A bouquet of flowers is possibly the only gift that can symbolise grief and joy in equal measure. The staple of weddings, funerals and anniversaries, those buds and fronds have to express a range of sentiments and they deserve to be presented in style. You won’t find a single plastic gerbera in the stores of Adelaide’s finest florists – they experiment with their craft, approach the industry with fresh eyes, and operate with ethics and sustainability at front of mind. Here are some of the best.
East End Flower Market
It’s impossible to discuss Adelaide’s floral renaissance without due credit to the East End Flower Market. The Halifax Street shop (formerly at Grenfell Street) has provided foliage to Adelaide’s concrete jungle since 2015. Glossy greenery overflows into the street and is impossible to miss. Co-owner Justine Ellbourn has 10 years’ experience in the craft – and a childhood at the knee of her florist mother. She creates gorgeous bouquets that play with the curious shapes of wild plants, mixed with modern, cultivated varieties. East End Flower Market is also known for specialising in house plants, such as the ever-popular fiddle-leaf fig.
83 Halifax St, Adelaide
(08) 8225 6477
hello@eastendflowermarket.com.au
Hours:
Mon to Fri 9am-6pm
Sat 9am-5pm
Sun 11am-4pm
Ponder Posy
A visit to Rebecca Trevitt’s shop and studio in Colonel Light Gardens is a treat for the senses. The wide front windows bring in a wash of light over Trevitt’s work. Wreaths hang on the wall in varying states of dryness. Branches and stems are gathered around the shop, bundled and waiting to be snipped, bent and preserved. Bunnytail, banksias, bluegum and kale complement each other in one bouquet in progress. Trevitt intends for her arrangements to last beyond the green life of the plant. Her blooms are sustainably grown plants, aligning with Ponder Posy’s local and seasonal ethos. This is not just a retail space: Trevitt explores the “everlasting” quality of plants through workshops on wreath-making and still-life painting.
6b The Strand, Colonel Light Gardens
0410 344 872
rebecca@ponderposy.com.au
Hours
Tues to Fri 10am-3pm (weekends by appointment)
Rose and Radish
The Rose and Radish’s working week begins on Thursday, when Rosie and Oscar Winter pluck fresh flowers from their Adelaide Hills garden. Over the next few days, they gather hardier foliage, and begin cutting, preparing and arranging the harvest for any weddings or events they have booked. Lucky Adelaideans then get their pick of the bunch on Sundays at the Market Shed on Holland. Any discarded stems and leaves are composted and used on the garden. Ethical, sustainable farming is first and foremost for Rose and Radish. The homegrown harvest cultivates rare, heirloom breeds that would be too delicate and short-lived to import. The personal approach from seed to stall sets the store apart. With enough notice and the right conditions, the Winters will try to grow personalised varieties for any event: flowers with scents that evoke your memories or colours that suit your particular palette.
208 Piccadilly Road, Piccadilly
0411 341 981
[theroseandradishflowers@gmail.com](mailto:theroseandradishflowers@gmail.com
Hours
Thursday to Sunday
Itty Bitty Bunch
Flowers from a friendly face: that’s Itty Bitty Bunch in a nutshell. Partners in life and business, Simon Molloy and Olivia Wescombe, abandoned the rat race when they fell in love with floristry. The pair, along with Molloy’s sister Jodie, now run Itty Bitty Bunch full-time. It’s a subscription flower service with a primary aim of bringing a little bit of joy into everyday life. The trio does everything themselves, starting with the crack-of-dawn daily market visit, followed by arranging and dressing the blooms in signature hessian, and finishing up mid-afternoon with the delivery run. The daily bunches are florist’s choice, and every bouquet is offered for the same flat rate. Itty Bitty Bunch offers mid-sized arrangements bursting with colour, and any spare bouquets at the end of the day are delivered with a smile to the winners on their wildcard list.
Delivery: Monday to Friday, same-day delivery for orders received before 1pm
hey@ittybittybunch.com
The Flower Web
The Flower Web is the online branch of a collection of flower shops all around Adelaide. Each bricks-and-mortar store is a little different, but you’re guaranteed to find bright blooms spilling out into the street at every one. These little hole-in-the-wall spots are great for gifts on the run. Aside from bouquets, they sell succulents and low-maintenance houseplants (like maidenhair ferns) potted in lovely dark-glass jars.
The Flower Web includes The Flower Hutt, The Flower Parade and The Flower Depo.
Opening times differ for each branch.
