What do two Australian florists do with three days in Paris in the depths of winter?
When the trees are bare, parks are brown and grey, and gardens rest for the season ahead, the search for flowers simply takes another form.
Following a three-day immersive workshop at Madrid Blooms featuring six internationally recognised floral designers, Rebecca Const of Fox & Rabbit and I arrived in Paris high on flowers, with just a few days before our long journey home to Perth. After travelling so far for professional development, skipping Paris was never an option.
With the cold and rain of winter, the obvious floral experiences were limited, so we looked beyond traditional flower displays and planned an itinerary exploring the many other ways flowers influence the city – from art and museums to palace gardens, hotels and florist shops.
A visit to the Musée de L’Orangerie was at the top of the list. Designed by Monet himself as a space for contemplation, his monumental Nymphéas (Water Lilies) paintings remain one of the most immersive floral experiences in Paris. The eight expansive canvases surround visitors with shimmering greens, violets and blues, creating the sensation of sitting beside the water garden at Monet’s former home in Giverny. The museum also housed floral works by Renoir, Matisse and Rousseau.
The Four Seasons Hotel George V provided respite from the winter rain and the perfect backdrop to experience the dramatic floral installations of renowned hotel florist Jeff Leatham. His signature approach – bold, theatrical and unforgettable, was evident in billowing clouds of rich pink gypsophila and phalaenopsis orchids displayed in glossy black vessels beneath crystal chandeliers. The contrast between contemporary floral design and the hotel’s classical interiors demonstrated how flowers en masse can transform a space.
No floral exploration of Paris would be complete without visiting the Marché aux Fleurs on Île de la Cité. Established in 1809 under decree by Napoleon himself, this historic flower market remains a living part of Parisian life. Beside Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Seine, its green iron pavilions house seasonal flowers, plants and horticultural treasures.
Without flowering borders and colourful planting schemes, Paris’s grand gardens offered another form of inspiration. The symmetrical avenues of the Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg revealed the importance of structure, proportion and restraint in garden design. In winter, bare branches, formal pathways, marble sculptures, fountains and iconic green metal chairs filled with Parisians enjoying the sunshine revealed their rhythm, balance and beauty beyond peak bloom.
Of course, the journey would not have been complete without exploring Paris’s corner florist shops. Every corner revealed seasonal flowers, potted hyacinths, cyclamens and floral treasures worth stopping for.
On our final day we toured Versailles. Although the gardens were bare and rain fell steadily, it was easy to imagine the grandeur of the palace grounds in spring and summer, when formal parterres, sky-high hedges, fountains dancing to music and avenues of colourful flower beds are transformed by seasonal planting.
On our last afternoon we squeezed in a quick floral tour of the 11th arrondissement, where we discovered some of the city’s floral studios. Éphémère Fleuriste impressed with its elegant, seasonal flower bar, while Saison showcased a contemporary aesthetic where restraint, form and texture took centre stage. Our final discovery was L’Arrosoir, the oldest florist shop in Paris, where fragrant flowers sat among antiques, vintage details and historic interiors. The combination of fresh blooms and the patina of the space created an atmosphere that felt quintessentially Parisian.
Paris in winter may not bloom in obvious ways, but it reveals something equally valuable to florists: inspiration exists beyond the flower itself. Through art, architecture, gardens, hotels and floristry, Paris demonstrates that flowers are not simply decoration – they are an expression of culture, history and emotion.
