I Handpick the best locally grown seasonal flowers and foliage to create considered and beautiful floral arrangements that celebrate our environment and our community.
My florist studio is at The Mill Castlemaine
Handpicked Ethical Floristry is an online studio based florist that specialises in wedding, event, corporate and venue flowers, and also sells fresh seasonal original bouquets that are designed to complement the unique beauty of each bloom. Every unique floral display is handpicked and arranged with the utmost care just for you. Bouquets, vase arrangements, hampers and corporates are delivered in the Castlemaine area on Dja Dja Wurrung country. And Handpicked designs wedding and event florals across the North Central Victorian area in Castlemaine, Macedon, Daylesford, Bendigo, Ballarat and beyond.
Ali founded ‘Handpicked’ to provide an alternative for those who wanted the flowers they buy to reflect the way they care for their environment and their community.
Ethical, supportive and sustainable.
Handpicked Ethics
– In-season purchasing
– Supporting local growers, minimising transport
– Minimal packaging, from seed to bouquet
– Environmentally friendly wrapping
– Green waste composted locally
Why ‘ethical’ floristry?
Flower production, flower importing and floristry sundries are big polluters. Many flowers are imported from other countries, they come with high travel miles, a huge amount of non-biodegradable packaging, and are sprayed with harmful chemicals.
‘Handpicked’ buys from local growers, and constantly researches and opts for flowers that have been grown with consideration and care for the environment and prefers flower growers who use minimal or no plastic wrapping to sell and transport their flowers.
Handpicked uses environmentally friendly wrapping and avoids the use of cellophane and plastics. Ali collects her stems, leaves and any other green waste and composts it locally.
Once your flowers are at an end, please dispose of them in your green waste bin, or in your own compost area.
Meet me, Ali
A qualified and experienced florist I started in the industry over 20 years ago and have worked in top boutiques, hotels and event florists in London, Melbourne, Daylesford and Castlemaine. Confident in my technical skills and flower knowledge I have a considered and attentive approach to my work.
I’ve always been interested in nature and flowers and grew up in Smiths Gully, a small hamlet next to St Andrews, at the base of Kinglake mountain. Exploring and foraging in the natural flora, walking the beautiful hills, and wading through dams and creeks were some of my favourite past times.
The first signs of flower design were seen in my creating little posies of hand picked flowers to give to my Mum, and making daisy chains which I’d wear all day until the daisies drooped.
I love the natural beauty of flowers, seed heads, leaves, nuts, buds and ferns. I exploit the perfect imperfections that living plants and flowers produce, and use colour, shape and texture to bring my bouquets and floristry to rich and creative displays.
My goal is to use my style and expertise to bring you beautiful environmentally conscious bouquets of choice seasonal flowers.
Ali acknowledges that she works on Dja Dja Wurrung country. She pays her respects to the traditional owners of the land and acknowledges that sovereignty was never ceded.