I love the fact that we have four distinct seasons in New Zealand. With each season there is change and each season brings it pleasures as Mother Nature casts her spell over the planet. While we are in the dead of winter now, we are past the shortest day and have a glorious summer to look forward to. The recent warm temperatures have confused the poor old plants and already bulbs have popped their heads up, there are fat little buds forming on the hydrangeas and the first porcelain pink flowers are out on our magnolia at home.
It was a bitterly cold early Northern Hemisphere morning in January a year or two ago when we visited the fresh flower markets in New York. We braved the chilly wind and the snow and headed to 28th Street in Manhatten. It was not at all the sophisticated auction room with the digital trappings and bidding system of our local market here in Auckland but very much a street of individual vendors specialising in different floral supplies. One store sold huge bundles of two meter long pussy willow, sticks and birch trucks. Next door was an orchid merchant, the next was a rental ironware and function accessory house, the next sold roses, artificial flowers , and so on along the street.
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Does Anyone Remember This Place?
Over the last little while we have been trying to build up a bit of a history of the company. Look what one of the previous owners of Flower Systems unearthed? ! This was Flower Systems first showroom and warehouse back in the late 70's early 80's.The first floor of this Ponsonby house was office, showroom, lunchroom and warehouse all rolled into one.
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For the Love of Flowers
I am not a florist, and nor am I particularly good at dealing with flowers, but I know what I love and I am fortunate to work with a multitude of creative and talented people, as colleagues and customers, for whom floral art and design is like a sixth sense. The most satisfying part about the job is that we get to talk and work with lots of people who are working on exciting and interesting projects. Together we are able to assist them in executing their vision, and indeed they inspire me and help me to execute mine. My two other passions are food and textiles and consequently I am an avid collector of books and magazines on any of these subjects, so you may see these popping up from time to time also.
During our year we get to travel around the country and overseas as we buy and sell our gorgeous handmade blooms . Wherever we go we try to make a point of visiting fresh flower markets, and artificial flower factories meeting the talented men and women whose job it is to hand make the gorgeous replicas of nature , so we can bring them to you.
And so by beginning this blog I feel we can take you along on our journeys, taking you to places we visit, meet some of the people we meet , and see some of the projects we work on.
While it is all that, in reality starting this blog is an opportunity for me to indulge in my passion flowers and all things floral and to show you some of the people we meet , and the things they create.
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