WildFlowers Australia - For florists
Wildflowers inspire wonderful designs!
The photo library of the WildFlowers Australia National Student Floristry Competition provides a great showcase of ideas for using wildflowers to convey many messages.
These include:
- romance and eternal love (2008 competition)
- new baby, new life (2009)
- wedding vows (2010)
- a table arrangement - suitable for a country wedding (2012)
- celebrating the centenary of Canberra (2013)
- happy birthday (2014)
- 'Lest we forget', a floral tribute, wreath in 2015
- a presentation sheaf for the Rio Olympics in 2016
- Find them all at: www.wildflowersaustralia.com.au/floristry-competition
(Image: detail of entry from Ahn Nguyen, Canberra Institute of Technology, 2015)
Activities and information about wildflowers available to florists
WFA sponsors an annual national floristry competition designed to encourage floristry students in their exploration of wildflowers in design. More information and photos of entries in previous competitions are available on this website under 'Floristry Competition' on the main menu.
From time to time, WFA hosts floristry workshops, designed to introduce florists to the diverse range of wildflowers and foliage available and present ideas of how to use them.
Florists will find other information on this website most useful, especially the following items on the main menu:
* 'What cut flower is that? The essential care and handling guide for flower professionals'. Go to what-s-new-
* Wildflowers by season - this section links you to information found in the newly published and essential handbook 'What cut flower is that?' which includes charts of the seasonal availability and colour range of a wide range of flowers, foliages, buds, nuts and berries.
* Australian wildflower quality specifications and postharvest manual: Commercially relevant product specifications, including photographic standards, are available for 32 commonly used wildflower products. Each includes information about the flower, its season of availability and typical vase life. There are photos showing the different stages of flower opening to help you choose the correct stage to deliver maximum vase life to your customers. Handling and care instructions for you to follow and to pass on to your customers are also included. A postharvest manual providing a wealth of supporting technical information is also available.
These publications aim to raise the quality of wildflower products across the supply chain, and provide information on how to maximise vase life through correct treatment and handling.
See quality-specifications-and-postharvest-advice
* Market development activities - marketing of wildflowers in Australia: this project provided much needed information to established and already trained florists, through an education campaign that ran from June 2009 to June 2011. This project was funded by the RIRDC.
Detailed listings of seasonal flowers as well as highlights on 6 – 8 products each Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter were published in the quarterly Interflora magazine ‘In Focus’. They are also available to read on this website under Market Development Activities.
Join us!
By joining WildFlowers Australia as an Associate member - Florist, you can also access the following Member's Only opportunities:
Membership of WFA for florists
WFA welcomes florists and student florists as Associate Members.
Please go to contact-us-how-to-join on the main menu and follow the prompts to apply for membership.
If you have any queries please contact us at secretariat@wildflowersaustralia.com.au
What cut flower is that?
The essential care and handling guide for cut flower professionals
This new and comprehensive floristry guidebook includes up to date information on seasonal availability and colour range for an extensive range of native Australian and South African flower and foliage products.
The foremost feature of the manual is its 116 Cut Flower and 30 Foliage profiles. These include 31 wildflowers and 12 foliage products. All are presented in an easy to read style and provide key information and beautiful photos to aid recognition. Botanical and common names are listed, and each listing has advice on correct postharvest care and handling to maximise quality, seasonal availability, typical stem length, colour range, buying tips on what to look for and what to avoid, other special notes and suggested design uses.
The manual also includes the following useful charts:
All list a wide range of flower and foliage products according to their season of availability and colour range.
Australian native flower products used in floristry – starting on page 33
Australian native foliage products used in floristry – starting on page 36
The Quick guide to seasonal flowers and foliage lists traditional, South African and Australian wildflowers, Orchids and tropical flowers by their common and botanical names, season and colour range. With native Australian and South African flower and foliage products featured and identified alongside the range of currently available traditional and tropical flowers and orchids, florists can readily identify complementary products, according to season of availability or colour. This chart starts on page 25.
The book is published by the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation.
To download as a pdf or order your print copy (cost $60) go to