iewed through the tuberose-tinted glasses of The Flower Drum blog, Sydney’s Northern Beaches are a whimsical wonderland. Life there revolves around whichever flowers are in season and everything is girly, messy and a little bit nuts. Kids suck on flower-infused ‘bloomsicles’, barefooted girls hitchhike with wooden planks dangling ‘flower bombs’, and pro surfers (like Ozzie Wright) fall into the sea carrying baskets of roses.

The Flower Drum is the ‘backyard flower appreciation society’ of friends Holly Hipwell and Mylee Fitzgerald. Their first ever visit to the Sydney Flower Markets in 2010 started something they couldn’t stop.

“The Flower Drum is about taking the love of flowers to a whole new level,” Hipwell says. “Things get a little crazier than simple arrangements and flower crowns… We sit around for hours creating flower projects that may or may not eventuate into anything.”

They describe The Flower Drum as part-hobby/part-business. “The blog is just for fun, but you kind of make the transition from hobby to business when Alannah Hill calls you asking for flower bombs to go through every shop in the country," says Fitzgerald.

“We’ve been really lucky to have excellent clients – media tycoons and cool fashion brands. We don’t really do weddings or anything like that. Weddings make Holly cry.”

Fitzgerald's dream Flower Drum project would be to build an entire house from flowers, but until that opportunity comes along, she’s happy to be working with Hipwell on smaller pursuits like their Flower Drum pop-up shop opening at the Sugarmill Fine Surf Emporium, Narrabeen on December 31 for one week (and then every subsequent Saturday).

Visit them to pick up a flower bomb or maybe a bunch of spray-painted roses. Just one tip though – don’t ask for gerberas. If there is one flower these ladies don’t appreciate, it’s the gerbera.

The Flower Drum Semi Permanent Shop
Sugarmill Fine Surf Emporium
2/1329 Pittwater Rd, Narrabeen

theflowerdrum.blogspot.com