Photo: Susan Murray/RNZ
Having three young boys who "break everything and everything smells" is incentive enough for Ali Ruthe from Pirongia to escape to her flower garden in the evening.
That, and a love of having her hands in soil.
She is one of five women who make up the Floral Collective Waikato and all the women talk animatedly about the joy and pleasure they get from their small-scale field-grown flower operations.
Therapeutic, relaxing, a happy place - these are all descriptions rolling off the tongue.
Photo: Susan Murray/RNZ
There are eight floral collectives around New Zealand, with the first starting in Auckland about a decade ago.
Waikato followed soon after and Hamilton-based florist Natalie Peden from Amy's Flowers says it's a great way to source unusual flowers that aren't available in the auction system.
Helichrysum, amaryllis, asters, black millet, celosia, zinnias, gomphrena and sedum don't like to travel far but being Waikato-grown Natalie says her bouquets will be unique and extra special.
Photo: Susan Murray/RNZ
Another florist with two weddings to do in the week has a colour palette of white, pink and orange to buy for.
The Floral Collective Waikato women work long days every Wednesday between November and May. Selecting, picking, bucketing up their floral wonders which they then display on Thursday morning in the Frankton Railway Institute Hall.
They all love the buzz of the early morning event, the culmination of their hard work, but "it's not all skipping and pretty clothes with baskets," laughs Ali Ruthe, instigator of the Waikato group.
She saw a real need for a community to develop around flowers and selling them.
"We've got a lot of sole traders ....so it's a pretty lonely job both as a flower farmer and a florist so it's a really nice space for florists to come and catch up with each other because you don't dedicate time for that in a busy wedding season. And it's the same for the growers."
Photo: Susan Murray/RNZ
The Floral Collective women nearly all have other jobs and squeeze growing in amongst family commitments, but they like having a home-based business, and one that makes them smile and feel good.
Nicky Brzeska has gone from the corporate world in London to rural Raglan.
"I always knew I wanted to get my hands dirty and do something mindful, and in the soil really. I didn't know it would be a flower farming journey but it sort of evolved with a strong inner drive to get out of the corporate world," she says.
The flowers are grown with sustainability in mind, biochar, beneficial insects, compost and cover crops are used and plots range from not much bigger than a tennis court or two, through to half a hectare.
Photo: Susan Murray/RNZ
Renee Courtman used to be a vet and said the stress and emotion of that job weren't going to mix well with raising a young child which is why she opted for flower-growing.
She says maybe she got too big too quickly, but at least she has some flowers to sell if not all the crops worked out.
And she sums up the group's feeling.
"I'm always really looking forward to next season by the end of the season before because everything that goes wrong or pear-shaped you have great plans for how you'll fix it next season.
"And how you'll magically get all this time out of nowhere and be able to do everything perfectly next season. I'm very excited about next season, and finishing this one off with a bang."
Photo: Susan Murray/RNZ
Photo: Susan Murray/RNZ
Photo: s
Photo: s
Photo: Esther Smits-Wilson
Photo: Esther Smits-Wilson
Photo: Esther Smits-Wilson
