Why Home Called Her Back
Christine Ramirez left Austin in 2010 to study floral design in London. She spent six years working for a prestigious studio in Notting Hill, designing arrangements for private clients and high-end retail. She learned European techniques, worked with rare stems, understood the language of restraint. But somewhere around 2015, she realized she was designing for other people’s visions, not her own. Austin called her back. She arrived with two suitcases, her notebooks, and an unflinching commitment to do things right.
Flowers by Christine opened in 2016 on a quiet block in East Austin. No fanfare, no grand opening. Just a small studio with white walls, good light, and a single line: “Arrangements that respect the flower.”
Our Signature Aesthetic
Christine designs in a contemporary garden style—nothing too precious, nothing too minimal. You’ll recognize her work by what feels present: negative space used intentionally, colors that whisper instead of shout, flowers used in their natural form, not contorted. She favors soft neutral bases (ivory, cream, pale green) punctuated with unexpected accents—burnt orange, sage, dusty blue. Lots of eucalyptus and preserved grasses. Garden roses, ranunculus, spray carnations (because they’re beautiful when you stop dismissing them), and seasonal foliage that smells like something.
Every arrangement feels like someone made a choice, not filled a vase. That’s the point.
How It All Started: The London Years
Christine was 22 when she moved to London, barely speaking fluent English despite growing up bilingual. The floristry world intimidated her. She watched, listened, stayed late, asked careful questions. A senior designer took her under wing—a woman named Margaret who taught her that every flower has intelligence and you either respect it or you fight it. Christine learned to respect. That philosophy shaped everything she’d later build in Austin.
She returned home in 2015 without a job offer and without certainty. Her mother thought she was making a mistake. Now, her mother’s friends are her most devoted repeat customers.
Behind the Blooms: Our Team & Process
Christine designs all custom orders personally. She works with two part-time designers—Maya (trained in event design, excellent with installations) and David (a former photographer with an obsessive eye for color theory). This isn’t a coincidence. Christine hires for perspective, then trains rigorously on technique.
Our design process starts with questions. What’s the space? Who’s the recipient? What mood are you chasing? We ask about light, about preferences, about what you’ve received before that made you feel seen. Then we design, we show you options (sketches or samples, depending on budget), and we build from consensus.
Values We Stand By
We use no florist foam. Ever. It’s wasteful, it damages stems, and it limits design possibility. We build arrangements in water-soaked mechanics or tight clustering. This takes longer. It’s worth it.
We source from three local growers within 30 miles of Austin and one specialty distributor for items we can’t access locally (garden roses from California in winter, for example). We know the growers personally. We know their soil practices, their harvest times, their values. When you order from Flowers by Christine, you’re indirectly supporting small-scale agriculture. We think that matters.
Sustainability isn’t a marketing angle—it’s structural. We compost daily. All packaging is either compostable or recyclable. We encourage customers to bring back glass containers for a small credit. Over 40% of our regular clients now do this.
Our Signature Arrangements
The Studio is Christine’s most-ordered design—a monochromatic arrangement in whatever season presents itself. Spring is blush and cream. Summer is white and green. Fall is ochre and rust. Winter is silver and gray. It’s like watching the earth change. People order it repeatedly.
The Home is a smaller arrangement designed for your own table—not showy, just lovely to live with. Affordable compared to our event work, but designed with the same intentionality.
A Moment That Mattered
In late 2017, a woman came in asking for help with a divorce bouquet—she was celebrating her own decision to leave. Christine, who’d experienced her own messy breakup, designed something powerful: bold burgundy dahlias, dark green foliage, copper-toned hypericum. The woman took a photo and posted it to Instagram with a caption about choosing herself. It went viral (in local terms—5,000 likes). Christine was suddenly fielding requests from people who wanted “empowerment flowers.” She gently declined some, accepted others, but never treated any of them as a product. Each one was a conversation. That bouquet changed how she thought about her work.
Local Partners & Growers
Sunset Valley Flowers (family farm, grows 15+ varieties year-round, sustainable practices): Our primary source for seasonal stems and foliage. We work with the Hernandez family directly.
Bluebell Farm (northwest of Austin, specializes in dahlias and garden roses): Owner Patricia walks us through the fields in June to show us what’s peaked. Her roses are exceptional.
Hill Country Greenery (foliage specialist): Every preserved leaf and branch in our studio comes through them. They’re obsessive about quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you do same-day orders?
Not typically. Custom arrangements need time. We usually ask for 48 hours’ notice. We have a small selection of pre-designed arrangements available same-day, but we won’t pretend they’re the same as custom work.
What’s your delivery radius?
Austin proper and immediate surrounding areas (within 15 miles of downtown). Delivery is included in all orders.
Can you work with a wedding that’s four months away?
Yes. We ask for a design consultation, then a pre-design phase where we source test stems, refine color, and confirm budget. Final designs are locked in 4–6 weeks before the event.
What if I want to pick flowers weekly? Do you do subscriptions?
We have a small weekly subscription program for local clients—you receive a freshly designed arrangement every Friday, designed around what’s peaked that week. It’s $65/week and there’s a waiting list. Worth joining if you love living with changing flowers.
Community & Giving Back
We donate arrangements quarterly to Austin’s women’s and youth shelter. Christine also teaches a “Floristry for Everyone” workshop at the Austin Parks & Recreation center—it’s donation-based and open to all. Last year, 28 people attended. Several have asked about apprenticeships. We’re building something there.