Ten months ago, if you’d asked me the difference between half the plants sitting in my nursery today, I probably would’ve smiled, nodded, and quietly changed the subject.
Yet somehow, here I am.
The owner of a nursery.
Not because I’d spent years studying horticulture. Not because I’d always dreamed of owning one. And definitely not because I knew what I was doing.
I bought a nursery anyway.
Every morning I unlock the gate, look around and think, “Right… now what?”
Some days a truck arrives packed with plants I’ve never even heard of. Other days customers ask me questions that send me down a Google rabbit hole. Every week I discover another plant that I suddenly become convinced everyone needs in their garden.
Then I order too many.
That’s another thing nobody warned me about. Plants are addictive. I used to think people were exaggerating when they said they couldn’t leave a nursery without buying something. Now I’m the one placing orders and wondering where on earth I’m going to fit everything.
The funniest part? People really do spend serious money on plants.
The first time someone happily handed over a chunk of cash for a beautiful specimen, I nearly questioned whether they’d picked up the wrong price tag. Apparently not. They smiled, hugged their new plant like a baby and drove off as happy as could be.
I’ve learnt that gardeners are a special breed.
They’re excited by new leaves.
They’ll drive across town for a plant they’ve been hunting for.
They’ll stand in front of a flowering shrub with the biggest grin on their face.
And somehow, without even noticing it, they’ve turned me into one of them.
The nursery itself is still a work in progress. My little Wendy house is slowly becoming what I imagined when I first took this leap. Every month something changes. A new corner. A new display. Another delivery. Another crazy idea.
I have plenty of those.
If there’s one thing you’ll learn about me, it’s that I have enough ideas to keep ten businesses busy. My challenge isn’t dreaming them up—it’s remembering to finish one before the next one arrives in my head.
So that’s what this blog is going to be.
Not gardening lessons from an expert.
Just the honest, funny and sometimes slightly chaotic adventures of someone learning the nursery business one day at a time. I’ll share what surprises me, what makes me laugh, what goes wrong, what goes right, and everything in between.
If you enjoy a good story, love plants, or simply want to watch a rookie figure it all out, then I think we’re going to get along just fine.
And if you’re ever nearby, pop into Sylvia Pass Nursery. You might leave with a plant you never planned on buying… and if you catch me chatting to one of them, just pretend that’s completely normal.
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