She’s the owner of a successful retail store, event business and flower school; she has a passion for flowers and her business beyond belief; and she quite certainly lives on less sleep than is humanly possible. Today we delve a little deeper into the woman behind the name.
Why did you become a florist?
My mother was a florist, so I grew up surrounded by flowers working alongside her from a young age. My daughter Jessica, a third-generation florist, now works alongside me as my operations manager and is a huge part of my business. You could say flowers are in our blood!
What is the highlight of your career to date?
Being commissioned to style Government House with beautiful local blooms for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s royal visit to Australia is one job I am immensely proud of.
What do you love most about being a florist?
I love bringing our clients’ dreams to life. It is such a pleasure to be involved every step of the way, from the excitement of a client’s initial consultation, to the thrill of styling their event, and receiving heartfelt messages of thanks post event. I love when clients give me creative freedom with their events – its where we see our best work!
What is your floristry style?
Elegant and abundant. I love the beauty and fullness of the classic English style and am fundamentally inspired by nature and the ever-changing seasons. I don’t pay much attention to trends and what others are doing and essentially tread my own path in that regard.
Tell us something we may not know about life as a florist.
Working with flowers isn’t as glamourous or relaxing as people believe it is! There is plenty of heavy lifting, long days on your feet, tight deadlines, very early mornings and decaying stems! Despite this, I am happiest getting my hands dirty working on the benches alongside my team and hand-selecting beautiful blooms from the flower market as early as 2.30am which is what time my market mornings begin!
