Craig Scott is a 4th generation flower grower with a passion for growing Australian plants. It began with his great grandfather William “Robbo” Robinson who ran a mixed business between the railway station and Woronora Cemetery selling flowers to people on the way to the cemetery!
When the next generation took over they grew a range of traditional flowers on their nearby farm at Menai as well as “bush picked” Australian natives in the Sutherland area.
Craig’s dad Col used to grow a lot of traditional crops like dahlia’s, but he also had a love for Australian native plants which he started selling at the markets. In 1968 his dad Col bought a 50 acre property at Mangrove Mountain. In 1987 Craig quit his job as a motor mechanic and with his newly wed wife moved onto the farm.
Today, 20 acres is under cultivation. He grows paper daisies (Xerochyrysum ‘Cockatoo’ and Rhodanthe chlorocephala), flannel flowers (Actinotus helianthi), hybrid flowering gums (Corymbia ficifolia), waratahs (Telopia speciosissima), kangaroo paws, NSW Christmas bush (Ceratopetalum gummiferum) and foliage plants such as silver wattle (), silver gum (Eucalyptus cinerea), burgundy willow myrtle (Agonus flexuosa ‘After Dark’) and purple leafed wattle (Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurescens’).
Craig loves working on the farm, listening to the birds and making up mixed bunches of flowers. It’s a complete contrast to the Sydney Flower Markets where he sells his blooms, which is an important part of the business and full of hustle and bustle. And the secret to success? Craig suggest its to just keep going.
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