North Lambton is a long way from Boston, in the US, and for Elizabeth Walton, her journey to the leafy suburb, surrounded by her evolving garden of blooms and her young family, has been a curvy one. A self-confessed nature nerd, Elizabeth remembers growing up collecting earth’s treasures like seashells from the beach or maple leaves during Boston’s colourful autumn. She started photographing nature at the age of twelve.
Working in an area that would help protect the planet was an easy transition and Elizabeth eventually moved to Townsville, QLD, twelve years ago to complete a master’s degree in Environmental Science. Later, heading down south to work at Sydney’s Institute of Marine Science, Elizabeth met her husband Robbie and when they decided to start a family, Newcastle surprisingly became home. “We’d both never really been to Newcastle before, but we wanted a decent size block of land with a house we could make our own, in between Robbie’s parents’ farms in Canberra and Crescent Head, so it made a lot of sense.
A self-confessed nature nerd, Elizabeth remembers growing up collecting earth’s treasures like seashells from the beach or maple leaves during Boston’s colourful autumn. She started photographing nature at the age of twelve.
Not knowing a soul, and with a toddler and another baby on the way, Elizabeth threw herself into making the garden and house her own. “It’s probably a common story – a new mum stuck at home wondering what to do in between the feeding and sleeps,” says Elizabeth.
“Gardening just became this beautiful way that I could look after my babies at home, whilst taking care of my mental health. I was surprised by how much joy I gained from growing things. We would literally spend all day in the garden.”
A realisation that returning to office work full-time wouldn’t be as easy as she first imagined before having children, Elizabeth wondered whether she could ever combine her love of flowers with taking care of her kids. “My friend Rainie Owen, who runs the amazing business The Unusual Pear, inspired me to believe that it was actually possible to do something creative that you love whilst being a mum. That was a big turning point for me and the start of Amble and Twine,” remembers Elizabeth.
With a home full of nature-inspired creations and having decorated her children’s rooms with beautiful dried flowered wreaths, Elizabeth took the plunge in January 2020 and made a few wreaths to post for sale on Instagram. Starting small and only using flowers that she had grown in her garden along with locally foraged grasses; Elizabeth was happily surprised when her creations sold immediately.
Building the business organically and in tune with her family’s needs, Elizabeth now has over ten thousand Insta followers. She quickly realised that she had a dried flower supply issue. “Ideally, I would only like to use flowers that I grow, and I’m working on that, but because of the demand, I do use Australian grown flowers from the markets and vegetation that I’ve cut from my in-law’s farms,” says Elizabeth. “We go on holidays to visit the family farm and I immediately start filling the car with grasses, branches, and flowers to bring home!”
Sustainability and the environment are never far from her mind and Elizabeth feels extremely passionate about educating customers of the ugly side of the flower and floristry industries. With increased demand world-wide, Elizabeth says it’s important to know the difference between naturally dried Australian-grown flowers and synthetically preserved flowers that are grown overseas, heat-treated, bleached, and chemically hardened, then coated with a water-soluble plastic and anti-mould sprays.
Gardening just became this beautiful way that I could look after my babies at home, whilst taking care of my mental health. I was surprised by how much joy I gained from growing things.
Ideally, I would only like to use flowers that I grow, and I’m working on that, but because of the demand, I do use Australian grown flowers from the markets and vegetation that I’ve cut from my in-law’s farms.
“They’re usually bright, neon-coloured flowers, mass produced under terrible conditions for the environment and the workers, and they are dirt cheap to buy,” says Elizabeth. “I would never let my kids touch these flowers because they’re so toxic and its even sadder that after about six months, they become oily and sticky and end up
in landfill.”
Naturally dried flowers take longer to prepare and dry and are therefore more expensive, but Elizabeth says their longevity and sustainability is well worth it. Elizabeth is enthusiastic about encouraging others to grow their own native flowers for drying. “It’s much easier than you think to grow native flowers at home that you can cut and enjoy inside,” says Elizabeth. “I sell a beautiful range of flower seeds from Settler Hives, another small family business that is passionate about filling the earth with native Australian wildflowers.”
Ollie, four and Ella, three, have grown up living in a flower-filled home, and help Elizabeth with daily tasks within her business. A year and a half on from opening her online store, freshly packed orders of wreaths to posies, seeds to specialised gardening tools, are delicately wrapped in tissue paper and stamped with ‘Fragile’ stickers.
The children help cut and strip flower bunches from the garden and are just as excited as Elizabeth when a sale means other people are enjoying nature in their homes too. “My phone makes a specific chime when a sale comes through, and the kids think that means it’s time to make someone a present!” says Elizabeth. “They give me high fives and get so excited as does my husband. It shows how much a small business is a family affair and we are so grateful for the support.”
It’s much easier than you think to grow native flowers at home that you can cut and enjoy inside.
With all her wreaths made from local grapevines from Hunter Valley vineyards and plans for even more flowers within her own garden, Elizabeth says Amble and Twine is a celebration of all that is beautiful in the local area.
“Boston has very stark seasons, but the weather in Newcastle is much milder and fantastic for growing flowers.” says Elizabeth. “I just love Australia and its native flowers from paper daisies to billy buttons and it’s a bonus that they are all so easily dried. When I stumble upon a new variety of native flower, I’m like a kid in a candy shop!”
Aside from creating a business that celebrates her love of the environment, Elizabeth says the surprise bonus of seeing her children embrace gardening and become a ‘flower family’ is what really makes her new business worthwhile. “I love teaching my children how to grow things, be gentle with nature and care for plants and insects and value these things in life,” says Elizabeth. “We spend huge amounts of time on the family farms and at home gathering, collecting, growing and just being in nature. That’s been the greatest part of creating Amble and Twine.”
I love teaching my children how to grow things, be gentle with
nature and care for plants and insects and value these things in life.
