My Patch
Watching flower lovers enjoy picking flowers at her Point Wells Farm as part of her Summer pick-your-own events, Lisa Bindon started thinking a grow-your-own experience would be just as enjoyable.
She discovered most pickers didn’t grow their own flowers, thinking the process from seed to vase would be too daunting. It was also a challenge for them to find cut flower seedlings at garden centres which mainly sell short bedding plants. So, after some discussions with her entrepreneurial son Alex, the two teamed up to create My Patch, aiming to make it simple for people to grow cut flowers at home.
Working with her son has been a fun process, says Lisa. Although born and bred in Matakana, Alex now lives in Christchurch, so they make their long-distance business partnership work with Zoom calls and Trello boards. Alex handles branding and the website, while Lisa manages the hands-on growing side of the business.
The secret to growing successful cut flowers is planting the right seedlings at the right time of year for the climate. This is exactly how My Patch makes it easy – there is no guesswork. With six years of experience seasonal flower growing at her Flora Flower Farm, Lisa uses her knowledge to expertly time seedlings to be ready to plant at the right time for the mild North Auckland climate.
My Patch releases seedlings in batches to purchase on their website with sign up available for email notifications of release dates. This means customers are often planting seedlings at the same time as Lisa is on her flower farm. My Patch not only grows high- quality seedlings but also provides ongoing specialised growing and harvesting advice through their Instagram page.
Always a strong supporter of her local community, Lisa is collaborating with Harbour Hospice, growing plants to donate to the plant sale at their Point Wells Homes & Gardens Tour on Sunday 10 November. She is planning community potting days in September to get the plants underway.