Bouquet day puts smile on shoppers

Matt O'Neal, pictured with his son Zai, said it was the first time he had been randomly given flowers but it made his day. Photo / John Stone

Flowers can brighten up anybody's day so when two Whangarei women cheekily ran up and thanked a lady who was carrying flowers they didn't expect her to turn around and show them where to grab their own free bouquet.

Yesterday, on a rainy day in Whangarei, members of the Mangakahia Gardening Club were putting smiles on people's faces by making and distributing with 32 free bouquets of flowers. The random act of kindness was all part of International Lonely Boutique Day - a day encouraging punters to leave bouquets of flowers in public places with a note attached to "take me home" or "gift on".

Glenda Reed and Jaymez Alexander were two of the lucky recipients of bouquets of flowers.

"We were being smart to a lady on the footpath who was carrying bouquets and we ran up and said 'thank you' but she said 'stop, there's a girl giving them away from the library,'" said Ms Reed.

The pair went to the Whangarei Central Library - where the club member were making the bouquets - and were handed a bouquet.

"It was awesome, it's wonderful, it's great. We were just down here being facetious but it backfired," said Ms Reed.

"In a good way," added Ms Alexander.

Matt O'Neal also received a bouquet and said it was the first time he had been randomly handed flowers.

"One lady at the library said 'come adopt them'. I was there having a look around with my son. He's just starting to smell so I've been taking him to gardens. I think it's very sweet, it definitely made my day," he said.

Glenda Reed and Jaymez Alexander said it was "wonderful" to receive bouquets of flowers for free.

The Mangakahia Gardening Club spent the morning sitting in the library putting together bouquets. Kaye Jamieson, treasurer of the club, said she got the idea when she picked up a book from the library.

"It's just a good will thing. It's spreading the love of flowers," she said.

Members of the group picked whatever flowers they could find in their gardens and took them to the library. Some bouquets were handed to people, some placed throughout the library and some placed in different areas in town as the members of the group left the library.

"People have been thrilled and surprised, particularly that it is for free. We hope some might gift their flowers to other people," she said.

President of the Mangakahia Gardening Club, Catherine Davies-Colley, said the group may do the same thing in spring, when there were far more flowers to make the colourful creations.