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Inside Look at the Flower Market: October 2020

by Jane Lampe |

The markets have been out of control beautiful, every market day lately!!! This time of year is certainly an assault on the senses, and is bringing so much happiness to my life. :)

So many beautiful blooms to choose from, it is very hard to narrow it down for you!!! But we've kept it to eight newbies. Here are some of our favourites that we have been using in our bouquets in the last couple of weeks, and some that are starting to pop their heads up!!!

1. Roses

Our beautiful locally grown roses are BACK!! And we missed them. Gorgeous princess, PFBs (amazing white roses), Evelyn, sister Emmanuel, Honey dijon, so many beautiful varieties!!!

Unfortunately Sunday's hailstorm around Dural and Glenorie tragically wiped out some of our favourites for the time being, but our lovely growers are amazing and said they will be back in a month or so. But those undercover were saved, and we will be using them lots and lots in the coming months

Our beautiful locally grown roses have so much character, and the most amazing scent. And every rose has a different scent, so in line with their colour. Nature is amazing isn't it?

Image Credit: I Love Wednesdays for Floreat

2. Mock Orange

Just when we thought blossom is finished and our lives will never be the same, we remember that mock orange is here. The pretty lime green leaf with a white flower and gorgeous yellow centre is one of my all time favourites, and creates the beautiful shape in our bouquets and arrangements in a similar way to beautiful blossom.

Image Credit: Pinterest

3. Flowering Magnolia

Giving our bouquets that luxe look, with that heady scent and equally stunning foliage, flowering magnolia has just arrived. We will be using these lots and lots in our All White bouquets.

Image Credit: @Charlotte_artyphoto

4. Bearded Iris

Honestly one of the most beautiful flowers on the planet, I could look at the structure of this flower all day, and the colours - unbelievable!!! These flowers may only last a few days, but are worth it while they do!

Image Credit: Frances Palmer Ceramics

5. Wheat

It's been a while since Australia was so flush with beautiful wheat like this. Many farmers have had at least a year or two without a crop, so I am personally very happy to have some beautiful wheat at Floreat at the moment, straight from the paddock in Narrabri. The perfect addition to our everlasting bouquets, and very proudly picked for us by my niece Harriet.

Image Credit: Floreat

5. Coral Peonies

The first of the peonies have appeared at the market, and I love this coral colour. They go so beautifully with everything.

Image Credit: Elise Hassey for Floreat

6. Boronia

Different species of boronia have been doing the rounds of the markets over the last couple of months, but I LOVE this one with it's hard to miss hot pink blooms and heavenly scent. This beautiful native flower, mixed in with our bright and beautiful bouquets, certainly packs a punch on all the senses!

Image Credit: Pinterest

7. Geranium

The amazing lemon scented geranium has been appearing in our bouquets at the lately, which might be why they smell so good, but if you're lucky, you might get a stem of our own hot pink or tomato red geranium in your bright bouquet over the next few weeks!

Image Credit: Pinterest

8. Hybrid Delphinium

Another favourite, particularly the "pink" and pale blue. Beautiful, elegant hybrid delphinium is in it's element at the moment, strong and tall, it looks amazing in some of our larger bunches.

Image Credit: Gardener's World

Here's a little recap of what we talked about last month, which lucky for us, is still around!

9. Lilac

Lilac is one of those flowers that isn't around for a long time, but a good time. They only flower locally for around a month, so while they do, we make the most of it!! With a beautiful scent, and soft, delicate petals, I couldn't think of much I love more than a bunch of beautiful lilac. Lilac will still be around for a week or so!

Image Source: Our Food Stories

Colours: Lilacs come in white (which are quite rare), a soft mauve colour, and a darker purple.

How long they last in a vase: Lilacs are not long lasting blooms, they tend to last 4-5 days, but the scent is so heavenly, and I think that makes up for it!

 

Colours: From soft pink to fuschia and many pinks in between, purple, orange, white, yellow.

How long they last in a vase: 7+ days

 

 

10. Flannel Flowers

If you know the right people, you can usually get your hands on the odd bunch of flannel flowers all year round, but over the next few weeks, flannel flowers are in their element. They are beautiful and long, and their perfectly simple faces are even more perfect than usual. 

 

Image Source: @craigioscott

Colours: white

How long they last in a vase: 7-10 days

11. Paper daisies

Paper daisies are Australian natives, and are also known as straw flowers. Our paper daisies are grown locally on the central coast by the amazing Luff Farm - they are simply stunning, and are beautiful, both fresh and dried. Beautiful in a bouquet, or dried on a wreath

Image Source: @flowersvasette

 

Colours: White, yellows, oranges, pinks, Burgundy

How long they last in a vase: 7-10 days (they don't like too much water), and they also dry out beautifully

12. 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

13. 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 

14. 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

    15. 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: 5-10 days 

    16. 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. 

    17. 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. 

    18. 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!

    Cover image credit: Frances Palmer Ceramics