What are some sustainable options for flowers?

Question Asked: 9/04/2025

Wedding Date: 9/08/2018

Most Helpful Response

(0) · Regional Queensland

Posted: 27/06/2025

Hi lovely!  Great question—sustainability in floristry is becoming more important than ever, and there are definitely ways to create stunning wedding flowers while being mindful of the environment. The best starting point is choosing locally sourced, seasonal flowers. These blooms are fresher, better suited to the climate, and have a significantly lower environmental impact since they don’t need to travel long distances. Plus, you’re directly supporting local farmers and growers, which is a beautiful way to give back on your big day. It’s also worth asking your florist some key questions: <ul data-start="767" data-end="1275"> <li data-start="767" data-end="863">Do the flowers come wrapped in plastic from wholesalers, or are they packaged sustainably?</li> <li data-start="864" data-end="1108">Can we avoid using floral foam (oasis)? Oasis is a single-use plastic that isn’t biodegradable. Many florists (myself included!) are now embracing foam-free methods, such as reusable mechanics, chicken wire, and water-based solutions.</li> <li data-start="1109" data-end="1275">Are you hiring a florist local to your venue? This reduces travel emissions, supports the local economy, and helps your flowers last longer by staying hydrated.</li> </ul> Another thoughtful option is to work with a florist who can return after your event to compost the florals, donate them, or create take-home posies for guests. This helps reduce flower waste—especially since many venues will simply throw the blooms in the bin if not collected. Now, here’s something really important to keep in mind: Yes, many florists (myself included!) are moving toward more sustainable practices, but these methods require more time, resources, and care than traditional approaches. Foam-free designs and reusable mechanics take longer to build and often cost more up front. Unfortunately, many florists doing this good work get overlooked because not everyone is willing to pay for the extra effort and love that goes into truly sustainable floristry. If sustainability is something you care about, please be willing to invest in it. You’re not just paying for flowers—you’re supporting ethical design, reducing waste, and valuing the craft and heart that goes into conscious floral work. In the end, I always recommend focusing on a colour palette and style, rather than a single flower type. This gives your florist the flexibility to work with what’s in season and what can be sourced sustainably—while still creating designs that are completely you. kindest regards,  Hannah -  Floral Life Art

Answered by: 9 Experts

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Wedsy

(3) · Sydney, Wollongong, Southern Highlands & Surrounding Areas

Posted: 23/05/2025

As a silk florist, I specialise in premium faux flowers, which are actually one of the most sustainable options available. Here’s why: <ul> <li>Long-Lasting & Reusable: Silk flowers don’t wilt or go to waste after the event. You can repurpose them for your home, gift them to loved ones, or even resell them.</li> <li>No Seasonal Limits: You’re not restricted by seasonal availability, which reduces the environmental impact of importing fresh flowers from overseas.</li> <li>Waste-Free Setup & Packdown: Because they’re not perishable, there's less floral waste after the event—everything is planned, packed, and reused with care.</li> </ul> If you're passionate about sustainability, I’d be happy to design something beautiful that aligns with your values. Let’s create something stunning and mindful together!

Rymonda Floral Design

(5) · Sydney and surrounding areas

Posted: 23/05/2025

If you're looking to make your event more eco-friendly, here are a few great options: <ul data-start="253" data-end="641"> <li class="" data-start="253" data-end="336">Locally grown and seasonal blooms – fresher flowers, lower carbon footprint</li> <li class="" data-start="337" data-end="412">Foam-free designs – using reusable materials instead of floral foam</li> <li class="" data-start="413" data-end="483">Potted plants or herbs – a beautiful, living option that lasts</li> <li class="" data-start="484" data-end="564">Dried or preserved flowers – long-lasting and perfect for certain styles</li> <li class="" data-start="565" data-end="641">Repurposing flowers – we can help donate arrangements after your event</li> </ul> We're always happy to customise a sustainable approach that suits your vision!

