Since many of us have been stuck indoors thanks to COVID-19, now is the perfect time to resort to an age-old practice that seems to be growing more popular these days – dried floral arrangements. Not only will they brighten any home but flowers are also known to reduce stress levels. There is a myriad...
10 Australian Native Plants That Make Wonderful Cut Flowers
As we start to develop the Flower Farmstead at HQ, we’ve been experimenting with regenerative growing methods such as no-till farming and conducting many flower trials to assess the best plants for our climate and specific location. As sustainability is also at the forefront of our minds as beginner slow flower farmers, we’ve researched the...
Basic Fundamentals of No-Till Farming and No-Dig Gardening
There is a whole world of life below our feet that is invisible to the naked eye. If you’ve watched Kiss the Ground on Netflix or started growing your own food during COVID lockdowns, you may have learned that soil is alive and that there is actually more life below the ground than above the...
10 of the Easiest Cut Flowers to Grow
Love is best expressed with flowers. But this symbol of love shouldn’t be used to justify the unsustainable billion dollar global floriculture market. The beautiful and delicate blooms in the cut flower trade usually undergo importing and re-exporting, travelling from continent to continent through the cold-chain management system at top speed to preserve freshness. Fast...
Flower Photography: Tips for Taking Stunning Photos of Flowers
I am not a flowers kind of girl. When I got married, I carried a bunch of eucalyptus branches instead of a traditional bridal bouquet. Then one normal Tuesday, my husband arrived home, bent to give our daughter a kiss and what do I see sticking out of his back pocket as he bent down?...
Pretty Flowering Plants That Are Classified Weeds in Parts of Australia
There’s always the temptation as a gardener or slow flower farmer to use pretty weeds growing wild on your property in floral arrangements, and especially if the growing season is coming to an end and you don’t have much on hand to fill vases or bouquets. As a responsible flower grower however, it’s important to...
Where to Buy Dahlia Tubers in Australia
When growing a cut flower garden (organically of course) it’s almost a rites of passage to become smitten with the dahlia’s gorgeous blooms and in particular, the perennial wedding favourite ‘Cafe au Lait’. And if you’re seeking out the best places to buy dahlia tubers in Australia, look no further; in this post we curate...
Top 10 Perennial Flowers for Your Cut Flower Garden
Starting a cut flower garden and have little time to devote to the growing and maintenance of flowers? Planting perennial flowers could be the option for you. Perennial flowers are generally low maintenance once established in the garden and unlike annual flowers, don’t need to be removed or replaced – unless of course, you’re redesigning...
Where to Buy Heirloom, Non-GMO and Organic Seeds in Australia
With more than half of Australia’s population under lockdown amidst a surge in COVID-19 cases as a result of the contagious delta variant, more Aussies are turning to gardening than ever before. Whether to increase self-reliance, pass the time or indulge in some ecotherapy, container gardening and growing organic food and flowers are fast becoming...
The Best Flower Growing Books for Beginner Slow Flower Farmers
When you buy through our links, we may earn fees from our affiliate partners. Learn more. As we develop our slow flower farm at HQ (check out our journey on Instagram @flowerfarmstead), I’ve devoured books, articles and watched YouTube video after YouTube video (currently obsessed with Ian and Serina of You Can’t Eat the Grass) to...
What Exactly is the Slow Flower Movement?
Flowers are powerful symbols and make noticeable appearances during significant life events such as births, weddings and funerals. Blooms also feature in many cultural festivals and celebrations. Balinese daily flower offerings called “canang sari” feature a plethora of flower petals. At Indian festivals and places of worship, marigolds are the flower of choice, traditionally offered...
A Flower Farmer’s Advice for Beginner Flower Growers
A self-described “botanical activist”, Filipino-American flower farmer David Devery always held a deep affection for horticulture – so when he entered his 40s, he decided to follow his passion for flower farming. “My grandfather came from the Philippines in the 1930s and became a successful farmer,” explains Devery. “I had always been interested and loved...