Graduation in Sydney

Graduation in Sydney: lavender roses for the jacaranda weeks

By a Sydney saying, a student who hasn't started studying by the time the jacarandas flower will fail, and the trees bloom from mid-October to late November, turning McDougall Street in Kirribilli purple. The written HSC papers run through those same weeks, and flowers for graduation in Sydney are given in early November. In those weeks, lavender roses match the colour of the season.

Lavender and peony-shaped roses for the jacaranda weeks

Lavender sits between blue and pink, a soft, powdery shade.

Two characters work well side by side. Eleven Lavender Spray Roses keep the bouquet light, several small blooms carried on each stem, easy to hold and easy to photograph. Fifteen Peony Lavender Roses go the other way, full, layered heads built to look like peonies; roses grown to open this way are usually English varieties in the style of David Austin, or bred to resemble them.

Actual peonies are in season in Australia from October into November, and on through the southern summer, so a peony bouquet for an early-November graduate lands right in that window. Roses cover both the spray and full-headed kinds in lavender and cream, and peonies are worth a look once the season runs later.

Graduation in Sydney comes down to two moments. The last written paper falls in early November, and the Year 12 formal is a separate date each school sets, worth confirming with the family or the graduate before ordering.

After the last paper, a compact bouquet held in one hand works best, light enough to carry out of the exam hall. The same size suits the formal, easy to hold alongside a clutch bag.

If the bouquet needs to turn up at the venue itself, the timing is arranged with the venue in advance, so it arrives for the right moment, such as the walk across the stage.

A courier hands the bouquet over in person, together with a card. Writing the card costs nothing, and whether to sign it or leave it anonymous is entirely up to the sender. Before the courier leaves, a photo of the finished bouquet goes out, and most orders reach the recipient the same day they're placed; the exact timing is shown on the bouquet's page. Delivery can be booked for a chosen date and time slot, to any zone across the city.

• City centre — delivery is free.
• Other zones — a fixed fee, shown before payment.

Families ordering from overseas can do the same through ordering flowers in Sydney from abroad; the venue side of the timing sits on the delivery page.

Dianthus and Jumilia for a bouquet that outlasts November

Roses last around a week in a vase; dianthus and chrysanthemums hold for two to three weeks.

Fifty-one Jumilia in Airy Wrapping carries buds up to seven centimetres across, white at the base and edged in pink, and holds for up to two weeks with good care.

One flower worth skipping if the graduate has a cat at home is the lily: it's toxic to cats, pollen and vase water included. Lily pollen also marks fabric, which is why the anthers are usually removed once the bloom has opened, worth knowing if the bouquet is heading to a formal. Mono bouquets of dianthus or Jumilia keep either flower on its own, single-variety and simple to order.

Start with roses or peonies for the bouquet itself. Choose flowers in boxes instead if it's heading to a family home.