Frequently Asked Questions

Here is the answers to the questions I receive most frequently. Please email hello@thejoyfarmer.com if you haven't found your answer.

Where are your flowers grown?

Right here in Central Otago. They are grown rurally in Tarras, 30 minutes from Wanaka on a high country station that has been in my family for over a century. I also grow a few flowers in my home garden in central Wanaka to supplement.

What is your favourite flower?

Every season I fall in love with a different flower, but I particularly love scented blooms and a beautiful garden rose.

What variety of flowers do you grow?

I grow small amounts of a lot of varieties (over a hundred) I have curated because I personally love them or they grow well in my region. I lean more heavily on perennials including dahlias which I mix with classic annuals like cosmos, nigella, ammi, cornflowers, corncockle, zinnas, marigolds & scabiosas.

Can I visit your flower farm?

Unfortunately the farm isn't open to the public. My cutting patch is integrated into my parent's homestead garden and out of respect for their privacy I don't have visitors.

Can I choose my flowers?

No - Why? This offering is not a bespoke floral service. That is part of the service you pay for when you work with a florist. They usually offer a detail consultation as part of the design service and order specific blooms to an agreed brief.

I am led by what is available and seasonal in the garden. I never know exactly what I will have until the time of picking.

Being 100% field grown weather plays a huge role in what is available, crop failures, storms, temperature fluctuations can alter the timing and availability of blooms from previous years so if I am vague about what could be flowering at the time of your event that is why! I am putting my finger to the wind and making my best guess based on the information I have.

I do allow you to select a colour preference and add special requests to your booking enquiry. I reference these when I am picking and I do my best to accommodate where possible, but it isn't a guarantee. If you wish to have a more detailed consultation, I may charge an additional admin fee as I don't factor this service into my pricing.

Helpful information you may wish to share with me so I can tailor your flowers as best I can to your event is

- What you are using the flowers for eg table flowers, bridal bouquets etc

- Any colour or variety you strongly dislike

If you are set on specific flowers or colours I would recommend working with a local floral designer to ensure you get the exact blooms are you looking for.

Is a DIYing my wedding or event right for me?

Consider your personality type, skill sets, workspace and available time.

Creating your own blooms for an event is a beautiful way to add creativity or a personal touch to your day. It is also a lovely way to include friends & family in the build up for your event. You will create life long floral memories together that will forever connect you to the season and the place you have chosen to celebrate.

On the flip side it requires a good chunk of time and work that can add an additional layer of stress or complication. Think through your timeline for your event, when your family and friends are arriving and what are your priorities for that time leading up to your event.

I do offer an option to split the workload by creating some of your elements for you so you can focus on the statement pieces.

How many flowers do I receive in a bundle?

You will receive at least 50 stems in a standard mixed bundle. Every stem is worth a different value so the mixes can vary. Dahlia bundles are 35 stems. If I have agreed to supply you a specific variety, the quantities or pricing maybe different.

How many flowers do I need?

This is a question you need to work through before ordering. It depends on many factors. Consider things like the style, fullness of arrangements, number & type of items you wish to create, if you want foliage or flower heavy arrangements. I have a table I can share with you to help with your planning.

A trick I can suggest is mocking up or buying a similar scale arrangement and counting up the number of stems. Another option is to count the numbers of stems you can see in a picture and double it for the other side as a guide. Once you know this number of stems per element, multiply the stem count by the number of each item you need to make. This should give you a rough guide.

Broadly Iike to allow a bundle for bridal bouquet + buttonhole. For brides maids bouquets depending on size you will get 1.5-2x smaller bouquets from a bundle. Table flowers consider how many stems per vase and numbers of vases per tables you are populating. Larger ceremony arrangements depending on scale and fullness and if you are using foliage, you will probably need at least a bundle per arrangement. Consider the use of foliage as it is a great space filler.

Can you flower my wedding?

No, I do not take on full scale weddings. We have a pool of amazing florists locally I can directly you to.

I do offer design support for those feeling overwhelmed by DIYing it all, where you can outsource an element of your event florals to me to prepare to split the load so you so you can focus on your statement pieces, see the À La Carte section on my website.

Do you offer elopement flowers?

Yes, if you love garden style flowers and have relaxed floral brief I am happy to design your elopement flowers. See the À La Carte section on my website. Designs are in my relaxed garden inspired style using what is available in the field the week of your event. This is not a bespoke floral service, this is florist choice.

Do you offer different design styles?

No - my work has been described as informal garden inspired style - to give you an idea, clients have used words like whimsical, wild, loose, rambling, or free spirited to describe my flowers. My styled is inspired by what I have to work with and by how I see the flowers in the garden. It is full of movement and characterful blooms.

If you are looking for a specific style or design, I recommend using a local floral designer.

How do my flowers come & how do I transport them?

Flowers come as loose stems conditioned in a bucket of water which you get to take with you and keep. I hate waste so if you have no use for the buckets and wish to return them to me, I will gladly accepted and reused in my business.

From experience of carting buckets around, I suggested bringing a plastic fish bin, washing basket, box or the like to put your buckets in for safe transportation to the venue. Allow plenty of space in your car.

If you are hiring vases or picking up premade table flowers, these will be packed into wooden crates or plastic bins ready for transportation. These packing containers must be returned with the hired goods, replacement of missing items will be invoiced to you.

When should I collect & create my flowers?

I bring flower orders back to Wanaka from the farm in the afternoons. I suggest two days out from your event you do an afternoon collection. This means you have your blooms on hand ready to get designing first thing the day before your event. The best time of day to design your event flowers is in the morning or the evening when it is cooler.

I do not recommend creating your flowers on the day of your wedding. Its surprising how busy the morning leading up to a wedding is, and you don't need added stress on your wedding day if things don't go to plan!!

What should I do with my flowers when I get home?

You will receive a care card with your order.

For bundles I would put them in your coolest shady spot, maybe a garage or even outside tucked under an eve or tree. Think about where the sun is going to hit during the day.

The morning of the event I would top up vessels you have designed into with fresh cool water to keep things looking hydrated, you can also mist flowers.

If something is droopy you can try recutting and dip the stem into boiling water for a few seconds before returning to cold water to unlock air bubbles that maybe blocking the stem from drinking water. Lots of demos online to revive flowers.

You will be surprised how much perkier your flowers will look after a cool night in water.

When should I book in my event flowers?

I open my event bookings on the 1 June for the next growing season (Sep-Mar). If your event is the following season, your welcome to still get in touch to get more information to assist with your planning.

I do limit my bookings so I can focus on curating the best blooms for each event. Feb / Mar is high season for events, so I do recommend booking early to avoid missing out on your date.