A Florist, A Little Boy and a shop by the Sea

I never planned for it to go like this. But then again, the best things rarely do.

My name is Betty and I am the florist behind The Florist by the Sea, a little flower shop with a big heart, nestled in Greystones, County Wicklow. If you have found your way here, welcome. I am so genuinely glad you did.

I have been a florist for over 15 years. Before Greystones there was Dun Laoghaire, where I ran Lulabelle Flowers for over a decade. Before that there was London. Milan. A career in design that taught me everything I know about composition, colour, form, texture and the way beauty can stop a person in their tracks. And before all of that there was just a girl who loved flowers and could not quite explain why.

Some things do not need explaining.

The Hard Truth About Floristry

Here is something they do not tell you when you fall in love with flowers. Floristry is one of the most physically demanding professions you can choose. The early mornings, and I mean early. The hours on your feet. The cold concrete floor, The freezing water, Heavy buckets, heavy boxes, small spaces, repetitive strain, The constant mess, The all nighters before a big wedding when your hands are still working long after your body has given up asking to stop.

I know florists, good ones, brilliant ones who have serious health issues because of the physical toll this job takes. Bad backs, damaged joints, arthritis riddled knuckles, nerve damage, exhaustion that goes bone deep. We do not talk about it much because we love what we do and we would not change it. But it is real and it is part of the story.

I have done more all nighters than I can count. I have sat alone in a cold studio at 3am surrounded by flowers, wondering if I had lost it. And then the morning comes and I deliver the first bouquet of the day and whoever opens that door smiles, really smiles and I remember exactly why I do this.

Every single time.

The Boy

I should tell you about my son. He is young, he is wonderful and he is being raised, somewhat not accidentally, to be the most thoughtful little person in Greystones.

Being a single mother running a physically demanding, time hungry business is not for the faint hearted. There are days when the guilt is loud. Days when I wish I had more hours, more energy, more of myself to give. The financial pressure of running a small business alone especially after the very difficult decision to close Lulabelle in 2025, is something I will not pretend does not exist. It does. It is real and it weighs heavy.

But my son has grown up watching flowers bring people joy. He has learned to be gentle with customers. To listen when someone just wants to tell you their story. To know that sometimes a person ordering flowers is carrying something… a grief, a celebration, a love they do not quite know how to express, and that your job is to hold that with care.

He also understands the value of a euro and I cannot remember a time when he could’nt take a payment from a customer with such wonderful manners and kindness it makes my heart swell when I hear him say thank you after the payment. I understand the significance of that “Thank you” at the end of the transaction, it means so much but, that not something he needs to understand for a while yet.

I could not be more proud of him if I tried.

The Joy; And There Is So Much Joy

Here is the other side of the truth. The side that keeps me going on the hard days.

When I hand a bride her bouquet on her wedding morning and I watch her face change, that moment is indescribable. All the planning, all the early mornings, all the stems conditioned and arranged with every bit of skill and love I have, it all lands in that single moment. Her eyes fill up. She says it is perfect. And I have to remind myself to breathe.

That never gets old. Not once in 15 years.

Or the customer who orders a bouquet every single week for their kitchen table because fresh flowers make their house feel like a home. Or the person who calls in a panic because they forgot an anniversary and leaves later with something beautiful and a look of pure relief on their face. Or the student who comes to one of my flower school workshops not knowing a single thing about floristry and leaves three hours later with a hand tied bouquet they made themselves and a confidence and a skill they did not walk in with.

Floristry brings all kinds of joy. Quiet joy, loud joy, joyful tears and joyful laughter. I get to be part of that every single day and I never take it for granted.

Why Greystones

When I made the decision to start again, and it was not an easy decision, nothing about the last few years has been easy, I knew I wanted to be by the sea. There is something about the coast that resets everything. The light is different here. The air is different. The community is warm and real and I felt it the moment I arrived.

Greystones, I am so happy to be here. And I cannot wait to be your florist.

Come and Find Us

We are based at Knight Park, Charlesland Road, Greystones. We offer same day and next day flower delivery across Greystones, Dun Laoghaire, South Dublin and North Wicklow within the N11. We run floristry workshops from our studio through our Flower School. And we would love to do your wedding flowers.

But more than any of that, we would just love to be part of your life here by the sea. One bouquet at a time.

Betty 🌸