# Doing your own flowers By Annie Cormack, founder of Rosel. Updated 19 October 2026. Source: https://withrosel.com/guides/doing-your-own-flowers > Doing your own wedding flowers in Australia: flower markets and growers by state, counting stems, conditioning, foam-free mechanics, a timeline back from the day and the morning-of jobs. This page is for the two of you if you're arranging your own wedding flowers, whatever they're made of: fresh stems from a market or grower, dried, faux, grown in a garden, or bunches bought and rearranged. It covers choosing the method, where to buy in Australia, counting stems, the timeline back from the day, conditioning and storage, mechanics, building the common pieces, getting them there, the morning-of jobs and what happens afterwards. ## Choosing your method Each method has its own rhythm. You can mix them: dried or faux pieces made months ahead, and fresh pieces made in the last two days. | Method | What it is | When the work happens | What it asks for | |---|---|---|---| | Fresh | Stems bought by variety from a flower market, wholesaler or grower, counted out and arranged by you | The last two or three days before the wedding | Buckets, a cool dark spot, people to arrange | | Dried | Dried or preserved stems, bought or dried yourselves | Weeks or months ahead | A dry, dark place to dry and store them | | Faux | Artificial stems, bought or hired | Whenever suits you | Heavy-duty wire cutters, boxes for storage | | Grown | From a garden you have access to, foraged with permission, or picked at a flower farm | Planting months ahead; picking in the last days | A backup source of stems, an early-morning picker | | Buy and arrange | Ready-made bunches or loose stems from any shop, stall or grower, split into your own vessels | The day or two before | An accurate bunch count, a cool dark spot | **Fresh.** You choose stems by variety and buy them in wholesale quantities. What's in season in your wedding week sets what you can buy, so a palette holds better than a fixed list of blooms. Stems need a day or two in water to open, which is why fresh work sits in the last few days. **Dried.** Dried and preserved stems are arranged well ahead and keep afterwards. Air drying your own takes about a week for lavender and grasses, two to three weeks for roses, and three weeks or more for hydrangeas and proteas, hung upside down somewhere dry and dark. Foliage such as eucalyptus can be preserved in glycerine so it stays soft rather than brittle. Dried colour comes out muted, bleached or dyed rather than the colour of the fresh flower, so check your palette in dried form. Dried flowers are brittle and fade in direct sun over a long day outdoors. **Faux.** Artificial stems can be assembled whenever suits you and boxed until the day. Quality varies a lot between ranges, so see and handle a range in person. Some hire companies rent ready-made faux arrangements that go back afterwards. A little real greenery mixed in makes faux read as fresh up close. Faux stems have wire cores, so you need heavy-duty wire cutters rather than flower snips. **Grown.** Growing your own, or picking from a flower farm, ties the palette to what flowers in your area in your wedding month. Dahlias, for example, flower from about December into autumn, through April and sometimes into early May, from tubers planted once the soil warms in spring, around October or November. Plant more than you need and line up a backup source, since weather and pests can take a crop. Many flower farms sell buckets, or run pick-your-own sessions: you come to the farm, cut your own stems from what's in bloom that day, and pay by the bucket or the stem. Either gives you the same stems without the growing. Sessions only run in the farm's season, and many need booking. See the foraging rules under "Where to buy" before picking anything you didn't grow. **Buy and arrange.** Supermarket, florist-shop, market-stall and grower bunches can all be split and rearranged in your own vessels. Rewrapping, splitting bunches and adding greenery changes the look a long way from the shop. A bunch split across several vessels thins fast, so count bunches per piece rather than per table. Shops will often hold an order for a date if asked. ## Where to buy in Australia ### Flower markets Public access to the wholesale flower markets differs city by city, and hours change. Check the market's own page before you go. | City | Market | Public access | |---|---|---| | Sydney | Sydney Flower Market, Sydney Markets, Flemington | Open to the public Monday to Saturday in the early morning, from about 5 or 6am. Most trading is done by 