A blooming business stems from passion for flowers

An exquisite palate of seasonal colour covers Nicky Paul's North Canterbury flower farm.

An insurance broker by day, Nicky is out picking flowers as soon as she gets home from the office.

Birch Hill Flower Farm is a labour of love, she says.

"The hours are pretty long. I literally get out of the car, change and get out here and start picking."

When Country Life visits, Birch Hill Flower Farm is bursting with colour.

Ninety percent of Nicky's propagation is done on-site, and the flowers are grown organically and as sustainably as possible, she says.

"You should see my greenhouse. In peak germination season it is just absolutely chokka in there!"

Up until recently, Nicky's been working full-time but she has cut down to four days a week which means she can attend a growers market in Christchurch every Thursday.

The Canterbury Floral Collective operates out of a church hall in Riccarton and sells directly to florists.

Nicky says there are several growers in the Collective, but they're hoping to expand and get more florists on board.

"All of us grow in a sustainable fashion and pride ourselves in locally grown."

Nicky also runs workshops and garden tours at the picturesque property, organised by the Secret Gardens website.

"Secret Gardens is a wonderful platform for people to come and experience gardens they may never get to see otherwise," she says.

The next workshop at Birch Hill Flower Farm will focus on how to create a hand-tied flower bouquet.