Muddy Boots Special Guest: Jami from Backyard Botanist

Looking for quality gardening tools that actually last, or wondering what products experienced gardeners swear by? In this episode, Elizabeth and Keith chat with Jamie Stewart, founder of Backyard Botanist, about turning a passion for plants into a successful business. From heirloom-quality tools to small-space gardening and the growing demand for well-made products, this episode is packed with inspiration for gardeners who appreciate quality, practicality, and a love of the craft.

Products & Tools recommended in this episode

• Lowe Secateurs
• Hori Hori Knife
• Trugs
• Haws Watering Cans

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hello, I'm Elizabeth, an obsessive backyard gardener, who might be able to offer you a couple of tips.

SPEAKER_05 0:06

And I'm Keith, a landscape consultant, and I'm also passionate about gardening.

SPEAKER_02 0:11

The one thing we both have in common is muddy boots. The timing of today's special guest is perfect because Jamie Stewart is the founder and owner of the Melbourne-based online gardening and plant accessory business Backyard Botanist. And we just happen to have another fantastic giveaway to announce today in conjunction with the Backyard Botanist and the original Lowy. Lowy is the German manufacturer of the fantastic anvil pruners that you've heard us talking about a lot on the last few podcasts, haven't we? Now we're looking forward to introducing you to Jamie shortly, but before we do, listen up for this exciting new giveaway. A few weeks ago, two Lucky Muddy Boots listeners each won a pair of the fabulous original Lowy number five pruners, which will now be making their day-to-day pruning job so much easier and more enjoyable. Thanks again to the original Lowy and the Backyard Bodners. Today's giveaway is for our male gardening listeners. The original Lowy number one is the classic original anvil pruner that has been trusted by gardeners and professionals for over 100 years, and we happen to have a pair here.

SPEAKER_04 1:19

At least just for blokes.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

Just for you, not for us girls. The original Lowy has a pruner to suit everyone. There's the left-handed pruner, there's the right-handed pruner, there's a small-handed pruner, and what have you got?

SPEAKER_04 1:31

I've got the big-handed pruner for big blokes. Look at the size of that. That's for a great cut. The anvil is just gives you that power and just sets you apart in the gardening industry.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

So to find the pruner that is suitable for you, go to thebackyardbotanist.com.au.

SPEAKER_05 1:52

And say to Jamie, we sent you.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

This almost indestructible tool is designed to handle tough pruning tasks with ease for medium to large hands and is equally at home in either the garden or workshop. We are excited to announce today that we have three of these fantastic pruners to give away. To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is follow the Backyard Botanist's Instagram page, then find the post on the original Lowy number one pruners and tag Muddy Boots Podcast and a friend on that post. We will then announce the three winners during our QA podcast on August the 11th. Hope you've got all of that and good luck to the guys. Okay, now that we've done all that, what do you call that? House work? What do we do? We are delighted to welcome Jamie from Backyard Botanist to Muddy Boots. Hello, Jamie! Thank you so much for having me. It is so lovely to have you and so lovely to meet you. We've been waiting to do this for a while, so this is very exciting. I mentioned at the beginning of the podcast that Backyard Botanist is an online gardening business which in a very short time has become a favourite destination for gardeners looking for quality products, inspiration, and practical solutions for their garden. So congratulations on your amazing success. Thank you so much, guys. It's been it's fantastic. To begin with, tell us a bit about you before we go into the business and about your background.

SPEAKER_03 3:13

Sure. So as you said, I'm the co-founder of Backyard Botanist with my wonderful husband Matt. Um my We need to have Matt here. Yeah, I know he should have come. He should have come next time. Um my background, so I'm originally from the UK. I can tell. And I still holding on to that accent. It's gorgeous, accent. And um, yeah, so I was lucky enough to move here when I was 18. I studied here, I studied botany.

SPEAKER_05 3:38

So you've only been here a couple of years, then.

SPEAKER_03 3:39

Oh, a couple of years, yeah. Five minutes! Thanks, Keith. Um so I was lucky enough to study here. I studied at the Trobe University in Bandura, did a degree in botany, and then went on to do my honours year at Deacon again in botany. As a lifelong fan of plants, gardening, nature. It has it's in my blood. Is it really? I grew up with my grandmother gardening.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

Oh, I find you how so many people say come apart from my grandparents. Grandparents.

