Our flowers begin here.
With seeds, soil, seasons and rather a lot of waiting.
We grow our flowers in small quantities here on the Patch in West Gippsland, choosing varieties for their beauty, character and the way they move together in an arrangement.
Some are old favourites. Some are heirloom varieties. Some I’ve grown simply because I saw the seed packet and couldn’t resist. Many are grown because they remind me of someone I love.
What is flowering changes from week to week, which means our bouquets do too. There isn’t a catalogue of flowers to choose from or a recipe that we repeat throughout the year.
Instead, we gather what is beautiful and ready on the day. Each bunch is truly unique, and I think they are better for it.
Grown here. Gathered here.
There is something rather special about knowing where your flowers came from.
Ours have travelled a very short distance. From the garden… to a bucket…to my little florist studio…and then usually into your hands within a day.
They are grown from seed, tended here on the Patch and gathered by hand, often only hours before I begin arranging them.
That means a bouquet in October won’t look like one in February. And it shouldn’t.
Spring might bring sweet peas, ranunculus and delicate stems that seem to dance around no matter where I put them.
Summer becomes dahlias, cosmos, zinnias and armfuls of flowers that sometimes make carrying all the buckets back to the studio rather tricky.
Then the season shifts again. There is always something arriving. And always something finishing.
That rhythm is part of what makes locally grown, seasonal flowers so beautiful.
Bouquets from the Patch
I begin in the garden.
Every morning I walk the rows. I see what has opened, what is at its best and what works beautifully together.
Then I gather.
Flowers, foliage, herbs, grasses, seed heads — whatever the Patch happens to be offering. From there, each bouquet is arranged by hand in my little studio. No two are quite the same. Some will be soft and romantic, others might be loose, colourful and a little wild around the edges.
But they will always feel like the season they came from.
Every bouquet is unique.
Flowers are meant to be given.
Sometimes there’s a reason.
A birthday. A new baby. A thank you. A celebration. Someone who needs a little cheering up.
Sometimes there isn’t.
And those might be my favourite kind.
Flowers have a lovely way of saying something when we’re not quite sure how to say it ourselves. I thought of you. I’m proud of you. I’m sorry. Thank you. This made me think of you.
Or simply: These were too beautiful not to share.
For the flower lovers
And then there are the people who simply want flowers in the house.
I understand these people completely. A bunch on the kitchen table. Something beside the bed. A jar of flowers on the windowsill.
Nothing particularly momentous happening at all. Just flowers because flowers make ordinary days nicer.
When the Patch is flowering abundantly, we’ll have seasonal bouquets and bunches available in small releases.
What is available will always depend on what the garden is doing — because, around here, Mother Nature has the final say.
For something a little bigger
There are times when one bouquet isn’t quite enough.
Small weddings. Gatherings. Celebrations. A long table that really ought to have flowers running down the middle.
For these, I can create seasonal flowers using what is growing here on the Patch, supplemented thoughtfully with locally grown flowers when needed.
The approach is much the same as everything else we do: Seasonal, Natural, Personal. All centred around flowers that feel as though they belong together.
If you’re planning something and think Appleyard Patch might be right for it, We’d love to hear what you have in mind.
What the Patch gives us
Growing seasonally means we can’t promise a particular flower months in advance.
Nature isn’t terribly interested in my plans. Weather changes things, a variety performs better than expected and another takes its sweet time.
Occasionally, something I’ve lovingly nurtured for months decides that flowering is apparently optional. That’s growing.
But it also means there are surprises. A colour more beautiful than I remembered. A forgotten plant appearing again. The first sweet pea. The first dahlia.
And flowers we fall in love with for a few precious weeks before they disappear again until next year.
We don’t try to remove that seasonality from our flowers. We celebrate it. Because when something is only here for a little while, somehow it becomes a little more special.
Bringing some of the Patch home
Our flower season runs from September through May, with availability guided by the garden. Over winter, the Patch rests—and we prepare for another season of flowers.
Flowers are released in small batches as the garden comes into bloom, with availability changing throughout the season.
You’ll find current bouquets and bunches here on the website when they’re available, along with collection and local delivery information. Fresh bouquets are not available from June through August.
Please allow at least 48 hours for picking and bunching, and choose a collection or delivery date within our September–May season. If you need flowers sooner, email appleyard.patch@gmail.com or message @appleyard.patch on Instagram before ordering, and I’ll see what we can do.
For weddings, gatherings or something a little more particular, you’re very welcome to get in touch.