Elizabeth Johnson and George Low, Glebe
Elizabeth and George have been working together as florists for over 25 years, opening Glebe flower emporium, Seed Flora, in 2006.
Known by locals for their spectacular store front display that changes with the seasons, George and Elizabeth have attracted a diverse customer base of Glebe residents, corporates and wedding events – that stretch from this side of the year until Christmas.
Elizabeth says she always knew her work would be with flora.
“Since I was a little girl I just haven’t been able to help myself picking flowers and bringing them in to the house,” she said.
“And I know that when George came to Australia he just asked for a job at a local florist and found he was a real natural, he just kept copying and copying and learning,” Elizabeth said.
Seed Flora is known for its robust, seasonal and highly fragrant arrangements, and are particularly renowned for their work with the David Jones’s Spring Flower Show, which the Seed Flora team curate annually.
On Valentines Day, Elizabeth is ambivalent and says it’s a very interesting time of year.
“It’s a crazy day for us, but fun. We have a wedding on, so it will be a bit different this year – also because this year it is on a Saturday. Valentines Days in the past have tended to be quite ‘office’-centric,” she said.
“There are people who we only see in our store on Valentines Day, so it will be a good chance to catch up!”
A quirk of Seed Flora’s nature-loving vibe, is its massive Instagram following, which is bigger than the population of Glebe itself! I’m sure many of its followers wouldn’t mind living in the shadow of Seed Flora’s constant bloom.
What flowers would you get:
Your one true love
Elizabeth says go straight for a bunch of wild, robust David Austen Roses. Unlike the crass hyper-commercialised kind, these roses are multi-faceted, complex and cannot be tamed – just like your love!
An inappropriate crush
You certainly can’t get your teacher or partner’s brother a round of red roses, or everyone will know what’s up. Elizabeth suggests a simple and beautiful bouquet of lotuses – not exactly discrete, but at least they are not totally obvious.
Your perennially single friend
A beautiful bouquet that is fragrant and sweet – gardenias or any bloom that is in season.
A maligned politician
Nothing says ‘my condolences’ like a big bouquet of the biggest, most rambunctious bunch of sun flowers you can find. Elizabeth says they signify positivity and that ‘things will get better’…maybe for everyone!
