Flower farmers seem to agree that what we see on their polished social media feeds are a far cry from what goes on while they have their hands in the soil.
"I'm only wearing a nice dress for you and the photographs," Teneale Coetzee from Femme Pétale Flower Farm says. "A white dress isn't practical. I usually look like I've been driven over about five times!"
Flower farming isn't all moonlight and roses. It takes hard work and patience as well as loads of research and support in the budding stages. And that's how Hort Couture Flower Collective came about.
Nine aspiring flower farmers dabbled in growing their own blooms in 2019 and 2020 when the hard lockdown afforded them the chance to follow their dreams. They all soon realised that time and individual research are good starting points but for their ventures to flourish they would have to reach out to others for advice.
"Flower farming is a notoriously closed and secretive industry," says Jo van Zyl of Lily-Rose in the Eastern Cape. Established flower farmers aren't always keen to share their knowledge, possibly for the fear of competition.
Through hours of research and scrolling on Instagram, Jo found a kindred spirit: Nzwi Dyirakumunda from Akanaka Blooms in Gauteng.
"We were chatting on Instagram about how difficult it was to grow cut flowers and to tap into the South African market. Nzwi introduced me to the clan on a WhatsApp group called You Grow Girl. I have never felt more bonded to a random group of women in my life!"
The biggest factor linking the women in the collective is that they all wanted to grow dahlias, and the most cost-effective way for them to grow the colour varieties they wanted was to import the tubers from the Netherlands.
Not only do they club together to do so, but they also buy seeds together and share knowledge and advice in the group.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Spring 2022 من go! Platteland.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Spring 2022 من go! Platteland.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The art of small talk
In the city, a glib smile suffices when it comes to interaction with any stranger that crosses her path. Yet a visit to Struisbaai taught Elizabeth Wasserman that small talk is no small matter
From food scraps to compost in a jiffy: We test the iCompost
If turning kitchen waste into compost could be done at the touch of a button, more people would take it up, and much less waste would end up in landfills. That’s what Himkaar Singh, the man behind the innovative iCompost, believes. Platteland was keen to put this innovative appliance to the test
Find wisdom in the forest: It all starts with soil
A tree is an investment in any garden, even though patience is required to pluck the (figurative) fruit. When you plant several trees together to create your own forest, the reward is much greater. They offer shade, they support life… and they improve your soil. We spent time reflecting in our white karee“forest”– and learnt a lot
Ohrigstad's tiny big farmer
Agriculture courses through the veins of the Els family, who have been farming in the Ohrigstad valley in Limpopo since the 1930s. And they are getting younger and younger: Grandfather Jan Els was 36 when he set out, father Dewald 27… and littleWaldo got behind the wheel of massive machines at the age of 6!
The head hen who lays the golden eggs
The Country Chic is a delightful specialty store in the Swartland where small farmer and entrepreneur Suzanne Smit sells the organic free-range chicken eggs and poultry meat she produces – straight from her farm to the shelves of her own store
On mountains and moments
On a trip in the southern Drakensberg, a torrential downpour and a field of prickly thistles got acclaimed photographer Obie Oberholzer thinking about the power of perspective
Ballad of the butter farmer
High up in the Italian Alps, Maria van Zyl learnt to make the tastiest butter in South Africa. Then she started a clever “subscription farming business” delivering dairy products to households in the Cape on a weekly basis, which is how she could afford to buy the first five cows for her micro-dairy. Meet the (bio)dynamic small-scale farmer with big plans
Spring on a stick
Expand your braai repertoire by serving a side dish of flavourful spring-vegetable kebabs cooked to perfection over the coals.
A puzzle of nostalgia
Ride a fat bike through the town where you grew up - an abiding landmark in your life - and behold the picture that reveals itself.
Let's braai!
Celebrate Heritage Day on 24 September with this braai menu, which Platteland put together from Martelize Brink's recently published second cookbook, Oor die Kole.
