Frequently Asked Questions

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My name is Steve, and I am a 40-something kiwi born and bred in the Waikato.  From an early age I have loved gardening - growing my first veggie patch when I was ten years old!   Growing things is in my DNA - it teaches us so many things.  It is also such great therapy!

After spending twenty plus years in corporate roles I resigned my job in 2023 to take a career break and re-think my future.  During my downtime I enrolled in the NZ Certificate in Floristry (L4) to scratch my long held itch for being a florist.  Combining my extensive amateur knowledge of gardening, and the creative component of floristry I started to plan a future where all my passions could come together: gardening, floristry, environmental responsibility, empathy and shared positivity.  Out of this the idea for The Naked Florist was born!

I grow 95% of the flowers and foliage I deliver and have hands-on knowledge and expertise of the things that I grow and design.  I can give you information about what is delivered, how to look after it and personalise arrangements for you.  My mission is to be environmentally responsible, growing seasonal flowers and foliage that don't require chemicals, importing or large greenhouses.  I am not an average florist!

My vision is to provide my customers with fresh, home-grown seasonal floral arrangements and great personal customer service.  My flowers, foliage and plants are grown in my backyard to be low carbon, low chemical and low impact on the environment.  Sometimes arrangements will be supplemented with additional flowers, foliage or materials from other sustainable and local sources – but the same ethos behind it will remain.  My aim is to share the love of growing beautiful things with my customers by sharing information and about how to care for their flowers to make them last as long as possible.

Most flowers will last five to seven days in a vase, however I endeavour to grow things that have a decent vase life and some things may last longer.  An arrangement should last into its second weekend, especially if you look after it well - refreshing the water every few days and recutting the stems.  Some components will last longer so you may need to clean out the arrangement within a fortnight.  I will provide you with helpful instructions on how to do this with every delivery. 

My focus is to grow and make beautiful, seasonal floral arrangements that suit the season. This means that whatever is available and growing at the time of the year will be included in arrangements.  For example, in early spring it will be mostly beautiful fresh spring bulbs (like tulips, daffodils, anemone and ranunculi, gladioli and dutch iris).  As spring progresses into summer and annuals come on, flowers like sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos and asters will be available, as will flowering perennials like achillea, chrysanthemums, statice, hollyhocks and delphiniums.  Other perennial shrubs like hydrangea will come into season towards summer, and then warmer weather perennials following  that, like dahlias and peonies. Later in summer we would have early autumn annuals, like lupins and foxgloves coming through.  All arrangements will be mixed and include other flowering shrubs and foliage sourced from my garden or from other suitable sources and might include proteas, leucadendron, wattle, eucalyptus, ferns, flax, monstera, lilies, pittosporum and native manuka or kanuka.

There may be occasions where the weather or adverse events might impact certain species and productivity of the garden.  In this case I may deliver alternatives to you as part of your regular subscription, such as dried flowers or plants.  In extreme cases some arrangements might be supplemented with market sourced flowers.  I will do my best to deliver you a beautiful home-made arrangement at all times!  Sometimes a normal sized arrangement may be replaced by 2-3 smaller size arrangements depending on what is available. 

If you are not happy with the delivery, where it may be impacted by seasonal variations, then I am happy to do my best to make it right for you.  

Unfortunately due to the nature of my garden and growing capacity I cannot do specific flowers to order.

I grow a big range of annuals, perennials, shrubs, bulbs and other plants.  Your arrangement may include some of the following varieties:

Acacia, Achillea,, Alstromeria, Amaranthus, Anemone, Aquilegia, Aster, Bells of Ireland, Bishops Flower, Campanula, Caprosma, Celosia, Chrysanthemum, Cosmos, Craspedia, Daffodils, Dahlia, Delphinium, Eucalyptus, Ferns, Feverfew, Flax, Fressias, Gardenia, Gladioli, Godetia, Gomphrena, Hellebore, Hollyhock, Honesty, Hydrangea, Iris, Lavender, Leucadendron, Lisianthus, Lupin, Phylicia, Pittosporum, Poppy, Ranuncula, Salvia, Scabiosa, Snapdragons, Statice, Stock, Strawflower, Sunflower, Sweet Pea, Tulip, Viburnum, Veronica, Viscaria and Zinnia!

