Spring Flowers in Sydney: What’s Fresh at the Market Right Now
October is the best month of the year at the Sydney flower market, and it is not close. Everything that has been building through the cold comes at once, the colour returns, and for a few weeks there is more good stuff on the benches than we can fit in the shop.
I am there most mornings, so here is what is genuinely fresh right now and worth buying, not what a seasonal chart says should be around.
The ones at their absolute peak
Ranunculus and anemones are still going strong from late winter and they are as good as they get right now. If you want the classic layered spring look, this is the window for it. They last a good week in a vase with fresh water every couple of days.
Tulips are having their final run before the weather warms up too much for them. Buy them tight and closed and they keep growing in the vase, which surprises people when the stems stretch overnight. After October they get harder to find in good condition, so now is the time.
Peonies, briefly
Peonies are the ones people ask about more than anything else in spring, and their season is short. They start appearing in October and they do not hang around. If you love them, do not wait for a special occasion, because the window is a matter of weeks, not months.
Buy them when the buds feel like a soft marshmallow, with a bit of give. Rock hard buds sometimes never open, and fully open ones are already near the end. That soft give in the bud is the sign they will open well at home over a few days.
The spring staples
Sweet peas are back and the scent on them is the whole point. A small bunch on a bedside table will fill the room. Blossom branches are still around too, and a few stems fill a corner for very little money, which makes them some of the best value going right now.
Natives are strong all through spring as well, and they hold up better than the soft spring flowers once the days start warming up. If you want something that lasts a good while in a warm room, a native bunch is hard to beat.
Good for gifting too
Spring is also the nicest time of year to send flowers to someone, simply because there is so much choice. A spring bunch does not need an occasion attached to it. If you want to brighten someone’s week, a mixed seasonal bunch in these colours does the job better in October than at any other time of year. It is good value now as well, because the market is full and the prices settle.
How to buy well this month
The market moves fast in spring, so buy for the week you are in rather than stocking up. If you want the soft romantic look, go ranunculus, anemones and peonies while they are here. If you want longevity, lean native. And if you are buying for the house rather than a gift, a mix of textures looks better than a single type, so pair something soft with a bit of native or some foliage. Either way, the range now is the best it will be all year.
If you are not sure what is freshest on the day you need it, that is the easiest thing to leave to us, because we buy every morning and build around what is best. You can see what we have made up on the shop page, or order through our Manly flower delivery for same day delivery around the Northern Beaches and next day across wider Sydney.
Spring Flowers in Sydney: What’s Fresh at the Market Right Now
Spring Flowers in Sydney: What’s Fresh at the Market Right Now
October is the best month of the year at the Sydney flower market, and it is not close. Everything that has been building through the cold comes at once, the colour returns, and for a few weeks there is more good stuff on the benches than we can fit in the shop.
I am there most mornings, so here is what is genuinely fresh right now and worth buying, not what a seasonal chart says should be around.
The ones at their absolute peak
Ranunculus and anemones are still going strong from late winter and they are as good as they get right now. If you want the classic layered spring look, this is the window for it. They last a good week in a vase with fresh water every couple of days.
Tulips are having their final run before the weather warms up too much for them. Buy them tight and closed and they keep growing in the vase, which surprises people when the stems stretch overnight. After October they get harder to find in good condition, so now is the time.
Peonies, briefly
Peonies are the ones people ask about more than anything else in spring, and their season is short. They start appearing in October and they do not hang around. If you love them, do not wait for a special occasion, because the window is a matter of weeks, not months.
Buy them when the buds feel like a soft marshmallow, with a bit of give. Rock hard buds sometimes never open, and fully open ones are already near the end. That soft give in the bud is the sign they will open well at home over a few days.
The spring staples
Sweet peas are back and the scent on them is the whole point. A small bunch on a bedside table will fill the room. Blossom branches are still around too, and a few stems fill a corner for very little money, which makes them some of the best value going right now.
Natives are strong all through spring as well, and they hold up better than the soft spring flowers once the days start warming up. If you want something that lasts a good while in a warm room, a native bunch is hard to beat.
Good for gifting too
Spring is also the nicest time of year to send flowers to someone, simply because there is so much choice. A spring bunch does not need an occasion attached to it. If you want to brighten someone’s week, a mixed seasonal bunch in these colours does the job better in October than at any other time of year. It is good value now as well, because the market is full and the prices settle.
How to buy well this month
The market moves fast in spring, so buy for the week you are in rather than stocking up. If you want the soft romantic look, go ranunculus, anemones and peonies while they are here. If you want longevity, lean native. And if you are buying for the house rather than a gift, a mix of textures looks better than a single type, so pair something soft with a bit of native or some foliage. Either way, the range now is the best it will be all year.
If you are not sure what is freshest on the day you need it, that is the easiest thing to leave to us, because we buy every morning and build around what is best. You can see what we have made up on the shop page, or order through our Manly flower delivery for same day delivery around the Northern Beaches and next day across wider Sydney.