WAIKERIE flower farmer and florist Natasha Waanders’ love for growing flowers started when she was a child tending to the garden outside her cubby house.

The owner of Flowers on Segneri goes by the motto “from little seeds, beautiful flowers bloom,” and this has become her pathway to a successful florist business.

When Natasha’s dad purchased a fruit property which had a section of flowers on it, she took over growing and marketing them. 

“The flowers were delivered to Adelaide by courier and were also sold locally,” Natasha said.

During the late 1980s, Natasha trained as a florist, in Adelaide completing work experience with florists both in Adelaide and Waikerie.

Her dedication paid off and she gained part-time employment with Jacaranda Flowers, a much-loved former Waikerie florist owned by the late John Maywald and Ruth Maywald, who now lives in Queensland.

In 1990, Natasha also started working as a carer at Pioneer Haven, an aged care facility at Waikerie, where she still works today.

Natasha married in 1998 and later moved with her husband to their own property where she transplanted her flowers, mainly Dutch iris. 

But the millennium drought and harsh water restrictions meant growing flowers was no longer viable. 

She had three boys and family commitments meant her flower farm was put on hold for about 10 years. 

Natasha and her family moved to their current property on Segneri Road at Waikerie in 2010.

Her desire to grow flowers was reignited in 2015. 

“I decided to follow my passion for growing flowers and floristry and see if I could make things work,” she said. 

Natasha pursued her dreams as a solo mum.

“With a property and also a part-time job, I must have been crazy,” she said. 

I dived in, experimenting during the early stages with what grew well with a good vase life and consumer popularity.”

In 2017, Natasha decided to establish Flowers on Segneri and began advertising her business via social media.

Jacaranda Flowers had been closed for several years and a void existed in the community. 

“I realised there was no one that could support with funerals, special occasions, and daily bunches of freshly grown flowers in Waikerie,” Natasha said.

Since establishing a Facebook page, her business has bloomed.

Natasha grows varieties of flowers that are suited to the climate in the Riverland.

“I admire some of the beautiful plants my sister grows in Tasmania, but I would not dream of planting them here,” she said

“It is not just worth the challenge, the resources, the watering, and the covering up.”

Many of the flowers Natasha grows were inspired by her trips to the Netherlands and South Africa.

“I visited the Aalsmeer flower market and the Floriade festival in Holland,” she said, “and I also saw the proteas in South Africa, growing on the side of the road.”

She said the proteas in South Africa flourished in a climate similar to the Riverland. 

Natasha’s peak flower production periods are autumn, winter and spring when she grows proteas, leucadendrons, and ranunculus. 

Natasha has about 1000 permanent plantings of these varieties, and she is in the process of bulldozing her orange trees to enable her to grow more.

My parents have been great support and help out with the planting, weed control and other tasks,” she said.

During summer when her main varieties are out of season, she also grows dahlias, lisianthus, liliums, and straw flowers. 

She grows gums and wattles to use all year round for foliage and often sources these leaves and gumnuts from family and friends. 

Flowers on Segneri also sources flowers for its customers from growers in the Barossa, Adelaide Hills, and Adelaide Flower Market. 

It is part of the international Grown Not Flown movement, which was co-founded by a Victorian flower grower, Nikki Davey, during the Covid pandemic in 2021.

Natasha said the organisation encouraged consumers to purchase chemically free, locally produced flowers like her own and connects like-minded flower producers. 

The Waikerie florist and farmer said flowers sold at retail outlets and markets often come from overseas.

“The flowers that come overseas are dipped in a combination of chemicals including Roundup,” Natasha said. 

“They are quarantined and a lot of them are picked before they are even open.”

Natasha said her emphasis was to grow and source “ethically grown” flowers from SA and sometimes interstate.  

She said being chemical free may mean finding the odd insect among her bouquets.

“That is just a bonus,” she said.

Natasha’s busiest times are Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day and the Covid-19 pandemic also led to a huge demand for her flowers.

This in turn led to her establishing an outside flower stall on her property.

Natasha said her customers are mainly local and interstate family members who order flowers for their loved ones based in Waikerie and its surrounds. 

Flowers on Segneri’s stall is advertised via social media and is usually open on Thursday and Friday except in January, when stock can be limited due to the heat.

Customers can also order their fresh flowers from Natasha by phoning 0438 882 675.