Tag Archives: flower market tours

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: Tomas De Bruyne

Tomas De Bruyne is a Belgian floral designer who has worked all over the world.

He has made his career as a freelance floral designer, creating at times very large, installation pieces in public spaces & designing for events & weddings.

He also teaches workshops in #techniquesforfloralbeauty & has published 17 books!

And to top it off, he has a flower named after him! GLORIOSA ROTHSCHILDIANA ‘TOMAS DE BRUYNE’.

Check out his Facebook page @ Tomas De Bruyne Floral Design or his instagram @tomasdebruyne

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International Women’s Day 2019

Happy International Women’s Day!⁣

This year’s campaign theme is #BalanceForBetter which promotes a gender balanced world. “From grass roots activism to world wide action”, we can all play a part in creating gender equality for our children’s future and our present right now!⁣

It is so wonderful and rewarding to be part of an industry that supports and promotes women in business, and an entrepreneurial industry that is about spreading happiness to everyone.⁣ Make sure to arrange or buy a bunch of flowers today for your closest lady friends, and celebrate how fabulous it is to be female!⁣

Bloom of the Month – Pansies!

Pansies are an eternal favourite for cool weather blooms!

They like lots of water in well drained soil. They like sun but cooler weather. They are perfect for pots or flower beds & ground cover, as they are surprisingly robust little plants!

Pansy blooms come in a huge variety of colours, from black to white, red to orange to yellow, as well as purple & blue.

This flower derives its name from the French word for thought, pansee. As a result, the pansy is a symbol of thought and thoughtfulness.

Pansies are not commercially grow cut flowers but are widely used in food decoration, as pansies are one of several edible garden flowers! They have a mild minty flavour.

As they have shorter stems, when picked, they are perfect for small ornate vases. Taking up less room, they are beautiful blooms for your nightstand or bathroom sink! They may not last as long as some blooms, but their little faces bring just as much joy!

Tropical Blooms Workshop

Take advantage of the current rattan furniture trend and learn how to create a stunning tropical arrangement at our Tropical Blooms workshop!⁣

Utilise the last of the summer blooms and make summer last all year round by creating contemporary interpretations of this staid classic.⁣

Think St Tropez, think Barbados, think drinking Barcardi cocktails in Cuba!! Book through the link!⁣

This stunning design & 📷 is from the style makers @onekingslane NY

Perfect work benches for floristry!

Flashback to a few weeks ago when our classroom was buzzing with activity with all our Flower Basics students!⁣

We absolutely love our work benches which are what is called an “Ikea Hack”! The table tops are from Ikea, then the legs have been custom fitted to make the height correct for standing and arranging as well as having wheels added to the bottom for movability. Then a nice thick coat of gloss added to the wood to make it more robust and resistant to scratches and water damage!


Thanks to our lovely teacher Natalie’s husband Cos for sorting those out for us!! X⁣

Dahlias

Dahlias really are a magnificent flower. Adding colour, and body with their many layers of petals. Their exquisite beauty comes from the daisy family.⁣ ⁣

Originally from Mexico and parts of south America, the symbolism of the Dahlia can vary depending on the colour.

Some common meanings of the Dahlia flower include:⁣

  • Staying graceful under pressure, especially in challenging situations⁣
  • Traveling and making a major life change in a positive way⁣
  • Standing out from the crowd and following your own unique path⁣
  • Staying kind despite being tested by certain life events⁣
  • Commitment to another person or a certain ideal⁣ ⁣

 

The Victorians used the Dahlia to signify a lasting bond and commitment between two people, so Dahlia’s are absolutely perfect for wedding bouquets, or perhaps an anniversary gift!⁣

Karl Lagerfeld

R.I.P. Karl Lagerfeld. Love him or hate (his politics), it is undeniable the mark Karl Lagerfeld has left on the fashion design community and arguably, the complete design zeitgeist of the 20th & 21st century.⁣

Always cutting edge but never forgetting the founding principles of Coco Chanel herself, Lagerfeld became Creative Director of Chanel in 1983 up until his death yesterday. ⁣

Lagerfeld’s body of work starting from just age 21 in 1954 is prolific. Here we see Lagerfeld using the beauty of flowers as inspiration for his Chanel SS15 collection. ⁣

Take a moment today to have a look back at some of Lagerfeld’s work and gain inspiration from a designer who was inspired by so much!⁣

The Lotus Flower

The Lotus flower has a deep connection with many religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Egyptology & Bahai.⁣

In Buddhism, they represent purity of mind, speech & body. The Lotus grows in muddy water and blossoms at the top, still attached to it’s long stem in the mud below.⁣

Lotus look so gorgeous on their own in a simple bowl/vase on your desk or bedside, and are a great reminder to be present and breathe.