9am. Saturday is the quieter morning for public buyers; Monday, Wednesday and Friday have the most stock on display. Bring your own buckets, and cash, since not every stall takes cards | | Melbourne | Melbourne Flower Market, Melbourne Market, Epping | Trade only. The public can get in on a paid early-Saturday guided tour, during which you can buy. The tour operator says its contract at Epping ends at the end of October 2026, so check whether tours are still running. The market's "Super Saturdays" public trading was a trial that ran from January to April 2026 and has ended | | Brisbane | Brisbane Flower Market, Brisbane Markets, Rocklea | Open to the public and trade six days a week: Monday to Friday about 5am to 3pm, Saturday about 6am to 1pm. Several flower wholesalers under one roof. Closed on public holidays | | Perth | Wholesalers on Northwood Street, West Leederville (Flowers WA and others) | Several wholesalers trade side by side and sell to the public as well as to florists, on weekday early mornings to early afternoon and Saturday mornings | | Adelaide | No central public flower market | The Adelaide Flower Market at Richmond closed in July 2022. Flower wholesalers still trade at the Adelaide Produce Market, Pooraka, and elsewhere, mainly to the trade; some are trade only. Some growers sell at farmers' markets | | Canberra | Fyshwick Markets | Open to the public Thursday to Sunday. Flower stores there sell retail, and at least one also sells wholesale. Some Canberra wholesalers elsewhere are trade only | | Hobart and Launceston | No central public flower market | A Launceston wholesaler sells to the public seven days a week. Hobart-area growers and farms sell DIY buckets and stems | | Darwin | No central public flower market | Local tropical growers, and bulk DIY flowers delivered from interstate | ### Wholesalers Many wholesalers are trade only: you need a registered business with an ABN, and often a florist or flower-reselling business, to open an account. Others sell to anyone, or run a public shop alongside the trade floor. Ask before you go, and ask whether they take pre-orders for a set date and collection time. ### Growers and flower farms Growers and flower farms sell direct: mixed buckets for DIY weddings, pick-your-own sessions, or stems by variety. Many publish their seasons. Online directories of local growers exist, and florist-education sites list growers by state. About half the flowers sold in Australia are imported (Flower Industry Australia), and more in winter, when local supply is light. Cut flowers carry no country-of-origin label, so ask where they were grown if that matters to you. ### Foraging and native plants Picking plants in national parks and other reserves is an offence in every state and territory. Rules on native plants elsewhere are state and territory law and differ: - **NSW:** it's an offence to pick protected or threatened native plants without a licence. Waratahs are among the protected plants. - **Victoria:** it's an offence to take protected flora without a permit, particularly on public land. On private land, the owner can allow it if the flowers aren't for sale. - **Queensland:** all native plants are protected plants. Taking them from the wild is restricted without a licence, permit or exemption, and threatened plants carry extra rules. - **South Australia:** you need a permit to collect native plant material from public land, including roadsides. Collecting in national parks and wildlife reserves is generally not allowed. - **WA:** it's an offence to take native flora, wildflowers included, from Crown land, public reserves and road verges without authority. - **Tasmania:** you need a permit to take threatened native plants, or native plants from public land managed by the state. On private land you need the owner's permission. - **ACT:** native plants are protected, and taking plants from reserves is prohibited. Some activities can be licensed. - **NT:** many native plants are protected, and taking them needs a permit, with the landholder's written permission first. Some places, such as Kakadu, Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Booderee and the Australian National Botanic Gardens, are Commonwealth land, where federal rules also apply. Check with your state or territory environment department before picking natives anywhere but your own garden. On private land, get the landholder's OK first. ### Dried flowers from overseas Buying dried or preserved flowers from an overseas seller makes you the importer. They're inspected on arrival, and the Department of Agriculture's BICON database lists what's allowed. ## Quantities: how to count stems Count by piece, not by table or by look. 1. **List every piece.