Beauties in blossom

We're firm believers that classics never go out of style, as the saying goes, and pure, romantic, diaphanous white flowers are a stunning case in point. Their simple charm and quiet elegance make them a favourite with Home & Country staffers, and of course, they're a quintessential part of the cottage style look.

On a quest for the freshest white flowers available, Erin McLaughlin went straight to the source: the experts at the Ontario Flower Growers Co-Operative auction house in Mississauga, Ontario. The auction house is a flower lover's dream—a room the size of an entire city block overflowing with every imaginable variety of bloom. Essentially a neighbourhood farmers' market on a macro scale, more than 150 local flower growers gather here five days a week to sell their goods exclusively to members of the floral industry.

After a crack-of-dawn morning spent bidding on blooms, Erin left with armfuls of pure white wonders with which to create a variety of inspiring, effortless designs just by grouping the pale petals.