Our Story
Blooming Local nga putiputi is a family-run micro-urban flower farm on the east coast of Christchurch, New Zealand. We operate Christchurch’s first mobile florist truck.
A love of gardening trickles down through the generations of both mine and my husband’s whanau. Our journey started with my battle with cancer and rare disease, LCH. In amongst hospital visits and treatments, a fresh new love arose within me, for growing. I had and still have, a great desire to be in the calmness of nature. Our garden and flowers have become a strength for me; I have been in remission for many years now. This journey made us question how we lived, and I began to research growing in a good way for us and good for the earth.
We were blessed to purchase a home on 1200m2 of land in North Beach Christchurch. The previous owners put a lot of work into the soil and were asparagus growers. We began growing cut flowers a few years ago and loved the joy our flowers brought to others. My husband, Jesse, restored and altered an old cart, adding a canopy, shelving, and a blackboard. I wheeled this down the road and parked it next to our local coffee cart. With a positive response from our community, we then began planning our next venture. With the help of my father, we found and purchased a gorgeous Morris Oxford Ute. That is how Olive the little flower truck and Blooming Local began.
2020 was a big year for our little whanau, Jesse started his first year of studying for a degree in counselling. I studied a certificate in small business management and a certificate in organic primary production. As well as setting up our little business, planting rows of flowers and tending to them. Growing outdoors has its challenges, but we have enjoyed becoming more aware of the changes in our seasons. Noticing the weather changes, connecting us with nature. This has kept us grounded in the craziness of 2020.
Sustainably growing and arranging our flowers is vital to my family. As a Florist with over ten years of experience, I can guarantee that Aroha (love) is poured into every arrangement I design.
Olive, our little flower truck’s opening 2020.
We're a travelling florist
Are you looking for a florist near you? We go one step further, we are a travelling florist, that parks at locations scattered around Christchurch every week.