NZ: Farmer florist wants to rekindle Kiwis' love of flowers
After finding a property in the Wairau Valley ideal for growing flowers—thanks to a handy knoll providing shelter from the blistering northwesterlies and a reliable water scheme—she decided to put roots down and pursue her dream of being a farmer florist. And Verve Flowers was born.
After doing her research and talking with growers around the country Jeanine knew she didn't want to follow the profit-driven path of large commercial growers exporting the big, bold, colourful calla lilies and orchids popular in the highly competitive international markets. Instead she saw a burgeoning interest in the more romantic varieties of old such as Queen Anne's lace, sweet william, wild carrot and fox gloves, plus foliage, edible herbs and shrubs and Verve Flowers was born.
It can be pretty lonely at times because there's not many farmer florists in New Zealand, but she has struck up a friendship with Gisborne rose grower Zoe Field. The pair have started a collaborative blog about their journey called The Stems That Bind, inspired by Dear Friend and Gardener: Letters on Life and Gardening, an exchange of personal letters between two British gardeners, Christopher Lloyd and Beth Chatto.
Read more at Stuff.co.nz