SPEAKER_03 4:05

It's a really I did too, really. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 4:08

It's such a strong connection. It's almost like it misses a misses a generation, though.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

Yeah, it is, it is, and yeah, so I've I've put a lot of it down to my time spent with my grandmother in the garden. Yes, so wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

In an English country town, so Isle of Wight, Island.

SPEAKER_03 4:22

English Island. How beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 4:25

Sorry.

SPEAKER_03 4:25

Yeah, no, that's okay. Um, so yeah, so studied and then um for a few years there worked um in horticulture, botany, worked as a botanist for a bit, I've done um production nursery work, I've been a seed collector of native species all over Victoria. Um so yeah, I had a really good time in the field in botany and horticulture. And then Backyard Botanist came along, and and that's been my how did it just come along? Yeah, so it's a product of lockdown, actually. Oh right. Yeah, I I think we'll we'll probably talk about that a bit more. That's right. Um but yeah, so funnily enough, didn't ever think I would have myself an online gardening store, but here I am.

SPEAKER_02 5:07

Sitting at home, not able to get out the door, and thought, hmm, that's an idea. Yeah, and it just it flourished.

SPEAKER_05 5:13

So out of out of bad situations come wonderful opportunities.

SPEAKER_03 5:16

Absolutely, we always joke that uh lockdown gave us lemons and this is our lemonade. Yeah, it's so true.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

It's yeah, that's so true too. Now I know that having your own business would take up a great deal of your time, but you I you love the garden. So do you actually have any time to spend in your own garden and what sort of style and what you know, what do you what's your garden like?

SPEAKER_03 5:36

I do. I make time. It's such an outlet for me. Um, as you you've just therapeutic running a business is incredibly consuming, and you have to have outlets wherever you can. And for me, thankfully, it is gardening. Yeah, I am currently in a tiny, tiny unit in the inner north of Melbourne, so I do not have a lot of space.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

Well, that's probably a bit a blessing because you don't have time.

SPEAKER_03 5:59

It's a blessing, it occurs, but I'll tell you what, small spaces force you to get incredibly creative. Yeah, and also it's a rental, which is adds a whole nother dimension to that. Everything I do has to be reversible because it's not my property. We've lived there for a long time. Our landlord is a legend. She lets me pretty much give me free reign, but I also have to be respectful of the fact that we won't live there forever. So um, lots of containers, lots of container gardening, um, lots of vertical gardening, and taking uh advantage of every square centimetre. Yes. I've got window boxes, I've built planter boxes, I've got things growing up the wall. Um, but yeah, I really have to make the most of the little space I have. But I actually think I've I've learned so much and it's forced me to be pretty creative, and I I l I really loved it.

SPEAKER_05 6:46

Fantastic. So, what what sort of an aspect have you got? What would you like?

SPEAKER_03 6:50

So um east and northeast. Right, that's the same thing. Yeah, so we get a bit of sun. Yeah, we've got a little sun trap. Um that's a blessing and a curse as well, because obviously you do have to have plants that can cope with that really, really hot summer afternoon heat. But um also things like tomatoes love it. Um, you know, we I've had a great crop of tomatoes this summer just gone. That's good because a lot of people didn't. So you actually and again I just had them in containers, so I had complete control. You know, pretty much there's not much I've got in the ground, a few things out the front, but um yeah, most things I do in containers, so I've got maximum control. So and are you a more of a fruit and vegetable gardener?

SPEAKER_02 7:29

Are you more of flowers?

SPEAKER_03 7:30

Are you more that is ever evolving? I I'm definitely maybe with age, I'm not sure, but um, my interest is definitely turning more and more to vegetable gardening and productive gardening. So yeah, so I would I definitely started um more um so my background in sea collecting and native plants and production nursery was all native species, which I has such a place in my heart. I love native gardens, but where I don't have much space for for the kind of rambling, you know, I yeah, I don't know, just I've really since listening to your podcast, I've really gotten into veggie gardening and I'm giving everything a crack. And it's it's so addictive. You have one successful crop and you're like, oh my god, let's wrap it up next year.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

And you must be eating well too.

SPEAKER_03 8:15

Well, I mean, a little, it's a small contribution because I don't have heaps of space for the case. But you only two of you. Yes, two of us, exactly, and it's so exciting. Oh, there is nothing better than being able to walk out and get what you need for your dinner from your yard.

