Say it with flowers
We’re offering you a bunch of the best florists in town (because we love you, silly)
Grandiflora
Saskia Havekes is considered a rock star in the floristry world. She’s garnered international success from her books, including the 2015 Flower Addict, and her fragrances are stocked in 50 stores in Italy alone. “I love the magnolia grandiflora so much I just wanted to bottle it,” says Havekes. The Macleay Street store filled with tall pots of sculptural stems and dramatic, oversized flower heads from whatever’s in season. Even now, as the head of a busy flower business, Havekes still visits the Flower Markets herself three times a week. “To have that relationship with my growers is essential. It’s truly like family.” Emma Joyce à 12 Macleay St, Potts Point 2011. 02 9357 7902. grandiflora.net. Mon-Fri 8am-5.30pm; Sat 8am-2pm.
Hermetica Flowers
Enter into the bright warehouse space on the northern end of Dowling Street and you’ll find roses, peonies, chrysanthemums and orchids alongside native flowers and hanging fronds. “When our arrangements come into a room, you notice them,” says operations manager Ashley Ryan. “It’s about that initial moment of emotion and reaction.” Bouquets start from $60, while the vibrant collection of glorious native Australian flowers and foliage starts from $100. Hermetica even has a resident calligrapher, Sam Pauletto. “The card is the one thing that lasts forever, so we want it to be beautiful,” Pauletto says. “Small gestures like handwritten notes make a big difference.” Tamar Cranswick à 248 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo 2011. 02 9356 8678. hermeticaflowers.com.au. Mon-Fri 7am-5pm.
Poho Flowers
There’s something about the Art Deco, blue-tiled exterior of this florist that makes it feel like it’s always been here. Director Ed West bought the business in 2015 with former co-owner Dan Scala. “Typically we wouldn’t use more than three or four elements in a bouquet,” says West. “You can always tell a Poho bouquet, as we make ours front facing. And the thing that’s most recognisable is the blue paper.” In fact, Poho’s customers were crestfallen when the store once used white wrapping instead of blue. “Our regulars will ask for flowers from particular growers – people will ask for Bob’s roses, for example – and that side of it is amazing to me.” EJ à 2/117 Macleay St, Potts Point 2011. 02 9331 4333. poho.com.au. Mon-Fri 8am-6.30pm; Sat 8am-5.30pm; Sun 9am-3.30pm.
Rococo Flowers
An unlikely start grew into a career calling for Rococo owner JJ Phan. Convinced by his mum to go into business with her,
Phan decided the closest he would ever get to a bouquet was to deliver them. One day, he tried his hand at an arrangement and things blossomed from there; 20 years later, the kid who once didn’t know a poppy from a poinsettia is the owner and creative force behind Rococo Flowers in Surry Hills, where bouquets range from $90 to $200. Having been in the business a long time, Phan understands the nexus between floristry and the major events that mark people’s lives. “We’re there at the big moments: births, weddings, anniversaries, as well as at the other end of life. No matter what the occasion, when someone gets flowers from us, we want them to feel loved.” TCà 361 Cleveland St, Surry Hills 2010. 02 9310 3900. www.rococoflowers.com.au. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 10am-2.30pm.
Jodie McGregor Flowers
The narrow shop on Annandale’s busy Johnston Street is run by long-time florist Jodie McGregor and her husband Stu White. The pair opened the store 20 years ago – the same year they were married – and in that time they’ve remained dedicated to providing the preferred blooms of their much-loved customers. “We’re not flower snobs at all,” says White. “We like working with sculptural things like gnarly natives, and then putting them with a floral element as well.” On our visit, we saw golden-green nests of dryandras, dusty pink Geraldton wax flowers from Western Australia, flame-red grevilleas and all their cousins, plus freshly perfumed branches of eucalyptus among the more delicate petals. “We try to be customer focused, that’s how we started the business – a small shop, Jodi knowing everyone.” Olivia Gee à 123 Johnston St, Annandale 2038. 02 9566 1999. www.jodie.com.au. Daily 7am-7pm.