** Bouquets, buttonholes, table arrangements, bud vases, the ceremony piece, anything for the cake or signage. 2. **Set a stem recipe for each piece.** For each, decide how many focal flowers, how many filler or secondary stems, and how many stems of greenery. 3. **Multiply by how many of that piece you're making.** 4. **Add the totals by variety.** This is your buying list. 5. **Add spare stems** for breakage, stems that don't open, and the ones you'll reject on the day. 6. **Convert to how your source sells.** Markets and wholesalers sell by the bunch, and bunch sizes differ by variety. Buy-and-arrange shoppers count bunches per piece. Rough stem counts from florists and DIY flower suppliers, as a starting point: | Piece | Rough stem count | |---|---| | A full hand-tied bouquet | About 25 to 35 stems | | A smaller bouquet | About 10 to 15 stems | | A buttonhole | 1 to 3 stems: one focal flower plus filler or greenery | | A corsage | 2 to 6 stems | | A medium table arrangement | About 20 to 30 stems, mixed focal, filler and greenery | Big-headed flowers (hydrangeas, peonies, proteas) fill space with fewer stems. Fine stems (gypsophila, grasses, sweet peas) need more. A few big pieces can stand in for many small ones, and greenery does a lot of the filling. The test run sets your real numbers. Make one of each piece, count what went in, and time how long it took. That's what the rest is planned from, so there are no surprises. ## A timeline back from the day Every method works back from the wedding. This is the shape of it. **Months ahead** - Grown: plant, with more than you need. Dahlia tubers go in once the soil warms in spring. - Dried: dry your own, or buy them. Build the pieces whenever suits you and store them flat, dry and out of the light. - Faux: buy or book the hire, assemble, and box them. - Fresh and buy and arrange: settle the palette from what's in season in your wedding week. **Some weeks ahead** - Do a test run of each piece, with the same kind of stems if you can get them. Count stems and time it. - Choose your source and, where they take orders, place one for your collection date. - Ask the venue its rules on fixing things to walls or arches, on flames, and on access times for setting up. - Gather vessels, mechanics and tools. - Settle who does what: who buys, who conditions, who makes the bunches, who sets the flowers out on the day, who brings them home. **The week of** - Clear the cool, dark space where the flowers will live. Clear the fruit bowl out of it. - Prepare vessels and mechanics, so arranging days are only arranging. - Confirm the collection time. **Two or three days before** - Buy or collect fresh stems, or pick grown ones early on a cool morning. - Condition everything as soon as it's home. **The day before** - Make the table arrangements and larger pieces, and keep them cool. - Make bouquets and buttonholes the day before or on the morning, depending on the stems and how much cool space you have. **The morning of** - See "The morning-of jobs" below. ## Conditioning, step by step Conditioning is the first hydration after the flowers arrive. It's what makes fresh flowers last through the day. 1. **Clean buckets.** Scrub them; bacteria block stems. 2. **Fill with cool, clean water**, deep enough to cover a good length of stem. Add flower food if you have it. 3. **Strip the leaves** from everything that will sit below the water line. 4. **Cut each stem fresh**, with sharp snips or a knife, on an angle of about 45 degrees, taking a few centimetres off. Cut and go straight into water. 5. **Woody stems** (eucalyptus, blossom, lilac): split the end with a short vertical cut. Don't crush or hammer them; it makes them rot faster. 6. **Sappy stems** (daffodils): stand them in water on their own for at least several hours, up to a day, before mixing. Their sap shortens the life of other flowers, tulips especially. Don't recut them when you add them, or the sap starts again. 7. **Hydrangeas** take water through their heads as well as stems. A wilting head can often be revived by submerging the whole head in cool water for anywhere from a quarter of an hour to overnight. 8. **Leave them to drink** in a cool, dark spot for at least several hours, ideally overnight, before arranging. 