6 minute read
Flowers
FOX Jeweller
ETHICAL Blooms
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AN EPIPHANY, IN THE FORM OF A HEALTH SCARE, SET BLUE MOUNTAINS FLORIST CELINE WATZ ON A PATH TO LOW-TOX LIVING AND SOWED THE SEED FOR A NEW VENTURE GROWING ORGANIC FLOWERS.
Born-and-bred Blue Mountains girl Celine Watz is part of a new wave of farmer florists growing spray-free blooms for the wedding and cut-flower industries. Originating in the United States, the movement champions organic growing methods and seasonality, and had instant appeal for Celine, who combines her two loves – floristry and gardening – in her business, Floral by Nature.
But it hasn’t always been life in the slow lane for Celine. “After school I completed certificate courses in Floristry, Advanced Design and Horticulture at Richmond TAFE and worked at various florists in the mountains,” Celine explains. “I loved my work but was forced to give up floristry about four years ago due to a health scare.”
After the birth of her daughter, Indi, Celine began experiencing medical issues related to her thyroid: “It prompted me to look at my diet and lifestyle; everything I was putting on my skin, what I was cooking with, what I was drinking. I got really strict with myself, reducing chemicals and additives, and trying to live a low-tox life as much as possible.”
Celine’s approach paid off and, over the course of a year, she healed herself. “Doctors had been talking about surgery to remove my thyroid but I managed to get myself well by paying attention to diet and lifestyle,” she explains.
The experience also made Celine examine her previous life as a florist and what effect constant exposure to pesticide residues on flowers may have had. “I started to research the cut-flower industry and was really shocked to learn that not only are flowers heavily sprayed at flower farms, but imported flowers are also fumigated upon arrival in Australia,” she says.
According to australiaflowerindustry.com.au (which quotes the Australian Bureau of Statistics as its source), approximately 10 per cent of flowers sold in Australia are imported: “…mainly roses from Kenya and India, premium roses from Colombia and Ecuador, orchids from Singapore and Thailand, chrysanthemums from Malaysia and South Africa, and carnations from China and Vietnam.”
Many of these countries have dubious health or labour standards, such as Kenya, where workers endure appalling conditions and environmental damage from pesticide run-off is degrading once fertile land and water.
It is little wonder that when it came to returning to her profession, Celine decided to eschew traditional floristry for life as a farmer florist. “I just didn’t want to expose myself to pesticides anymore,” she says. “I’m also really passionate about protecting our environment and eco-systems, so felt pretty ashamed that I had been supporting one of the highest pesticide-using industries worldwide. It soon became really clear that if I wanted to continue as a florist, I would need to grow flowers organically myself.”
Thankfully, conscious-choice consumerism is on the rise. “It is hard to compete with the mass produced and imported flower trade, but what I do attracts a different kind of client,” says Celine. “My customers seek out ‘slow’ and appreciate being kind to the planet. They are people who want flowers that haven’t been shipped from the other side of the world, clocking up thousands of ‘flower miles’ then being fumigated before they end up in your home. And they want flowers that are a little bit different from your everyday florist-shop varieties.”
To that end, Celine and husband Tristan now grow a mix of annuals and perennials, including heirloom and rare varieties, on a 104-acre property in the beautiful Kanimbla Valley, where Tristan is building their forever home. The flowers, grown from seed – “Outside, where the bees can appreciate them, too” – are carefully selected specifically for cut flowers to ensure good ‘vase life’, beautiful fragrance and strong, healthy stems.
From small beginnings in the backyard of their Medlow Bath house, where Celine experimented with a small crop of zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos and dahlias, business has bloomed. “It has been a whirlwind,” she admits. “To our absolute delight, the response has been overwhelmingly positive and my little patch could barely keep up with demand.”
Selling through Facebook and the Blue Mountains Food Co-op, in Katoomba, word quickly spread and wedding enquiries and business proposals started rolling in. “I feel so fortunate to be able to turn my dream into a business,” Celine says. “I get great satisfaction from being a part of the whole process, from seed to vase. I nurture and love my flowers from the moment they germinate to the time they leave my hands.”
The Kanimbla and Hartley valleys are fast becoming the organic food (and flower) bowl of the mountains. Celine has joined forces with her likeminded neighbours – organic farmers Fabrice Rolando of First Farm Organics, Ebony Wynne and Edwina McCarron of Providence Hill Produce, and Erika Watson and Hayden Druce from Epicurean Harvest – all of whom meet monthly to share ideas and comradeship.
“It’s a good way to connect and share knowledge about the revolution,” Celine says. And although organic certification is still a way off for Floral by Nature, organic principles are employed. “I’ve always gardened without chemicals but I’m still learning. We’ve built the soil up with certified organic cow manure, so it’s full of worms and really healthy. And so far I’ve been lucky with pests and diseases. I’m still squashing aphids with my fingers and there are so many lady bugs in the garden, which really helps.”
Like running any farm, it’s hard work, with most days spent weeding, digging, planting, watering, picking and then arranging, styling and delivering, in between looking after three children ranging in age from three to 15. As the business grows, poly tunnels will extend the off season, but for now Celine can savour some down time over the winter months to plan, prepare beds and order seeds, bulbs and tubers.
Some of her plans include growing edible flowers such as calendula, cornflowers, snapdragons and roses for local restaurants, bakers and caterers, and making use of the natural resources on the property. Weaving workshops are also in the offing, using willow branches and reeds growing along the river.
It’s a big dream but one Celine is determined to fulfil: “When we finish setting up all the fields of flowers, we hope to have enough to supply the whole local community and wedding industry.” BML
WEDDING FLOWER TRENDS
FLOWERS DAHLIAS, HEIRLOOM CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND DAVID AUSTIN ROSES COLOURS DEEP BURGUNDY, APRICOT AND PEACHY PINK