Floral Ness

(2) · Sydney

Posted: 5/05/2025

The biggest sustainable option is to not use floral foam. This can be worked around by arrangements that utilise chicken wire and flower frogs instead of floral foam. Another is if the florist uses local floral materials so that the carbon footprint is not too great from imports and packaging. If the design has a more natural and organic look, that would lend itself more so to being sustainable and foam free more so than some other stylised designs, which is factor to consider.

Peppercorn Percy

(4) · Margaret River / Bunbury

Posted: 21/04/2025

Dried flowers, preserved flowers or faux and silk flowers are a great alternative to wedding floral arrangements.

BOUQUET Melbourne

(57) · Melbourne & Surrounding Areas

Posted: 10/04/2025

Such great insights already shared here! To build on those, avoiding floral foam is one of the most important steps towards more sustainable floristry. As others have mentioned, alternatives like flower frogs, moss, and reusable vessels are fantastic for creating structure. Another sustainable option is using biodegradable bags filled with organic hydration materials, such as coconut coir. These are particularly useful when vases can’t be used and help avoid the need for plastic water tubes, which are wasteful and harmful to the environment.  Choosing local, seasonal flowers from micro farms can be more sustainable too. These farms reduce the carbon footprint of imported flowers and tend to use more eco-friendly farming practices, like avoiding pesticides and reducing packaging waste. Flowers that are naturally suited to the local climate also tend to last longer and require fewer resources. In addition, it's important to choose a florist who practices sustainability across the board, such as recycling plastic sleeves and other packaging materials. As a bride, you can help by hiring vessels instead of purchasing new ones, or offering to return materials like chicken wire or reusable vessels after the event. Small actions like this can make a big difference in reducing waste. Finally, one of the most sustainable approaches is remaining flexible with flower types and designs. This allows florists to work with what's truly in season and sustainably sourced, helping to ensure eco-friendly techniques are used, while still creating naturally beautiful and unique arrangements. Siobhain x

Forest Flame Events

(12) · Northern Rivers, Gold Coast & Surrounds

Posted: 10/04/2025

I love that more people are asking this question! There are two main answers, the first is to limit the use of plastics. This means floral foam primarily but also extends to so many other things like cable ties, packaging and ultimately where the florist or stylist is sourcing their blooms. Local farms do not package florals in plastic sleeves, so it really helps to source local for this reason and so many others - less travel for the flowers, often less use of pesticides and generally local farms tend to be smaller businesses and more sustainable in their practices than larger international entities. Choosing a floral style that incorporates natives is a good one, as they love the Aussie conditions and they also last a long time, so they are a great choice for gifting after the wedding to put a smile on someone's face. I have written a guide to native flowers, which goes into sustainability a bit. Let me know if you'd like me to send you a copy. Hope this helps.

Gathered Floral

(2) · Sydney, Southern Highlands, South Coast, Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley

Posted: 10/04/2025

Hi there, For me, the main way to be more sustainable is to avoid the use of floral foam in your arrangements. Consider the following designs: <ul> <li>bud vases </li> <li>flower frogs in ceramic bowls</li> <li>urns  / compotes which have chicken wire or reusable plastic pillows</li> <li>ceremony features which use a combination of urns, low pots/ trays and arbours / floral towers with moss and chicken wire.</li> </ul> Did you know that Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding was all done without floral foam? I actually learnt this sustainable technique from the London florist Philippa Craddock when I did a 5 day workshop with her in London. For more information, reach out via the contact form on my website - https//:gatheredfloral.com.au Catherine x

Kris McKee Floral Design

(9) · Sydney & Surrounding Areas

Posted: 10/04/2025

What a great question! Here are 4 things you can ask your florist to incorporate into your wedding flowers, to increase the sustainability factor!! 1. ZERO floral foam, ask your florist to use sustainable mechanics, materials thta are reusable or biodegrable. Floral foam is a micro plastic that NEVER goes away 2. Opt for locally sourced, in-season blooms. They will look their absolute best because they are in season, you'll be supporting local flower growers, and their carbon footprint is smaller 3. Talk to you florist about what designs can be repurposed across your day. Get the most out of those beautiful blooms  4. Consider what you would like to do with the flowers after the wedding, eg. guests to take home, donate to a hospice the next day

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