Rita Feldmann has been surrounded by flowers since birth. A second-generation florist, she spent her early youth selling flowers from the back of a horse-drawn milk-cart in Melbourne’s South Yarra. In her teens, Rita began working alongside her mother servicing the weekly requirements of hotels and on large-scale events, happily performing the fiddly corsage wiring work for hundreds of hotel guests per week.
During the 90s, Rita studied Botany at Melbourne University and a Post-graduate Diploma of Science Journalism. For a decade until 2006, Rita juggled freelance writing and working in the family’s flower shop “The Big Bunch” which was highly regarded throughout Melbourne for its exceptional standard of flowers and design.
In 2006 Rita started Blooming Brides and moved back to the Dandenong Ranges. The business very quickly become established as the preferred supplier for multiple wedding venues throughout the Yarra Valley.
Rita now trades under her own name, providing floral design and installations for weddings and events throughout the Yarra Valley, Melbourne and on the Mornington Peninsula.
PHILOSOPHY
My inspiration comes from nature and from spending most of my life in the Dandenong Ranges.
My goal with each floristry job is to do something unique that celebrates the best of what is in season locally in the chosen space.
I design to support our local industry and growers. We are so fortunate in this region as it produces such a large percentage of cut flowers for the Australian market.
I do not use any floral foam and started the #nofloralfoam movement in the flower industry. Floral foam is a bulky, non-biodegradable, non-recyclable plastic material that does not biodegrade. It becomes a microplastic very quickly, contaminating the environment and water system. A recent study showed that it can be consumed by aquatic animals and leach toxic compounds. Over the years I have designed many different structures that allow for huge aerial displays and freestanding arrangements and I’ve found that not using foam has directed me to a whole new level of creativity and design.
I started the Sustainable Floristry Network In keeping with the principles of the organisation, I do not use imported flowers because of the carbon footprint associated with flying perishable flowers into the country and because of the heavy use of chemicals in the quarantine process, which stipulates fumigation and devitalisation of many varieties to stop the introduction of pest and propagation. This process can involve immersing the majority of the cut stem into a glyphosate solution (otherwise known as “Round-Up”). Because of health and environmental concerns associated with the use of this chemical, I do not wish to expose myself, my co-workers or my clients to the chemically treated stems.
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11 сен 2024
