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Valentines Day Messages- Unique Ways to Say Three Little Words

 

Whether you are looking for a lil love this Valentines day or perhaps looking for a unique way to show your romantic side we have some gorgeous gift ideas for you.
We know how hard it is to stand out from the crowd when every man and his dog are in the Valentine’s day spirit, but we are one Sydney florist that prides itself on offering alternatives outside of the (long stemmed rose) box.
And whilst “I love you” are often the three little words that are spoken/whispered/screamed from mountain tops over Valentines Day, they are not exclusive. There are many three little word combinations we all long to hear, so why not choose an appropriate sentiment, and unique fresh flowers to match. So now all that is left, is to work out what you want to say, right?  Give him/her a message loud and clear without uttering a single syllable.

LOVE POTION:

Love Potion 1

“Under Your Spell”
Intoxicatingly fragrant and in the most beautiful plum mauve tone, Love Potion roses are the perfect way to tell them you are under their spell.
For many, roses remain an old fashioned favourite, hard to topple off from their pedestal of being the go-to romance flower, but for many more, they are disappointed to find that today’s roses are no longer fragrant. Garden roses offer the perfect solution as they have a heady fragrance that is unforgettable, and whilst they tick the box for roses, they are only available in shorter stems, making the arrangement more compact. Keep them by themselves with Andromeda around the perimeter in a vase, or mix them with pastel green, and purple mixed flowers for a garden delight posy.

LOVE LIES BLEEDING:

love lies bleeding crimson

“Nothing Without You”
Looking for a dramatic way of telling your lover how lost you are without them? How about an arrangement featuring Amaranthus Caudatus, a deep crimson red rope like tassel. It is an incredibly dramatic flower, ideal for Avant Garde style arrangements,
The ‘tassel flower’ is an unusual, eye catching flower that provides interesting texture. It is ideal to use around the perimeter of a bouquet or at the front of a tall flat backed arrangement, drawing the eye down and through the composition of the piece.
Try teaming it with other rich romantic reds, deep pinks and chocolate tones for something especially dramatic and luxurious.

LOVE IN THE MIST:

love-in-a-mist-nigella-damascena

 

“You Intrigue Me”
Nigella Damascena has a ferny, almost fennel like foliage that forms gently around the blooms, creating a soft mask or mist. The “peekaboo” blooms start off as interesting puffs, open into rich blue toned, flower  and then change into equally attractive seed pods. They are an old fashioned annual flower best suited to posies with an English Garden feel. They are not a dramatic bloom, but they are an interesting choice; perfect to tell someone that they are mysterious and intriguing….that they keep you guessing what is coming next.

NAKED LADY:

390651_Amaryllis_belladonna3

“Let’s Geddit On”
Want a cheeky way to tell the object of your affection what you are hoping your Valentine’s Day evening might look like? The Naked Lady, or Amaryllis Belladonna, is a small bulb flower that is born from an initially leafless plant, the leaves usually form the following season. They are gorgeous alone in a vase, but can be teamed with other blooms in complementary colours.

SEXY PINKS:

grenada_1644940i

“You Sexy Thang”
The gorgeous tropical hanging Heliconia chartacea, also known as Sexy Pinks, could very well be the way you may like to go. It certainly isn’t declaring your unconditional eternal love, but it is just as telling. Plus, with Valentines Day falls in the heat of summer in Australia, so by choosing a tropical flower you will have an extended vase life.

There you have it, 5 unique ways to tell someone how you feel! Of course we have an extensive range of red rose arrangements too, that you can check out here.

With just over two weeks to go, we always recommend that you get in early with your orders for Sydney delivery to avoid disappointment.

Til next time lovers,

Fwf x

 

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Image of the different kinds of roses from around the world

Looking Through Rose Coloured Glasses

Give someone a rose, and the first thing they do is smell it, right? More often than not these days, they don’t smell thanks to our quest for perfection. We have been able to breed varieties of roses with large heads, perfect blooms, and thornless straight stems. And amazing as that all is, in this quest for perfection we have sacrificed the very thing that makes a rose so special.

For those of you who value a beautifully scented rose, a garden rose is the way to go.

They tend to have shorter stems that may grow crooked, an imperfect bloom, which may have blemishes (generally only present on the outer barrier petals) and watch out, because there can be some pretty serious thorns! But the fragrance! Oh My! Some have perfumes so intense and intoxicating, you can literally taste them on your tongue!

Here are some of our favourites:

Cecile Brunner

Image of a cecil brunner flower rose
Image: Moosey Country Garden

Named by Joseph Pernet-Ducher after the daughter of rose grower Ulrich Brunner, a senior colleague and rival, in 1881.

Sweet Cecile Brunner is a soft pink, lightly frangranced bloom, that grows in sprays on a short bush. This one has a special place for me, as one of my best friends introduced me to her magic many moons ago. Cecile Brunner is one of the best loved roses, and is a popular choice for bridal arrangements. I think we may feel confident that Cecile herself carried these blooms on her own wedding day!

Julia’s Rose

Image of a gorgeous Julia Rose
Image: Magic Garden Roses

Named after Julia Clements, ‘the high priestess of flower arrangement’ according to the British media, Julia’s rose is a hybrid tea rose with latte tinted mauve blooms. It has a soft fragrance and is best throughout Spring and Autumn.

