How Louise Woodhouse went from arranging flowers for the royals to running an Adelaide florist

LOUISE Woodhouse has been surrounded by flowers her entire life. But how did this London-born florist go from arranging bouquets for the royal family to running an Adelaide business?

Louise Woodhouse has been nominated for two The City Awards. Picture: AAP/Matt Loxton

• Nominations for The City Awards 2018 close Wednesday, May 30
• All the winners from The City Awards 2017
• Gallery: The glitz and glamour of The City Awards 2017

LOUISE Woodhouse has been surrounded by flowers her entire life.

“I’ve always been attracted to beautiful blooms and loved gardening with Mum as a little girl,” she says.

“When I lived in London, I was constantly drawn to the flower shop around the corner and ended up working there until I took an apprenticeship in the West End, doing regular floral arrangements for celebrities and the royal family, which was a whole new world.”

But when she hopped on a plane for what was supposed to be a holiday around Australia, Ms Woodhouse fell in love with the country’s flora and fauna and refused to leave.

“The flowers in Australia are very different,” she says.

“Everything seems bigger, bolder and more botanical so I thought it would be really nice to work with them.”

Fast forward about 10 years and the florist now calls Adelaide home.

In between arranging flowers for weddings and special occasions, Ms Woodhouse, 47, can be found at her Adelaide Arcade store, Louise Woodhouse Flowers, which has been nominated in two The City Awards categories this year – Best Shopping Experience and Best Small Retailer.

She admits she had “no idea” her small business made such an impact on shoppers.

“It’s so exciting to be nominated,” Ms Woodhouse says.

“It makes all those early mornings at the market, making sure we get the best flowers for our customers, worth it.”

The City has officially launched its awards for 2018, calling for nominations in 12 categories spanning the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors.

Backed by Adelaide City Council, the awards aim to celebrate the people and places that make the CBD and North Adelaide tick.

Nominations can be made at advertiser.com.au/thecityawards until Wednesday, May 30.