What Our Customers Say About Us

You know how online reviews are usually rubbish? Either the business owner's mum writing glowing 5-star novels or competitors leaving nasty one-star rants. We were the same, never trusted them. That's why we signed up with Feefo back in 2013. They only collect reviews from people who actually bought something. We can't fake them, can't delete the bad ones, can't get our mates to write nice things.

Scared the hell out of us initially. Flowers are subjective, right? What one person loves, another might hate. But after 22,000+ reviews nationwide, including hundreds from people sending flowers to Canberra, we won Feefo's Trusted Service Award for 2024 and 2025. To get that, you need 50 reviews with 4 stars or better in a year. We got over 3,000 which is crazy for a Mum & Dad business.

The reviews above aren't marketing quotes we made up. They're from Feefo's system, independently verified, from actual Canberra customers. After 16 years, that matters more to us than any fancy website or corporate credentials. Real people, real flowers, real reviews. That's it really.

The Capital City That Nearly Killed Andrew's Orange Escort

Picture this. Andrew still tells this story about 1993. He had this orange Ford Escort, from the early 70s mind you, and decided to drive to Perisher. Went via Canberra on one of the coldest mornings on record, minus 11 apparently. Orange, I said, yes bloody orange. It was minus 11 that morning, one of the coldest on record apparently, and cars from the early 70s and minus 11 don't mix well. No heating obviously, so there he was, beanie, gloves, sleeping bag over him like some kind of swagman. He's driving to Perisher for a snow trip when the car starts missing, that old school stuttering when you know something's about really wrong. Ten minutes later, BOOM. Engine explodes. Done. Cactus. I still crack up thinking about it - him standing there, minus 11, next to this bloody orange Escort that's just gone boom.

That was 30-odd years ago, oh gosh where did time go! These days we've got partner florists all over Canberra, delivering everywhere from Gungahlin to Tuggeranong. From engine explosions to flower explosions, Canberra's been woven through our story in the strangest ways. Bailey Place, where we found our first brave Canberra florist back in 2008, is still there, still partnering with us. Funny how things work out. Canberra was actually one of our top 10 foundational delivery locations for Lily's Florist, and let me tell you how Australia's capital became one of our biggest success stories.

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Building the Bush Capital Network

I remember in 2008, we're in the Kingscliff shop, and the phone keeps ringing for Canberra. Like, constantly. At first we didn't think much of it, but then I started keeping a tally and it was mental - maybe 20, 30 calls a month? All sorts too. Some government department needing flowers for a retirement, someone wanting to send something to Parliament House, which scared the hell out of us to be honest. How do you even deliver to Parliament House? We had no idea back then. The previous owner's Yellow Pages ad was pulling calls from everywhere, and Canberra kept coming up. It was kind of weird to us TBH, not florists, no idea what was going on. Every call was from people in our area wanting to send flowers to people in Canberra. Unbeknownst to us, a lot of people sent flowers like that back then, before the 'interwebs' was such a thing, flower shopping wise. In fact, that is where the term 'wire flowers' came from, we just had no idea.

I remember that first nervous call to the florist at Bailey Place. We explained our model, we won't charge you any fees, just add a few extra stems/flowers to cover our commission, it completely transparent. "You want to send us orders from WHERE?" she asked. "Northern NSW," I said. Long pause. Then, "Why not? Let's give it a go." 

Initially, we could only service inner Canberra. Civic, Braddon, maybe stretch to Deakin on a good day. Gungahlin? Forget it. Tuggeranong? May as well have been Mars. Belconnen was hit and miss. But here's what fascinated us: parliamentary sitting weeks would see flower orders triple. Question Time meant apology bouquets. Budget week brought stress-relief arrangements. We started seeing patterns nobody talks about.

Today? We deliver everywhere now. Gungahlin, which barely existed when we started, Tuggeranong, Weston Creek, all of it. Even those new suburbs in Gungahlin where the streets aren't even on Google Maps yet, our florists know them. That one brave florist became a network throughout the territory. Like Sally from Canberra said after comparing "many online florist sites in Canberra," she found us the "best value" and "easy to use." That's because we're not pretending to be in Canberra from some Sydney warehouse. We actually have real florists there, have done for 16 years now.

The 2019 Family Drama That Taught Us About Canberra Winters

So in 2019 we decided to drive down to Perisher, first proper snow trip with the kids. Stopped in Canberra for the night. Ivy was 10, never been anywhere properly cold, Northern NSW doesn't prepare you for that kind of cold. 21 degree winters and all. I swear, within two hours of getting to the Airbnb she was sick. Just completely knocked her out. We'd planned this whole Canberra experience, show the kids Parliament House, the museums, you know. Ended up spending basically the entire time in the apartment with her wrapped in every blanket we could find. Could see Parliament House from the window though, so that was something, I suppose.

The irony wasn't lost on us. Here we were, stuck in a city we deliver to daily but had never properly explored. Through the apartment window, we could see suburbs we knew by postcode, streets our partner florists drive every day. That experience taught us something though. Canberra's brutal winters (at least to us) mean different flower needs. More "get well" arrangements, more sympathy flowers during the cold months when the elderly struggle. Just like when Sally ordered for her "sick aunt" who "loved them."

