A Love Letter

Jerri wears the Ina Dress in Poppy

L'Amour, L'Amour

Flowers for Valentine's Day. It's a popular tradition. We're sure that you can picture the many bouquets of red roses being run all over town. Along with fashion, the floristry industry has admitted to quite a hefty environmental footprint when you consider the journey of the flowers and the packaging. 

Many flowers are flown in from overseas due to their competitive pricing. This raises many questions of their origin including fair payment and treatment of workers (mostly in countries like Kenya, Columbia, Equador and Vietnam) and the chemicals during growing and then through quarantine. Apparently the cut flower industry is one of the largest consumers of pesticides globally.  Consider the emissions from refrigeration and air/travel and then the packaging which can include the non bio-degradable foam and plastic wrap.

Stunning flower arrangement by Vasette who have established their own flower farm at Olinda

The answer is the same as fashion -  buy from florists who show transparency and who have a commitment to an ethical and sustainable supply chain. A positive from Covid (!) was the decrease in imported flowers, giving business back to Australian growers. Like Arnsdorf, many Australian florists are making conscious decisions in their business model to move forward in an ethical and sustainable direction.

Farm to vase flowers by Floraly

Fitzroy's Vasette grow many of their own flowers at their sister property, Beechmont Garden Retreat, Olinda, their very own working flower and foliage farm.  They have committed to less pesticides plus all of the green waste from their store (like leaves stripped from stems and old flowers etc) go in to compost and mulch at Beechmont.

All Australian flowers in an eco friendly wrap by Dope Florals

Alexander Brock founded Melbourne's Daily Blooms with the concept of using only locally grown, fresh flowers and daily. So if you order from Sydney you will receive flowers from Sydney and if ordering from Melbourne, you will receive Melbourne grown! Delanie Schulte, a neuroscientist turned florist based in Melbourne, opened Dope Florals using only Australian grown blooms with a commitment to eco friendly packaging in her bouquets. Alec and Stefan started Florally with a farm-to-vase  business model that sees flowers cut only after an order has been placed online. They are working with farmers across Australia so that they can also deliver locally – including East Coast Wildflowers in NSW, The Tulip Garden Nursery in Victoria and Robertson Flower Farm in Queensland. If you can't pick from your own garden, we hope that you can source from a responsible florist in your area. 

You
Touch me
I hear the sound
Of mandolins
You
Kiss me
With your kiss
My life begins
You're spring to me
All things
To me

Don't you know you're
Life itself

Like a leaf clings
To the tree
Oh my darling,
Cling to me
For we're like creatures
Of the wind
Wild is the wind
Wild is the wind

Wild Is The Wind written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington, 1957