Flower farming lessons
2025-10-01T17:12:30+10:00
Plum Tree Floral Farm is home to citrus, pecans, mangoes and a flourishing no-dig flower patch that shifts with the seasons.
Kathy’s decision to start flower farming for a living started as a simple love of flowers. “I’d always admired flowers, but when I began growing them, I fell completely in love with the process, the patience it taught me, the beauty, the sense of purpose,” she says.
What began as a hobby quickly became a passion, and before long, she knew she wanted to do turn flower farming into a way of making a living. She and her husband Mike now have a 9-hectare property that’s home to citrus, pecans, mangoes and a flourishing no-dig flower patch that shifts with the seasons.
What began as Kathy’s backyard hobby has blossomed into Plumtree Floral Farm, a thriving business that now has both of them knee-deep in blooms.
Growing advice from a flower farmer
- Healthy soil is everything, feed it with compost, choose flowers that you love and suit your climate, and that attract beneficial insects. Work with nature, be patient, and enjoy the process: it will be worth it.
- Know what each plant needs. Sunlight and consistent watering make all the difference.
- Great flowers to grow for bouquets: Dahlias, canterbury bells and lisianthus. They’re all beautiful, but each so different, dahlias are bold and vibrant, canterbury bells have delicate charm, and lisianthus brings a soft, elegant touch and a great vase life.
- Even with limited space, you can still grow beautiful flowers for cut arrangements. Zinnias and cosmos are great as they are easy to grow and prolific bloomers. These flowers produce more blooms when cut regularly, making them excellent choices for use in bouquets. Even a small balcony or garden bed can produce gorgeous blooms.
A flower for more experienced gardeners
Kathy suggests trying Gerberas ‘Pasta’ and ‘Pastini’.
“I spent a lot of time researching these varieties and planted about 400 as a trial. They were doing really well until a cyclone and a deluge of rain hit. I’m not giving up though; I’ll definitely be trying again.”
To learn more about how Kathy turned a career in marketing and PR into a flourishing flower business, get a copy of Spring 2025 issue (OG 160). Look for it in supermarkets and newsagents or head here to get a copy delivered to your door.
