This newsletter is intended to be a sneak peak into my life and work as a flower farmer.
I’m not going to have all the answers for you, nor will I pretend to - sorry.
I thought I’d better get that out of the way up front.
With that out of the way here’s a little about me so you can get a feel for the beliefs that have shaped my farming journey, and get a feel for what this newsletter might be able to offer you.
About Mardi - the Quite Contrary Flower Farmer
I am not a natural gardener. I was very much an indoors homebody before I started on my flower farming venture. Mum had always had lovely gardens, and while as a child I had been known to escape the confines of the house to play in the mud and horse troughs (in winter, mind you), somewhere along the way I decided inside was really more for me.
After quitting my job as a lawyer in Hobart and moving home to the fringe of Gippsland I didn’t really have a clue for what I wanted to do. I started a small cleaning business and met many incredible people in my local area. Many of my clients were self-employed, from authors to farmers and artisanal makers, and helped me realise how many possibilities were out there for what I could do with my life.
It might seem silly, but I’d never realised how many jobs there were. Like many millennials my parents had told me I could be whatever I wanted but I’m not sure I ever fully knew what that meant. At the very least I hadn’t entertained anything too off the beaten path after my first dream of wanting to be a dog breeder and vet (dog breeder first, vet to reduce the bills - I was a practical child) had fizzled. I’d decided before leaving primary school that I wanted to be a lawyer and so that is what I became. It wasn’t until I’d completed many years of uni and a short period of lawyering, that I knew it wasn’t for me.
Enter Floret.
It was mum, the green thumb, who put The Cut Flower Garden book in front of me in 2017 and said “I think you could do this”.
Like so many others it was the pictures that sucked me in first, followed by the beauty of Erin Benzakein’s dream and passion.
That first summer I planted some sunflowers, zinnias, and dahlias by my then-boyfriend’s (now-husband’s) shed.
From the moment those flowers bloomed I was hooked.
And now I’m here. A full-time flower farmer, trained horticulturist, and author.
I’ll fill in some of those gaps along our journey. The big fails, the wins, the lessons. I want to share all of that with you but it’s not a short story and this is supposed to be brief.
My Farming Philosophy
It’s important that I share my farming and flower philosophy with you so that you’ll know where my decision making comes from.
The fun - and frustrating - thing about farming is that we all start at different spots, with different knowledge, experience, and resources. While this might be true of anyone undertaking any job, really, farming has the complicating factor that our workspace will also be unique to us and often have attributes that are out of our control.
While there has been attempts to minimise the impact of nature on farming with the use of controlled environments, fertilisers, and pesticides, I aim always to bring my farm back in line with nature.
A core belief I hold is that luxury should not come at the expense of the environment. While I don’t agree with putting the onus on individuals over corporations when it comes to working on the environmental impact of humanity, I do think that, as a business, I share part of the burden.
Flowers are great. I love flowers. I genuinely believe the flowers can do a lot of good in the world.
I want my farm, my growing practices, and my floristry to do their part of actual, tangible, good for the environment, too.
That’s why I choose to grow using organic and regenerative principles with a focus on soil health. That’s why my floristry is single use plastic free, and why every element in my bouquets and arrangements is either home compostable or re-useable. That’s why my bouquet wraps are minimal as can be while still offering a luxury feel. That’s why I cringe a little bit when I see small scale flower farmers wrap their flowers in plastic, or start their farmer florist journey by using floral foam.
Sorry - I got off track.
The core thing you need to know is that I use regenerative and organic practices that aim to improve the soil and tread lightly upon the earth - at least as far as I know how. It is a process and one that is ever evolving as I am ever learning.
I don’t expect you to follow my exact path, or agree with everything that I do on my farm. Like I said, we all have different spaces and climates that we’re working in. We all lead different lives, have different experiences, different beliefs, and - perhaps most importantly - different resources.
I don’t blame anyone for tilling, for using weed fabric (I’ve done it) or other plastics, herbicide, or other pesticides if that’s what needs to be done to keep their small business afloat. Farming is tough.
Generally, I believe that small scale, local flower farms are probably doing a net-positive even if they aren’t “perfect” from an environmental standpoint.
As a dear friend once said to me “even if you use very conventional farming methods, at least your flowers haven’t then hopped on a plane and travelled around the world” and I hold those words of wisdom very close when I worry if I am doing enough.
Ultimately we all do what we can, with the information and resources we have.
Progress, not perfection, in all things.
So what will this newsletter offer?
The aim of this newsletter is to share my thoughts, experiences, and advice about my flower farm and how I have built it to this point, and will continue to build it.
I hope that if you are reading this, that you want to form a solid foundation in flower farming, or cut flower growing, and that you are interested in learning as much as you can so that you can make the best decisions for yourself and your farm.
I want my experiences to help be your launching pad. To contribute to that foundation and to spark curiosity for those things that you still want or need to know so that you can feel confident pursuing them.
Something I struggled with initially was feeling like I had a million pieces of knowledge and no frame to hang them on. Like things were falling through the cracks because I couldn’t see the big picture, or puzzle it all together. I’m building that frame now, piece by piece, season by season, and I want to share it with you.
Something else to know about me is that I don’t, historically, learn particularly well from the mistakes of others. I wish I did. I think it’s probably one of the better ways to learn.
An element I think is often missing when we hear those stories is “the why” or the reason the thing didn’t work. I then want to see if it will work for me, because I need to know the why in all things. I don’t do well at just being told what to do, now am I happy following orders and instructions if I can’t understand the logic and decision making process behind it.
Contrary, remember?
My plan is to offer you those explanations. Not just the “how” of the things I do, but the “why”. If something works, I’ll tell you why I think it works. If it failed, I’ll share that too.
I don’t have a lot of patience for fluff and I tend to say that the only bullshit I want around here is the kind I can use to feed my flowers. I’m not here to sell you on a dream, only to help you navigate your way through it by sharing my experience, knowledge, and thoughts.
All of our farms are different. What works for me, may not work for you. But if you know the why of something, you can make better decisions when deciding to adopt, adapt, or reject the approach for your farm, and your life.
You don’t know, what you don’t know, y’know?
If you feel comfortable I invite you to share your thoughts, questions, and experiences in the comments of the articles. The more we share, the more we can grow, together.
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
I think we will have fun.
Subscription Info
Do I need to Pay?
No. All newsletters will be available for six months before being archived and only accessible with a paid subscription.
All subscribers will receive the same access to the newsletters as they are published because I believe it’s important that information is freely available to all. I also know that farming is a tough gig and unpredictable and you might not always have the funds to invest in your education. I don’t want you to miss out.
All I ask is that if my newsletter or information has ever helped you, or if you think you have received the same value or enjoyment as you would get from a cup of coffee or chai, that you consider purchasing a monthly subscription for a little while. No harm nor foul if you choose to resume a free membership at a later date.
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