These real flowers are six months old!

Sustainable yacht flower displays that reduce C02 emissions by 90 percent, and take 50 percent off your annual bill... Meet Kathryn and Erni, founders of Ethereal Blooms

Kathryn Popplestone and Erni Visser started Ethereal Blooms in 2019. The idea was born out of their desire to find a product that combined their love of science, sustainability, luxury and beauty. Plus they are offering Burgess clients five percent off their flower order.

They discovered the method of preserving flowers when they were travelling in Asia. ‘When we learned about preserved flowers, we knew that this was the way in which we would make a difference to one of the most wasteful industries in the world in terms of CO2 emissions per product - the fresh flower market,’ explain the entrepreneurs.

‘Our combined scientific backgrounds plus our interest in all things luxury put us in a unique position. These are real flowers, bio preserved to last up to a year with no maintenance and no water required.’

Without giving away any trade secrets, the flowers are preserved by extracting water from the plant and replacing with natural oils. The resulting preserved bloom will maintain its shape and colour for up to a year.

‘It’s called ‘Bio’ preservation because this technique utilises the flowers’ natural processes, working with nature instead of against it,’ says Erni. ‘Natural oils are absorbed through the flowers cell walls and into every structure of the flower. For some foliage types we even use photosynthesis - capitalising on sunlight for the preservation process.’

Sustainability is at the heart Ethereal Blooms.  ‘The environmental impact of fresh cut flowers is enormous. Cultivated using pesticides, fungicides, fertilisers, and huge amounts of water, they are then stored and transported in refrigerated containers all over the world, with up to 45 percent wastage along the way for a 10 day shelf life,’ says Kathryn.

‘The CO2 emissions of an average supermarket bouquet is 32.5kg. To put that into context, a flight from Paris to London generates 58kg per economy passenger.’

Using these preserved flowers instead of fresh, limits the environmental impact dramatically. Luxury designer brands are early adopters of these Ethereal Blooms. ‘Our signature style is bloom-dense, luxurious arrangements that designers love,’ says Kathryn.

‘We also specialise in creating beautiful displays using the most fleeting of fresh flower types – hydrangeas and roses,’ agrees Erni. ‘We’ve created custom bouquets for fashion and beauty designers, celebrity and royal homes, luxury residences and beautiful Parisian department stores.

Our flowers are displayed with six original Picassos - and counting!’

Superyacht owners and crew are realising the many benefits of using Ethereal Blooms. ‘We are supplying 70 or more yachts.  The word is spreading as crew and owners move to a new vessel and take us with them as suppliers,’ explains Kathryn. ‘Our head of yacht sales, Joanna, is an ex-stewardess and has hands-on experience of the challenges that fresh flowers present on board a yacht.’

As well as using no chemicals in the process of creating the preserved flower arrangements, Kathryn and Erni have developed a secure, eco delivery method.

‘Over the years we have developed very secure packaging for our bouquets that ensures safe delivery no matter where in the world – from Monaco to California to St Kitts, we can get your flowers to you.

‘We’re also using biodegradable foam in our packaging now – it is starch based and dissolves in water. Plus, our boxes are 100 per cent recyclable.’

As you might imagine, Ethereal Blooms also have a financial upside… ‘Yachts typically save between 50-75 percent of their usual flower spend by choosing Ethereal Blooms. Plus the time your crew saves also equates to a cost saving. Switching to preserved flowers takes floral displays from a daily annoyance to a once a season task.’

Working with Ethereal Blooms adds up to an all-round win. It’s no wonder that Kathryn and Erni ‘believe that these are the flowers of the future.’