Nestled between dry paddocks in South Australia's south-east an oasis of colourful gladioli flowers bloom under the scorching summer sun.
Gladioli are perennial flowers that blossom during the summer.
They grow from a corm, which is similar to a bulb, and are known for their sword-like leaves and funnel-shaped flowers.
If they look familiar, it might be because 'gladdies' are also a favourite of Aussie icon Dame Edna Everage.
These rows of striking blooms near Bordertown are no accident.
They've been grown by a local family for more than 50 years.
'An entrepreneurial sort of person'
The Ridgway family started growing gladioli in 1969.
Ted Ridgway planted the flowers looking for a way to diversify the family business after wheat quotas, to limit production, were introduced.
He was 18 years old and had left school the year before.
"Being an entrepreneurial sort of person I thought maybe I could get into some horticultural thing," he said.
"I put my whole life savings of $600 into the business and bought some cardboard boxes of bulbs that fit into the back of my old man's station wagon and brought them home."
'Backbreaking work'
Mr Ridgway initially grew them for the cut flower market, but now the family only sells corms.
A lot has changed in the production process, including adding mechanisation.
"When I first harvested corms years ago I used to get four old ladies to come out from Wolseley and it was all backbreaking work," he said.
Mr Ridgway's son Andrew has taken over the reins of the operation.
"We import the little [corms] and grow them into bigger ones," he said.
"We harvest them, process them, clean them, size them, and then sell them to the home gardener trade throughout Australia."
Pandemic gardeners
Pandemic gardening became popular during COVID-19 lockdowns with people wanting an excuse to get outside.
Plants, bulbs, seeds, and fruit trees flew off the shelves at garden centres around Australia.
Andrew Ridgway said business boomed.
"Not being able to spend your money on going to Bali, Australians wanted to spend their money on themselves," he said.
The Ridgways' products completely sold out over the past two years.
The president of Nursery and Garden Industry South Australia, David Eaton, said the gardening trend started with edible plants.
"As soon as COVID hit, people planted them up in the gardens to secure their vegetable crops moving forward," Mr Eaton said.
The craze then moved to indoor plants before consumers started to invest more in flowers.
Next challenge
The Ridgway family had increased plantings by 25 per cent hoping home gardeners will keep up their newly-found hobby.
"This year will be a real test to see whether the inspiration to keep gardening will keep on going," Andrew Ridgway said.
"So there are 2 million bulbs this year. If we can sell 1.5 million of them that'll probably be the market.
"I wouldn't think there'd be much more room for that, could be a surprise. If we sell out that would be wonderful."
This is the garden industry's next challenge — keeping a new breed of gardeners interested.
"I think there's still a big future for the garden," Mr Eaton said.
"[People] have spent a lot of time over the past two years in their garden improving it.
"Of the new people we brought into the industry, that started gardening, we'll probably be able to hopefully maintain 20 to 25 per cent."
