Hey hey flower lovers!
I’m happy to be in Autumn and can’t believe how very different everything was this time last year. I’m hoping and praying we won’t have a repeat! Autumn is one of my very favourite seasons and I’m happy to be sharing some flowers that are currently available at this time for #APRflowerEd. Now not all flowers are exclusive to a particular season, there are definitely some overlaps and some will continue to be available during Winter as well. You can either watch the video or read about them below. There are some similarities in the video but also some extra information not shared in the written part.
Five flowers available in Autumn:
Protea
Proteas are native to South Africa and not Australia as most may think. They are a part of the same family, proteaceae, as Australian Banksias, Waratahs and Grevillea. This is a reason for the confusion but also because they share similarities and are very complementary. There are different types of Protea and each has a different name and they’re available at different times of the year. Pink Ice for example will be available until around the beginning of Spring. Ones most are familiar with are the Pink Ice Proteas (see pic) and King Proteas. There are different colours available from pinks, reds, green, cream/whites. They’re a very interesting and textural flower and are very popular in wedding arrangements. They should last up to two weeks but they will need to be properly cared for to last this long. They can be dried although this doesn’t mean that they won’t get old looking in an arrangement or a vase at home so if you are wanting to dry them, be mindful that they will look bad before they look beautiful in their dry glory.
Grevillea Foliage
Grevillea foliage is the foliage that belongs to Australian native Grevilleas. The leaves are available year-round if you have a tree in your backyard but not always available at the Sydney flower markets outside of the actual flower seasons. They have a good vase life so you can expect up to a month or so but they’re also excellent for drying and so you can leave the water in the vase for them to drink up and basically leave them as is or take them out and hang upside down. The wonderful thing about Grevilleas to me is their two-tone colours. You have green and little bits of brown on one side and a silvery grey colour on the other side. The shape of the leaves are very interesting and look beautiful in any arrangement.
Juniper Myrtle
Juniper Myrtle is native to Australia, Western Australia in fact. It’s a dense shrub with small white clusters of flowers with a darker centre. The shape of the white flowers within the clusters are similar to Chamelaucium, another Australian native, and also Leptospermum Tea Tree. They have a vase life of about 10 days after which the little leaves will start to drop. But they are also a great shrub to dry and are one of my favourites to dry. These guys will be around until the beginning of Winter.
Sedum
Sedum—this is how it will be referred to at the Sydney Flower Market—or Stonecrop is native to the Americas and is a succulent. It is broccoli shaped and comes in an array of colours like yellow, pinks, red, burgundy, white and green. These beauties last about 8 days and I’ve currently got some sitting in a vase to see if they dry well or not. I’ve never tested them to see! Apparently, like other succulents, they’re very easy to grow and so if you’re looking for some ground cover that isn’t invasive, this may be your guy. I know I’m interested in growing them!
Amaranthus
These are one of my absolute faves! They originate from America and are available in not only Autumn, but Summer too! They can last up to about a week and come in many colours including burgundy, red, green and one of my faves, this orangey/brown Autumnal colour… and even tri-colours! They’re excellent in wedding work especially hanging installations and flower arches because of their cool droopy look. But there are also other types of Amaranthus that are more pointy and others that are more feathery. This one in the picture is called Amaranthus Caudatus aka Love Lies Bleeding—what a cool name!
Next week will be my first workshop for 2021! There are some spots available and I’ll be showing how to make a handtied bouquet, which will be super fun. You can read more about it here. No deliveries for me tomorrow as I have a wedding to attend so until next time, have a fabulous rest of the week!
xo rose