> View our get well arrangements

Our Canberra florists had been telling us for years and that is "Winter changes everything here." Now we understood. The flowers that thrive in Sydney wilt in Canberra's frost. Roses struggle in July. Tropical arrangements? Forget it. You need hardy natives, warming colours, flowers that can handle being transported from a warm shop to minus temperatures.

Parliamentary Flowers and Public Service Peculiarities

You want to know something interesting about Canberra flower patterns? Question Time weeks see apology bouquets spike by about 40%. Budget week? "Thinking of you" arrangements go through the roof. Every government department has its own flower personality. Treasury orders are conservative, classic roses and lilies. Defence goes for natives, lots of Australian content. Health and Human Services? Health department? All gerberas and sunflowers. I reckon they think it cheers the place up a bit.

We learned pretty quick that embassy deliveries are complicated and understandably so. The American Embassy wants one thing for July 4th, the Japanese want something completely different. Cultural protocols matter. Some embassies prefer their national flowers, others want purely Australian natives for diplomatic events. The American Embassy orders for July 4th are massive. The Japanese Embassy prefers minimalist ikebana-style arrangements.

Then there's the logistics. Parliament House has delivery windows and security protocols. ASIO building? You're meeting in the carpark. Department of Defence? Extra ID checks. But our florists know these quirks. They've been navigating them for years. As Janice mentioned when ordering through our call center, we "took the stress out of waiting and waiting" because we actually know how Canberra works.

Canberra's Unique Flower Geography

Lake Burley Griffin looks lovely and all, but it's a pain for deliveries. You're either north or south, and getting across during peak hour? Forget it. Kingston and Manuka want architectural arrangements, clean lines, modern designs. Out in Belconnen? Family occasions, bigger traditional bouquets, "soft and very pretty" as Glenda described the ones her friend received.

Woden Valley means Canberra Hospital deliveries, lots of get-well arrangements. The roundabouts that tourists find charming? Our drivers know all the roundabouts by now. Red Hill, Reid, Fyshwick, Florey, they all blur together after a while but the drivers know exactly where they're going.

The distances catch people out. People think Canberra's small but try getting from Gungahlin to Tuggeranong. 40 minutes if you're lucky. Add in minus 8 degree mornings in July when florists are defrosting their vans at 6AM, and you understand why having multiple partner florists across the territory matters. We're not trying to service all of Canberra from one shop in Civic.

The Flowers That Survive Canberra's Extremes

You know what we've learned about Canberra weather after all these years? It's absolutely punishing on flowers. I mean, minus 8 in winter, then come January you're looking at 40 degrees. Our florist in Red Hill was telling me she had roses basically cook in the van one summer. Just wilted before she could even deliver them. That's when we figured out you can't just chuck any flowers in a box and hope they'll survive a Canberra summer.

Australian natives? They're built for this. Cathy's review nailed it: "The native floral arrangement you delivered to my daughter in Canberra was stunning and has lasted so long." That's because natives handle temperature extremes. Waratahs for Parliament House events, banksias for embassy functions, they don't just survive, they thrive.

Roses in Canberra winter? They'll struggle unless your florist knows to condition them properly. Gerberas though? Public servants love them. They're bright, cheerful, and last ages in those climate-controlled government offices. Lilies for the formal stuff, gallery openings at the National Gallery, diplomatic functions at the High Court.

When it's 38 degrees in January and someone wants flowers delivered to ANU, our Red Hill florist automatically adds hydration sachets. When it's frozen in July, they know to warm the van properly before loading. This isn't stuff you learn overnight. It's 16 years of experience.

Why Canberra Trusts Our Family Business

We've delivered through every government from Howard to Albanese. Through bushfires when the smoke was so thick you couldn't see Parliament House. Through lockdowns when flowers were the only way to say "thinking of you." Through 16 Floriade festivals that reset everyone's flower expectations.

Every major district has partner florists now. Not just inner Canberra, but proper coverage. Banks, Nicholls, those new suburbs in Gungahlin that didn't exist when we started. Same-day delivery until 2PM weekdays, even to the outer reaches. That reliability matter in a city that runs on government schedules.

From Broken Down Escorts to Trusted Service

So here we are. From Andrew freezing his backside off in an orange Ford Escort with an exploded engine, to delivering fresh flowers across every corner of the bush capital. From one brave florist at Bailey Place to complete territory coverage. From turning away Canberra orders in our Kingscliff shop to making it one of our top 10 delivery locations.

Look, Canberra cops a lot of flack for being boring, but after 16 years of delivering there, we've learned something. It's not trying to be Sydney or Melbourne. You've got public servants ordering apology flowers after Question Time goes pear-shaped, ANU students sending flowers to their mums because they're homesick, embassy staff who need everything just so. The weather's mental too - minus 11 one day, then 40 degrees in summer and your roses are cactus before lunch. It's Question Time chaos and quiet Sunday markets.

Order before 2PM weekdays and our partner florists will deliver same-day across the ACT. Call our Armidale team (real Aussies, no offshore call centers) or order online. We're still that family business making decisions at the dinner table. Every Canberra flower delivery carries our story with it, from orange Escorts to nationwide trust.

Let us be part of your Canberra story today. Because after 16 years, hundreds of successful deliveries, and yes, even one