9. **Tropicals** (orchids, anthuriums, gingers, heliconias) are conditioned in warm or room-temperature water rather than cold. Grown and picked stems are conditioned straight away: carry buckets of water to the garden or farm and put each stem in as it's cut. ## Storage and temperature Fresh flowers last longest cool, dark and humid. - **Commercial cool rooms** hold most cut flowers at about 1 to 4°C, with high humidity. A few degrees warmer shortens vase life markedly. - **At home,** the coolest dark room, a laundry, or a spare fridge emptied of food all work for most flowers. A borrowed or hired cool room is another option. - **Keep them away from ripening fruit and vegetables.** These give off ethylene, a gas that makes sensitive flowers age faster: buds fail to open, petals drop, vase life shortens. A kitchen fridge with fruit in it, or a room next to the fruit bowl, will shorten their life. - **Tropicals** (anthuriums, heliconias, gingers, orchids) suffer chilling injury below about 10°C, and are stored at about 12°C or warmer. Keep them out of the fridge and the cool room. - **Dried flowers** store flat, dry and out of the light. Damp makes them mould; sun fades them. - **Faux** stores boxed, flat, away from crushing. Give someone the job of keeping the flowers at the right temperature from collection to the venue, including checking the water each day. ## Mechanics: what holds the stems Mechanics are what hold stems in place inside a vessel. - **Chicken wire.** A loose ball or roll scrunched into the vessel, sitting just above the rim and taped or tied in. Stems go through the holes and lock against each other. It works for most vessel sizes and for larger pieces. Some florists use a coated or green version so it doesn't scratch vessels. - **Pin frogs (kenzan).** A heavy base of upright pins that sits in the bottom of a shallow dish. Stems press onto the pins. Good for low, airy, ikebana-style arrangements and shallow bowls. - **Tape grids.** Clear waterproof tape laid in a grid across the mouth of a vase. Each square holds a stem upright. Quick for low vases and bowls. - **Water tubes.** Small capped tubes that hold a single stem's water. They let fresh flowers sit in an arch, a garland or a faux or dried piece. All four keep stems in water and can be reused. ### Why many skip floral foam Plastic floral foam (the green block) is made from a plastic that breaks down into microplastics as it crumbles, and it doesn't biodegrade. RMIT University research found aquatic animals eat those particles and that chemicals leaching from them are toxic to aquatic life. Its water should never go down a drain or into a waterway. Used foam goes in the general waste, not recycling or compost, and flowers that grew into it can't be composted with it. Many florists and DIY arrangers now work entirely without it, using the mechanics above. Alternatives sold to florists include a coir-based brick certified home compostable and a mineral-fibre one; check what a product is made of and how it's disposed of. If you use foam, give someone the job of tipping its water onto soil or into the general waste, not down a sink. ## Building the common pieces ### A hand-tied bouquet 1. Strip the lower two thirds of every stem. 2. Lay out your stems by variety, within reach. 3. Hold a strong focal stem loosely between thumb and forefinger. Your hand is a pivot, not a grip. 4. Add each stem on a diagonal across the front, always in the same direction. 5. After every two or three stems, turn the whole bunch a quarter turn in the same direction. This builds the spiral, which lets the bouquet sit open and stand up on its own. 6. Vary the stems as you go, and step back to a mirror now and then. 7. Tie tightly at the binding point with string, twine or tape. 8. Trim the stems level, and put the bouquet straight back into water. 9. Wrap the stems with ribbon close to the time it's carried, so the ribbon stays dry. ### Buttonholes 1. Cut a focal flower, a sprig of greenery and any small filler to the same short length. Strip the stems. 2. Lay the greenery at the back, the focal flower in front, filler where it fills a gap. 3. Bind with floral tape, stretching it as you wind down the stem; the stretch makes it grip. 4. Cover the tape with twine or ribbon if you like. 5. Keep buttonholes cool in a sealed container, laid on damp paper towel, and pin them on just before they're needed. Choose sturdy flowers and greenery for buttonholes; they spend hours out of water. ### Table arrangements 1. Set the mechanics in the vessel and fill with water. 2. Put greenery in first to set the shape and width. 3. Add focal flowers at different heights, then secondary flowers, then fine filler. 4. Turn the vessel as you work so it reads from every seat. 5. Keep low pieces low enough that guests can see each other across the table. Make one, photograph it, and use the photo as the brief for everyone making the rest. ### An arch, or a meadow line - **Arch.