Floreat
A decade ago, former town-planner Jane Lampe launched Floreat as an online business out of her North Bondi garage. Since then, it has flourished into a vibrant expression of Lampe’s country roots in the narrow streets of Darlinghurst. Floreat’s arrangements are elegant and modern, with roughly 95 per cent of the flowers originating from local growers. Floreat’s popular arrangements vary with the seasons. “We do what the flower’s telling us to do,” she says. “We like to make things look really unique and modern, with a bit of an organic, rustic twist.” Fatima
Olumee à 21A Barcom Ave, Darlinghurst 2010. 0417 894 786. floreatfloral.com.au. By appointment.
White House Flowers
White House Flowers is something of a Manly institution, having served the Northern Beaches for more than a decade. “Artistic, sculptural and dramatic” are the three words used by florist Mel Anderson to describe the White House style. Arrangements are built on texture and volume as well as colour and beauty, and this is borne out in the range of bouquets available to buy in store and online. As for what flowers you’ll likely walk away with, Anderson says cymbidiums, also known as boat orchids, are big sellers. Themed arrangements, available online, start at $60. Joe Rivers à 35 Pittwater Rd, Manly 2095. 02 9977 5323. whitehouseflowers.com.au. Mon 7.30am-6pm; Tue 8am-6pm; Wed 7.30am-6.30pm; Thu 8am-6.30pm; Fri 7.30am-6.30pm; Sat 8am-5pm.
Maggie May Flowers
The Glenayr Avenue boutique has delivered gorgeous blooms to the 2022 postcode and beyond since 2012. Owner Jenni May has built a name for herself serving some of Sydney’s favourite designer boutiques including kaftan queen Camilla as well as hip hotels like QT Bondi. “We’re about gardeny, wild and whimsical bouquets,” says May, which you can see in the cavalcade of succulents growing at the front of the store and buckets of sweet peas (Jenni’s favourite), long-stemmed pastel poppies, balls of hydrangeas and fringed tulips inside. Flowers range from a $35 bunch of simple tulips to $65 for sculptural phalaenopsis orchids. There are also colourful stylised bunches for $65-$160. Jordan Kretchmer à5/ 177 Glenayr Ave, Bondi Beach 2026. 02 9365 3500. maggiemayflowers.com. Mon-Sat 9am-5pm.
Merchant & Green
You can pick up a tailored posy for around $35, a larger native arrangement for $60, or grab a fragrant bunch of daffodils for eight bucks at this gorgeous white terrace in Redfern. “We have a pretty exotic range too, like cymbidium orchids, vanda orchids, and incredibly rare slipper orchids,” says florist Chris Saban. But there’s a lot more to the store than flowers. There are shelves of ceramics, hanging vines and ferns, plus everything you might need to plant a small forest at home. They’ve got all the hot-to-trot houseplants like fiddle leaf figs, rubber trees, devil’s ivy, and Swiss cheese plants, going for $70-$110. OG. à 674 Bourke St, Redfern 2016. 02 9319 1976. merchantandgreen.com.au. Mon-Thu 9am-6pm; Fri-Sun 9am-4pm.
Wild Lotus Florist
Wild Lotus is run by father-daughter duo Jess and Kel Bernauer, who have a reputation as one of the most personable teams on the Northern Beaches. In an area where community is everything, the pair have built a loyal customer following. “Our style is lush and full,” explains Jess Bernauer. “We like to use lots of different tropical foliage and interesting textures. In the city you see a lot of bouquets that don’t have much foliage, they’re quite minimalist.” Right now the display is full of silk cotton-tree branches and native wattles with hidden gems like their winter peach blossoms on show at the back – one of the owners’ favourites. Chloe Collard ■
12/331 Barrenjoey Rd, Newport 2106. 02 9997 7616. wildlotusflorist.com.au. Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm; Sat 8.30am-4pm.