I remember standing behind the counter at Kingscliff Florist sometime, mostly likely May, in 2007, a customer asking if we had any banksias. I had no idea what a banksia was (well sort of). Andrew was out doing a delivery in Murwillumbah Hospital, Asha was asleep in the makeshift crib we'd set up out the back (she was almost 1 year old at this point), and I was nodding along like I knew what this woman was talking about. "Let me check with our florist," I said, which was code for "I need to call the lady who actually makes our flowers and ask her."

That was the reality of those early days. We'd bought a florist in Kingscliff with zero flower knowledge. I could tell you about organic skincare, BPA free baby bottles, all that stuff we'd planned to focus on. But natives? Couldn't have named three if you'd paid me.

* Our flower shop in Kingscliff in 2006

Our contract florist, who worked from her home and delivered arrangements to the shop each morning, she knew. I'd watch her unload these incredible spiky, textured things that looked like they'd walked straight out of the bush and I'd just... absorb it, I suppose. Not formally learning, just watching and asking the occasional question when I wasn't chasing after Asha or trying to figure out why the eftpos machine had frozen again.

That was 18 years ago now. Andrew and I have since built Lily's Florist into this network of over 800 partner florists across Australia, and somewhere along the way natives became a thing. Not just for us, but everywhere. Back in 2007 I reckon maybe one in fifteen flower requests mentioned natives specifically. Now, our Natives Bunch is our 2nd best selling product in 2025 so far, see below.

Anna's been with us 15 years now and she actually trained as a florist before she joined. When I'm not sure about something flower related, she's who I ask, more so back then when we had our call centre in our garage. She reckons the native trend really picked up around 2015, maybe 2016. Something about the aesthetic shifting away from traditional roses and lilies toward more textured, earthy arrangements. The Instagram effect, possibly. Natives photograph beautifully with all those shapes and muted tones. But I think it's also something about buying Australian, supporting local growers, that whole sentiment that's grown over the years. Natives feel like they belong here. Because they do, obviously.

One of our recent reviews stuck with me, and Andrew for that matter. Tonya wrote that she "struggled to find Australian natives on other sites." Which seems odd, doesn't it? We're in Australia. But for whatever reason, not every florist has embraced them. Some of our partner florists do incredible native work, it's almost their specialty. Others are more traditional and stick to roses and mixed bunches. We try to route native orders to florists who really know what they're doing with them, which sometimes means your flowers come from a florist a suburb or two further out than the closest one. Worth it though.

Learning Natives the Hard Way

Banksias were the first ones I actually learned to identify. Hard not to, really. Those cone shaped flower heads, the texture of them. What struck me was how long they lasted. A week, two weeks, still looking good when the lilies next to them had completely given up. Our florist told me once they evolved to survive bushfires so sitting in a vase of water is basically a holiday for them. I don't know if that's botanically accurate but I've always remembered it.

The yellow ball ones took me ages to learn the name of. For months I just called them "the yellow pompom things" when talking to florists, which I'm sure they found hilarious. Craspedia is the proper name. Billy buttons is what most people call them. They look almost fake, like craft supplies that Ivy would buy for a project at the cheap shop in Kingscliff. Asha loved them when she was small, kept asking if she could take them home. Which, actually, you can. They dry perfectly and last for months sitting in a vase with no water at all. We still have some dried ones at home somewhere, I think.

Proteas are technically South African, not Australian, but they've become so intertwined with native arrangements here that most people assume they're ours. King proteas especially, with those massive sculptural heads. One king protea in an arrangement does the work of a dozen roses, visually. They're a statement. And they last, god they last. I've seen them still looking good after three weeks.

Eucalyptus isn't a flower at all, just foliage, but it's become essential in native work. The smell of it. That Australian bush smell. Silver dollar eucalyptus, seeded euca, gum leaves. Our florists use it as the backbone of most native bouquets because it adds that unmistakable something. And like everything native, it lasts ages.

Kangaroo paw I love. The fuzzy paw shaped flowers in reds and yellows and greens, even black sometimes. Unmistakably Australian. A bit more delicate than banksias so they don't last quite as long, but they add this movement and colour that's hard to get any other way.