** Fix chicken wire to the arch frame with cable ties, then build out from it: structural greenery first to set the shape, then flowers. Hardy greenery and many dried stems hold without water. Fresh flowers go into water tubes hidden in the wire. - **Meadow line.** A low, loose row along an aisle or the front of a ceremony. Shallow trays or troughs with chicken wire or pin frogs, set in a line and filled with greenery and flowers so they read as a single planting. Loose stems laid along the ground, or potted plants, are other ways to build one. Check with the venue what can be fixed where, and when you can get in to set it up. Large pieces are usually made on site, so plan time and hands for it. ## Transporting - **Carry fresh pieces in water.** Arrangements travel in their vessels; loose stems in buckets. - **Stop them sliding.** Stand buckets and vessels in crates, plastic tubs or boxes, with towels or rolled paper packed around them. - **Cool the car first.** Run the air conditioning before loading, and keep it running. Don't put fresh flowers in a closed sedan boot; it heats up fast. - **Go last-in, first-out.** Load in the order things come off at the venue. - **Bouquets and buttonholes** travel separately, upright and cool, so they aren't crushed. - **Dried pieces** are brittle: box them and pack them well. **Faux** travels boxed. Give someone the job of driving the flowers, with a list of what's in the car and where each piece goes. ## The morning-of jobs and who does them The two of you have somewhere else to be on the morning. The jobs below need names against them, decided before the week of. - **Collecting the flowers from cool storage** and driving them to the venue. - **Setting the flowers out** on tables and at the ceremony, from the photo brief. - **Topping up water** in every vessel once it's in place. - **Finishing the bouquets**: wrapping the stems, drying them off, and keeping them in water until they're carried. - **Handing out buttonholes** and pinning them on. - **Making last fixes** to the arch or any large piece once it's up. - **Taking a photo** of the finished set-up for anyone moving pieces later. - **Moving pieces** from the ceremony to the reception, if they're doing both. - **Clearing them away** at the end, and taking them where they're going. Give someone the job of setting the flowers out on the day, with the photo brief in hand. Give someone else the job of bringing them home afterwards. ## Heat Australian weddings in summer, and outdoor weddings anywhere, put flowers in heat. - **Choose heat-tolerant stems** for pieces that sit outdoors or out of water. Dahlias, zinnias, chrysanthemums, sunflowers, celosia and proteas hold up. Hydrangeas wilt fast out of water. - **Keep everything in water until the last moment,** and back in water as soon as it can be. - **Keep pieces out of direct sun** until set-up, and set outdoor pieces as late as the timeline allows. - **Mist** fresh arrangements lightly in hot weather. - **Bouquets** go into a vase of water between the ceremony, photos and the reception. - **Dried flowers** don't wilt but fade and turn brittle in strong sun. - **Dried and faux pieces near candles:** dried flowers catch fire easily. Fire Rescue Victoria and the CFA advise keeping anything that can burn at least a metre from an open flame; LED candles avoid the question. Large faux installations in commercial buildings can fall under fire-performance rules, and much faux stock isn't fire tested, so ask the venue what it requires. ## Afterwards Plan where the flowers go before the day, so the person clearing them knows. - **Take them home.** Fresh arrangements last days more in a cool room with fresh water. - **Give them away.** Guests can take table pieces at the end of the night. - **Donate them.** Some aged-care homes and hospitals take flowers; ask ahead, since many have rules on what they accept. A flower-repurposing service in Sydney collects event flowers and remakes them into gifts for hospitals and aged care. - **Dry or press the bouquet,** or have it preserved. - **Compost** fresh flowers and greenery, with any wire, tape and ties removed. Foam goes in the general waste. - **Return the hire** for faux or vessels by its due date. - **Keep, pass on or sell** dried and faux pieces. Both keep, and there's a resale market for them. - **Rinse and dry** chicken wire, pin frogs and vessels for the next use. Give someone the job of clearing the flowers away, with a note of what goes home, what's donated and what's returned. ## Sources - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -