Guest: Sophie, founder of With Love Sophie and Honey Bunch Farm

Location: Yark, VIC — a picturesque valley near Mansfield with a short and unpredictable growing season, but loads of heart.

What We Cover:

• Sophie's journey from floristry to flower farming
• How growing for florists shaped her crop choices
• The chaos and learnings from her first year (hello, flood + 300 lost dahlias!)

• 
  

  Why she’s obsessed with sweet peas—and why they’re perfect for her business model
• Building a product-based approach using seeds + cut flowers
• The launch of her Micro Flower Farm Club
• Her mission to grow more sustainable, foam-free floristry practices
• The role of wholesalers, co-ops, and collaboration in building a better industry

• Educating clients about seasonality and transparency around imported blooms

  🌸 Links & Mentions

• 
  

  Follow Sophie: @hunnybunchfarm

• 
  

  Sustainable Floristry Resource: Academy of Wildflower
• Growers Avenue at MIFGS
• Mentioned Growers: Josie from High Country Flowery, Marty from QC Flower Farm

🌸 Episode Summary:
In this heartfelt and honest episode of Dish the Dirt, we catch up with Janae and Chris from Fleurs de Lyonville—a flower farming couple based just outside of Melbourne. Recorded live at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show as part of our Growers Avenue series, this conversation offers a grounded look into what it really takes to grow a sustainable flower farm and business as a family.

From managing over 50 different flower varieties, running farm tours, hosting workshops, and launching a thriving pottery side business, to surviving tough seasons (including sheep-related seedling sabotage!), Janae and Chris share it all with humour and vulnerability. Whether you’re just starting out, in the thick of it, or wondering how to take the next step—this episode is full of relatable moments, practical insights, and encouragement.

And personally, this episode means a lot. From my first bucket of dahlias, to the very first season of Dish the Dirt, to Growers Avenue—Janae and Chris have always said yes, and I’m deeply grateful for their continued support and belief in this community.

🌿 In This Episode, We Cover:

• Running a flower farm as a couple and raising a family

• Building multiple income streams (retail, wholesale, events, pottery, tours)

• Structuring a diverse growing season for mixed bouquets

• How COVID reshaped their business—and what’s stuck

• Pottery + petals: merging creative passions

• What to know before hosting tours on your property

• Why microflower farms matter more than ever

🌻 Connect with Flore de Lienville:
📸 Instagram: @fleurs_de_Lyonville
🌐 Website: www.fleursdelyonville.com.au

💬 Loved this episode?
Please share it, tag us on socials, and leave a review so more growers and dreamers can find these stories. Your support helps this podcast grow—just like flowers, from the soil up. 🌱

From country show baking to raising orphaned lambs, bestselling author Maya Linnell writes about the life

she lives and loves. A keen bookworm, former rural journalist and radio show host, Maya is also an

ambassador for the digital library app Libby OverDrive. She lives in rural Victoria with a menagerie of animals,

sweeping gardens, three bookworms and the odd tiger snake or three.

Kookaburra Cottage is now available in all good bookstores, Big W, Kmart and also available for download.

Soho Rose farm is a cut flower farm growing field grown garden roses and seasonal flowers in the heart of our family run working cattle, potato and cropping farm within the Hepburn Springs farming district.

I have been a florist for over 25 years but have had a love for flowers all my life, my earliest memories would be picking from our large garden on the farm I grew up on. I went straight into floristry from school and was traditionally trained. I moved to Wanaka and my sole focus had been weddings for the last 16 years up until covid. About 6 years ago we purchased the land I grow on now and always had a vision to grow blooms for my floral design. Growing primarily hard to source garden blooms and in particular dahlias was the goal. Covid hit and I pivoted to selling online retail and growing a more diverse range of blooms in a small cutting garden and then selling excess flowers to other local florists. I am so lucky to have such amazing relationships with the fellow florists and other local growers in the area. I am really passionate about locally and sustainably grown blooms and supplying high quality flowers not just for couples who are my clients but other florists and their clients who get to use and see our amazing blooms. We also sell tubers from our dahlias each year and are developing our own hybridised varieties with the focus being on more wedding style blooms as the clients we supply to are mainly florists for weddings and my own clients getting married. We are also wanting to grow a range of blooms for seed and see a need for less imported seeds and more self sufficient production in New Zealand - something I hope to delve more into over the coming years.

Field of Roses is a small flower farm and floral design studio led by farmer/florist mother and daughter duo Zoe and Sue Field. Nestled in the beautiful Waingake Valley just outside of Gisborne, New Zealand. Field of Roses was established in 2012 after Zoe had an idea to plant a field of roses on her family farm, alongside with an assortment of flowering annuals and perennials that all lend themselves to their wild and romantic designs. They do a bit of everything, weddings, everyday bouquets, workshops, wholesale and most recently released their book, LOST & FOUND, filled with lots of flower inspiration for any flower lover. You can find LOST AND FOUND in Australia Dymocks -everywhere Readings (Melbourne) Boffins (Perth) Kinokuniya (Sydney) Avid Reader (Brisbane) Paperchain (Canberra) Fullers (Hobart) Dillons (Adelaide) Gubba Bags - Gubba.co.nZ Beneficial Bugs - bio force.co.nZ

Clifton Blooms is a flower farm located by the beach and among the gum trees in southern Tasmania. The farm was established in 2021 by Kate Dixon. Kate grows a mix of Australian natives, South African natives as well as interesting perennials and annual flowers. Clifton Blooms supplies flowers directly to floral artists and clever creatives in the greater Hobart area

‘ Carlie and Matt grow seasonal, open field cut flowers on their 5 acre property located in Upper Crystal Creek on Bundjalung country. They grow their flowers based on regenerative agriculture and no till principles. They don’t use nasty chemicals and enjoy building beautiful, healthy soil with their three youngest daughters alongside them’

A COLLABORATION OF FOUR FLOWER FARMERS We are Three Valleys Flower Farms, a collaboration of flower farmers located across Cardrona, Maungawera and the Lindis valleys in the Upper Clutha Basin. ​ With a love for all things floral we are passionate about growing stunning seasonal blooms. We are consciously growing artisan garden flowers sustainably that are full of character, for you, our local community. ​ THE FARMERS ​ Anna Mackay CARDRONA FRESH ​ Jenny Clark STUDIO 24 BOTANICALS ​ Sarah Rutherford THE JOY FARMER ​ Vera Yakzhik ALPINE BLOOMS FARM find them - hello@threevalleysflowerfarms.com

Ball Horticultural Company Australia is part of a global family of breeders and researchers providing the Australian horticultural industry with the most commercially viable and innovative plants from around the world. Ball Australia offers a daily national distribution of quality seed and vegetative lines for flowers, vegetables, herbs, cut flowers and tissue culture. Trails week is held from 6-9th of December. Register to be part of their wholesale distribution list BallAustralia.com

I’m Lizzy and I’m based 10km south of Cressy in the Northern Midlands of Tasmania. I’m an avid gardener and have begun supplying seasonal homegrown blooms to local florists in recent years. My area of speciality is dahlias. I grow my flowers in our large cottage garden on my parents 770 hectare farm “Little Forest”. The cottage I live in was built by my great grandparents in the early 1900s and i have completely rebuilt the flower garden, large orchard & vegetable garden since moving in back in 2007. This winter I’m increasing my dahlia growing area & moving into the paddock to meet local demand! I’m slowly turning my hobby into a little financial business.

Atkins Farm is located in Meadows, 50 minutes from Adelaide nestled in the Adelaide Hills. Atkins Farm has been owned by the same family for three generations who have worked the property as a sheep and potato farm. The current owners Tim and Monika McArthur have reinvigorated the farm, bringing warmth and charm to this country property. In early 2022 we opened the farm to welcome guests to pick their own sunflowers during the global pandemic. What we didn’t realise or couldn't imagine was all the wonderful people we were lucky enough to meet from our community. We can’t wait to welcome guests back to the farm next summer.

🌸 Episode Summary:
In this episode of Dish the Dirt, we're thrilled to welcome back Mardi from Quite Contrary Flower Farm in Gippsland, Victoria. From lawyer to full-time flower farmer, Mardi’s journey is anything but conventional—and that’s exactly what makes it so inspiring.

We dive into what’s changed since she last joined us: refining her business model, narrowing in on specialty crops like dahlias, David Austin roses, and bearded irises, and what it really means to grow your way. Mardi speaks candidly about burnout, quality control, the pitfalls of trend-chasing, and the realities of running a flower farm that’s both sustainable and soulful.

Whether you’re a seasoned grower, a budding florist, or someone who just loves local flowers, this episode is packed with wisdom, humour, and deeply honest insights from someone living and breathing the field every day.

🌿 What We Cover:

• How Mardi went from corporate lawyer to full-time flower farmer

• The evolution of her crop focus and what she’s learned along the way

• Why she doubled down on dahlias, David Austins, and bearded irises

• Selling at the farm gate vs. wholesale vs. retail

• The business realities of flower farming (yes, spreadsheets matter!)

• What makes local flowers so f*#%ing great

• Lessons from the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show

• Advice for anyone thinking about diving into flower farming

🌸 Guest:
Mardi – @qcflowerfarm
Founder of Quite Contrary Flower Farm, Gippsland VIC
Specialising in specialty cut flowers grown with heart and intention.

🌼 Links & Resources:

• Quite Contrary Flower Farm on Instagram

• American Specialty Cut Flower Growers Association (for those nerdy vase-life studies!)

💬 Let’s Keep Digging:
Loved this chat? Share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe so you never miss a story from the soil up.

hristy owns and operates Nourish Gardens, a small scale intensive cut flower farm and education centre on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. Nourish Gardens provides sustainably grown cut flowers to florists, wholesalers and direct to the public, and has been established for seven years. We specialise in 'garden style' blooms including dahlias, roses, and other luscious and quirky seasonal flowers. We are a founding member of the Floral Collective Aotearoa, a weekly grower run wholesale market for florists in Auckland. During the flower harvesting season we have an on site farm shop where we sell fresh flowers and a range of other products direct to the public and also run a wide range of workshops and courses. We believe in building and supporting a strong resilient local flower industry. Together with Julie Treanor, of The Pickery, Christy also runs a coaching and mentoring programme for other flower growers, called Floral Business Activator. "I like: selling every single flower that I grow, power tools, my kick ass crew, Sunday lie-ins, and cinnamon rolls. I dislike: deadheading, temperatures above 25 degrees, caterpillars, and cooked tomatoes" website- nourish gardens.com learn.floralbusinessactivator.com

Big Sky Flower Farm is located in an up and coming area in the Adelaide Hills amongst vineyards, strawberry farms, orchards and farming land. Owner Jane lives on the 10 acre property with her husband, 2.5 year old and 5 month old sons as well a couple of horses, goats, dogs, cats, chickens and ducks. Jane started the farm after 2 life changing events occured... 80% of their property was burnt in the 2019 Cudlee Creek Bushfire and then shortly after her 14 year career in the travel industry came crashing down due to covid all within a few months of having their first baby. Jane and her family were lucky that although their house was damaged in the fire it was saved by the country fire service. With most of their property blackened and with being in lockdown Jane decided to use this time to repair her garden but didn't have a lot of money to do so so she learnt about growing from seed and propagating her own plants. From here she became obsessed and shortly after this obsession sparked a new career!

Charlotte and her mother Kim established a cut flower farm in 2021 following a small trial period with peonies. Their farm is located in the granite belt roughly 40 minutes north of Tenterfield and 20 minutes outside of Stanthorpe on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. Charlotte’s love of cut flowers made them an excellent complement to the oak trees they had already planted to grow truffles during the winter months. Charlotte also has a full time corporate role which she loves and has resulted in the farm being a team effort as it grows. The farm has a focus on perennials including peonies, which can bloom as early as September and inspired the name, roses, iris and has a significant focus on dahlias and other more unique architectural varieties such as amaranth. The farms range of flowers and seasonal availability is rapidly increasing as it grows. They are very excited about new additions to the farm including snapdragons, ranunculus, campanula, hydrangea and delphiniums.

Serenade Farm is the realisation of a lifelong dream for Rebecca & Jon who moved to their piece of paradise 6 years ago to seed their organic farm on an old avocado orchard. They are situated on the top of the rainforested Tamborine Mountain, in the Good Coast hinterland. Working in harmony with nature, using regenerative principles, they produce fresh flowers and organic veggies to the local community through their roadside honesty stall, local grower’s market and also directly to florists around SEQld. Dahlias have become their primary focus, and in particular the hybridising of new specialty dahlias for the cut flower industry. The dahlia breeding program has produced some very exciting new cultivars and plans are underway to expand this side of the farm even further in the coming years. Rebecca & Jon also run a local grower’s association called “The Green Shed” which operates a market each Sunday morning.

Arcobaleno Farms is a flower farm located about half an hour from Shepparton in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Situated on what was once a soldier settlement property and a dairy farm, The farm grows a wide range of seasonal field grown cut flowers which are sold via the flower market in Epping. From its small start in 2018 taking 20 bunches of poppies to market , with many trials and tribulations, we have learnt a lot over the last 5 years and now regularly send a truck load of blooms into the wholesale market weekly.

From country show baking to raising orphaned lambs, bestselling author Maya Linnell writes about the life she lives and loves. A keen bookworm, wannabe flower farmer and former rural journalist, Maya also hosts a monthly online show called Library Lovers, for the digital app Libby OverDrive. She lives in rural Victoria with a menagerie of animals, sweeping gardens, three young bookworms and the odd tiger snake or three @maya.linnell.writes or mayalinnell.com

Tara from Olive Gap Farm shared her experience and the stories of those around her who have lost everything. https://www.floodhelpnr.com.au/ is the organisation that Tara has shared with me.

Rachel began teaching Languages in 1994. She was a school teacher for 20 years before changing career paths. Rachel started two business between 2013-2018 and met husband Dean. In 2018, Rachel and Dean purchased their 2000 sqm block and relocated a 1920’s federation home to commence a new venture; a micro flower farm and couples’ retreat BnB at their property in Collector NSW, just 30mins north of Canberra. With a deep and lifelong love of nature, flowers, creativity and all things beautiful, Collector Cottage is Rachel’s heart and soul, brought to life. Rachel is now a farmer and qualified florist growing seasonal chemical free flowers. Predominantly she grows Roses and Dahlias seasonally. When she isn’t in the flower field you will find her looking after her self-contained bnb cottage for guests. Rachel is a lover of old things, vintage pieces that tell a story together with a touch of magic that is reflected in her creative wreaths and bouquets. Having escaped the hustle and bustle of city life, Rachel is passionate about providing others with a sanctuary where they can decompress, slow down and simply, be.

Mount vincent flower farm is a Micro Flower Farm located in mulbring in the Hunter Valley, nsw. Following organic practices to grow chemical free, bee friendly, frog friendly flowers to sell to the local community.

🌱 Guest: Jodie (aka The Solo Gardener), 5 Acre Farm, Taradale VIC
📍 Recorded at: Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show – Growers Avenue

In this episode, we meet Jodie, a self-described Solo Gardener and the driving force behind 5 Acre Farm in Taradale, Victoria. Jodie shares her inspiring journey from corporate life to cultivating a biodiverse dream on Dja Dja Wurrung country—navigating the realities of farming, floristry, creativity, and courage, all as a one-woman powerhouse.

We talk about her bold career shift, her passion for biodiversity, and the creation of the BioBed installation at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show—a floral bed frame bursting with life and layered meaning.

Jodie reflects on her biggest challenges, her love of learning through doing, and the importance of building community—especially for women stepping into land-based lives on their own terms. She also shares her plans for the future, from composting with locals to flower-growing workshops, art exhibitions, and more.

• Making the leap from corporate to creative rural life

• The meaning and message behind the BioBed

• What it really takes to run a farm solo

• Thoughts on biodiversity, community composting, and resilient soil

• Finding purpose and joy through small, meaningful actions

• Jodie’s advice for anyone dreaming of starting something new

“If you’ve got a dream—just go and do it. Step into the fear and start. You don’t have to know everything. You’ll learn as you go.”

• 5 Acre Farm

• Growers Avenue at MIFGS

• YIMBI Composting Group

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.
🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share!

Redlands Fresh Flowers is Family run and owned. Dave Nijjar and his son have been in the Redlands for the past 3 decades growing quality fresh flowers and foliage. Dave and Jas share the business operations with their sons Jatinder, Lakh, Jas and Jatinder’s wife Mandeep. Dave and Jatinder know how to grow quality Gerbera’s, Roses, Chrysanthemums, Lissianthus, Delphinium, Stock, Snap Dragons, Sun Flowers the list is endless they also grow foliage and fillers as well. Detail in the preparation of flower growing from seedlings, managing the soil to picking and quality control in sorting is paramount they have won many product quality awards. Redlands Fresh Flowers have been supplying flowers to florists in Brisbane, Beenleigh, Cannon Hill, Capalaba, Carindale, Cleveland, Coorparoo, Logan, Loganholme and to the General public for special occasions for generations. Redlands Fresh Flowers stand by their product due to the fact that they grow majority of their own stock and also that they have nurtured their relationship with the countries top Flower Growers.

