In this episode of Dish the Dirt , we sit down with Elissa from @larkspur.flowers , a passionate florist and designer based in Daylessford, Victoria. With a background in permaculture and landscape design, Elissa brings a unique, deeply intentional perspective to her work with flowers — one that’s grounded in sustainability, seasonality, and storytelling. We explore Elissa’s journey into floristry, from the spark that was lit at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, to her formativ...
Jul 08, 2025•36 min
🌸 Episode Summary: This episode is a special one — recorded back in 2020, it captures the early days of Florelie Seasonal Flowers , a specialty cut flower farm in Bungaree, just outside of Ballarat, Victoria. Lorelie shares how a bunch of homegrown peonies gifted on her birthday planted the seed for what has since grown into a thriving, full-time flower farm. At the time of recording, Loralee was growing on a small scale with dreams of something bigger — and as of today, Florelie spans 2.5 acre...
Jun 24, 2025•34 min
n this episode of Dish the Dirt , we head to Coonamble, NSW , to meet Emily from Petal & Bow Flowers — a passionate grower carving out her own path in Australia’s warm, dry inland. What began as a maternity leave project has bloomed into four hectares of native paper daisies and a farm-based business focused not only on growing beautiful flowers, but also on harvesting and sharing their seeds . Emily shares her journey from backyard grower to managing a large-scale native flower operation, t...
Jun 17, 2025•32 min
Guest : Sophie, founder of With Love Sophie and Honey Bunch Farm Location : Yark, VIC — a picturesque valley near Mansfield with a short and unpredictable growing season, but loads of heart. What We Cover : Sophie's journey from floristry to flower farming How growing for florists shaped her crop choices The chaos and learnings from her first year (hello, flood + 300 lost dahlias!) Why she’s obsessed with sweet peas—and why they’re perfect for her business model Building a product-based approach...
Jun 10, 2025•36 min
🌸 Episode Summary : In this heartfelt and honest episode of Dish the Dirt , we catch up with Janae and Chris from Fleurs de Lyonville —a flower farming couple based just outside of Melbourne. Recorded live at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show as part of our Growers Avenue series , this conversation offers a grounded look into what it really takes to grow a sustainable flower farm and business as a family. From managing over 50 different flower varieties, running farm tours, h...
Jun 03, 2025•21 min
🌸 Episode Summary : In this episode of Dish the Dirt , we're thrilled to welcome back Mardi from Quite Contrary Flower Farm in Gippsland, Victoria. From lawyer to full-time flower farmer, Mardi’s journey is anything but conventional—and that’s exactly what makes it so inspiring. We dive into what’s changed since she last joined us: refining her business model, narrowing in on specialty crops like dahlias, David Austin roses, and bearded irises, and what it really means to grow your way. Mardi s...
May 27, 2025•59 min
🌱 Guest: Jodie (aka The Solo Gardener), 5 Acre Farm, Taradale VIC 📍 Recorded at: Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show – Growers Avenue In this episode, we meet Jodie , a self-described Solo Gardener and the driving force behind 5 Acre Farm in Taradale, Victoria. Jodie shares her inspiring journey from corporate life to cultivating a biodiverse dream on Dja Dja Wurrung country—navigating the realities of farming, floristry, creativity, and courage, all as a one-woman powerhouse. We ...
May 20, 2025•29 min
🌿 Guest: Joanne, Flower & Seed Farmer | Albury-Wodonga, VIC https://backyardgardenenthusiast.com.au/ 📅 Recorded: Live at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show – Growers Avenue 🎧 Podcast: Dish the Dirt 📍 Location: Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show In this special episode recorded live from the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, host Rebecca Noble sits down with Joanne, a passionate Australian native flower and seed farmer from Albury-Wodonga. J...
May 13, 2025•44 min
In this episode of Dish the Dirt , we speak with Olivia from Pemberley of Malmsbury about her third year participating in the Main Central floral installation at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show. After winning a Gold Medal and People’s Choice Award in 2023 , and a Bronze Award last year , Olivia returns with even more passion—this time celebrating community, collaboration, and local blooms. We dive into how Olivia and her fellow micro flower farmers from the Macedon Ranges jo...
May 06, 2025•28 min•Season 8Ep. 2
Host: Bec Noble | Episode Recorded Live at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show 2025 In this special episode, we meet Anna and Ray from 302 Flower Farm , a passionate husband-and-wife team growing seasonal blooms on their breathtaking property in Victoria’s Western District. From Proteas to Dahlias, tank water challenges to sunset views over the back paddock, Anna and Ray share their love for land, flowers, community, and the generations that have helped shape their farm. 🌼 Hear...
