Get Race Ready with BG Flowers and Runya's Room

Flower crowns aren’t just for little girls anymore. They’re perfect for spring races, hens parties, for brides and their maids, and for anytime you’re in the mood to sport blooms. And with the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival nearing, comes another excuse to get your flower glow on! In this week’s feature and in time for the thoroughbred races, we chat with Jinny Chung of BG Flowers so we can learn more about their business. Read on as Jinny shares about her start plus insider tips to becoming a florist.

Get in on a 15% discount for their October 25th Flower Crown & Lux High Tea Workshop (code: bgflowers15). Plus, 10% off all other flower crown workshops in the next 3 days (code: bgflowers10). Exciting!

How did you get into floristry?

As a young girl, my mum taught me the Korean-style of Ikebana and I loved it! From there it grew into a hobby that later blossomed into a career.

How did you learn? Did you have formal training?

I would say my training has been part formal training and part real-life experience and practice. I’m always looking out for interesting workshops, as it’s important to keep abreast of new trends and techniques. There’s nothing like practising to improve and grow, and there’s no better teacher than your own mistakes!

How did your career as a florist progress?

I was quite lucky and fate seemed to guide me in the right direction. I’ve met many people along the way who have inspired me, guided me, and helped shape me into the florist I am today. I’ve been running BG Flowers for over ten years now. 🙂

When and why did you start your workshops?

I taught my first workshop about four years ago after being asked numerous times by clients. It was a terrarium workshop and it was a whole lot of fun!

What type of classes do you run?

At the moment, just flower crown workshops but we’ll be running more workshops throughout the year including bouquet arranging, Christmas wreaths, table centrepiece, and dry flowers arrangements, as well.

Do you run both the BG Flowers and the workshops?

I do run both. Luckily, I have a great team of florists who work with me so I haven’t had to worry. I know our clients are in good hands at the store even when I’m not around. Our clients love to come in not just to pick up flowers, but also to see the flowers, smell them, and just as importantly, to have a chat! Our workshops are an extension of this passion for blooms and our dedication to sharing this love.

Are there any other special perks to the job?

As a florist, you get to really know your clients. Some become friends, some even become like family, after years of hearing their stories and preparing blooms for their important moments. From weddings to graduations to last-minute “I forgot our anniversary” arrangements – it’s a definite perk of the job and it keeps every day interesting!

Can you tell us about your partnership with Runya’s Room?

I established and ran BG flowers for 12 years. A couple years ago, The Oh Yeah Group (which own Runya’s Room, Café de la Ville, and more) purchased the business. It’s been great for us, especially from an events perspective. We do a lot of weddings and special events and so, having a catering company under the same roof is great.

When we decided to start doing flower crown workshops, it only made sense to partner up with Runya’s Room. What would better fit than an elegant champagne & high tea salon in the middle of St. Collins Lane for a flower crown workshop!

Which class seems to be most popular? What does it involve?

They all have done well in the past but flower crowns are particularly popular at the moment. It’s easy to see why: They’re fun to wear and simple to make once you know how.

Have you seen some of your past students progress from the skills they learned in class?

One of our students actually decided to become a florist after she attended a few of our workshops - she was a yoga instructor when we met!

So when you want to learn something new about floristry, what are your favourite resources?

Inspiration comes from everywhere: blogs, social media, workshops… and then it’s down to practice, practice, practice.

Do you have a favourite flower?

I love most flowers… except gerberas.

Finally, do you have any exciting plans coming up?

We recently did work with St Collins Lane to do their Vogue American Express Fashion Night Out – that was a lot of fun working with all the different designers. Moving forward, we’d love to do even more collaborations with fashion and beauty clients. We’re also planning to do an exhibition to show how flowers connect through daily life.