Lucinda’s Everlastings in Kojonup is surging as COVID-19 fuels green thumbs

A wildflower seed production business in the Great Southern is enjoying surging demand, as more people continue to turn to gardening since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jen Egerton-Warburton, who runs Lucinda’s Everlastings with husband Rob, said sales had skyrocketed for the iconic pink WA native flowers.

Ms Egerton-Warburton said demand from Victoria remained particularly strong as people in lockdown embraced gardening.

The family started farming Everlastings on their grain and sheep farm at Kojonup 18 years ago after receiving a bag of seeds.

They now plant about four or five hectares a year, which are harvested for seed, then sold online and to nurseries.

“We don’t harvest seeds by hand, it’s all mechanical, with a seeder and harvester adapted for the purpose,” Ms Egerton-Warburton said.

Ms Egerton-Warburton said they also ran a second business stream of cut flowers, most of which are sold to WA florists.

“I grow a crop, harvest the seed from it, then the following year that’s left for flowers to come up again and use that for flower picking,” she said.

Ms Egerton-Warburton employs up to 20 people during the spring picking window.

They plan to keep Lucinda’s Everlastings as a boutique type product, saying supplying existing smaller customers in WA was the priority.