SPEAKER_02 8:28

How satisfying is that? It's incredible. I don't do it enough from trying, but Keith's that's what Keith does every night, every single afternoon, don't you?

SPEAKER_05 8:36

We we had some beautiful Savoy cabbage last night that we just wilted down and lightly fried and beautiful white pepper with it, and it was just the sweetest beautiful cabbage that I've incredible we've had for ages. Yeah, you know, it's so it is just so rewarding. It really is.

SPEAKER_02 8:53

It is one of life's pleasures, yeah. Absolutely. That's why we're all here. That's why we're all here, aren't we, listeners? So now we you mentioned that backyard botanist grew from COVID during COVID. How so tell us about the steps and how you how it's gone, how it makes us a great success now.

SPEAKER_03 9:08

So obviously, my background um in gardening, horticulture, botany. I was working as a botanist um in funnily enough, in the construction industry thereabouts. And I, at the time when everything first happened, I genuinely wasn't sure about my job security. I was you know, teams were being separated, we weren't really sure if we were allowed on job sites, in offices, etc. etc. Um my p husband Matt's the same. He's in the music industry, but it was the same. Um he got sent to work from home. All of a sudden, we were in our late 20s and didn't have a social life, and we were like, Oh, we've always wanted to start a business, and we've never really had time, and we don't know about our job security. Why don't we even rustle something up and see how it goes? And Matt is um my husband is very talented with technology, and he was he'd wanted to have a crack crack at building a website, and so we kind of pulled our skills, and backyard botanist was born. We started quite differently to how our business appears today. Um, but funnily enough, we started with really an indoor focus, and we were delivering health plants, which at the time nobody could go to nurseries, nobody could go to bunnings, even. Everybody wanted to send care packages, you couldn't see each other to give birthday presents, etc. And so funnily enough, by just complete chance, we stumbled across this business model that was wildly successful from pretty much day dot because I was dropping these beautiful indoor plants and perking up people's lives with greenery. Um, so you're primarily gifting. And um, and then from there we built we started adding small amounts of accessories to go with those things, and then um but yeah, as time went on and thank goodness the world reopened, we actually realized that there was a huge gap in the market for for all of these tools and accessories and high quality things that maybe you can't get from just your average big green warehouse, exactly. And um, and so it's kind of evolved into now we really are more of just an we don't sell living plants anymore. Um, but we are always happy to give advice. It's a lot easier not having living plants to to deal with. It is much easier, and actually, because I'm just one person, so I couldn't possibly be running around doing deliveries of these things while also packing all the orders and you know I wear a lot of hats, and actually this this side of the business and growing this side of the business has grown with us because I have, as I said before, really lent into that the gardening and how much that's growing as a passion and a hobby for me. I get to do it at work, so it's pretty awesome, and I get to talk to people all day about it. Yeah, so um yeah, that's so you're doing it. You said you're you're a one-man man pretty much. Pretty much.

SPEAKER_02 11:56

So Matt's gone back for the music industry business.

SPEAKER_03 11:58

Yeah, so Matt still works his his um music industry job, um, and then he helps me in his free time. So we're 1.5 people.

SPEAKER_05 12:06

Oh so where do where do you store all the products?

SPEAKER_03 12:10

Yes, so obviously we are an online store, but we have we're really lucky, we have a beautiful little um warehouse showroom in Abbotsford. Oh, right, just off Victoria Street. It's right by the Carlton Brewery. It's a small space, but it's um really functional. And we have all of our stock there. We have a little showroom, so anyone local can come in and talk to us and pick things up in person if they'd like to, because lots of people do prefer to see things and touch things and get some advice, which we absolutely encourage. So you're you're you're open. We're not open. Sort of, yeah. Um we have limited opening hours, and then of course by appointment. Just give me a call, an email, a text, and I'll I'll I only live out the road, so I can be there pretty easily. So you get pretty quickly. That's very quickly, within 10 minutes, and then um, I how do you have set opening hours Monday to Wednesday that you don't have to call, you can just turn up. Okay. But I always say if you walk past and the doors open, come on in. Oh, that's fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 13:01

So, how has it evolved since 2020? Uh obviously quite quickly. Quite quickly.

