Botany – Flowers Done Naturally
Botany; “The study of the physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, distribution, classification, and economic importance of plants.”
Botany began in 2020 as a sustainable alternative to traditional floristry. I had been working as a florist for over 10 years, and had been growing increasingly uncomfortable with the state of the industry.
My daily experience was of mountains of plastic sleeves, that were taken off bunches after trips to the market, and thrown straight in the bin. Functions and weddings that produced trash cans full of floral foam destined for landfill after one day’s use. Bouquets sent out dressed up in paper, plastic, tissue, cellophane, ribbons and stickers that would all be taken off and tossed within hours of them being received.
I knew there must be a way to do it differently.
Wanting to put this idea to the test, in June of 2020 I opened Botany as an online floral delivery store, offering locally grown & seasonal flowers that were sourced free from plastic sleeves, and arranged artfully into reusable glass vases.
Since then, Botany has developed a strong following of delighted customers that are keen to support our sustainability-driven business.
In addition to the plastic-free and locally grown ethos, Botany also gives back to the environment that provides all those beautiful flowers, by donating to Greenfleet. This amazing organization regenerates land by planting native and biodiverse forests designed to create habitat and capture carbon.
The business has also recently added a vase returns program for its customers, so that any Botany vases that are not needed can be sent back & reused in other orders, creating a more circular system.
As the business develops our online offerings continue to grow. We are now proud to be supporting fellow Melbourne-based small businesses with similar, strong environmental ethics in the form of our Local Store. This section of our website is a place where beautiful, high-quality, and environmentally friendly products are sourced to supply our lovely customers throughout Melbourne and the rest Australia.
With your help we will continue to grow, develop, and work towards improving our industry for the better. We look forward to future projects and our ongoing mission to make floristry the way it should be.
There’s still so much work to be done, and we’re not resting on our florals laurels!
Natural. Sustainable. Local. Seasonal. That’s us.
Ellen Douglas