What happens when a schoolteacher and a firefighter buy a nursery? Lots of landscaping, heaps of hard yakka and some gardening goodness.
Words by Alley Pascoe Photos by Naomi Hill
Ask a local what their favourite thing about Darwin is. The laksa! The fishing! The Darwin Hotel on a Friday afternoon! For Erin and Joe Mettam, the answer is the plants. βWe both come from families with green thumbs,β says Joe, a firefighter, who was born and bred here on fruitful Larrakia soil.
βWe love our garden, and the tropics in general, because everything just thrives here.β
Below: Plants Direct NT owners, Joe and Erin and below with their kids, Abby and Andy.
Over the years, the Mettams have filled their garden with plants bought from the Plants Direct NT nursery in Herbert. When they serendipitously saw an ad on Facebook listing the business for sale, they jumped at the chance. That was nearly two years ago. At the time, the nursery was on the brink of closing down. Today, itβs thriving.
In the last 18-months, Erin and Joe have invested heavily in the five-acre property, 30-minutes south of Darwin. They have over 200 plant varieties (including their personal favourites: Monstera plants and Silk Handkerchief Trees), six team members (including their dedicated manager Tamara South), 40,000 beneficial bugs released annually, and a newly refreshed website for retail and wholesale orders.
Below: Plants Direct NT team, left to right – Monica, Erin, Joe, Tamara and Jeannie.
βWeβre pretty proud of how far weβve come,β says Erin, a local schoolteacher. βWe love seeing our plants out in the community and in local gardens. And, after a full week of teaching I love being at the Parap Markets on a Saturday morning and talking all things plants.β
This is the true beauty of Plants Direct NT; itβs a nursery run by locals for locals. βWe knew we wanted to invest in the Territory, and we also knew the benefits of gardening for physical and mental health, so thatβs why we decided to put our time, energy and money into the nursery,β says Erin, who has plans for a fire-pit, walking tracks through the bush at the back of the block, and a hammock between the trees.
βItβs such a peaceful place, and we love when people come for a wander or just to listen to the birds and the wind blowing through the trees.β Take your time to stop and smell the roses, or in this case the Little Lemon Scents β the beautifully perfumed native tea-tree.β
Plants Direct NT, 91 Trepang Rd, Herbert
https://www.plantsdirectnt.com.au
Follow Plants Direct NT on Facebook : www.facebook.com/plantsdirectnt or Instagram : www.instagram.com/plantsdirectnt/
THREE TIPS for aspiring green thumbs
- Know your plant – Get the inside scoop on how big the plant will grow, if it needs shade or sun and how often it requires watering. If in doubt, ask your friendly local nursery manager!
2. Cut with care – only prune plants back by 1/3 to help prevent shock and always prune on an angle to help stop rotting (especially in the tropics).
3. Be consistent – Water your plants regularly at the same time every day β not sporadically β depending on how often they require. Consistency makes a big difference.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is today.
