From Shopping Queen to Flower Farmer – Kathy’s Journey with Plumtree Floral Farm

From Shopping Queen to Flower Farmer – Kathy’s Journey with Plumtree Floral Farm

From Dish the Dirt by Rebecca Noble

September 9, 2025 · 42 min

About this episode

Kathy shares her inspiring journey from a media career to becoming a flower farmer, highlighting the challenges and joys of her new life.

n this episode of Dish the Dirt , I chat with the inspiring Kathy from Plumtree Floral Farm in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. Kathy’s story is a reminder that it’s never too late to chase your dreams. After a long career in media and even a stint as Australia’s “shopping queen,” she traded city life for gumboots and flower fields. Since moving to the subtropics, Kathy and her husband have faced drought, floods, cyclones, and endless curveballs from the weather. But through resilience, adaptability, and passion, they’ve built a flourishing flower farm that continues to grow and evolve. In our conversation, Kathy shares: 🌸 The bold decision to leave Sydney and start a new life on the land 🌸 How she fell in love with growing flowers (and why chrysanthemums have stolen her heart) 🌸 The challenges of farming in the subtropics and learning to adapt to climate extremes 🌸 Shifting from retail to wholesale and her vision for expanding the farm 🌸 Why she believes it’s so important to educate consumers about imported vs. local flowers Kathy’s energy and honesty make this such a special episode—you’ll walk away feeling uplifted and inspired to follow what makes your heart sing…

People in this episode

Host: Rebecca Noble

Guest: Kathy

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Plumtree Floral Farm

Places: Northern Rivers of New South Wales

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