Natasha had a blooming good idea
Floral and Brick provides local flowers with 14 gardens across the city
It’s a steamy Sunday morning and Natasha Smith is up early for work. As Hamilton’s only urban flower farmer she has to squeeze every hour out of summer.
Her company Floral & Brick is in its second year of business and it’s in full flower.
“I’m looking to expand,” she says, knee deep in dahlias.
She’s checking her flowers on a scrubby piece of land on Emerald Avenue North. This one is border to border straw flowers, an old fashioned papery flower that blooms in multi colours. It has good “vase life” Smith says, meaning it lasts a long time before it wilts.
Across Hamilton she has 14 gardens where she grows flowers for Floral and Brick (www.floralandbrick.com).
They are in backyards and front yards of people who volunteer their land for her urban farming efforts. She got the idea after watching her neighbour Russ Ohrt launch Backyard Harvest — he grows vegetables in people’s yards across the city.
“I thought, why can’t I do what he does with flowers. I just started with some seeds and gave it a try and it took off.”
Through Floral and Brick customers can subscribe to get a bouquet delivered every week, or they can pick up their flowers at Smith’s home studio.
She also makes bouquets and arrangements for weddings, a side of the business that is taking off with bookings now into 2019.
“People really like the idea of flowers grown locally, and that’s my model,” Smith says.
“Designing for weddings using sustainable flowers is something I love.”
Her arrangements are loose, natural and romantic looking, a modern style that brides are responding to.
Many of them like the idea of using local flowers and leave all the decisions on arrangements and flower selection to Smith.
Managing 14 gardens across Hamilton is a feat. There’s always weeding to do, trimming, harvesting and watering. Though most of the yards have automatic watering systems, four locations need to be hand watered.
She starts most of the plants from seed in the spring, using durable flowers such as cosmos, asters, sunflowers, zinnias and cornflowers. Herbs, some perennials, spring bulbs and shrubs such as hydrangea are also part of the mix. The flowers are grown organically.
When Smith isn’t tending to her plots she’s either making flower arrangements in her home studio or answering emails inquiries about weddings. Like many small business owners, Instagram (@floralandbrick) has been a great way to reach new customers.
You might think 14 gardens would be enough for one person to handle, but Smith is looking to expand her locations and take on a partner.
“I love the idea of it being more across the city. If people have the space, why not grow flowers. Even if it’s harder and I need to find the help I’d rather keep getting into yards.”
It might be a romantic notion, but farming flowers isn’t for the faint of heart. On a sunny morning among the straw flowers though the job perks are precious.