Australian Native Flowers
Bush flowers, wildflowers, and Australian native flowers – whatever you call them, you love them! And we have heaps for you to choose from. Big, bold and gorgeous, Australian native flowers are amazing. Native flowers in Australia are known for their rich, earthy colours and bold, unique forms that allow their natural beauty to shine through. They can be used to produce spectacular floral bouquets. With their interesting textures and shapes perfect for creating drama, particularly in large arrangements.
When European settlers came to Australia, one of the most striking visual sights they discovered was the Australian flora. In fact, many European artists wanting to capture the Australian landscape were so unfamiliar with the look, colours and flora. They sporadically placed European trees in their paintings to accommodate for this deficiency.
Being in isolation for thousands of years and due to the wide range of different environments, the land Australia has been able to develop plants independently. Thus the native flora of Australia is the most diverse and varied in the world. The famous flowers of Australia grown on its land are Bottle Brush, Fannel Flower, Wax Flower, Golden Wattle, Royal bluebell, Waratah, Sturt’s Desert Rose, Cooktown Orchid, Tasmanian Blue Gum, Epacris Impressa, Protea, Banksias, Leucadendron.
National Flower:
Australia’s national floral emblem is Golden Wattle. When in flower, the Golden Wattle displays the national colors of Australia i.e. Green and gold.
But apart from this, major territories of Australia also have national, state and territory flowers as their floral emblems. These flowers are; Royal bluebell for Australian Capital Territory, Waratah for New South Wales, Sturt’s Desert Rose for Northern Territory and South Australia, Cooktown Orchid for Queensland, Tasmanian Blue Gum for Tasmania, Epacris Impressa (common health) for Victoria and Red and Green Kangaroo Paw for Western Australia.
These days we’ve all come to love and appreciate the diverse native flora that saturates this unique landscape. Wonderfully distinctive, these unique beauties have properties and preferences that perfectly suit the hot Australian climate. Beautiful in the garden or a vase, these stunning floras are made even more beautiful because they’re all ours.
With their stunning blooms and textured leaves, Australian native flowers are a knockout in a vase. The most commonly loved cut native flowers include waratahs, banksias and gum blossoms, kangaroo paws, and Christmas bush.
What are the Most Popular Australian Native Flowers?
Our native flowers in Australia are known for their rich, earthy colours and bold, unique forms that allow their natural beauty to shine through. We are fortunate to have access to the most beautiful native foliage and flower. It’s also something that we often take for granted.
So as florists, we’re thrilled to see that native flowers have undergone a sort of renaissance the past couple of years. Their popularity has grown and they’re now considered the trendiest flowers.
Here are some of the most popular native flowers among Australians right now:
Banksia
This is one of Australia’s most well known native plants, coming in shades of red, orange, yellow and greenish white. These are true Australian native flowers and come in a variety of different sizes. They actually range from small woody shrubs up to the tree of up to 30 metres in height. There are actually around 170 different types of Banksia in a range of different sizes and colours. Your florist is sure to have picked out a selection of beautiful varieties that you can send. Some favourite choices are the giant candles or cherry candles. A vibrant red banksia is a bold addition to any floral arrangement.
Eucalyptus
Did you know that these trees are among the tallest flowering plants on earth?
Commonly known as gum trees, Eucalyptus trees are a fundamental part of the Australian bush identity. Recognised in popular child’s song ‘Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree’, eucalypts are also an essential part of Australian culture. The sight and smell of the gum tree are undeniably distinguished. With long, slender green leaves, a crisp fresh scent and fluffy white, cream, yellow, pink or red stamens, this beautiful iconic tree has made a name for itself around the world. A source of food to native koalas, used in cleaning products and utilised for its essential oils, eucalyptus trees are an endlessly important piece of Australian flora.
Their leaves in a floral arrangement are one of the most subtle, yet stunning additions. The rich, beautiful fragrant scent surely makes them a winner.
Bottle Brush
The flowers of the bottlebrush tree are another iconic sight in native Australian landscapes. These vibrant red ‘bottle brush’ shaped blooms grow on broad, bushy trees all around Australia, preferring climates that meet dry and sunny criterion. There are more than 40 species of bottlebrush that can be found around Australia. Each featuring the distinctive ‘bottlebrush’ shape but displaying in colours that range from yellow and white to bright red, pink and orange.
It is well known for its unique and stunning brush shape with its fiery red flower. When contrasted with green leaves it is a spirited, gorgeous flower that will brighten up any arrangement.
Waratah
The Waratah is also an aboriginal word meaning beautiful!
