Meet Sonya Gardiner, flower lover.
Her publication, 'Flowerseekers' is a new magazine that brings flower lovers together in a lush bouquet of beautiful images.
Meet Sonya Gardiner, flower lover.
With a name like Gardiner, I guess you had to go into the plant world?
Well, actually I married into that, but I did grow up with a love of gardening and flowers. I managed a law firm for 20-odd years and flowers were my therapy.
About five years ago I worked and studied floristry part-time and that’s when my flower education really opened up.
How did the Flowerseekers come about?
As it turned out I had to go back to my law firm job full-time, and I missed the flower world so much. I had the idea for a magazine and chatted to florists
and growers who were all super supportive. It was my therapy on the train - I had a two-hour commute every day, and basically put the magazine together
on the train.
Flowerseekers is available at www.flowerseekers.com
What’s it all about?
It’s a magazine that connects the flower lovers with the flowers. I put the magazine together from the perspective of a flower lover. I want to know where
the flowers come from, find out about design and colour trends, hear the stories of the florists and meet the artists and stylists who use flowers
as their medium or muse. Flowers appear in many situations - interiors, design, food... not just weddings! The idea was to showcase talent here in
Australia, so that people.
Is the magazine online only?
Initially it was just online. The number of readers who want to hold a physical magazine, and keep it and make a collection, keeps growing, so we do an
ever-increasing print run. I feel I’m always down at the post office!
How do you put flowers into your daily life?
I live in sand on the Central Coast so I grow flowers in pots and tubs. And I’ve converted my laundry into a Flower Room. It’s my happy space where I hang
out with my dogs and plan the next season’s magazine - surrounded by floral art, flower books and flowers. I go to the flower markets once a week to
keep in touch with what’s in season. People enjoy flowers for many different reasons - flowers like music can evoke memories of occasions and I love
hearing from people why they love flowers. For me - I enjoy the visual beauty - the colour and structures of each different bloom and bringing living
elements of nature into my home to enjoy is the ultimate.
The new issue of Flowerseekers is available at www.flowerseekers.com
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