Apr 29, 2025•23 min•Season 8Ep. 1
Recorded live at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show , this quick chat features world-renowned floral artist Sue McLeary (aka Passionflower Sue ). I was lucky enough to grab a few moments with Sue to talk about her artistry, the beauty of floral wearables, and her love of locally grown flowers . It’s short, sweet, and full of floral inspiration. Enjoy! 🌸 🔗 Learn more about Sue: passionflowersue.com 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @_dishthedirt_ Let’s Stay Connected: 📸 Instagram: @...
Apr 17, 2025•14 min
VOTE! Dish the dirt Listeners Choice Awards https://www.australianpodcastawards.com/voting Botany is a sustainable online florist based in Melbourne. We take the traditional florist business model and give it a green overhaul, by offering products that have been created from farm to door without any single-use plastics or unnecessary packaging. We create all of our beautiful arrangements using only locally grown and seasonal flowers, and arrange them into glass vases that ensure your flowers arr...
Sep 09, 2023•50 min•Season 8Ep. 2
Craig Scott East Coast Wildflowers My father and I started farming together in 1984, our family has been involved in the cut flower and foliage industry either as growers or florist for a number of generations. I live on the NSW Central Coast Australia. Our main farm is at Mangrove Mountain and we wholesale our flowers and foliage at Sydney Flower Markets where we have market stands and warehouse facilities. On our farm we specialise in growing Australian flora, in the field as well as in greenh...
Aug 15, 2023•54 min•Season 8Ep. 1
From country show baking to raising orphaned lambs, bestselling author Maya Linnell writes about the life she lives and loves. A keen bookworm, former rural journalist and radio show host, Maya is also an ambassador for the digital library app Libby OverDrive. She lives in rural Victoria with a menagerie of animals, sweeping gardens, three bookworms and the odd tiger snake or three. Kookaburra Cottage is now available in all good bookstores, Big W, Kmart and also available for download....
Jul 06, 2023•41 min
Soho Rose farm is a cut flower farm growing field grown garden roses and seasonal flowers in the heart of our family run working cattle, potato and cropping farm within the Hepburn Springs farming district.
Dec 14, 2022•56 min•Season 6Ep. 7
I have been a florist for over 25 years but have had a love for flowers all my life, my earliest memories would be picking from our large garden on the farm I grew up on. I went straight into floristry from school and was traditionally trained. I moved to Wanaka and my sole focus had been weddings for the last 16 years up until covid. About 6 years ago we purchased the land I grow on now and always had a vision to grow blooms for my floral design. Growing primarily hard to source garden blooms a...
Dec 05, 2022•48 min•Season 7Ep. 6
Field of Roses is a small flower farm and floral design studio led by farmer/florist mother and daughter duo Zoe and Sue Field. Nestled in the beautiful Waingake Valley just outside of Gisborne, New Zealand. Field of Roses was established in 2012 after Zoe had an idea to plant a field of roses on her family farm, alongside with an assortment of flowering annuals and perennials that all lend themselves to their wild and romantic designs. They do a bit of everything, weddings, everyday bouquets, w...
Nov 27, 2022•40 min•Season 7Ep. 5
Clifton Blooms is a flower farm located by the beach and among the gum trees in southern Tasmania. The farm was established in 2021 by Kate Dixon. Kate grows a mix of Australian natives, South African natives as well as interesting perennials and annual flowers. Clifton Blooms supplies flowers directly to floral artists and clever creatives in the greater Hobart area
Nov 20, 2022•51 min•Season 7Ep. 4
‘ Carlie and Matt grow seasonal, open field cut flowers on their 5 acre property located in Upper Crystal Creek on Bundjalung country. They grow their flowers based on regenerative agriculture and no till principles. They don’t use nasty chemicals and enjoy building beautiful, healthy soil with their three youngest daughters alongside them’
Nov 13, 2022•34 min•Season 7Ep. 3
A COLLABORATION OF FOUR FLOWER FARMERS We are Three Valleys Flower Farms, a collaboration of flower farmers located across Cardrona, Maungawera and the Lindis valleys in the Upper Clutha Basin. With a love for all things floral we are passionate about growing stunning seasonal blooms. We are consciously growing artisan garden flowers sustainably that are full of character, for you, our local community. THE FARMERS Anna Mackay CARDRONA FRESH Jenny Clark STUDIO 24 BOTANICALS Sarah Ruther...