The waratah is arguably the most beautiful and instantly recognisable of our native wildflowers. The bold, usually blood-red flower heads are held above striking foliage, shining like beacons in the bush during spring.
The waratah’s striking appearance comes from its spectacular, large and bright look that is both bold and gorgeous. This flower is well known, particularly in New South Wales as it is their floral emblem. A wildflower native arrangement, with a lively mix of colours is the perfect combination where a bright yellow waratah adds to the vibrancy of the floral mix, creating that desired native flower look.
Golden Wattle
Golden wattle is the national flower of Australia and also has its own day of celebration. It has had an official place on the Commonwealth coat of arms since 1912 and on the insignia of the Order of Australia. September 1st recognises national Wattle Day. On this day, Australians are encouraged to wear a sprig of wattle and greet each other with ‘Happy Wattle Day’ as they enjoy picnics, lunches, morning/afternoon teas, BBQs or dinners with family and friends.
A symbol of unity, golden wattles grow prosperously all across Australia. Their sweet, bright yellow appearance is perfect to add that classic native flower look to any bouquet or vase arrangement.
Wax flowers
Wax flowers are essentially a flowering shrub that has many blooms on each stem. It is often used as a beautiful filler flower for bouquets. They are long-lasting and come in a wide variety of colours. The pink and lilac wax flowers can really make a bouquet stand out. They are often also used in Wedding bouquets as they are a sign of lasting love and patience.
Billy Buttons
Also known as Craspedia the billy button is part of the daisy family. They are native to both Australia and New Zealand and are found everywhere except in the Northern Territory. They look amazing and almost alien-like with their bright bobble globe-shaped heads. These native flowers really add texture, colour and a sense of fun to a bouquet of flowers.
Proteas
These Native flowers whilst grown in Australia are technically not Native to this country. They actually originate from Southern Africa. They do however belong to the same family as Australia’s native Waratahs, Grevilleas and Banksia so if you want a pure Australian native flower to stay away from the Protea. It would, however, be a shame as they are a particularly impressive-looking native flower. They really turn a bunch of flowers you send into something far more impressive.
Why are Australian Native Flowers becoming popular?
This increase in demand for Australian native flowers lies in their versatile and striking nature. Which enables florists to use them in bouquet, floral crown, table, or vase arrangements to grace homes, corporate venues, or events.
1. Their classic rustic, boho look has us falling in love with them
With their incredibly beautiful and unique look, these flowers are unlike any conventional floral presents. The vibrancy of their colour and texture, as well as their fresh, rich fragrant scent is loved by everyone.
With the rise of the boho trend in homewares, fashion and floral arrangements, the native Australian flowers with their natural, rustic look fit in perfectly! Most people are also beginning to embrace boho and rustic flower decorations in their events to express their signature style.
A beautiful posy with a mix of native flowers in a vase is the perfect combination of this rustic, boho theme, perfect to give as a trendy gift.
There has been an increasing amount of brides opting for native wedding flower bouquets in place of traditional wedding flower styles. The perfect accompaniment to weddings with outdoor elements, choose native wedding flowers when you want to achieve a stylish, modern romantic look with lots of texture, colour and personality.
2. The longevity of native flowers gives you more value for your money!
Not only are these blooms stunning, they also are long lasting and resilient. People are choosing to purchase Australian natives over traditional blooms for added bang for their buck! With the right care and fresh water in the vase every couple of days, cut native flowers can easily last over two weeks! Some of these native beauties can last up to 4 weeks in a vase or arrangement (with some varieties even able to be naturally preserved and dried), you receive great value out of your flower purchase.
As a gift, these flowers are sure to continue blooming in your loved one or friends home. So your gift is loved and appreciated for much longer than normal blooms.
3. These flowers are available all year round, perfect for any occasion
Australian natives are not restricted to any one season, offering florists and flower lovers something new all year round. This means that they are perfect for any occasion. Whether it be a wedding in the middle of summer, or the middle of winter, Australian native flowers can be a lovely centrepiece or bouquet guaranteed to be fresh and fragrant.
Conclusion
Maximizing their social and cultural plurality Australians are quite often seen visiting the florists for ordering the bunch of flowers for their loved ones. Apart from bouquets of Roses, Orchids, Lilies and daisy, they immensely love to present the Australian native flowers as well!
If you want to send a little bit of Australiana to someone you love to celebrate the birth of a new child, a birthday, an anniversary or of course becoming an Australian citizen native flowers are without a doubt the best option.
Their unusual shapes, textures and colours make bold statements in flower arrangements. The distinctive look of native flowers and foliages provides a depth and sophistication to any arrangement. Additionally, their exceedingly varied range of colours, textures and proportions ensures they will never become staid or predictable.