No problem, let me know and I will make sure I tailor your arrangements.  I aim to make your arrangements something that will suit you, within reason and what is available.  Let me know what you love and hate, whether you have pets or kids, and if you have allergies so I can make sure you get the best delivery every time.

95% of the content in The Naked Florist arrangements is home-grown in Kelston in my big back yard!  I hand grow most of the bulbs, annuals and perennials from seed over the season, and use shrubs, ferns and other plants that I grow in my garden for additional foliage. I might supplement arrangements with additional flowers and foliage sourced locally if available. 

The small backyard I have is very productive and chemical free.  My commitment to sustainability extends to on-site composting, worm farming and using environmentally friendly products and suppliers wherever possible.  

Depending on your event and request I may supplement what I ave grown wth locally grown market sourced flowers to ensure you receive top quality flowers and good value for money at all times. 

Traditional floristry practices are often criticised for not being sustainable, including high waste and higher than assumed carbon footprints.  Whilst we have good access to commercial, local growers in Auckland, the waste and processing of wholesale flowers can still leave its mark on the environment.  The Naked Florists ethos is to be as sustainable as possible, to make beautiful blooms that look good, but are also good for the environment. Aside from growing produce locally in a sustainable and chemical free suburban backyard, my focus is to only use recyclable or recycled packaging where possible.  This is one main reason why arrangements in fortnightly subscriptions are delivered in vessels – they can be reused and there is no packaging! Subscriptions are delivered by The Naked Florist in a fully electric vehicle.  And remember, when your flowers are done, they should go in the compost!

I deliver everything that I make, 

If you are home, I will happily place the arrangement  inside, in a location of your choosing and finalise any last-minute tweaks and make sure the vase is replenished with water.  If you are not home, I will leave it in a safe, shady space for you to collect when you return home.  Note that due to logistics this option is only available for locations within Auckland (south of Albany and North of Manukau).  Standard delivery is $9.50.

For more regional  and rural locations delivery can be arranged for $15. The price will be confirmed once you order and will be based on your location.

If you wish to subscribe but live outside this area, the arrangements will be delivered by same-day courier.  The charge is approximately $20 depending on location for Auckland city deliveries. For more regional locations the charge may be more.  The price will be confirmed once you sign up and will be based on your location.

For event work, one delivery is included, but additional  trips are chargeable.

Subscriptions include arrangements in vases or vessels and they will be delivered that way. You can retain the vase until your next delivery to ensure your arrangement stays beautiful, whilst also reducing packaging!  The vase is on loan from The Naked Florist for that period and must be returned or available for collection when your next arrangement is delivered.  

I aim to use beautiful, unique, vintage, repurposed or ethically made/sourced vessels for designs and rely on these being returned. If any vase or vessel becomes damaged, broken or lost there will be a $99 charge (each) invoiced to you.  

If you purchase an arrangement including the vase this is yours (or the recipients) to keep!

For other events or specific design arrangements a vase/vessel hire fee or loan agreement will be made, depending on the event.

Order online before midday for flowers and gifts to be delivered the next business day.  I am flexible and can tailor delivery if you get in touch with me in advance. 

For subscriptions, the easiest way is to sign-up via monthly payments via bank transfer.  Totals will be confirmed in advance and an invoice will be provided to you. 

Yes! However, depending on the size and nature of the event I will likely need to source outside materials from the market to create a bespoke design for you.  

If you are interested, please drop me a line and I can talk you through what would be available for your event. 

No worries, drop me a line on Instagram @thenakedfloristnz or steve@thenakedflorist.co.nz and I will sort you out as soon as I can! 

Full terms and conditions are available, just ask.