Mardi is the dreamer behind Quite Contrary Flower Farm, located an hour east of Melbourne on the fringe of Gippsland where the city meets the country. Local, Abundant and Whimsical are the words Mardi uses to describe the flowers that she grows on the family farm alongside her husband, parents, very naughty dog and far too many chickens. The crops include David Austin and other garden roses, dahlias, and a curated collection of annuals that change with the seasons. After a few years full of mistakes, drought, and floods, the flowers are thriving and the farm is growing expanding its offerings each year.

Pretty Produce is a multi-nationally award-winning edible flower farm driven by Simone Jelley. It has been in existence since 2014 and it was birthed from a new found obsession with gardening, the FIRST ever foray into gardening. During this time, Simone started researching edibility of plants, including flowers, and from there started designing products for the chefs and hospitality industry. It quickly spiralled out of control into a series of farming leases on a few residential islands located near Stradbroke Island off Redland Bay. Simone and Dave Jelley sold up on Macleay Island in 2019 to seek a suitable patch of land in Queensland’s celebrated Scenic Rim region. Finally settling into a stunning 8-acre parcel of land snuggled in the misty valley heading up into the mighty Lamington National Park, surrounded by the ancient Gondwana forests of the Southern Queensland border lands.

Jessica Eckford-Aguilera has always had a special connection to Newcastle. A born and raised Novocastrian, Jess is shaking things up by using her decades of passion and experience to give the Hunter a market like no other. Jess jump started her career in Events Management at the age of 18 and opened her first company in 2003 in Sydney. She made a huge splash, curating celebrated events such as Australian Bridal Fashion Week and Newcastle Fashion Weekend and working alongside brands such as McDonalds and Pfizer. After completing the third ABFW in 2016, Jess found her passions pulling her back to Newcastle to create her biggest project yet: The Newcastle Food & Flower Markets. From the beginning, Jess’s passion was to support as many Australian Flower Growers as possible and to give Newcastle a must-see destination for floral designers, locals and tourists to appreciate the best our city has to offer. The response has been overwhelming, with many delighting in the added convenience of having our first- class products on offer. But going forward, Jess has her sights set on even bigger goals for the Australian Flower Industry. With COVID she saw a real gap in the market to create an online platform that connects Australian Flower Growers to the right buyers. The Flower Farm Collective was born late 2020 with the official launch hitting 2021. The Collective is about reconnecting our industry and supporting an exciting new generation of passionate flower growers. It’s a platform that showcases our incredible Floral Designers as they deserve. The industry was hit hard over COVID. We aim to bring it back bigger and better! The collective aims to be the voice for the Australian Flower Industry. There is an exciting movement of young up and coming growers who share a passion for growing Jess says, they are more tech savvy and welcome new initiatives that will enhance their businesses and brand. There is so much planned for The Flower Farm Collective and we couldn’t be happier supporting the Australian Flower Industry.

Curreys flowers is located in Karalee 40 mins west of Brisbane in QLD. It is a family owned and operated Flower farm specialising in Premium Roses and Gerberas. Founded by Don and Lynda Currey on the family cattle farm over 45 years ago, Sonia and her husband help manage the farm and are in transition of Don and Lynda retiring.

Monvale Farm, Our fully renovated Cherry Farm is situated on a golden road of Flower Growing! Monbulk-Seville Road 😀 17acres, boasting an amazing view of the YarraValley. We went from zero to 100 km per hour in a fast time. Our claim to fame is- Farmer Joe.. His growing ‘highlights’ being- Hydrangea paniculataaaahhh! Ornamental Blossoms, AutumnalMaples, Daphne & his really yummmmy cherries. My interests are being neat😂 & then lots of foliage! Ninebark, Agonis & Geraniums list high in my list. We have failed with many of our farm choices, but we hope we are finally headed in the right direction. Weather is our biggest challenge- especially the wind! Our farm is not chemical free, but we do everything we can to limit them- we mulch a lot, for low weed activity & definately focus on the weeds, along with an addiction to grass mowing - helps keep bugs life low as they have no where to be. We do not use sleeves. But, we do use rubber bands. We have installed tanks & cleaned out our big dam. We rarely use our bore but have a big water license. I may have failed to mention in the chat- my customers are my total set my alarm & fill our truck inspo, but Eugalo Farm is my farmer inspo🌱 Monvale Flowers / wholesale. Is located in the Melbourne Flower Market in Epping. We focus on Foliage, & try to have a seasonal bloom available always. Proudly & grateful that we are chosen by some really great local farmers & a couple of NSW ones to sell their product. We are just a little part of the industry, but we love it big time. I cannot wait to meet all the people at the Industry Day! Like - so looking fwd to it! Cannot wait. Monvale is way more than me- these thoughts are all from my perspective.. Farmer Joe is way more laid back, so his podcast would be way full of humour! I do have a little motto that has served me ok through time - The only competetion you have is you! I am not competetive with other

