and reds have appeared at the market.
Image Source: @deboer_tulips Instagram
Colours: oranges, pinks, peaches, reds, burgundy, purple, yellow, white
How long they last in a vase: 7-10 days and you can enjoy watching as their stems grow in the vase, sometimes up to 15cm or more!
9/ Flowering Camellia
I’m sure you’ll have noticed all the incredible flowering Camellia trees dotting the streets with white, pink and red flowers at the moment. We often source bunches and branches of this from the wonderful Wayne and Alison, who always bring the most pristine Camellia foliage from their Bilpin farm to the market.
Image Source: Getty images
Colours: Pink, red, and white with green leaves
How long it lasts in a vase: the foliage will last you weeks and weeks in these cool conditions, however the gorgeous ruffly flowers are much shorter lived, lasting 1-5 days depending on how open they are when cut from the tree.
Browse Floreat's bouquets in our online shop or contact us if you'd like to place an order.
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