In full bloom
We go beneath the roots of New Zealand’s home-grown industry and meet some of New Zealand’s local flower growers.
There’s nothing like a bunch of blooms to stimulate the senses. Opting to purchase from local farm-totable businesses often means you’re plucking stems direct from the New Zealand countryside. Knowing their origin ensures peace of mind for a piece of the outdoors you’ll introduce to your home. But as global importation and exportation of flowers rise, increased pressure on the local flower industry means growers are looking towards alternate ways to focus on a sustainable future. To learn more, we meet local Kiwi growers who are passionate about their craft.
Kumeu Flower Farm, Auckland
As a landscape architect by trade, owner Angelique Lambermon runs
Kumeu Flower Farm. It’s a business that supplies a variety of seasonal, freshly cut flowers to the local community, with a heightened focus on the environment.
Angelique is no stranger to New Zealand’s prettiest local industry, working with plants for more than
25 years as a landscape architect; she brings that knowledge and expertise to the commercial cut flower industry. Angelique sells her flowers from her farm in Kumeu, direct to the local community and through her website, or local auctions. It’s a business that’s reliant on the economy and the seasons, and being an eco-friendly flower grower has lots of challenges – the seasons constantly changing, pest and disease management, the labour input, getting the timing right; knowing what to plant and what not to plant so you don’t have too many failures are just a few. It’s a tricky industry that requires passion, Angelique explains.
While flower industries worldwide are turning to computer systems to produce a false climate and mass-produce blooms, Angelique believes in an uncomplicated, natural approach. She relies on seasonal growing, and encouraging the plants’ natural immune system, without the need for nasty chemicals.
“All this means you aren’t bringing nasties into your home,” says Angelique.
She works on a “farm to table” approach where her flowers are picked directly for orders, meaning longer lasting handpicked flowers direct to your door.
Angelique would like to see a flower standard code introduced like our food standard coding, so the consumer can make an informed decision when buying flowers. “And I want to see more people able to afford farm fresh flowers, so we are introducing “U-Pick” where customers can come and pick their own flowers.”
The Flower Farm, Nelson
Growers, wholesalers and retailers The Flower Farm grow an array of popular flowers such as roses, tulips and lilies. Running for 20 years, they are passionate about the local industry. Sue and Jeff Ward, owners of The Flower Farm, tell us more. Located in the heart of Waimea Plains, The Flower Farm supplies fresh cut flowers. On site is a shop where customers can purchase bunches of blooms for people to make their own arrangements. As wholesalers, they bring in product from across New Zealand and resell it back to florists. There’s a need for imported product, Sue explains. “Particularly for product we can’t produce in New Zealand, like Singapore orchids, or other product lines that have a high labour content to grow. When there’s a big shortage of certain products the importers bring it in.” This has meant the local industry has been one of change over the last five years, resulting in a lot less flower growers than previously, which has both benefits and negative associations. “It has been better for those of us who have hung in because floors aren’t flooded with product. But it does make it difficult for florists to get product because there’s a shortage,” Sue explains. Moving forward, Sue predicts an increase in sales for the local industry as more people choose to support local growers and the local industry. As well as grow the flowers themselves, they hope to continue to exhibit product from New Zealand’s best growers, ensuring customers purchase consciously.
K&L Nurseries, Christchurch
Family-run K&L Nurseries is owned by Paul and Lyn Loader and has been running since 2000, while growing flowers has been a family occupation since the early 1900s. Loader’s daughter Michelle and son-in-law Ian Kempthorne are now part of the business, too. Today the family specialise in gerberas, roses and cut flowers, to supply both the New Zealand domestic flower market and their two florist shops in the South Island.
The family are passionate about supplying good-quality product to locals, but Ian explains that since the Christchurch earthquake of 2011, a lot has changed. “We don’t have the competitive buyers anymore and lost a lot commercially. We had to explore different markets. Now we send our products to New Zealand wholesalers.” Producing a quality product all year round is also challenging for the local industry. Cold, unfavourable growing conditions mean production drops in winter. “You need artificial lighting and CO2 enrichment, which is expensive,” Michelle says. This demand on local growers means New Zealand is under heavy import pressure. In the summer when the demand for flowers is lower, the growth rate is high. Excess flowers are then ‘picked and dumped’, fed to cattle in order to manage the volume.
To manage the ever-shifting nature of the flower industry, the family are looking at sustainable, environmentally friendly methods for the future. One of which is focusing upon a safe environment for their staff.
“Integrated pest management, or using less chemicals, is good not only for the environment but also for our pickers. We’re focusing on ethics, to do the best for our staff. This is what sets us apart from overseas grown flowers,” says Michelle. The family hold regular school tours at K&L Nurseries to encourage conscious purchasing of local, in-season product.