The colour red is synonymous with Christmas, partly because of the bright red velvet suit that Father Christmas is known to wear, as well as the familiar and vibrant hues of the poinsettias displayed in homes, offices, retail spaces and restaurants during the festive season..

Poinsettias continue to maintain their place as a cherished Christmas symbol in Malta and Gozo.

Poinsettias are still the locals' best kept tradition 

Analise Farrugia, owner of Flowers by Phyllis notes the enduring tradition of purchasing poinsettias, even amid the development of new Christmas traditions.  

WhosWho.mt met up with Analise in her shop at St Paul’s Bay, accompanied by her mum – affectionately termed the mother florist – Phyllis Gauci, as she runs after little Ben, Analise’s son, a florist in the making.

As the name suggests, the business began through Phyllis. However initially, it was just a hobby.

“Flowers by Phyllis is not just a business, it’s a legacy that I inherited from my mum, who lovingly nurtured it over 30 years ago,” she recounts.

Analise explained her mother’s passion for flowers was cultivated from their family gardens in Wardija and prior to opening the business, she used to create flower arrangements for family members.

Phyllis steps in and explains that she always dreamed of having a physical shop for her business but never managed to do so.

Eventually, Analise says, her mother decided to retire and pass the reigns to her daughter. After taking responsibility for the business, Analise opened a physical shop and later launched her online services and deliveries.

 “Although I must admit, now that she retired, she’s still lending a helping hand around the shop. I’m giving her lots to do,” she says with a smile to her face.  

Despite this transition, Analise remarks that growing up she never had the intention of owning a flower business, she even graduated in tourism studies. “Since I grew up in this environment, I never truly appreciated it and so I stayed away for a bit, until I took over.”

‘Along with traditional bouquets, I opted to diversify and move with the times'

Flower arrangements take different forms and in modern times, these also take shape in boxed flower gifts created by Flowers by Phyllis.

She explains to WhosWho.mt that although her mother started out with traditional bouquets, she wanted to produce modern flower gifts to attract clients.

"Every year I make sure to create new holiday-themed flower gifts for customers, be it for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Women’s Day."

And now, although she still gets lots of requests for traditional bouquets, their signature flower gifts have taken the lead in terms of popularity.

This year's christmas flower gift 

How does one know which flowers to use, and which ones are appropriate?

Analise explains that she has a set of flowers which she deems as the most aesthetically pleasing to work with. These are normal roses and baby roses, peonies, hydrangeas, lisianthus, carnations, gypsophila, and gerberas.

She adds that despite having these preferences herself, as a florist, she offers other alternatives. “Although there are certain flowers I do not like using as much, because of their connotations, in this business you have to adapt and offer what the client asks for,” she adds.

“The downside of our business is that we don’t always get what we plan for, some flowers might be sparser during some period,” she adds.

In recent years more than others, the weather and climate has been unfavourable and the unpredictability of the change of seasons have impacted many businesses that are reliant on environmental conditions. This includes farmers but also florists like Analise.

Asked about the matter, Analise says that because of the extreme summer heat, which has been increasing an annual affair Europe-wide, some “flowers suffer a lot.”

“Even though other countries have different systems than ours and the climate is different, flowers still suffer. For example, in January, I find it difficult to find lisinathus because they hate the cold weather,” she adds.

On the other hand, she says that when she orders from other countries, winter storms delay deliveries.

This continuously adds to Analise’s pressure to create the perfect flower arrangements. Joining the interview, Phyllis says that Analise is a perfectionist as she truly does her work from the heart. “Trying to create perfection is challenging and it takes a lot of time,” Analise added.

‘Black Friday and Cyber Monday was a bustling week for us’

Their online platform gave their business a notable boost. Analise said that selling flowers online “has been a transformative step for our small family business, enabling us to reach a broader audience in any area in Malta and Gozo.”

Nonetheless, she added that this shift required lots of additional work and effort, for them to be able to adapt and delve into the world of online sales and try to manage an efficient daily delivery service to any area in Malta and Gozo.

“Managing online sales and deliveries is time-consuming and demands meticulous organisation, especially when it comes to creating bespoke flower gifts. However, this experience has proven to be a worthwhile effort,” she comments.

'Flowers by Phyllis is not just a business'

Infact, she notes that Black Friday and Cyber Monday was a bustling week for the business. “Interestingly, besides flowers the spotlight was on our collection of planters and plant stands particularly popular with home décor lovers, hoteliers and offices,” she says.

Notably, she says that her life-like artificial plants were also in high demand. “Not everyone has the time to take care of their plants, some are busy with work and family, so I understand the attractiveness of an artificial plant for those who are always on the go,” she asserts.

‘Flowers offer a sense of peace, and they always manage to create unforgettable memories’

Even though owning such a business comes with its stress, like Analise explained earlier, she is still drawn to the “magic” that flowers offer.

She remarks that flowers evoke a sense of peace and symbolise beauty, timelessness and ultimately joy because they create unforgettable memories and brighten someone’s day.

“It’s heartwarming and satisfactory to be part of those special moments,” Analise says.

She also tells WhosWho.mt that this business is more than a career.

“As a working mum, I feel extremely lucky to be able to carry on my mother’s floral artistry through maintaining and expanding her vision. In addition to doing this together with the people I love the most: my mum, my son, and the rest of the family,” she states.

And finally, Analise reminded that if you want to make your Christmas spirit last longer in your home and want to make your poinsettia live more: Place it in indirect sunlight, water when the soil feels dry to the touch and avoid drafts and extreme temperatures.