Right now David Jones Elizabeth Street Store, Sydney, is home to more than 150, 000 blooms as part of their annual Flower Show, now in its 30th year.
This years show “Luminescent” will run until the 13th of September. Can't get there? Florist Mikarla Bauer has some suggestions for fresh spring flowers at home.
Fruit Blossoms. Cherry blossom is in abundance in spring -- look for closed buds and they will last you around 10 days. The great thing about fruit blossoms is that they don't really need to be arranged -- their stick-like formation offers structural elegance.
Cherry blossom
Sweet Peas. Freshly cut sweet peas will last around a week in a clean vase -- just be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight.
Sweet peas
Ranunculus. Said to be the new peony -- and also known as the spring rose -- these flowers are one of the most popular this season, along with Hellebores. Submerge the whole flower -- stem, head and all -- in very cold water for a few minutes before arranging to make the flowers come to life.
Ranunculus
Anemone. Having a moment right now, these graphic flowers come in many hues -- though the white petals with black centres are the most popular. If purchased closed they will last a maximum of five days.
Anemones
Jasmin. The signature fragrance of spring, you just need to walk down a suburban street to smell the sweet scent.
Jasmin
Wisteria is also a strongly perfumed spring flower, though doesn't fare well when cut -- leave them on their plant and enjoy.
In general, refresh the water in your vase every day if you can. And it turns out that aspirin in the water is an old wives tale -- it won't do much. Similarly, sugar in the water will only feed the flowers, making them die faster. The sachets of ‘food’ provided by florists actually contain a variant of bleach, as it slows down the decomposition. When cleaning vases wipe them out with a little bleach so that it's sterile for next time.