SPEAKER_03 13:06

Yeah, I suppose yes, it it kind of feels like a long time because we pour so much into it, but it is pretty quick. Um, yeah, so it really began with more of an indoor plant focus, as I said. Um we were delivering houseplants all over Melbourne, um, bringing a bit of joy. And actually, there was a point where we were even probably more of a gifting service than a it was a bottle of wine and a plant, you know. Kind of like floristry, but with things that would live forever, hopefully. And then that went really, really well. But then we did, as we added things to the collection, Mr.'s watering cans, we noticed that we were like, there's a load of very, very high quality uh items made all over the world, and you actually have to shop in loads and loads of different places to find them, and you have to hunt quite hard, particularly online.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

How you do that, yeah, because you're looking all over the world.

SPEAKER_03 13:56

Yeah, so we just started gathering suppliers from all over the world and and getting feedback from people on what they want and what what is the best of the best, and why is it the best, and how do we source it? And we have just added and added and added from there, and now we're really absolutely we still do indoor focus. We we're really we're really good friends with the plant runner. We do, you know, and my ash, we like we do absolutely know in love. We absolutely still love that people have greenery indoors, it's wonderful, and we will always have a place for that. But we more and more are leaning into our gardening customers as well and try not to actually cater to everyone small space, large space, indoor, outdoor, plants for everyone.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 14:39

So, right now, are you finding that there's something that a gardener's looking for something, like a certain style or a certain tool?

SPEAKER_03 14:45

Oh, definitely. I get to experience all of the trends as they come and go, and I get asked about it. What's in? Tell us what's in. Yeah, what's in? I mean, I'm sure you guys probably know because you talk to people in the industry a lot, but there is a huge movement towards traditional, traditional everything. Um trucks, traditional tools. And I guess maybe handmade and like German-made, Japanese-made, huge demand for those too. Because people know that they're really hard.

SPEAKER_05 15:15

Have a look at this.

SPEAKER_03 15:16

Hori Hori Knives. Hori Hori knives, thank you. Please be careful. They're so sharp. They're very sharp.

SPEAKER_05 15:21

They're very sharp.

SPEAKER_03 15:22

Yeah, they do look like a weapon, but they I assure you. Now we're holding them. Tell us that what you can do with a hori hori knife. Oh my gosh, Keith, we were just talking about it before we started recording. So let's list some of the uses. What do you think of Hori Hori knife?

SPEAKER_05 15:35

So I uh I find them fabulous for ripping up bags and so forth when you when you've got a new bag of fertilizer. There's a serrated edge down here that will just open just about anything, including hands. Um they're great for for cutting branches, they're great for digging digging out weeds. I know. Um it's like a homie. It's this this better than a homai, as far as I'm concerned.

unknown 16:00

Oh, look at that.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

It is that's equally, equally good as a homai. Oh my god. And we've got measurements on this.

SPEAKER_05 16:08

Yep, so if you want to put bulbs around. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

Uh great for division, cutting your perennials. Um buy one. And I was just saying to you, I even saw in Gardening Australia a beautiful gardener using them to harvest cucumbers.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

Oh, that's right. You did mention that before. And it is Japanese. It's Japanese made.

SPEAKER_03 16:24

And so there is a huge, huge shift in people wanting Japanese and German-made tools because of their amazing quality, their lasting ability as well. Yeah, that's it. They they are perhaps what you could call heirloom tools. Like you if you as long as you don't lose it, you will have that for your life. You can hand it down. This is a beautiful gift. That was a beautiful thing. Yeah, they do make a wonderful gift, and they're the kind of thing you don't know you need until you are gifted it, and then you'll find you use it all the time.

SPEAKER_05 16:49

And and you get to hand them down. Exactly. And that's the beauty part, but the heirloom side of things, is that they're they're so well made that they'll last last for generations. Exactly. Which is fabulous. Land filled.

SPEAKER_02 17:01

Exactly. Oh, yes, we don't want that. Running an online business can be quite demanding, as we I don't know, but you I haven't got one, but very demanding. What is it that keeps you motivated? Yeah, so honestly, the success.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Well, it's definitely the success. And for me personally, if I'm really honest, the idea that maybe one day I'll be able to have a bigger garden. Oh, that's definitely a motivation. Okay, so making the money to get the bigger garden. But outside of that, truthfully, the feedback we get, the people you meet talking gardens with people and plants with people.