Leucadendrons (I had to ask Anna how to spell that, and also how to pronounce it, which apparently I've been getting wrong for years) have this gorgeous burgundy and green toned foliage. Safari sunset is one variety. Not technically flowers, more coloured bracts, but stunning in arrangements.

Waratahs are spectacular but tricky. Those big red sculptural things that look almost prehistoric. They're seasonal though, mainly spring, and expensive when they are available. I remember a customer calling years ago absolutely set on waratahs for her daughter's wedding in January. I had to explain they just... don't exist in January. She wasn't happy. Fair enough, really, but there's only so much we can do about seasons.

Wattle. Our national flower. Absolutely beautiful, those fluffy yellow blooms. But. It drops. A lot. Some of our florists won't touch it for that reason. Others have figured out how to work with it but even then, if you receive wattle, maybe don't wear black that day. Enjoy it quickly. It's fleeting in that way, which is kind of poetic I suppose but also annoying if you've got yellow fluff all over your carpet.

When Natives Make Sense

What I've noticed over the years, going through orders and reviews and customer conversations, is that natives tend to come up for certain occasions more than others.

Sympathy flowers, constantly. Lynn ordered natives for her cousin who'd lost her husband and wrote that her cousin "sent me a photo and said how lovely they were." Jan sent a native arrangement interstate "for a sad occasion." Lena chose natives for sympathy and the recipient "phoned and told me they were beautiful." There's something about natives that feels right for grief. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because they're understated rather than showy. Maybe because they feel grounded, Australian, connected to the land somehow. I don't know. But the pattern is there.

Get well flowers too. Brenda specifically searched for "get well with native flowers." Makes sense when you think about it. Someone recovering at home or in hospital, you want flowers that'll last. Natives will still be going strong when they're back on their feet.

And then there was Jenny's review that made me properly smile. She sent natives to her 90 year old aunt who called the arrangement "magnificent." Older Australians especially seem to connect with them. They grew up with these flowers in the bush, in backyards, along roadsides. There's a nostalgia there that imported roses just can't touch.

The Honest Bits

Some things we've learned that are worth knowing. Not always the pleasant stuff.

Natives cost more. Our Native Arrangement starts at $136.30, which is higher than some of our traditional bunches. They're pricier because they're often sourced from specialist growers, they're seasonal, and they require florists who actually know what they're doing. Not every florist is confident with natives (which is part of why Tonya struggled to find them elsewhere). The flip side is they last significantly longer. So cost per day of enjoyment probably works out similar or better. I've never actually done that maths properly but it feels right.

Seasonality matters. Unlike roses which you can get year round (often imported), natives follow Australian seasons. This means substitution happens. If you order natives and your local florist doesn't have the exact banksia in our photo, they'll use what's fresh and available. The arrangement will still be native, still be beautiful, just might look a bit different. That's the nature of working with nature, I suppose. We mention this in our substitution policy but people don't always read those (fair enough, who does).

Sometimes things go wrong. Debra's review mentioned her native flowers arriving late, which she was disappointed about. We do deliver up until 7pm which catches some people off guard. Should probably make that clearer on the site, actually. Graham's review about his "just because" flowers being delivered with a Valentine's theme when that wasn't the intent, that one stung a bit. These things happen when you're coordinating with 800 different florists and sometimes wires get crossed. We try to fix it when they do.

I think about that moment in 2007 a lot. Not knowing what a banksia was. Pretending I did. Calling our florist to ask. And now, 18 years later, having sent thousands of native arrangements across Australia, having learned (slowly, imperfectly) from hundreds of florists who actually know this stuff...

I still wouldn't call myself an expert. Anna would roll her eyes if I did. But I know more than I did, and I know who to ask when I don't know, and I know that when someone calls wanting natives for their mum's 80th birthday or their friend going through chemo or their aunt who just loves Australian flowers, we can get that done. Same day if they order before 2pm weekdays. Beautiful arrangements made by actual florists who care.

Our native range is small, only four arrangements, but they're good. Our florists do lovely work with them. Based on the reviews (over 700 across those four products now) people genuinely love receiving them.

If you're not sure which to choose, you can always call. Our team's based in Armidale, real people, and Anna's usually around to answer the flower questions I still can't.

Anyway. That's what we know about natives. Or what we've learned, at least. Still learning, probably.