Love Blooms

Photo source: NutterButter

I'm not much for Hallmark Valentine's Days complete with cards of the aforementioned brand, extravagent gifts (save the diamonds for a meaningful occasion gentlemen) and dinners at I-want-to-be-seen-here restaurants. That's not to say I don't like the idea of a card, a gift or a special meal shared between loved ones. Far, far from it. Genuine, personal and meaningful are just three little words that should be part of any plan for the upcoming Day of Love.

I believe in blooms picked from over the neighbour's fence, little notes tucked into lunch bags and using heart-shaped cookie cutters to inject some love into everything from a shortbread to an otherwise dull pile of mash (ooh, can someone try that?! Red, hot idea: roast some beetroot and blend with potato!). Let's not forget a kiss and a wink to round it off.

Married, engaged, partnered, single, dating, divorced or otherwise, flowers are for everybody. They don't have to be "from" somebody, they just are. The glorious florist in Flinders Lane, Melbourne (Whitemoss) has this saying posted on their website: 'Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful.They are food, medicine and sunshine to the soul'. Just walking by Whitemoss is good for my soul. One look at that white, decorative bike bursting with blooms puts a spring in my step. Enter the tiny store and they'll give you a 101 on flower varieties if you ask for it (or need it, like me). Some snowballs caught my eye awhile back and I had to have them for home because I'm a fan of their cousin, the hydrangea. The florist wrapped them in the tres chic Whitemoss style (dark paper with a paper doily wrapped around the base), answered all my questions about the variety and wrote the botanical name for snowballs (viburnum) on a business card for me. You'll get cheaper flowers elsewhere, but Whitemoss provides the whole experience for special times.

For a cheap thrill, just walk by and appeciate their displays. The current Valentine's Day window features big pink letters that shout "LOVE IS THE DRUG" above bags of blood and chemical formula scribbled on the windows. I laughed out loud when I saw it for the first time. A little avant-garde, a little genius.

Excuse the hasty photo, I took it while trying, unsucessfully, to dodge the pouring rain earlier this evening.

Whitemoss
1a/241 Flinders Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9663 2221
www.whitemoss.com.au