From budding to blooming

Published on 14 April 2025

It’s a short while after the Valentine’s Day rush, but business at Buds & Blooms is still blooming.

The florist business in Reynella has gone from a local flower shop to a growing business supplying floral arrangements for major events like the Santos Tour Down Under and the Adelaide Fringe.

“We want to be the be the biggest florist down south,” says co-owner Renae Ledgard. Her co-owner and sister Melissa Murray jumps in: “We want to be the best florist in Adelaide!”

Their family bought the original flower shop as an existing business in 2005, but they wanted to make it their own and were ambitious to see it grow and develop.

“Our business has grown out of passion,” says Melissa.

“We have been skilling ourselves up, staying relevant. People want to see new things and new designs, and we always want to be current.

“We’ve entered competitions with Interflora and attended conferences, learning from international designers and from florists across the country.”

After 10 years of competing, Melissa was named 2017 Interflora Florist of the Year SA-NT.

Renae says that they have also learned by accepting challenges and never saying ‘no’ to customers: “It’s very important to us that we keep our customers happy. We pride ourselves on our customer service.”

The company’s most recent challenge was winning the role of official florist for the 2025 Santos Tour Down Under, creating the winners’ bouquets and supplying floral arrangements for the official events. That step up onto the world stage prompted a rebrand just months before the race.

“We were aware that our brand would be up there alongside national and global brands and that it would not be up to the mark,” says Melissa.

“We hired an Adelaide-based designer. The new brand better reflects who we are – we are not just flowers, we are a whole lot of other things. The & represents so much more, Bud & Blooms & events, Buds & Blooms & your loved ones, Buds & Blooms & and your special day.”

“The new brand better reflects who we are – we are not just flowers, we are a whole lot of other things, events and your grandma and your special day.”

Rebranding is one step in the company’s progress. Renae and Melissa realised they needed to learn more about things like branding awareness and social media, as well as expanding their networks.

To help them, they took up the opportunities offered by the council’s business support program, Business Onkaparinga.

For the first time, in 2024 Buds & Blooms participated in the Onkaparinga Business Awards, becoming a finalist in the Floristry, Plants, Landscape and Hardware category.

The female-led company has also taken part in the Southern Business Mentoring Program’s free sessions with specialist business advisers, networking events with other local business owners, and digital marketing workshops.

The Southern Business Mentoring Program, a joint endeavour between the cities of Onkaparinga, Marion and Holdfast Bay and the state government’s Office for Small and Family Business, offers mentoring sessions and workshops to local businesses.

Buds & Bloom staff have attended a marketing workshop allied with the SOUTHSTART festival. SOUTHSTART is a business festival of founders, investors and industry leaders. The council partnered with SOUTHSTART to support its annual festival, this year held in McLaren Vale in March.

“Buds & Blooms is a great example of the businesses we see through our support program – good people doing great things and who want to keep growing and doing things even better,” says Dara Boucher, Onkaparinga’s Business Engagement and Communications Officer.

“They’ve taken full advantage of the mentoring, networking and promotional opportunities that Business Onkaparinga offers through our programs and campaigns.

“Most of the council’s business support services are free or at low cost and we’re keen to see even more businesses get involved and contribute to the economic vibrancy of Onkaparinga.

“A great start is getting involved in our Go South Go Local campaign which encourages local residents to spend their money locally.”

For Renae and Mellisa, the mentoring program has been a boon for the company’s general growth as well as for its success at the Santos Tour Down Under.

“Our Southern Business Mentoring Program mentor Amanda Wood helped us set up a project plan and daily action plans, which we needed to pull off a large project like the tour. It took a lot of the stress away and meant everything ran to plan,” says Melissa.

“The mentoring is such a great offering. The mentors come in and share all that intellectual property they’ve gained through their own experience. I can’t believe more businesses don’t take up the offer.”

Buds & Blooms has already outgrown its Main South Road shop, expanding its premises to accommodate the larger creations it’s making for major events. The team has started sharing its floral artistry through workshops, such as wreath-making for Christmas, and changed the management structure, taking on a shop manager.

“We want to keep growing, being current,” says Melissa. “With Belinda as a great shop manager, I can now work more on the business and less in the business.”

In the meantime, there are the floral demands of Mother’s Day…

For more information on business support and opportunities, go to onkaparingacity.com/business and the Southern Business Mentoring Program.

To participate in Go South Go Local as a business, go to Go South Go Local.