No matter the season, bringing a bit of the outdoors into your home is always a welcome touch. If you don’t have access to a garden, plants and flowers can be purchased almost anywhere these days, but there’s something to be said about supporting smaller businesses where foliage and blooms are an art. From Insta-famous floral designers to popular online shops offering the best selection of rare plants, these are 10 BIPOC-owned flower and plant businesses across Canada that you can shop right now.
FleuRich Creations
Kelowna, British Columbia’s FleuRich Creations is a floral design and lifestyle boutique that offers a curated selection of floral arrangements each week in addition to seasonal workshops and full-service weddings. Owner Laurence Rich is a creative soul who believes in finding ways to add beauty to every day, not only for special occasions.
PLANTiful Minds
Eloise moved from Korea in 2016 to live and study in Canada. When she began PLANTiful Minds in 2019, it was the first rare plant shop in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. In addition to her popular business – which offers delivery right across Canada – she is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Linguistics and is an avid backyard farmer. Eloise offers a wide selection of hoyas, syngoniums, aroids and more.
Blooming Flower Bar
Based in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood, Blooming Flower Bar is a Black-owned, female-operated business that offers a magical selection of fresh-cut flowers and plants. While there isn’t a storefront to shop in, loyal clients go to them for made-to-order bouquets, inspired by nature’s colour palette and hand-arranged by designer Anji Shukla. What made them popular in Toronto’s East End and beyond is their Happy Hour Instagram-only special.
Lumsden Florist
Located in Downtown Lumsden, Saskatchewan, Lumsden Florist is a Métis-owned shop that offers a wonderful selection of flowers, house plants, smudge bundles and so much more. Florist Rachel Brimacombe grew up in small-town Saskatchewan but is an adventurer at heart, and specializes in unique floral designs inspired by her travels. The shop also has workshops and take-home kits for customers who want to explore their crafty side.
Little Buds & Posies
Angela Ferguson’s Little Buds & Posies is a full-service wedding floral studio serving Ontario’s Bruce Grey Simcoe region, including Owen Sound, Collingwood and the Blue Mountains. Angela hails from Kenya, where the beauty of flowers is not only celebrated but is also one of the country’s largest exports. She has translated this love of floristry into her studio, working with clients to design personalized colour palettes and flower options to create the perfect wedding setting.
House of Plants
House of Plants in Ottawa, Ontario specializes in helping people bring greenery into indoor spaces. Judie Tu started the business online during the pandemic and it has now expanded into a storefront that includes a selection of greenery for all levels of plant owners, from low-light and drought-tolerant options to indoor tropicals and succulents.
Miss Boon
Based in Montreal, Sarah Nagué launched her online plant shop, Miss Boon, in the summer of 2018. With an emphasis on both trendy plants and hidden treasures, people go to Sarah for cuttings, imported and domestic plants, planters and accessories, plus expert advice on how to select and care for plants. If you’re in the Montreal area, visit her boutique near the Jean-Talon Market. Sarah also offers consultation services for homes and businesses, and a monthly plant subscription service.
Portland Market
Located in Toronto’s King West neighbourhood, Portland Market’s Irene Hickman shares her life-long love of plants that started on the Korean peach farm where she was born and raised. Hickman brings nature to the concrete jungle through her selection of succulents, houseplants and even local produce from her family farm.
Luxe Blooms Flower Cafe
Ottawa’s Byward Market is home to Michelle Louis-Jean’s Luxe Blooms Flower Cafe, an Insta-worthy shop where you can pick up beautiful floral arrangements or enjoy coffee and a pastry surrounded by pink flowers. Their signature item is Infinity Roses, which are fresh roses that have been preserved with a proprietary solution to maintain their fresh appearance for up to three years. They also have a wide selection of other fresh and dried flower arrangements, plus their “Bites and Blooms” selections that combine flowers with dainty macarons.
Hitomi Gilliam and DESIGN358
Hitomi Gilliam is a Japanese-Canadian floral artist, educator, keynote lecturer and consultant in all things floral design. After owning and operating Satsuki’s Florist in Mission, British Columbia for 28 years, she launched DESIGN358 – a company that offers educational content and events to the floral industry – alongside her son, Colin. Workshops are available in person, but there’s also an extensive library of video tutorials on her website. She’s not only one of Canada’s leading experts on the art and business of floral design but she’s brought her knowledge and talent throughout North America and around the world.
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