Petals and pocket money

I never imagined growing flowers would become such a big part of my life. I started after my world completely flipped in 2020 and I went from being a career driven wāhine to a first-time mum isolated in lockdown.

Name: Edee

Location: Motueka, Tasman

Garden size: Growing in crates and pots!

Follow me: @gretagraceblooms

I adored being a mum – it’s the best job I ever had – but I wanted another sense of purpose. In a sleep-deprived state I ordered 200 tulips, celebrating in my online mother’s group whenever I managed to get my baby to sleep for 20 minutes so I could plant a few bulbs in wine barrels on our deck. By spring we had a beautiful display, neighbours were commenting on their drive to work and I was hooked.

Fast forward six years and my daughter and I have our own cut flower garden where she understands every stage of growing – from planting and picking to now selling our flowers.

Last year, we planted 600 tulip bulbs. At the time we were thinking about moving houses, so researched how to grow in crates and old pots we had around home so we could take them with us if need be. We filled the crates with a mix of home compost and Tui Bulb Mix, nestling the bulbs snugly together like eggs in a carton, covered them up and let mother nature take over. In spring those tulips became the first of many flowers we sold in our ‘candy shop’-style roadside flower cart.

Planting in crates saved us space in the garden and created a wicked display of colour on our deck when they bloomed. This spring we will be filling our crates with beautiful tulips again, choosing varieties that stagger their bloom times so we can have a longer season. We'll also be growing more iris and our new spring love - ranunculus grown from corms! 

Selling the flowers has become as meaningful as growing them, giving us a practical way to teach financial literacy. Each week, the money from our roadside cart goes through our payday routine. Emilia-Grace earns 40% for her work, then we divide it into four pots. First, 40% into her long-term savings for big dreams, with the rest split evenly between her investing account - where money grows like seeds into flowers - her short-term savings, and a fun money pot for little treats.