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Which they would love coming and talking to you because you've got so much knowledge as well from your and just think like we just did the Melbourne Flower and Garden Show.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

We have done it before and we skipped a year, but we were back um this year just gone. I know you guys were there. The people I met and the stories you hear talking to these people about gardening, and actually, um, I recently listened to your episode with Conchi. Oh, she was fantastic. Gosh, that really resonated. The how gardening, I really see it as an antidote to the modern hectic life. Oh, absolutely. It's so important for our mental health, for our physical health, emotionally, and just this connection with nature and the dirt. And I think you mentioned something about Dr. Dirt, and I loved that. What a great phrase. That's true. Um, that's my motivation. I it's I'm somehow I have turned what I love into a job, which is the dream, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 18:28

Well But what you've also done is is you've engaged with people who are on a journey and you've helped them along that journey, and that is the biggest reward you get from doing this, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 18:39

And I'm still on the journey too. I'm still learning. Like, you know, every time I listen to your podcast, I learn something, and I so do I. Doesn't everyone, because it's such an immense field. And so there's always something to learn, and that is incredibly exciting.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

And gardening is a joy, really, is a joyful experience. So you're in the right business, really the most wonderful business, and makes people smile. There's nothing negative about it.

SPEAKER_05 19:01

It's not just about not but not just about planting, it's about harvesting and it's about mental health, it's about physical health, it's about so many things.

SPEAKER_02 19:09

It's community, right? Yeah, exactly. That too that too. Now tell us about the partnership um between the backyard botanist and the original Lowy gardening tools. How did that come about?

SPEAKER_03 19:20

Yeah, so truthfully, we were connected um by Matthew from Riceat, who I think Keith has mentioned on the podcast before.

SPEAKER_05 19:28

He's been on the podcast, hasn't he?

SPEAKER_02 19:29

Yes, he's a lovely guy.

SPEAKER_05 19:30

He was. You've got to go right back, girl.

SPEAKER_03 19:32

Yeah, he was on when we'd listened to every episode. I must have missed that one.

SPEAKER_05 19:37

He came back, um he came back, uh he came and and um did a talk about FD Ryan, how it all started with that, which is another another side, the the you know, the family there, which is just fantastic.

SPEAKER_03 19:48

Yeah, so Matthew has just been so wonderful to us as a business. He's so supportive, he's one of our incredible suppliers. And um yeah, he connected us with Loi. They were coming to town. He'd already preached how good the pruners were as professional grade tools that are now available to a retail market. Truthfully, I hadn't heard of them before he put them in front of me. Yep. I think I tried it for about 30 seconds and was like, oh yeah, I see. All the fuzz is about, this is awesome. So we were like, absolutely, we'll get them in. So we started stocking them on his recommendation, and then not long after, we actually were lucky enough to be visited by Randolph, who is the grandson of Walter, but I could be wrong. He said he's the grandson of the founder of the company. So it it truly is a family-run business that is still all manufactured in Germany, family, yeah. Like I said, family run. It's incredible, and these pruners are professional grade, and sure you might pay a little more than you do for a cheapo pair from a big green warehouse, but my goodness, again, like with the Hori Hori knives, they will last you a lifetime.

SPEAKER_05 20:56

And every single piece on the secateurs can be replaced. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 21:01

Do we ever do that? I've never done it. I've never done it. No. Well, you you might not have to if you look after them well, but if something does go, you know that that's an option. For you know, a tiny fee, you can get any part and fix it yourself. Yeah. And that is just again keeps things out of landfill. If you don't lose it, you'll have it forever. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 21:19

Now just explain to our listeners and and our followers just how Lowy is really pronounced.

SPEAKER_02 21:28

Yes, that is. I was going to I was going to try and pronounce it, but I don't think I can.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

So um I did ask Randolph when he went Randolph when he was here, because I was a little embarrassed because my I didn't ever study German, I had no idea. And he explained to me it's the German word for lion, and it's actually properly pronounced in German, Lowe.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

Love.

SPEAKER_03 21:51

He also did say that they've absolutely made their peace with the fact that the Australian and New Zealand market call it Lowe. He was okay with it. Well, he's given us his blessings.

