Every week without fail someone will say to me:
“Ohhh your job must be so beautiful, just playing with flowers all day!”
I smile. I nod. I might even say, “Yeah, I’m lucky.”
But inside? Inside I’m somewhere between crying, laughing, and wondering how to politely say, “Yeah… no.”
Because here’s the thing: I LOVE what I do. I’ve been a florist for 15 years. It’s the only job I’ve ever known (besides working in a fruit & veg shop, being a rouseabout and ploughing fields for crop) but it’s the one thing I still feel deeply connected to creatively, emotionally, and even spiritually.
But let me be very honest (and I’m always honest) Running a flower business? That’s a whole different story.
So let’s bust some myths that we get A LOT in our little flower world, shall we?
Myth 1: Florists just play with flowers all day
Okay, technically we do… but calling it “playing” is like calling a barista's work “messing about with making a coffee.”
We do handle flowers, yes. But what you don’t see is:
- Sourcing and ordering the right flowers (sometimes from four different places)
- Stripping, cutting, and conditioning them before they’re usable
- Answering endless emails and customer requests
- Washing gross buckets (yes, daily)
- Doing deliveries (THE HARDEST PART, I promise you)
- Admin, quotes, marketing, invoicing, and oh—did I mention more admin?
By the time we “play” with flowers, we’ve already done 80% of the work just to get them into a vase.
Myth 2: Every flower arrangement needs that green foam stuff
Nope! That green foam (aka floral foam or oasis) is actually a tool used for event installs. It’s not a magical flower potion that keeps your flowers fresh, it’s a synthetic brick of plastic that kind of holds water but mostly ends up crumbling into microplastics, that actually needs to be watered every few hours or day.
If you want fresh flowers to last in your home or office? They need clean tap water. No foam. Just a vase, trimmed stems, and fresh water every few days. Trust me, they’ll love you for it.
Myth 3: You have to arrange the flowers you’re given
False! If you’re buying from a proper florist (hi, us), your bouquet is already arranged and hand-tied.
All you need to do is:
- Take the wrapping off (do it over a sink, there’s water in the bottom)
- Find the right vase (roughly the height of your flowers, give or take)
- Maybe trim the stems slightly
That’s it. No rearranging. No fussing. We’ve done the hard part.
Myth 4: Flowers die the next day
Only if you’ve left them in the car, didn’t cut the stems, and chucked them in water three hours later.
Fresh flowers from a florist (again, hi) are top quality. Treat them right and they’ll last 5–10 days.
Supermarket bunches? Not so much.
Myth 5: Greenery is free
Ahh, 2009 called. They want their floristry pricing model back.
In 2025, foliage is expensive. In fact, some foliages cost more than flowers. It’s no longer a “filler” it’s a feature, and we definitely factor it into our pricing.
Myth 6: Florists grow the flowers too
Nope. Different skill set. Think of us like interior designers,we take the beautiful raw materials (aka flowers) and design them into something stunning. We don’t grow them ourselves, just like interior designers don’t build the houses.
Myth 7: Add “wedding” to anything and the price doubles
Honestly? That one gets me fired up.
Weddings cost more because we’re not just selling flowers, we’re delivering a service. We’re sourcing specific blooms for only you , sticking to a colour palette (that you and only you requested), designing bespoke arrangements (again only for you) and often working on your job for 5–7 days.
You’re not buying a bouquet. You’re hiring an artist.
Myth 8: Dried flowers are cheaper (and better)
No, and also no.
Dried and preserved flowers often cost more because they last longer. Suppliers know this and they price accordingly.
Plus! many dried flowers are treated with chemicals, bleaches, and dyes. They might look cute but they can be very toxic and in humid places like Queensland, you’re probably growing mould along with your aesthetic.
Myth 9: Florists all do weddings
Not always! At Buds on B, we’ve been a retail florist for 8 years and have recently branched into floral styling, not just weddings.
Just like a hairdresser might specialise in just hair colours or cuts, florists have their niches too. Some only do weddings. Some only do events. We do floral styling for life’s beautiful moments, weddings included, but not exclusively.
Myth 10: Funeral flowers are sad and creepy
Nope. They are some of the most meaningful work we do.
We spend thousands on weddings, but a funeral is also a moment to celebrate a life well lived. I love creating funeral flowers. I love hearing stories about the person and using flowers to reflect their spirit, style, and soul.
There’s real beauty in saying goodbye with intention.
Bonus Myth: $50 gets you a big bunch
False! Back in the day, $50 was considered a decent-sized bouquet. But that was then and flowers, like everything else, have gone up.
These days, a true large bouquet starts at around $100. Between rising wholesale costs, flower availability and the time it takes to design something beautiful, $50 will still get you something lovely just not the big, lush bunch people might be expecting.
Think of it like dining out: $50 might cover a nice lunch, but if you want the full three-course dinner with cocktails? You're looking at something more.
In Summary?
Floristry isn’t just “playing with flowers.” It’s art, logistics, emotion, exhaustion, beauty, and business all rolled into one. It’s early mornings, late nights, and being covered in leaves, water, and petals most of the day.
But it’s also joy. And if you’re lucky, like me, you get to find magic in the mess,one bouquet at a time.
Want to see the real flower world? Stick around. We’re just getting started.
