The Rural Florist

The Rural Florist Growing cut flowers in Gisborne, NZ. Dahlia tuber presale online www.theruralflorist.co.nz

25/06/2026

The egg carton tulip trend. I’m sceptical, but what have I got to lose?

Trialling Avant Garde and Barcelona, with the egg carton as is, with holes cut out (extra effort which probably defeats the point of ), planted in situ and some of last years odds and new thrown in for fun.

What do you reckon, will the egg cartons actually do anything, or is this just nonsense?

On the shortest day, take a moment to reflect on the season that was, and set your intentions for the one ahead. There i...
20/06/2026

On the shortest day, take a moment to reflect on the season that was, and set your intentions for the one ahead.

There is a lot to look forward to 🌈

17/06/2026

Project: Create More Whimsy Ep. 4 🌸

Willow harvested. Teepee built. Cardboard down. One op shop horse, and a guest appearance.

Spring annuals and bulbs are in the ground, sweet peas are sown, and now we wait.

The cardboard is suppressing weeds for now, but what should I do with the floor space?

15/06/2026

Project: Create More Whimsy Ep. 3 🌸

A Sunday afternoon well spent soaking up the sunshine, clearing weeds, pulling out old irrigation lines, and getting the space ready for our sweet pea teepee project.

A messy but necessary part of the process I’ve been putting off for a few weeks but it’s finally tidy and ready for the next step.

The twisted willow has been harvested for the teepee construction coming soon.

How big / wide do you think we should make it?

14/06/2026

Project: Create More Whimsy Ep.2 🌸

Everyone seems to have a different opinion on the best way to start sweet peas. So naturally, I’ve decided to try three different methods:

🌱 Toilet roll tubes
🌱 Seedling pots
🌱 A seed snail (my first attempt!)

Some seeds were soaked overnight, some weren’t, and now we wait to see who comes out on top, or if it really matters.

Place your bets and I’ll report back in a couple of weeks. 👇

Team toilet rolls, team pots, team snail… or do you have a completely different method?

14/06/2026

Somewhere along the way, I forgot that not everything I grow has to be productive.

After simplifying parts of the flower farm, I’m left with this awkward triangle patch filled with weeds and earmarked for lawn.

Instead, I’m attempting to turn it into a living sweet pea dome using twisted willow, Garden on the Hill | Yvonne Baker sweet pea seeds and a nothing to lose attitude.

If all goes to plan, it will create a place for kids to play, imaginations to run wild and a little extra magic in the garden.

Welcome to Project: Create More Whimsy ✨

Who’s growing a sweet pea teepee this year? I’m a bit late off the starting blocks but I’ve sown the seeds today and excited to get stuck in!

13/06/2026

Turns out I should have been sealing the inside of these white terrazzo pots before planting them 😅

After noticing brown staining on my four year old pots and getting a few comments about it. I did some research and discovered the pots (although presealed) can still leach moisture and minerals through the sides.

So… a quick trip back to Mitre 10 to talk to the helpful team and get a bucket of waterproofing membrane, fluffies, and an excuse to buy another pot, we’re back in business.

You live and you learn 🌿

Has anyone else discovered a gardening tip after they’d already planted everything?

11/06/2026

Following on from yesterday’s bulb lasagna mapping reel, here’s the planting part 🌷

I planted up one of my new Mitre 10 white tulip pots, layering:

🌷 Tulips
🌼 Daffodils
🌸 Ranunculus
⭐ Ornithogalum
💜 Violas

I bulked out the base with broken terracotta and cardboard, topped it off with Tui Garden & Home potting mix, and watered everything in with some leftover Tui seaweed tonic from my flower seedling soak.

Now we wait for spring 🌷

I want to add more pots around the front steps. What other bulb combinations would you like to see me try?

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