SPEAKER_05 22:02

Oh, that's good. Beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 22:03

Because Keith and I well, every I think everyone knows that Keith and I absolutely love the segateurs. Keith introduced them to me several years ago and I could not believe how good they are. And because I had was using the cheap ones, you know, and throwing them out all the time. And they are so, so easy to use. I can't imagine anyone going anywhere else after using them. So um we're really happy to be able to introduce them via the podcast to our listeners with our fabulous collaboration with you at the Backup Botanist and with Loi. And we have this giveaway that we we've introduced today, and more to come, which is really exciting. So that's fantastic. So would you would say that uh these are some of your bestsellers? Fast becoming a fast becoming a bestseller.

SPEAKER_03 22:42

Yeah. So thank mostly thanks to you guys. Um we oh, I'm so happy about it. Um yeah, like I said, when Matt from Rice had put them in front of me, it did not take me long to realise how great they are. There's something quite unique about them. There's a pruner for everyone, small hands, large hands. Uh there's lunch with a roll handle for people with arthritis. They've really thought about everyone. Amazing. And the anvil was something unique to this line of their pruners. Um, you really don't see it much. And I think people are maybe a bit afraid of it because they haven't heard of it and they look a little bit different to your normal bypass security. But when you try it, you realise how good it is. Cuts like butter is the feedback we just get time and time again. Comfortable in the hand, and you can really feel the quality. And um, so yes, fast becoming a bestseller. I think, yeah, you guys have been really helpful in putting the name on the map. So thank you for that. And I'm sure Lloyd are really grateful to you guys as well. Um we want them to be as big a brand as some of the other European others. Exactly, exactly. We would love like they absolutely deserve to be a competitor. And so the more we talk about it, hopefully the more people will try them and realise how excellent they are.

SPEAKER_05 23:54

In actual fact, Lowy actually produced a bypass era secretures before Felco. Oh they did. So so they've been in the market longer than than Felco have, as far as I my knowledge goes. Um but just the the beauty about them is is that they they don't have just the anvil, which is probably one of the best, but they also have the the bypass, which is the tr traditional one that lots of people still like to use.

SPEAKER_02 24:20

Debbie, you do you have have you tried them?

SPEAKER_05 24:22

I I've tried the by the bypass. I've got a I've got some bypass at home, so it's the Lowy. Um but the other thing that that they were instrumental in was producing this rolled handle. Um when you can see them if you go on the market, they've got a black handle on one side. And the idea of that was that um what they were finding within the uh vineyard industry over in South Australia was so many people were coming back with RSI on their with their hands. They were getting this these these you know, causing all sorts of of hand problems. So they devo devised this rolling form that just uh just takes away all the strain of actually when you're actually cutting um, you know, you you you're pruning or doing when you're pruning, it just rolls over and it's just just such um a great ergonomic way of of making cuts. Oh clever. So they're fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 25:09

They're very clever. Okay. I think we've given them we've talked a lot about these. We need to move on and say, what else? What other what are what tell us a bit about some of the other products?

SPEAKER_03 25:18

Yeah, so um things that people are really uh asking us for and that's always consistently sell really well. So as I mentioned before, anything German-made or Japanese made, huge popularity, and then yeah, as I mentioned before, those traditional tools, so things like trugs sell really well because people want to feel that really traditional sense, particularly with vegetable and flower gardening. Um, cut flowers. Uh the people ask us a lot about uh so we do sell a range of watering cans by a brand called Hawes, which is a really it's a heritage brand.

SPEAKER_05 25:52

Top of the top of the range.

SPEAKER_03 25:53

English made, still made in the UK, watering cans. Beautiful, soft rose that's incredible. Yeah, so called a waterfose, it goes up and over, it's really gentle. They're a real pleasure to use. I call them the Rolls-Royce of watering cans because my goodness, they do come at a price point. Do they? They do, but they have, I think, I believe it's a 10-year warranty on them.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 26:15

They, you know, whores really back themselves. Whores as in H A W S or H-A L S H-A-W-S. Right. Hores. And they uh yeah, so heritage brand, still made in the UK, hence hence the price point. But they are, if if you have a big gift, you know, uh gift to buy someone, or I think um one of the presenters on Gardening Australia has one, so whenever she does an episode, we get a lot of calls about them. They're very desirable. They look beautiful, they're beautiful to use.

SPEAKER_05 26:41

And the and that they're they are so well balanced.

