Emmeline and I share something special; the passion for flowers. I met her in 2006 at MCAST, when she was a studying agriculture. We had since lost touch but she recently posted a few photos on the popular community page “Dilettanti tal-Agrikoltura, Siġar u Pjanti”. It was this particular photo (below), featuring some amazing flower bunches that she had just harvested, which grabbed my attention.

A good spring harvest

I dropped her a line on messenger and we immediately rekindled our friendship. Not very long after, we decided to meet up at her family’s grove in Siġġiewi, on an early Sunday morning. Her parents and sister joined us for a chat while Nikol played in their orange grove. His steps were still a bit clumsy at the time but he still enjoyed running around freely.

Eventually we got to some serious flower talk. Emmeline explained how she took up growing flowers. She spends her free time at the grove, caring for her seasonal flowers. “Flowers need great care and all the harvesting is meticulous” she says while cutting some Freesia flowers. It was clear that Emmeline was not only growing flowers but also putting to practice some great horticultural skills.

Keeping in mind that it’s not easy running after a toddler, we walked through the flower beds and enjoyed a variety of fragrances. Emmeline kept Nikol busy with an unexpected sensory session, while I took some photos to document my visit at this pro-active young grower’s haven.

Young farmers like Emmeline, give me hope for the future. They turn challenges into opportunities and perform miracles with the limited resources they have at their disposal. No farm is too small and no idea is too big!

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them” – Henry Matisse