Company of Flowers

Locally Grown Seasonal Bouquets.

Esther Bosshard is the talented young woman behind the gorgeous bouquets of old fashioned and heritage blooms that she grows on urban plots dotted around the city. She supplements what she grows with foraged beauties and brings her artistic eye to bear to create harmony and interest within her bouquets.

Esther is a graduate from the Dunedin School of Art. After graduating she spent a couple of years working before reading Erin Benzakein’s wonderful book, Floret Farm which inspired her and gave her confidence to begin her urban flower growing venture.

She has adopted Curtis Stone’s model of urban farming whereby people with unwanted lawns or disused vegetable gardens allow others without land to use it productively. She has found people to be exceptionally generous and she currently has 4 plots that she actively gardens.

Esther grew up with family that had gardens and she is accustomed to fresh flowers and vegetables in her life. However, it has still been a steep learning curve with lots of trial and error and tons of really hard work. Not only has she had to learn about what plants will grow well, but she also needed to acquaint herself with floristry techniques and how to condition cut flowers so that they last well in the vase.

Esther is also a painter. Her two worlds obviously dovetail but it is the farmers market where she gets a sense of connection. She loves the exposure it offers her and has many repeat customers. Esther has a stunning website and will happily undertake wedding flowers or flowers for other special occasions.

Esther spends Friday at first light picking flowers and foliage and then creates her bouquets later that day. She transports the flowers to the market in the back of her car. You will find Esther at the southern end of the carpark.