Nash Flower Farm is a micro flower farm located in Rylstone NSW run by Farmer Florist Kate Nash with the support of her husband Will and 2 young daughters. The flower farm was started in 2016 when the need to find meaningful and financially viable home based work became important to Kate while raising a young family and the idea was born out of a love for gardening, growing fresh produce and her farming family heritage. Kate grows beautiful seasonal blooms for the local community, farmers markets and florists and is just about to launch a new exciting product to diversify into culinary market in the coming weeks.

Nood Blooms is owned and operated by Micheal Allen. Established in 2018 and situated in Monbulk Victoria. He is one of the few rose growers left in Australia. This commerical flower farm primarily grows roses with approximately 24,000 in total. These consist of David Austin’s and greenhouse grown roses.

In May 2020 Moroni and Phaedra started a flower farm in North East Victoria, on their property they share with their three children. Moroni, utilising his Agricultural Engineering degree and generational farming history from Mexico, Phaedra utilising her drive for business, marketing, visual marketing and creativity. They now run their flower farm and floral business as a full time income. Starting during a pandemic has been tricky, but has forced them to think outside the square and make things happen.

The Big Bouquet is a flower farm located in the beautiful Yarra Valley, specialising in gerberas. The farm is owned and operated by Natalie Kerst, who has a wonderful team of staff who pick and bunch gerberas all year round! During spring, the farm also grows some varieties of peony roses. The Big Bouquet operates as a tourist attraction 5 days a week, allowing visitors to enter the glasshouse where all the magic happens, have a light meal in their cafe and purchase beautiful bouquets of fresh gerberas. They pride themselves on their quality, Aussie grown flowers, and hope to inspire listeners around the country to keep it fresh and support your local growers!

🌿 Guest: Joanne, Flower & Seed Farmer | Albury-Wodonga, VIC https://backyardgardenenthusiast.com.au/
📅 Recorded: Live at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show – Growers Avenue
🎧 Podcast: Dish the Dirt
📍 Location: Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show

In this special episode recorded live from the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, host Rebecca Noble sits down with Joanne, a passionate Australian native flower and seed farmer from Albury-Wodonga.

Joanne shares her story of transforming a backyard block into a thriving native garden and seed farm. She discusses her love for species like billy buttons, blue devils, and native tobacco—and how saving seeds evolved from hobby to purpose-driven business. Together, they chat about biodiversity, seed resilience, and the joy of watching native grasses sway while red-browed finches drop in for a feed.

This episode is filled with gentle laughter, grassroots wisdom, and a constant background hiss (that’s the bustling atmosphere of the Flower Show!)—a perfect backdrop for celebrating the resilience and creativity of Australian growers.

• Why native plants belong in every garden—formal or cottage

• How Joanne discovered the magic of billy buttons and blue devils

• Seed collecting as an act of care and curiosity

• The role of native grasses in biodiversity and birdlife

• Challenges and joys of being a solo seed farmer

• The thrill of seeing her seeds in the hands of everyday gardeners.

• Native tobacco, blue banded bees, Xanthorrhoea (grass trees)

• Pollinator Corridors and native planting projects in Melbourne

“I really am more of an advocate than a salesperson... 60% of biodiversity is in the ground layers—and we need to look closer, not just up at the trees.”

Available wherever you get your podcasts—Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or via dishthedirtpodcast.com.au
🎧 Don’t forget to rate, review, and share!

To the Growers Avenue team at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show for supporting this live recording. And of course, to all the passionate growers who make our landscapes so rich in story.