Nov 06, 2022•50 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Ball Horticultural Company Australia is part of a global family of breeders and researchers providing the Australian horticultural industry with the most commercially viable and innovative plants from around the world. Ball Australia offers a daily national distribution of quality seed and vegetative lines for flowers, vegetables, herbs, cut flowers and tissue culture. Trails week is held from 6-9th of December. Register to be part of their wholesale distribution list BallAustralia.com
Oct 30, 2022•33 min•Season 7Ep. 1
I’m Lizzy and I’m based 10km south of Cressy in the Northern Midlands of Tasmania. I’m an avid gardener and have begun supplying seasonal homegrown blooms to local florists in recent years. My area of speciality is dahlias. I grow my flowers in our large cottage garden on my parents 770 hectare farm “Little Forest”. The cottage I live in was built by my great grandparents in the early 1900s and i have completely rebuilt the flower garden, large orchard & vegetable garden since moving in back...
Jul 28, 2022•38 min•Season 6Ep. 7
Atkins Farm is located in Meadows, 50 minutes from Adelaide nestled in the Adelaide Hills. Atkins Farm has been owned by the same family for three generations who have worked the property as a sheep and potato farm. The current owners Tim and Monika McArthur have reinvigorated the farm, bringing warmth and charm to this country property. In early 2022 we opened the farm to welcome guests to pick their own sunflowers during the global pandemic. What we didn’t realise or couldn't imagine was all t...
Jul 21, 2022•46 min•Season 6Ep. 6
hristy owns and operates Nourish Gardens, a small scale intensive cut flower farm and education centre on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. Nourish Gardens provides sustainably grown cut flowers to florists, wholesalers and direct to the public, and has been established for seven years. We specialise in 'garden style' blooms including dahlias, roses, and other luscious and quirky seasonal flowers. We are a founding member of the Floral Collective Aotearoa, a weekly grower run wholesale market for flo...
Jul 14, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Big Sky Flower Farm is located in an up and coming area in the Adelaide Hills amongst vineyards, strawberry farms, orchards and farming land. Owner Jane lives on the 10 acre property with her husband, 2.5 year old and 5 month old sons as well a couple of horses, goats, dogs, cats, chickens and ducks. Jane started the farm after 2 life changing events occured... 80% of their property was burnt in the 2019 Cudlee Creek Bushfire and then shortly after her 14 year career in the travel industry came ...
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Charlotte and her mother Kim established a cut flower farm in 2021 following a small trial period with peonies. Their farm is located in the granite belt roughly 40 minutes north of Tenterfield and 20 minutes outside of Stanthorpe on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. Charlotte’s love of cut flowers made them an excellent complement to the oak trees they had already planted to grow truffles during the winter months. Charlotte also has a full time corporate role which she loves and has...
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Serenade Farm is the realisation of a lifelong dream for Rebecca & Jon who moved to their piece of paradise 6 years ago to seed their organic farm on an old avocado orchard. They are situated on the top of the rainforested Tamborine Mountain, in the Good Coast hinterland. Working in harmony with nature, using regenerative principles, they produce fresh flowers and organic veggies to the local community through their roadside honesty stall, local grower’s market and also directly to florists ...
Jun 23, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Arcobaleno Farms is a flower farm located about half an hour from Shepparton in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Situated on what was once a soldier settlement property and a dairy farm, The farm grows a wide range of seasonal field grown cut flowers which are sold via the flower market in Epping. From its small start in 2018 taking 20 bunches of poppies to market , with many trials and tribulations, we have learnt a lot over the last 5 years and now regularly send a truck load of blooms into the ...
Jun 16, 2022•53 min•Season 6Ep. 1
From country show baking to raising orphaned lambs, bestselling author Maya Linnell writes about the life she lives and loves. A keen bookworm, wannabe flower farmer and former rural journalist, Maya also hosts a monthly online show called Library Lovers, for the digital app Libby OverDrive. She lives in rural Victoria with a menagerie of animals, sweeping gardens, three young bookworms and the odd tiger snake or three @maya.linnell.writes or mayalinnell.com
Jun 10, 2022•47 min
Tara from Olive Gap Farm shared her experience and the stories of those around her who have lost everything. https://www.floodhelpnr.com.au/ is the organisation that Tara has shared with me.
Mar 14, 2022•25 min•Season 5Ep. 10
