Month: May 2020

Phew! What a week this has been. I think I finally have the new space figured out. But wait! I haven’t shown you the final grooming of said new space. Here it is, taken from the drone. What looks like a lot of space shrinks down when beds, paths and tractor ways go in, but here it is for you all to see.

Today was mostly spent planting out the flower beds. Whether I have enough space when it is all said and done it yet to be seen. This is what happened today.

I know, there are a lot of open holes yet, but look at what still has to go in!

In the meantime, we are creating new beds that will be planted this fall at the earliest. I need a bed or two for the spring bulbs, a bed for the peonies, one or two for the perennials. Then the shrubs that got planted the other day along the left side and back that will be used for cutting and adding to the bouquets. Lilac, flowering quince, physocarpus, oh that space will all be filled up soon. Then I will save some space off to the right behind the little shed for the pumpkins and gourds. Yes. it is a happenin’ place. A full happenin’, happy, beautiful space.

I have gotten a lot of lovely comments with photos of the flowers that you are taking home and making arrangements with or just taking beautiful photos of the flowers. Soon, I hope to be able to post them here so everyone can enjoy them. Especially my friends in Europe who can only enjoy them virtually.

We are at the tail end of the magnificent tulips, what a show they delivered. The anemones are still going strong and here is a lovely photo, not of the farmer, holding a bunch of rainbow colored ranunculas.

Until, next week. Allie

Well we are half way through May, phew, what a time we are having. I have been harvesting armloads of absolutely amazing tulips. Bicolored tulips, doubles, double fringed, a flower arranger’s dream. The ranucnulus are starting to come in fast and furious, the anemones are still going strong, the alliums are showing buds as well as the early peonies. Like I said, a flower lover’s dream.

I will never be a garden club flower arranger because I am not very good about following rules, but this bouquet was made from all flowers frown here at Flowers-at-Lottarock. There are a variety of tulips, ranunculas, narcissus, and then some beautiful magnolia, bleeding heart and spirea added because they were looking good in the garden at the time.

You to can make an amazing bouquet with an assortment of flowers from the farm, then just fill in with a couple of things from the garden and viola! In fact many of you are sending along pictures of the flowers that you have gotten and arranged. I love seeing this and am trying to figure out how to post them so they can be shared with everyone that is a member. All I need is a youngster to teach me what to do. So take those flower pictures, and send them along to my email allie@flowers-at-lottarock.com and I will try to figure out how to post them for you all to see. I think that this will be beautiful. Also important because many of those early tulips were sold before I got to see them open, and I think that would be fun as well.

The arrangements don’t have to be elaborate, even a stem in a vase will be lovely. It isn’t a competition, just I think you all would like to see what you are all creating. And as long as it makes you smile and happy, then I am happy. I leave you with this photo of my simple window sill posy.

To finish off, it looks as though we will have open flower gate on Tuesday afternoon this week. Like I said, I am harvesting bucketloads of beautiful flower stems. So stay tuned for the newsletter Monday night. Gasp, that is tomorrow! Hope to see you all soon, and your pictures of your created beauty. Allison

I have been flat out this week working in the gardens and ruminating about how all my new space is going to be filled. I have time still because the fine tuning needs to take place, but trying to wrap my head around the space and how to most efficiently fill it is challenging. When everything is raked out Steve will send up the drone so you can get a really good look at the space.

But how am I going to fill that space. High tunnel for season extension? Don’t think so much now, but I could change my mind yet again. I will need beds for spring bulbs that will need to be permanent, perennial and peony beds that will also need to be permanent, more annual beds and then the shrub borders. That new space is going to be filling up really fast that is for sure.

Meanwhile besides daydreaming of things to come, the immediate needs to be taken care of. The irrigation is finally hooked up and running. Haven’t needed it yet but if we don’t get some rain I will need to and we will be ready. Thank you to my darling Steve for helping me with that.

Then Friday arrives, and many of you made it to the farm gate open hours just after disaster struck.

I was going to be efficient and water the shrubs that had gotten transplanted into a new space between customers but as I was hauling my 65 gal water tank, the tongue of the trailer completely buckled, dropping the tank tap first into the driveway. All 600 some pounds of water had to be dumped out to get the tank out.

Anyway, by the time the first people came you could at least drive into the driveway. By later in the afternoon, I not only had a new trailer, but I was able to get the shrubs watered. Just in time for Saturday’s snow.

On the flower front the tulips are really starting to come in, the ranunculas are finally showing color, the amazing anemones are still going strong, and maybe the alliums? Time and the weather will determine.

Until next week, Allison

We had our first flower gate opening on Friday, May Day of course, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Many of you came out to give encouraging words, and better, become members and get flowers. It was supposed to be a cloudy and rain soaked day, but by the time we had opened Friday afternoon, the sun had come out. So had the black flies, but that is a given.

Besides being really excited about opening day, Garth was here with two excavators, creating havoc in order for me to plant more flowers and create more beauty. So, we went from looking like this Thursday night last…

To this. Quite the project. Garth has buried tons, no thousands of rocks, some the size of a Fiat or VW Beetle. No. Really. We aren’t called Lottarock for for our sand deposits.

Next week, when the big toy has been removed and it has been all smoothed out, you will see the after. It is really amazing this transformation here at Lottarock Farm.

But let’s get to the important part; The flowers. I will have a busy day or two in the dirty room transplanting hundreds of flower seedlings into cell pacs, and still do more seeding. I have to figure out the irrigation to get water to said flowers when they get transplanted out into the beds. First year learning curve.

The flowers themselves are really popping. Especially with the past few days of rain and now heat. I have harvested a bunch more beautiful narcissus, more anemone, and wait, wait, the ranunculus and the tulips are starting to show color which means, drum roll please, I will have them available for Friday. Here is a slight selection of the narcissus that will be, or were available

So, to finish up, the newsletter will give you the times that we will be open, and that will be posted the night before. At the moment I don’t foresee more than just Fridays, but who knows? But! I will let you know as soon as I know.

So for those of you who haven’t been here before, and I will say it again in the newsletter, we are at 76 Stoddard Rd in Hancock, and we will have a sign like this to direct you in.

Hope to see you all soon. Allie