Ekkk! Floral Foam!

What is floral foam? And why don’t you want your kids anywhere near the stuff?

Simone Torpey3 February 2021Comment

Help! How can I deal with pests like slugs and snails?

Feeling the slug and snail pressure? Get a bluey…

GrowingSimone Torpey5 October 2020Pest control, Native wildlifeComment

celebrating Imbolc - it’s time to get planting

Start planting right now for summer abundance

Simone Torpey7 August 2020Comment

How to get growing - food and flowers

Where to start if you want to grow your own food and flowers

Simone Torpey24 March 2020Comment

No More Floral Foam at RHS events!

What is floral foam? Is it necessary in high-end floral design? And why is it so exciting that the RHS has banned it from all of its shows from 2021?

Simone Torpey28 January 2020Comment

How to get the most from cut flowers

Fresh flowers should give you a week of joy in the vase. But there a few things you can do to ensure their longevity

Simone Torpey20 January 2020Comment

How to grow zinnias

For anyone just getting started on their gardening or cut flower journey, there is perhaps no easier place to start than with zinnias.

Growing, SummerSimone Torpey9 January 2020Comment

Keeping seedlings growing in summer

It’s summer. It’s hot. We’re in the middle of a drought. There are water restrictions. How on earth are you meant to keep seedlings alive and thriving?

Growing, SummerSimone Torpey8 January 2020The Little Urban Flower FarmComment

Great summer flowers for Australian conditions

If you’re anything like me, your Instagram feed will be full of images of frothy English, European and Northern American gardens. Cottage gardens, wildflower gardens, blousy vintage gardens and traditional borders - I absolutely adore all those whimsical floral styles! But our harsh Australian conditions can be tricky. Unless you live in Tasmania or high on the Great Dividing Range, many of the flowers I so admire are off limits. But there are still many beautiful traditional flowers that can grown very well here. Here’s five I recommend.

Growing, SummerSimone Torpey7 January 2020The Little Urban Flower FarmComment

Growing Dahlias from seed

For the last few years, I have been supplementing my expensive dahlia bulbs with dahlias grown from seed. Dahlia seed is CHEAP - usually less than $5 for a packet of 25-50 seeds.

Growing, All EntriesSimone Torpey12 November 2019