Marika and John’s Farm Glenbernie Family Farms is a small flower farm set on ten acres in the Hawkesbury an hour west of Sydney. Marika and John have years of experience in the agriculture industry and have farmed on the property in Kurmond for 14 years. When COVID hit last year Marika was home schooling her 4 school age children. Being home more she found herself gardening at every chance she had. Finding Erin of Floret online reading her books. Marika’s love of farming and growing seeds started the talk of a flower farm. It was a long slow process learning so much and still learning. We’re a pick your own flower farm, bringing the Sydney community together. We supply florist and the general public. Just recently hosting online workshops and we will hold workshops on the farm when all the COVID restrictions are over. It’s so important for our local community to see where there flowers come from, how there grown and how beautiful fresh Australian flowers can be and are.

Helix Australia specialises in the breeding, licensing and marketing of new and improved varieties of Waxflower & Boronia. Established in 2008, Helix Australia is the global leader in Waxflower and Boronia breeding targeting both the cut flower and landscape sectors. Our highly sophisticated Waxflower and Boronia breeding programmes have developed vastly improved flowering characteristics including exciting new colours, unique petal shapes, extended flowering times and improved plant vigor.

Southern Highlands Flower Farm is a micro flower farm created by myself, Jen Foster, in the Winter of 2019, three years after falling in love with the Southern Highlands and making the quintessential tree-change from Sydney with my husband and two sons. ​ My pre-children corporate life never fulfilled me the way my boys and nature do, so my flower farm was born from a passion to incorporate these two parts of my life and build a sustainable business at the same time. The trigger was when I was studying Horticulture and my eldest son wanted to grow something with me to sell at the markets, so we decided to plant some flowers. I am known for my obsession with epic projects and I luckily have a very patient and accommodating husband, as I dove in head-first! My goal is to produce seasonal sustainable garden-style blooms in my one acre growing space, that create a visual joy that I can share with our community. A smile is priceless and if I can create that with my locally grown flowers, then I am a happy grower.

When cousins Eliza and Mel shared an online horse gaming account at the age of thirteen, they had no idea that they would one day be starting up chemical-free Gather Flower Farm together. Back in 2015 when Eliza purchased the 7.5 acre farm in Yarra Valley, she had no idea that she was purchasing a north facing block of some of the best soil in the country. Making use of the long established protea and foliage on the property, the pair have also delved into garden roses, peonies, dahlias and a wide variety of annuals. With the flower farm officially launching in 2020, the pair have been on a very steep but satisfying learning curve. Mel and Eliza also run a wide variety of workshops in their refurbished barn with local artisans and creators – covering things like bouquet and vase arranging, flower growing, writing, wreath making, floral watercolour and macramé.

Katie and Rob ~ Building our dream boutique flower farm in the Barossa Valley. After moving to our property Rob fell in love with growing and caring for 6 dahlia plants. Im a florist and together we run an event business so the idea of growing our own flowers and using them in our work and being able to offer our clients fresh locally grown blooms was our inspiration. Our little farm and first season was our lockdown project which has turned into a growing business thanks to the support of our community and has given us both purpose. We have found our true passion and cant wait to learn more and now offer our industry friends beautiful blooms.

The Charmers Garden is a flower patch located in Serpentine, Victoria. The flowers are grown by Anna, a mother and photographer, who was drawn to gardening as a tool to help manage her anxiety and help her children connect with nature. Although the Charmers Garden is small, it is mighty and produces an abundance of blooms for florists, event organisers and the general public.

Tickets can be found on @_dishthedirt_ Instagram or via the link https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/163138237861

Grown Not Flown was a passion project born out of the covid-19 pandemic from the growers behind Gnarwarre Flower Farm and Duck Duck Pig. As relatively new flower growers themselves, they were all too aware of the challenges of entering this industry and forging new relationships with other growers and flower consumers alike. At its core, Grown Not Flown’s aim is to promote locally grown blooms, showcasing the seasonal flowers available on our doorstep and making it easier than ever to connect and support growers no matter how big or small. The team at Grown Not Flown have created an online platform, including app, to increase the choices available to consumers whether they’re wholesalers, florists, hospitality, event stylists, DIY brides or everyday flower lovers. Grown Not Flown is about creating a community that supports and uplifts growers by providing a forum for them to share their skills and experiences, making it easier for new growers to enter the market whilst connecting existing growers with new opportunities. Launching soon, Grown Not Flown is an exciting app development that will help put more “blooms in rooms”, reduce our flower miles and continue to showcase the best our industry has to offer.

