Meet the FLORIST: TARRYN RICHARDSON

June 2024

Welcome to a new season! Yes, winter is here, folks, and to kick off the cool change we feature Perth-based florist Tarryn Richardson, whose colourful creations are sure to bring a ray of summer sunshine to the coming chillier months. Tarryn is the owner of Sonny and Willow, where she can be found most days busily creating stunning arrangements for home delivery. She also caters to a small number of weddings and events throughout the year, working closely with her clients to ensure the bouquets and installations for their special day are all they could wish for.

Always drawn to colourful things, Tarryn has been working with flowers since she was 18. She still takes inspiration from nature and the blooms she works with every day. Tarryn loves using soft pastel palettes in her work, but her style has recently evolved to include fun brights as well, making Sonny and Willow well-known for their dreamy bouquets dripping with colour.

I personally adore the abundance of hues in Tarryn’s floral wonderland. Tarryn creates the most romantic and joyful arrangements that overflow with generous groupings of blooms and foliage. If you scroll through her Instagram page, you’ll see a cornucopia of arrangements in a multitude of pink, orange, red, yellow, peach, apricot, lilac and cream shades, all displayed on her signature dusty-pink backdrop. They are simply irresistible and never fail to make me smile!

Our flower for June is Tarryn’s favourite: blue delphinium. Here’s what Tarryn had to say when I interviewed her for our 2024 Planner.

1/ Can you tell us a bit about your everyday life at Sonny & Willow?

Each workday, we wake up at 4.30 am to be at our wholesaler at 5.30 am, then come back to the studio and prep all our flowers, do the orders and get them ready for delivery. Three days a week we reply to our wedding and event enquiries. Mostly Thursdays and Fridays are wedding/event prep and every few months we spend a day working on new products for our online store.

2/ What are some of your favourite flowers that inspire you? Why

I'm a lover of all pastel flowers. My favourites are cosmos, which I grow in my garden, and blue delphinium. I love that both go with anything. The blue delphinium has always been such a favourite of mine, I love its individual delicate petals. I love watching the cosmos grow from seed to bloom; watching something grow really makes you appreciate life.

3/ Do you have any fun facts, growing tips or styling tips about cosmos or delphinium you’d like to share? 

I planted my first cosmos last spring. I let them grow but have learnt it’s best to cut them so they multiply. It took a few goes to get them right – once they are neglected, they are doomed. I'm looking forward to planting more at the end of winter so that they’ll be ready for summer weddings.

4/ Sustainability is a growing trend in the floristry industry. Flower growers and designers have become more mindful in lessening the impacts to our beautiful nature. What does sustainability mean to you and your garden? If you could give any advice to aspiring flower lovers, what would that be? 

Being sustainable is sometimes a difficult task in floristry. I have been trying to grow some of my own flowers as most of our florals are imported and come in a heap of packaging. We are doing our best to recycle our waste properly and re-use where we can and use biodegradable wrap, etc. We haven't done this yet, but I saw an idea where leftover event blooms are sold as seconds – I love that concept. It's definitely something that I would be interested in doing in the future.

You can find out more about Tarryn via her website and instagram page.

SHOP THE DELPHINIUM COLLECTION