G'day! Thanks for joining us on our Fiokhea Flowers farming journey. We’re so happy to have you here with us. Here’s a little about us and our farm.
Fiona and Duncan
We’re Fiona and Duncan, the Fiokhea Flowers team. Fiona is the day-to-day farmer, and Duncan helps farm on the weekends and in between his regular job hours. Fiona loves the growing side of farming, enjoys tractoring and physical work, but tries to avoid all things mechanical (e.g. irrigation). Duncan loves all things mechanical and construction (he's an engineer), enjoys the physical work of harvesting, but absolutely refuses to make bouquets.
We moved from Canberra to our farm in 2021 because Fiona was really sick, and city life was making things harder. We hoped Fi might be able to heal living somewhere rural, and maybe make a career on the farm after having to retire from office work. Moving rurally helped a lot! And with some treatment improvements she was able to start Fiokhea Flowers in 2023.
Why did we choose to farm flowers?
We didn’t start with flowers. We dived down every rabbit hole of possibility that might work on our land – from goats, sheep, poultry, veges, agri-tourism, worms, beetles, mushrooms, aquaculture and more...! After looking at the numbers and the type of land we have, we thought that flower farming might offer a workable solution. It has a semi-flexible harvest window that allows Fi to manage her health, could be done by building up our rocky soil and branching ;) into native plants, and had a sales option that didn’t require too much computer work (something that will always be difficult). It also allows us to take a regenerative and gentle approach to land management, in an industry that has a real need for carbon reduction and local product, something that is very important to us.
We trialled garlic, poultry (ducks) and flowers in 2021/22, and then began focussing more exclusively on flowers after that. Our first year of flower sales was in 2023. We sold at a range of local cafes/stores and local markets from Goulburn to Braidwood and Canberra and surrounds, before finally finding our home at Capital Region Farmers Markeet in Epic. You can find us there most Saturdays throughout the year with our range of seasonal, locally-grown blooms. We also provide bouquets and flowers for events and special occasions such as weddings, celebrations, and saying goodbye to a loved one. We can provide bouquest upon request too when it coordinates with our Canberra travel and market schedule.
So what’s so special about our flowers?!?
One of the most special things about our flowers is that we grow seasonally, so our flowers follow the seasons. You can watch the seasons change week-by-week with the flower availability on our market stall. Every flower feels that bit more special when you know it’s only available at that time of year. And what’s best about seasonal flowers is that the flowers are stronger, healthier and last longer for you when they are grown in season.
What types of flowers do you grow?
Through autumn and winter we have a range of proteas and natives (such as banksia) blooming, in spring we have a variety of bulbs, ranunculus, anemones and other annuals (along with proteas and natives), and over summer we revel in the bright colours of zinnia, sunflowers, dahlias and more. All our flowers are grown without any pesticides or harmful chemicals, so you can be sure they’re just as good for the environment as they are for your soul!
Where can you find us?
Come and visit us on Saturday mornings in Canberra at Capital Region Farmers Market Epic You can find us there from 7am until 11:30am at Stall #179.
Want to stay in touch and learn more about our farm?
Subscribe to our Fiokhea Flowers Farm News or Follow us on Instagram or FaceBook @FiokheaFlowers .