SPEAKER_03 26:44

Exactly.

SPEAKER_05 26:45

That is the key. So when you pick them up and you start to pour, the whole thing just moves so much.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

The weight of the water. Exactly right.

SPEAKER_05 26:54

It's not a horrible big gush that washes away seedlings or seeds or anything else, it just deposits them the water just. Do you have one of those as well? We have one of those as well. Oh, do you? That's fantastic.

SPEAKER_03 27:04

Of course, you would have one. Next time I come down, I'll bring you one. Oh no, you won't. You've already given us a beautiful present. So then I would say one thing Matt and I try to do, we're really um guided by our customers. So whenever this is really true, whenever someone calls me or emails me or talks to me and asks for something that we don't have, I will go out of my way to find that thing, the best of that thing, and put it in our store. If it's worth it. Oh God, of course, of course. Of course. But but generally we we that's how we grow our store is by people asking us for things of, oh no, we don't stock that. But let me see if I can learn. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we try and find the best of that thing and and bring it in. And that is how we have gradually grown and grown and grown, and we are still absolutely growing. So um yeah, please, always open to suggestion.

SPEAKER_05 27:56

All right, well I've got one. Oh my goodness, that I have done lots and lots of research on, and I would love to see someone come up with something. A scarecrow.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

Oh okay.

SPEAKER_05 28:08

Property.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

Oh my scarecrow that you can unfold and put together.

SPEAKER_05 28:11

Yeah, I I saw on Instagram many years ago this scarecrow that was you know those those totem things that that that they merged into the wheel. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was placed on top of that so when the wind caught him, he moved. But he had a pair of pair of of bicycle things on the bottom, so he was he was moving and he and he turned into the wind all this time. And he was just brilliant, and he had hair flowing out the back, it would frighten the living daylight out of anything.

SPEAKER_02 28:38

Listen, no one makes them. No one makes them. You want one, don't you? Well, get rid of those what do you call it?

SPEAKER_05 28:44

Laura creeps, laurel creeps and everything else.

SPEAKER_03 28:46

Yeah, I'm gonna say challenge, except you go, well done. Watch this face.

SPEAKER_05 28:51

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 28:52

I mean, honestly, I've got no idea, but I will I will do what I can.

SPEAKER_05 28:56

Thank you. That would be great.

SPEAKER_02 28:58

We've talked about all the quality gardening, I mean really quality gardening tools, and obviously that you want to stock quality because why would you no, why would you go anywhere else? Whereas the big green warehouse has fantastic products, but a lot of them don't last very well. So that is another part of backing up a part of your brand, obviously, that is so important that everything be really good quality.

SPEAKER_03 29:19

Yeah, so uh I know it's a bit of a cliche, but buy well, buy once. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We we really do try wherever possible to test things out ourselves or at least take feedback from people to make sure what we're selling is actually good. Uh we really look for things with warranties because that means that the brand really backs what they're making and manufacturing. Um and yeah, I would I would say just it's just it gives you a good name as well. Gives you a good name because people don't want to walk away and go, I don't like this, and I'm gonna send it back. For us to have to deal with all the returns and negative feedback, you it just leaves a bad taste in people's mouths. And like we are, it's not a good thing. We're not interested in it. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_05 30:01

But I mean it just wipes away profit in terms of your ability to be able to grow and develop.

SPEAKER_03 30:07

Absolutely, and I think having quality tools actually makes such a difference to the jobs you're doing, right? And the enjoyment of it. It's pleasurable, it makes it fun, it makes, you know, if you I think this is what I meant when I said about the trucks. If you feel cute when you're out in the garden, it's more enjoyable, right? Instagrammable too. That's it. And the bordering hands and everything else. I was thinking that. If it's functional, it's beautiful, it makes your life easier. That's so great. We I actually had a customer reach out to me recently. She was having a nightmare with her um Lyriops. She had a Lyriops border and she said she had tried everything and it just all looked terrible. And no matter what she tried it to do, her winter prune. And I said, Oh, honestly, because we don't sell power tools because they're very difficult to ship. Watch this space, maybe in the future. But um, I said, Oh, I can only really offer you a pair of shears, which I'm sure you've already tried. And but maybe these ones will be different. They're Japanese made, serrated edge, they're really high quality. And she's she was like, Oh, yeah, okay, you know what, I'll give them a go. And I got an email about a week later. She'd received them. Bless her. She had got them out of the packet, cut herself on them because they were so sharp. I panicked when I read the email because I'm like, oh my goodness. But she was sending me the email to say they had done wonders. And it was just a case of her having the right tool and a quality tool. I'm having some pleasure. She absolutely washed through the job in five minutes. That's something that had been previously been causing her a nightmare every year. And um, yeah, she was so grateful even though she cut herself. I'm really sorry that you cut yourself. Yeah, she uh she absolutely loved that she had finally found the right tool. And can you tell us the name of those ones? Oh no, don't worry, I'll have to look them up. I will not let you know more. I will look at backyard botanists online. It's a Japanese. It's a Japanese shear and it's got a serrated edge, which is a little bit different to a perhaps a standard shear. And they're just really great.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

