Create the Prettiest Summer Posy With Florist Alyssa Goodall
- Words by Peppermint
How to turn just-picked blooms into a just-so table arrangement? Forget the floral foam, says Alyssa Goodall, the clever soul behind the wild and whimsical bouquets of Collingwood’s Thrive Flowers. Instead, she uses chicken wire or vines, which do the job just fine – without poisoning the planet.
The green florist will appear at Melbourne’s Festival of Flowers, a three-month, workshop-filled celebration of all things pretty, pollinated and sustainable. Hosted by the good bunch at CERES, the Coburg event puts the spotlight on the not-so-rosy environmental impact of the flower industry (up to 90% of cut flowers in Australia are imports, flown in via refrigerated storage from countries as far away as Ecuador, Kenya and Columbia).
There’s tote-bag printing for kids, posy-making classes for grown-ups and, for those who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, there are organic blooms to be picked every Saturday morning on the banks of Merri Creek (30 bucks a bunch).
But what to do with those in-season sunflowers once they’re in your clutches? Alyssa shares her trade secrets below.
Your arrangements are so full of life. Any advice for us DIYers?
Choose an assortment of textures, shapes, sizes and colours – a combination of at least three or four flower varieties and assorted foliage will give your display contrast and make it more interesting. Also consider grouping your flowers together, which can create more impact than dispersing them evenly.
If you’re designing a front-facing arrangement, start with the taller stems and work your way to the short-stemmed varieties at the base of the vase. Choose a vase with a smaller opening and you won’t need as many flowers. And never use floral foam – instead, try chicken wire as a base for low, coloured vases and use vines for clear vases.
Which varieties should we be looking for in summer and autumn?
Keep an eye out for dahlias, cosmos, roses, hydrangeas, sunflowers, gerberas, carnations, paper daisies, kangaroo paw, banksia, chamomile, kale, marigolds and snapdragons.
Can you tell us a bit about the environmental impact of cut flowers?
Unfortunately, the floristry industry, unbeknown to most, isn’t as sustainable as we’d like it to be. There’s a very high volume of single-use plastics, including floral foam, plus green waste that’s not disposed of thoughtfully. And the increasing popularity of preserved flowers has introduced additional chemical usage and exposure to the industry.
Imports are another factor, as consumers want popular flowers to be available all year round. The travel involved is only one reason why we try to avoid them – there are also ethical elements at play, as well the potential exposure to additional chemicals due to overseas growing methods and because the flowers are required to be heavily sprayed when they reach Australian shores.
What can we do to make sure we’re buying sustainable blooms?
Ask your florist what’s in season and locally grown, or ask about the flowers’ country of origin. It’s important to support local businesses and farmers, and to steer clear of unnaturally preserved flowers. This way, you get to enjoy what our country can offer in the current season.
The Festival of Flowers is held at CERES Joe’s Market Garden in Coburg, Melbourne, from January to April 2024. Click here for more details!
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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🌻 The Paddington 🌻
This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Fabric: @Spoonflower
Model: MelaninGoddessEfon
“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
