BUYING plants online takes a lot of trust, says horticulturists Luke and Sally Veikkanen, but their new online nursery The Plant Web is already attracting interest and, as they aim to be around for a long time, they say they’ll happily take their time building up their reputation.

“We’ve had a few requests from people saying, ‘Are you seriously just online or can we come and have a look?’,” says Sally. “We are just online, but we have a stall at the Old Bus Depot markets, where people can come and see our plants for themselves.

“We guarantee our plants are disease and pest-free, and grown here in Canberra, but at this stage new clients don’t know what they’re getting and we know it will take time to get that trust.”

Luke says that The Plant Web grows its own plants in Canberra for Canberra, delivered in their own van.

“It’s a key selling point for us,” he says. “Our plants have a head start because they’re grown here, and we know they’ll tolerate the climate.”

Located on Sally’s parents’ property in Narrabundah, the 29-year-old couple juggle the nursery with their landscaping and garden maintenance business, Green Bean Horticulture, and their 16-month-old son Hector.

“Sally works part time, and we make it work by designating roles – she does more in the office these days,” Luke says of working and living together.

“The nursery lifestyle is hard to beat, although it can be hard to make a crust. It’s challenging, the highs are higher and the lows are lower.

“We’re confident there is a market, it’s just a matter of gaining the trust, brand recognition and reputation.”

The Plant Web sells ground covers, large and small shrubs, trees, grasses and climbers, ideal for the modern, smaller backyard, says Sally.

“We have plants that aren’t going to overcrowd the garden. The idea is that you could have a brand-new garden with nothing in it, and fill it from our website,” she says.

Aimed at people who want to get started in the garden rather than spending the weekend shopping, Sally says the nursery will suit time-poor Canberrans.

“There will always be people who love to go and browse nurseries on the weekend, but that’s not our market,” she says.

“With us, you can do your research during the week, get everything delivered by Friday and get busy on the weekend.”