That is what that's an ad. You've done a fantastic advertisement there. That's absolutely fantastic, Jemmy. So talking about looking ahead, which Keith was saying about your profit and things, what is ahead for the backyard botanist? Excellent. What plans?

SPEAKER_03 32:10

Yes, I mean, obviously, we are just still 1.5 people, so we're pretty busy. It's quite hard to look forwards um or to get kind of big ideas off the ground. Things take a lot of time because we don't have a lot of people power, but that might change. That would be great. Because I was about to say, um we uh want to continue nurturing partnerships and getting more um suppliers, taking on feedback. And we actually did recently, I think it was just this hang on, maybe at the very end of last year, we did launch our own range of tools. It's called our get growing range. It's just got our little tiny logo on it, very subtle, but they're really high quality tools, and we really back them. They've got a five-year warranty. And I mean it it's us. If you if you speak to us, you're gonna get through to me or man. So I guess knowing that, if there's anything wrong, we will fix it for you, I promise. Um, we really, we really care. And um Yeah, I think moving forwards I don't know, onto bigger and better things. Let's still yeah, that's it. Grow. It's a good idea. We just want to continue to grow, continue to help as many people as we can. And if there is a way for us to move into even more gardening things, so those bigger items that we really struggle with now because of shipping. I know you recommended the uh the telescopic pruner, which is an awesome product. I absolutely agree. Tricky for us to ship because of Australian people.

SPEAKER_05 33:38

But yeah, if you if you've got if you've got some in the shop, people can come down and pick them up absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 33:43

And that we are already kind of growing more into that. So encouraging locals to come down and talk to us, and we can get things, you know, special order in and and um within Melbourne, it's pretty easy. But when you start to go interstate, and then actually on top of that, we have recently started shipping internationally as well. So we're taking on the water. Oh, bigger and better things are happening already.

SPEAKER_02 34:05

That is so good, that is so exciting. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 34:07

Well, we go out to 160 countries, so does say that I think deeper sure.

SPEAKER_02 34:12

Oh my gosh, guys, that's a lot. That's a lot, Jamie. We have we can't talk forever, but it's been so lovely talking to you. Thank you so much. Um just sharing, sharing your story and sharing the story of the backyard botanist is so exciting, and we we hope that we can just somehow just keep the connection going and be a part of that journey. It would be so lovely.

SPEAKER_03 34:30

Absolutely. I'm a long, long-term listener to you guys, and so I would love to keep the relationship going. So would we.

SPEAKER_02 34:36

We would so love that. Now, to our listeners, be sure to visit the Backyard Botanist via the website, backyardbotanist.com.au, on or on their Facebook. Facebook page? Do you have a Facebook page?

SPEAKER_03 34:46

We do have a Facebook page, but really honestly, I'm pretty rubbish at checking out. Instagram. Instagram go to Instagram through a contact us page on the website, phone, any anything. Yeah, fantastic. Yeah. We will get to you on Facebook, but I'm pretty sure.

SPEAKER_02 34:59

No, we'll forget Facebook. Don't even look at Facebook. Go to Instagram or the website, please. And listen up for more info on Muddy Boots about some more exciting giveaways coming up very soon. And don't forget to enter today's giveaway, guys, mentioned at the beginning of the podcast. So thanks so much for listening and happy gardening, and thank you again. Thank you. Love you talking. So lovely. Thank you for listening to Muddy Boots. For more information on today's podcast, please go to muddyboots.net.au and happy gardening.