Clements began her mission of popularising flower arranging after attending a meeting at a Women’s Institute, where she spoke of the joy that flowers could bring, uniting women like herself, whose lives had been torn apart by the war. Through her lectures, her books, flower shows, and flower arrangement socieites, Clements did exactly that.

She has three roses named for her in dedication; “Julia’s Rose”, “Julia Clements”, a red floribunda, and “Lady Seton” a scented warm pink named after her marriage to Sir Alexander Seton.

Julia’s roses, is my absolute favourite rose in all of the world, and has been from the moment I lay eyes on her. I love that the bloom opens all the way up and I love the unique colour  tone, which shows the most beautiful variations from latte to antique mauve depending on the time of year. Julia’s rose featured heavily throughout my own wedding.

Just Joey

Image of a beautiful Just Joey rose
Image: CR Garden Centre

Named after the wife of the raiser, Joanne Pawsey, Just Joey is a large apricot hybrid tea, with an excellent fragrance. If this rose was named some years ago, it would more likely have been named “Mrs Roger Pawsey” but at the time it was named, formality like this was seen as old fashion.  Joanne was know to those close to her as Joey, but somehow “Joey Pawsey” just didn’t sound right.

“Why not just ‘Joey’?” was uttered over breakfast one morning…..and ‘Just Joey’ stuck.

Just Joey’s colour varies throughout the season, from peach to rich apricot ruffled petals. It was voted the ‘world’s favourite’ rose in 1994 by the World Federation of Rose Societies and it is easy to see why which such a gorgeous autumnal tone, and beautiful shaped bloom.

Mr Lincoln

Image of a Mr Lincoln rose
Image: Swifter

I remember being a young florist and first experiencing the intensity and beauty of My Lincoln, a hybrid tea rose with the most intense damask fragrance. It has very large dark crimson blooms, a long stem and comes from a tall bush.

The dedication marked the centenary of the death of Abraham Lincoln (1809-65). Rumour had it, America’s most widely revered president hated to be addressed as ‘President Lincoln’, so in naming this rose, Herbert Swim has honoured his wish that he be known simply as Mister Lincoln.

Another rose, ‘Honest Abe’, is also named in his honour, bearing his nickname. It is a dark red miniature rose with mossy buds.

Now is the perfect time to experience the beauty of a local rose, with them readily available and in store now. Take a bunch home and enjoy their old world beauty, and beautiful fragrance.

 

Featured picture credit: Hedgerow Rose

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Hello Autumn

Autumn Inspirations

With March beginning this week, we welcome back an old friend who we have not seen for year. Autumn is seen as a transitional time, characterised with mild temperatures and low humidity, which also makes it one of the most pleasant times of the year.

In parts of Australia, trees will turn rusty, amber and golden tones, and there will be winds that are absent throughout summer.

With milder temperature, you will notice that your fresh cut flowers will last longer in your homes, and beautiful varieties of field flowers become available as the climate outside becomes less wretched. Over the last few months many customers have asked me how long certain flowers will last. They often seem disappointed when I say 3-5 days (in 30-35 degree temperatures). I ask you this- how do you feel if someone gives you one drink of water each day or two? How do you feel at the end of a hot and humid day, even if you have done very little physical activity? I don’t know about you, but I feel truly exhausted. Wiped out. Weary. Right? So whilst we need to start getting more than our toes wet in the ocean quickly before we miss out, lets not mourn the intensity of Summer in Australia, but rather welcome back Autumn, our mild mannered friend, with a whole lot to offer.

I got married through Autumn a few years ago, mostly because it worked well for my husband and I work wise, but also based on the fact we wanted a wedding in the warmer months. I didn’t want to be rugged up, having to wear a bolero or a coat all day, or look half frozen in my pictures. That’s just us, we love it warm. But to get a 38 degree March day was quite unexpected. I sweltered under the layers of fabric and was so thankful not to have worn my spanx as well!

Truthfully though, we also based the entire wedding on our ability to get my favourite rose, Julia amongst some other favourite flowers. Ain’t she a beauty? She, like many other garden/tea roses are available throughout Autumn and are at their best.

There are many flowers like your standard order lily, imported orchids or glasshouse grown rose that are available all year round. There is certainly noting wrong with enjoying your favourites everyday of the year if they are available and if you so fancy. However, if you like to treat yourself to something that is only available for short windows and able to give you small pockets of happiness, then look no further. Other flowers available especially throughout Autumn include:

 

Armaryllis -(Belladonna lilies)

Bouvardia

Camellia blooms

Catteyla orchid

Cornflower

Cosmos

 

Cymbidium

Dahlias

Daphne

David Austin Roses

Echinacea:

Geraldton Wax

Hippeastrum

King Proteas

Lisianthus

Molluca Balm

Nerine

Tea Tree

Well if that ain’t enough gorgeousness for your day, wonder on over to the store to check out what other beauties we have available for you. Go on and get yourself outside and enjoy the perfection that is the start of Autumn, get your skin in the sun and absorb that all important Vitamin D while you can, because, if the last two months are anything to go by, the year is flying by, and before you know it, I’ll be penning the next in our Season series, Winter.

Til next time, I’ll be basking in the autumnal glow,

Fwf x

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