 

CAREER CHANGE GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT – Andrea Onans-Sanchez

It was an absolute delight having Andrea in our Career Change classroom in 2018. Andrea had already started her floristry business before coming to Bloom and since graduation Andrea has been moving forward in her floristry career in leaps & bounds! We are so thankful for her giving up her time to tell us about her floristry journey…..and her pooch Prince!

What did you do before studying floristry?

Before studying floristry I travelled quite a lot and lived overseas. Prior to that I completed a Diploma in Interior Design at RMIT, I always knew I wanted to do something on the creative side career wise.

Tell us a bit about you, where did you grow up, where do you live now, what are your favourite things?

I grew up in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne in Blackburn for most of my childhood, we then moved overseas to South Korea for 3 years (yes I know crazy right!?). By 10 years old we came back and settled in Croydon North, our family home where I still live. I will be moving to Croydon Hills with my beautiful partner very soon! So excited as I’ve wanted to live in Croydon Hills ever since I can remember. I love this area, green everywhere you turn and so many cute cafes. I have so many favourite things! Don’t we all!? But to name a few… my dog Prince, he brightens every single day, he’s a gorgeous border collie we like to go for walks in the reserve behind our house where I can admire all the greenery and nature while he can prance around! I love the beach it heals me and is my happy place and gives me clarity, as well as the Warrandyte river. Outdoors is a big yes for me! Ahhhh I could go on and on, just going to a cafe for breaky with my partner, mum and brother is gold, spending time with the fam, travelling and of course creating. Floristry is my therapy, my creative getaway and other happy place. And lastly, chocolate chocolate & more chocolate.

What inspired you to make the change to floristry?

I have been saying for quite a few years that I really wanted to complete a floristry course, years!!! It was just about finding the right time and letting everything fall into place, which it did! I worked at a cute local florist around my area for a few years while completing my Interior Design course but thought nothing of it in terms of my future in floristry until I started to travel, see things, the beauty of nature and stepping into every florist shop front I came across. All my experiences have lead me to this floristry path.

Why did you choose Bloom College?

I chose Bloom College because it seemed like the perfect fit. I would go to the Melbourne Flower Show year after year and would see the Bloom College stand every time and loved the work they did and kept looking into it the courses they provided online. I saw that they offered a 6 month course which I thought was great, not too short and not too long! Their course structure appealed to me as well as their style and the hands on part of it too. So, I had to do it! I had enough of umming and aahhhing, it’s the best choice I ever made! Woohoo!

What do you want working with flowers to give you that your previous career/s did not?

Happiness, therapy, satisfaction & a challenge. The four best and most important things for me.

Do you want to have your own floristry business? If so what will you specialise in?

I currently have my own business, I started it in March 2018 right before I started the course. I already had some experience and thought it would be great to progress along the the way while studying with Bloom College. I don’t specialise in anything particular at the moment I’m giving everything a go to see what I love the most. At the moment though I am loving weddings/events, installs and workshops!

What is your vision for the future of your business and or the industry?

I would absolutely love to have my own studio and shopfront that is my absolute dream and major goal!

Who inspires you?

All creatives inspire me, I will spend about 30 minutes each day on social media admiring the work of florists, artists and all creatives really!

What is your preferred design style?

Organic & flowy.

Find Andrea online here, here & here!

 

Tulips – locally grown

TNB Tulips are one of if not the largest growers of Tulips in Victoria for the commercial cut flower industry. Els Bakker is the lady who runs the very impressive high tech facility in the Dandenongs just outside of Melbourne. Els comes from a long lineage of flower growers in Australia and the Netherlands, which is where her precious bulbs originate. Each year we visit Els and her team with our Floristry Career Change course students and each time we are blown away by her dedication to bringing the industry new and even more exquisite varieties of tulips.

See below for more information on Tulips on images from our time with El at TNB Tulips

Common name Tulip

Botanical name Tulipa hybrida

How to tell it’s good quality..

Choose well coloured buds and flowers that are partly open

Look for strong stems and glossy leaves with no signs of damage or yellowing

Avoid drooping or wilting leaves or flowers

Products or arrangements it’s suitable for, stem length..

Stem length 30cm–80cm

Mostly suitable in vases but can be used in foam

 Conditioning, care and storage needs..

Split the bunches and strip the lower leaves, then wash the ends of the stems well

Cut 2cm–4cm from each stem with secateurs and put the stems in cold water with NO preservative

tulip farm

Replace the water daily

Keep them cool

It is suggested not to bucket them with daffodils or jonquils unless you have had the daffodils or jonquils quarantined in their own water for a day first

To prevent tulips turning to the light and becoming bent, wrap them in paper for support and put the wrapped paper and tulips in cold water for 3–5 hours.  Once displayed in a vase they work beautifully in a well lit room with windows on both sides of the room.

Colours they come in..

White

Red

Yellow

Cream

Purple

Orange

Pink