Wildflower Spotlight: Edie and Ivy Flowers shares her foam-free journey

Are you attempting to eliminate floral foam from your practice and wondering how others have made the switch?

Recently, the talented Bec from Edie and Ivy Flowers shared with me her progress from flowering at the Subi Blooms event which is a community event in Perth, Australia involving large-scale floral installations in the streets over Mother's Day weekend. 

Sometimes, our skills evolve slowly and it can be hard to actually take note of how far we've come but in this situation, Bec was able to directly compare the growth in her knowledge and confidence when it comes to foam-free floristry from how she designed at the event last year and how she approached it 12 months later.

Read on to learn more about Bec's floral journey, you're going to absolutely fall in love with her vibrant floral style and how she injects her amazing personality into her business.

Hey Bec!

I'd love to share your floral journey so far:

I have been flowering for a million years! I started floristry wayyy back in the very early 2000s (around 2001, somewhere there) and I was doing my Cert III at TAFE, I went to buy some flowers from a local grower in my area (Aldengga Gardens) and the owner asked I wanted a job in Kalgoorlie as she knew the owner of a shop there and they were looking for staff! (For context Kalgoorlie is a mining town in WA 8 hours away from Perth).

I was young and fancy-free so I said f*ck it and packed my bags and left a week later, I ended up staying there for 4 years, finishing my Cert III remotely and I bloody loved it!

From there I moved to Melbourne and have continued to work in little shops all over the place, it was when I moved back to Perth that I got sick of working retail for minimum wage and decided to open my own business, where I could focus on weddings and events and just do my own thing in my own time!

I should also mention I also was at Uni at the time studying criminology and I’ve now finished this degree and work full time for the Department of Justice too, which I love so I have no plans of slowing this down any time soon.

I also owe my love of nature and art to my late Nanna Edith, but everyone called her Edie and her sister (my great aunt) was Ivy, so that’s how I came up with the name. They also had a third sister Lily but that didn’t fit in the name so I had to leave it out haha. 

Working full-time means I do have to be wise about my time and I now only do events that bring me joy and fit my aesthetic, which has taken me a long time to have the confidence to implement those boundaries but I’m so glad I have!

What first drew you to the Wildflower Academy Membership?

I love to learn, I love your style and I was feeling in a bit of a rut with my designing, I wasn’t doing anything that sparked joy at that time (before the boundaries were implemented) and also knew I wanted to do better & be better with sustainability.

Your passion and the way you teach have completely overhauled my thinking process around my business and being a florist. I’ve always been able to nail the basics and deliver the brief, but I was bored, I actually wanted to do something meaningful and fun, I wanted to push the boundaries and not just make on-trend bouquets from Pinterest.

So I found the Wildflower Academy, I’ve studied all the practical tutorials, practised a shitload and took the leap and just started making everything foam-free, I hate waste and also hate wasting money so it wasn’t a hard decision to make!

What impact has the Wildflower Academy membership had on your business? 

HUGE! My designs are better, foam-free just feels better and I feel confident putting boundaries in place now, also knowing that other florists are doing the same! I’ve also connected with florists in Perth that follow Wildflower Academy and are foam-free and we’ve all become mates and often work together now and ask each other for advice which is super cool.

Share a story on how you've used the knowledge and skills you've learned within the membership to elevate your business/designs:

Subi Blooms is a community event run by the City of Subiaco (a suburb in Perth) with 13 or so florists creating large-scale installs in the street basically, using existing structures to create a design that lasts 3 days in the open elements over the mother’s day weekend.

My first Subi Blooms design was created in 2022, I saw an opportunity to create something wild and out of the norm and wanted to do it foam-free to really push myself. However, I ended up going half and half and using some foam as I was scared it wouldn’t last over the three days and just couldn’t problem-solve it. I was disappointed but still felt good about at least meeting it halfway. I swore if I got invited again though that I would go bigger, bolder and completely foam-free and no excuses this time.

I got asked again this year (2023) and I had a whole further 12 months of Wildflower Academy learning under my belt (plus learning from other foam-free designers I’ve found) I was super confident I could do it this time, and I did it! No foam was used at all, I found things at the tip that I painted, I used multiple different-sized bowls with chicken wire, a giant chicken wire sausage, moss, rocks, one of my Flower Towers and a heap of bougainvillea that I foraged and dried, plus heaps of other dried stuff and some fresh.

I’m super proud, nothing died and the hydration was on point. And it looked sick,  I can’t wait for next year! Also, I love using these kinds of opportunities to make weird shit and to just get crazy with colour and textures and height. LOVE IT.

I must say I was nervous at first telling customers I don’t use foam and asking for my bowls back etc but most clients are fine with it and happy to be more sustainable and I have saved money in the long run by buying quality ceramics, bowls etc that can be reused time and time again, rather than ditching stuff in the bin.

Full disclaimer – I have not achieved complete foam-free status as yet, there are some designs I still use some foam for if I’m nervous about the hot weather, the design etc or they were old quotes where I’d agreed they could take things home etc but in the last 12 months I’ve probably only used foam in around 10% of my designs (overall). I’ve been using some Agra wool, but mainly chicken wire & bowls which I’m obsessed with.  Water vials are great too, but I do find them fiddly so often lean towards bowls & cemetery picks that can be hidden instead (work smarter not harder haha).

What is your favourite feature or class within the Wildflower Academy membership?

Oooohh I have so many faves but have to say the Flower Towers (with the tobacco bush) are my most played, followed by the huge red one hanging from the ceiling (Overgrown Installation) and then the bridal table with the Agra Wool (Head Table Feature) as I have used this in my business lot.

Also love the welcome sign class using the small flower tower, so sick! I have to confess, it’s weird but I often rewatch my fave tutorials as a comfort thing, like rewatching eps of your favourite show in bed at night haha!

What are your floral goals for the future?

I’m starting to do a lot more large-scale events and installs which is great and I’d love to just keep making art, attracting quirky weddings and who knows what else the future holds! But I’m here for it.

I really love how vibrant and show-stopping your designs are, have you got advice for newer floral designers wanting to dive into the industry, transition to foam-free designs or create their own style?

Make time to practice, implement boundaries, be confident in your natural style and what you are drawn to, play with things and see what flows, and don’t overthink it (so many new florists are always over-thinking, that’s one thing I’ve never done, I trust my intuition – this takes time though), freelance for other more experienced florists and BE ASSERTIVE – this is your craft, your business, your thing, make your own rules and stick to them! Or break them, but be confident and assertive about it. Read books, watch tutorials on youtube, subscribe to Wildflower Academy or any other teaching florist you love and just do it!

Click here to check out more show-stopping florals over on Edie and Ivy's Instagram