Quince Flowers Toronto
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Quince Flowers

Issue 06

Written By Kathryn Sussman

Quince is not your average flower shop. Off the noisy and bustling Queen Street East, in Toronto, Quince is sensory oasis and a stylish boutique. The lush greenery throughout the store envelops, as you are hit with bright splashes of colour from the floral casements. Inside, a fresh sent wafts through the air, reminiscent of walking through the forest.

Each arrangement is a fusion of fresh flowers, unique pots and personal artistry designed by the Quince staff – a select crew of in-house artists with unique educational and professional backgrounds and a natural talent for floral design.

Quince Flowers Toronto

The owner, Rosemary Jeffares, who after running the floral and giftware division of Mark McEwan’s enterprise and a flower and cake shop with Dufflet Rosenberg, decided to bring her talent back to one location. “I like having the malleability of turning my space into whatever I want it to be,” Rosemary explains.

Her inspiration for her shop came while she was completing grad work in London and moonlighting as a florist. “I just loved the part of the industry that kept me in the city, yet connected to natural things and the beauty of flowers.”

Quince Flowers Toronto

Quince Flowers Toronto

Quince Flowers Toronto

For Rosie and her staff, it’s all about “the accoutrements and bringing together little details.” She buys her flowers from wild pickers, the local Ontario Flower Growers auction and the Food Terminal (during the growing season). “In the winter, there are small producers who grow lovely air ferns, succulents and orchids in their greenhouses” says Jeffares.  She describes how working with potted materials and collecting unusual mosses, twigs and lichen can all help to produce an individual and local artistic creation.

Quince Flowers Toronto

Quince Flowers Toronto

Quince Flowers Toronto
Photo Source: Quince Flowers

Quince: Arranging in the Winter

  • GET OUTSIDE: “Get out there, get some fresh air and pick,” Rosie recommends. “Pick from your evergreens for your base.” She recommends using what’s available to you, such as Cedar, Pine or bare branches. Then “buy flowering plants in the winter and cut from those.” Suggestions include potted Azaleas, Cyclamen bulbs, Tulips and Hyacinth.
  • BLOOMS THAT LAST: For those less inclined to create from scratch, try buying blooms that last such as Orchids, Amaryllis and Chrysanthemums.
  • GO MONOCHROMATIC: For a sophisticated look, work with one colour. When making a monochromatic arrangement, make it multi-bultanic. Instead of all the same flower, use a mix of different flowers that are all the same colour scheme.
  • OFF PALETTE: When working within a constant colour spectrum, include one bloom that is totally off palette. The colour story will have a bit more range now, so have fun with it.
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