“Gardening is in our blood. I started in my Mum’s backyard and instantly out-grew the space,” Karen laughed.
This florist has been weaving her botanic magic for decades in Sydney but has finally created her sanctuary all the way down the Newell in Finley.
“My husband laughs when I call the flower patch a farm because it’s only 1.5 acres,” Karen said.
With 16 years under her belt living in Finley, Karen knows she’s not yet a local, but is blooming where she’s planted regardless.
“Wren Floralista is my florist business that I run with my wing-woman (and daughter) Anewa, who’s 25. We do around 60 weddings a year, funerals, market bunches for the local IGA’s and flower deliveries,” Karen said.
Selling flowers is one element of the business but if given half a chance, Karen prefers to be ensconced in flower beds; 30 picking patch beds, 28 dahlia beds, 14 David Austin rose beds plus the hedges and foliage to boot.
What was a bare block just two years ago is now without a doubt, Karen’s happy place.
“I often head up to the patch to do a job and then hours later I’ll look up and think, well I better get back to orders and book work.”
Karen believes COVID-19 gave her the space to dream and realise she wanted to grow quality flowers that were coming from Melbourne.
“Why am I spending money on flowers that I could grow?” she said.
Turning a good idea into reality comes with some heavy lifting. That’s where teamwork in the shape of Karen’s husband, Rob Daniel and her mum, Ingrid Archibald, come into play.
“It really is a lot of work and I couldn’t do it without them. But we love what we do, it really is a joy to follow your passion,” Karen said.
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