Flower grower - Rockababy Blooms
Amy is a local flower grower, and we’ve become friends through our love of flowers. Enjoy this Q&A that Amy was kind enough to do with me. She wears the Protea Cap.
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
Amy, Flower farmer, Mama. I grow cut flowers alongside my partner Dane. We grow for florists, event designers and wholesalers in Hopkins Creek, just outside of Murwillumbah in the Northern Rivers.
How did you come to work with flowers or plants professionally?
It was a few different things that lead me down the path of flowers. In my earlier life I worked in the Conference, wedding and event industry so I was always surrounded by floral. My appreciation for design came from seeing florists transform a space through table arrangements and installations.
When I fell pregnant with my first daughter, my partner and brought some land in Hopkins Creek and always knew we would grow something on it.
One hot day, while I was browsing the internet while feeding my daughter I came across an image of a ute filled with flowers. This led me to learn about Erin Benzekin from Floret in Washington state. From their I bought her book, and was instantly mesmerized by all the flowers I had never seen.
We dabbled on and off growing during maternity leaves and when I made my first sale to a local florist in town we really felt like growing flowers, on our land could be an option for us. It took years of part time growing, Full time work but now Dane and I both grow full time.
Is there a particular Australian native you have a deep love for — and why?
Billy Buttons I adore their cheery nature, they look amazing, dried or fresh. They are productive, and fun, bright.
What's something most people don't know about growing or working with Australian natives?
They can be tricky! You’d think because they are natives they would grow easily anywhere in Australia. But in our climate a lot of the natives are hard work. Many varieties like sandy or light soil and low humidity. Which is a big difference from the heavy clay and high humidity we face here in the Northern Rivers.
How do you think about your work in relation to the Australian landscape or environment?
I think of our work here as one of responsibility for the land and in tune with the seasons. As stewards of our little parcel of land it’s important that we are responsible in all our processes. We worked with our landscape when designing our fields, working with contours. We are always working to improve our soil and our biodiversity here on the farm, and work with the seasons to reduce impacts and inputs.
Is there anything you wish more people understood or appreciated about the world of flowers and plants?
Oh this is a hard one.
Beyond the complexity and importance of plant and flowers within our eco systems, I wish people understood the lifecycle of flowers more and I guess what that means for growers, and the immense amount of work that goes into producing florals for designers. The timing with the seasons, the timing with the bee’s, the protection from the elements and pests. All the things that can go wrong to grow a thing of simple beauty.
Thank you Amy Baker for your time!
You can follow Amy and Dane’s business, Rockababy Blooms on instagram @rockababyblooms