We're Lizzie & Ruth

We began working together 26 years ago at Colenso, the much-loved Coromandel café Ruth founded with her husband, Andy, in 1990.

When we began working together, both of us assumed it was a short-term arrangement – for Lizzie, a perfect summer job during her university holidays, and for Ruth, a much-needed extra pair of hands to enable her to spend more time with her four children.

But as Colenso grew from an orchard selling organic fruit into a highly successful, award-winning café, Lizzie became an integral part of our team.

We discovered we work well together – we bounce ideas off each other, we value each other's opinion, we trust one another - and we both love our gardens!  After Colenso was sold in 2014, we realised the timing was perfect to fulfil our dream of becoming floral stylists.

Together, we can make an idea evolve into a reality. Ruth is always on board with new trends and never says any idea is too hard. Lizzie has original design ideas and a great ability to understand a bride's vision and to make it happen.

We'd love to bring your vision for your wedding day to life!

Where We Find Our Flowers

Overlooking stunning Hahei, Lizzie and her husband Graham’s 600-acre farm has panoramic views of Hot Water Beach, Cook’s Beach and Mahurangi Island.  There, Lizzie has an extensive garden, which has become a fabulous source of foliage, flowers and greenery for our creations.

Grandiflora magnolia is used for table centrepieces, bouquets and to decorate the ladders and wreaths we use in marquees. Leaves from the native kawakawa (which grows in costal areas) are also used for large arrangements, including arches.

Ivy grows up the huge, established trees at the farm and is integrated into our arrangements, providing earthy green tones to offset the soft textures and colours of the flowers.  Leaves from puka trees are put to good use in simple table centrepieces, with a bit of hibiscus added in for colour.

A wall of jasmine grows around Lizzie’s chicken pen and this too is used in our arrangements. Beautiful camellias are used for both their flower and their foliage. Alstroemerias, often found in markets, grow in flowerbeds.

We love using in season flowers and foliage and seed heads when they’re abundant and at their very best.

Lizzie grows dahlias, daisies, clivias, calendulas, scented geranium, winter roses, poppies and sweet peas. Pretty hydrangeas grow in the shade to help them keep their colour longer.

There’s an extensive orchard too, where citrus trees grow in abundance along with peaches, plums, nectarines, olives, feijoas, tamarillos, persimmons, avocados and figs.

Herbs from each of our extensive herb gardens are also used, providing bouquets with a gorgeous fragrance.

We also gather roadside flowers (much to Lizzie’s kids’ embarrassment!) We are constantly on the lookout for wild plants and flowers that will give our floral arrangements a unique point of difference. 

And if we can’t find what we need in Lizzie’s garden – or on the side of the road - we visit markets to find the special flowers we’re after.

Find out what we can do for you!