1,000 snapdragon donations help heartbroken horticulturist recover from floods

A heartbroken flower grower who considered 'throwing in the towel' after being wiped out by floods has been overwhelmed by community efforts to save her business.

Erin Dore considered leaving her fledgling flower farm after successive floods and weeks of rain destroyed most of her plants earlier this year.

But the generous donation of 1,000 snapdragon seedlings and support from the Gympie community north of Queensland's Sunshine Coast helped prevent the farm from collapsing.

Aromatic sweet peas are not grown by large flower farms. (ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols)

Spring lifted spirits and months of hard work repairing the damage and replanting began to pay off. Gardens filled with flowers and foliage began to bloom.

But that was a whole different story in March as Mrs. Dore and her mother, Julie, collected what little they had. they could on soggy ground.

Julie Dore in the garden of the battered farm in March. (ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols)

In a social media post at the time, Ms. Dore sent love and hope to other affected farmers even as she was desperate for her fate.

"Part of me feels like throwing in the towel; so much time and all my savings have been spent on my small business ", she wrote.

"To think that I almost have to start over is crushing and heartbreaking."

A thousand snapdragon seedlings donated helped the farm recover from flooding. (ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols)Community generosity

The former interior designer gave up her job in Sydney and founded the farm in her parents' garden, investing all her savings in the business.

But the community rallied around them, and when a major supplier phoned to donate 1,000 snapdragon plants, Mrs. Dore was shocked.

< p class="_1g_Rg">"I think I almost cried when I got that phone call. I was totally in disbelief," she said.

"It definitely saved our asses, I can tell you the same, because if I didn't , I still wouldn't have had income until a month ago.