Tara Luca is from Olive Gap Farm, a certified organic family farm run by herself, her husband and her two sister in laws in Northern NSW. They produce native essential oils and small scale slow seasonal flowers. A former musician and birth doula, Tara has been living off grid on an intentional community with her husband Alex and their three daughters for the past ten years. The farming developed out of their love of homesteading, growing food, owner/building and building soil from scratch. Tara now writes for Earth Garden Magazine and shares stories of their bush land life on Instagram @olivegapfarm

Lisa grows, creates and teaches on her flower farm in Echuca Yorta Yorta Land

In this episode of Dish the Dirt, we speak with Olivia from Pemberley of Malmsbury about her third year participating in the Main Central floral installation at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show. After winning a Gold Medal and People’s Choice Award in 2023, and a Bronze Award last year, Olivia returns with even more passion—this time celebrating community, collaboration, and local blooms.

We dive into how Olivia and her fellow micro flower farmers from the Macedon Ranges joined forces to create large-scale installations that not only wowed judges and audiences, but also highlighted the power of working together. These growers donate their flowers to community events like the Kyneton Agricultural Show, creating beauty and impact beyond the industry.

💐 Featured Farms
Support the growers behind the magic:

• Lombardy Farm – lombardy.farm

• Pemberley of Malmsbury – pemberleyofmalmsbury.com.au

• Bunch Flower Farm – @bunch_farm on Instagram

• Fat Magpie Farm – fatmagpiefarm.com.au

✨ If this episode inspired you, please rate and review us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It helps us grow and share even more stories from flower farmers across Australia.

We can’t wait to see what Olivia and the team dream up next year—and we hope it encourages more farmers and florists to team up at MIFGS. Wouldn’t that be magical?

Alchemilla is a flower farm & floristry studio in Birregurra, south west Victoria. Phoebe uses biodynamic & permaculture techniques to plant, harvest and nurture the flower farm throughout the seasons & to create a system that is layered, thriving and abundant from the soil to the sky. Biodynamics & the lunar calendar are the backbone of the farm & provide its yearly structure, which Phoebe has created a 2021 lunar planting almanac about. Flowers from the farm are harvested for the Alchemilla studio for both bespoke events and wholesale.

Bloomfield Flower Farm is situated in the beautiful rolling green hills just north of Warragul, West Gippsland. Run by flower farmer/florist Michelle, it is a true project of love and passion that stemmed from many years of gardening and learning from nature. Many different annuals, perennials, dahlias and bulbs are all grown on the 60 acre farm where a small, but productive 1/4 acre is dedicated to producing seasonal and chemical free flowers. Offering bouquets to the local community through farm pick up and providing weekly to a local Food Hub, Michelle hopes to ignite a love for flowers that are fresh and local.

“Accidental flower farmers”, Jayde and Hayden, grow a broad range of Proteas and Australian Natives on their flower farm in Gnarwarre (a couple of km’s outside of Geelong, Victoria). Ditching the city in favour of the country (and the coast) in 2019, they found the cattle and sheep farm they had bought contained over 9 acres of long established plants (including 50+ varieties of Protea, Leucadendron, Leucospermum, Banksia, Geraldton Wax, Gum, Isopogon etc). Whilst it was not love at first sight, they have spent the better part of 12 months learning the art of native flower farming, building their business and expanding their existing flower field with lots of new and exciting varieties.

Erica is a farmer florist growing cottage garden flowers on a 1/2 acre patch on their family dairy farm, run by her husband Steven in Jamberoo, NSW. The flower business she has established equally reflects her desire to stay on farm to care for their three young children, her need to contribute financially during what has been an incredibly difficult time in the dairy industry and an urge to channel her creativity and love of flowers. She sells direct to the local community and loves to arrange romantic, feminine bouquets with a nostalgic feel.

Ally and her family grow as many flowers as possible on their acre of land south of Hobart, Tasmania. Originally from NSW, Ally never believed flowers were an important part of daily life until living in Europe and Tasmania changed her mind. With techniques learned from regenerative market gardeners, cool and warm season annuals are grown alongside hardy perennials that can withstand Tasmania’s famously fickle weather and the sandy soil. Ally and the family also grow dahlias, roses and lots of edible plants. The flowers are harvested and arranged in mixed bouquets for their stall at Hobart’s iconic Sunday farmers’ market, The Farm Gate Market. Ally loves talking to customers about flower miles, sustainable flower farming and the local flower movement.