LOCAL FLOWER LOVE

Small towns are doing it tough, so acts of kindness are welcome. And florist Olivia Coutts’s gift to her village of Malmsbury, Victoria, was particularly heartwarming. “I flower-bombed the park bench and verandah post outside our local bakery,” she explains. “I figured our community could do with something to brighten their day. And wattle is like a big yellow smile in floral form.” Creating her ‘bomb’ from her garden, dried flowers from her barn, and offcuts from her friends at nearby Camp David Farm, Olivia – who runs Pemberley of Malmsbury florists – intended it to attract custom to the bakery, too. “It brought smiles to people and gave them something other than COVID to chat about, which made it worthwhile.” She hopes to inspire other flower lovers. “I thought this was a great way to spread kindness and would love other florists and flower growers to create something in a public space to bring cheer, spread kindness and celebrate their local communities.”