Month: May 2021

Wow, what a roller coaster weather week this past week has been. Wednesday topping out at 88 degrees and high humidity, to a front out of Canada that dropped the temperatures as well as trees. And as I write this we have the wood stove going because the temperatures haven’t gotten above 45 in the last three days, it is windy and it is finally raining. Our lowest night temperatures these last few days have been 40 degrees, much better than the frost and freeze warnings they were getting a bit further up north. Hallelujah. With the rain we are slowly catching up on our rain deficit and the rain tanks are nearly full. Yay! It has been a weird spring.

My big plans for the weekend have been squashed by the weather, I thought it was just too wet and cold to be out in the gardens planting dahlias and the really cold sensitive plants so they are all waiting on deck to be planted on Tuesday when it is a bit warmer and drier. Just have to get these in and then everything is in and starting to grow.

So the big question is when are bunches of flowers going to be available again. I am hoping that the peonies will start coming in soon, then we will be a go again. They are getting close, but not close enough to harvest. Believe you me, you will be the first to know. We are all being impatient at this point. At least I am.

There will be not an open flower shed at Lottarock this week. I don’t have enough flowers for you all to make the trip, and Friday June 4 we will be away attending a memorial service for Steve’s Uncle Fred who sadly passed away a year ago March. The following week we should be ready to rock and roll again.

I leave you with an image of what is to come. And until next time. Allie

What a run I had on the most magnificent tulip collection. There were some real stunners this year, and even when they were fully opened, and even starting to go by, they were beautiful. The beauty in aging. Now everyone has to wait until Mid February, if all goes to plan, for another, hopefully much longer, tulip season. It is always sad to see them go, but knowing what is next on deck makes it that much easier for me to bear.

So you ask, what is next. Well, low and behold, the anemones are blooming. Go figure. The stems are short, but the flowers are beautiful, and an even bigger surprise, the ranunculas are full of buds! This is a crop I had written off because the corm were last year’s that I had saved, the mice were enjoying eating the new sprouts and yet, there are strong flower buds, so by Friday, I should have some amazing stems of color. Not only anemones and ranunculas are going to be blooming, but the Icelandic poppies have got a gazillion buds that are starting to show color. I am keeping my fingers crossed that these blooms will keep you happy until the peonies start.

So when are the peonies going to start? Wish I knew. Farming isn’t an exact science, we are at the mercy of Huey the weather god, dealing with first low temperatures then on to “are you serious?” high temperatures to “God I wish it would rain.” Last week I got the perennials hand watered. They are not hooked up to the irrigation because of the well, and they are perennials, but they got a good hand water soak, two days running, then compost and mulch and they are looking much better. Almost happy.

The annual cut flowers are slowly getting planted out, and hand watered until they get established enough to use the irrigation. They are really starting to put on growth. I am starting to see more green than black now, or should I say yellow with all the pollen on the weed mat. The sweet peas have finally gone in, and this week is the big push to get everything else planted in the garden. This will be quite a feat, especially with the predicted heat so it will be early morning planting and late afternoon planting when the hours are cooler for both the plant and the planter.

Also, as an aside, make sure you note the newsletters because I will post if there isn’t going to be a flower day due to lack of flowers. Hopefully there will be a steady stream of flowers available.

Until next week. Allie

Here we are just a titch past mid May and the flowers are still rolling in, although I will be honest, this week coming will probably be the last week for harvesting the tulips and the narcissus. Don’t worry though, I still have some in storage in the cooler so if all goes well, I should have flowers available until the peonies start, and many of them are budding up quite nicely. I do wish it would rain though. Tuesday it looks as though I will be spending the majority of the day dragging hoses around watering, giving everything a good deep soak. And listening to podcasts which I am way behind in.

Seed sowing and subsequent planting out into the garden is still happening. The sowing has slowed down to a few varieties of seed every other week now, and as the temperatures start to warm up, the plants are getting hardened off, or in other words introduced to the rigors of life here at Lottarock. Most of the rows in the garden have been prepped for planting, I only have another five to go. A mere five to go. That includes the rows for the sweet peas that hopefully will be planted on Tuesday, the dahlias, and the other summer bulbs. Hopefully soon when you drive in you will be seeing more green in the space than rows of weed mat with holes burned in. The biggest planting push of the summer season is Memorial Day weekend when all the remaining available space will be filled and possible more. Who needs vegetables? Steve wouldn’t miss them much, I am sure.

I have spent the last few weeks madly harvesting the most amazing tulips and narcissus, but honestly, I really haven’t taken time to deep dive into their beauty. Have you? Look at these magnificent flowers will you?

Are you getting bored with the tulips and narcissus? I sure hope not because there are more varieties that will be put out on Tuesday and Friday during the open flower shed hours. On deck this week is the leucojum and allium, to add depth and dimension to your flower arrangements.

Hope to see many of you this week, and if not, Until next weeks blog. Cheers. Allie

I hope all you mothers out there got lots of flowers for mother’s day and that they came from local flower farms. Supporting local flower farms not only supports a local farmer, but gives you the best and freshest flowers that are more than likely grown sustainably, and certainly don’t have lots of air miles that imported flowers do.

It is the time of whirlwind days. Starting with farm chores, you know, the basic feeding and watering of goats, donkeys, chickens, peeps and guinea fowl, walking the dogs and the ilk. Then watering the seedlings, possibly seeding and pricking out seedlings…Harvesting flowers and getting them conditioned while it is still cool in the morning. If not enough rain has occurred then watering the plants that have already been planted outside in the gardens. Phew, that takes me to mid morning. To make it even more interesting, some mornings I have flower deliveries, and gardening clients. I don’t seem to have much sitting time, but this flower farmer isn’t complaining. Loving every minute of it.

So while we all love the big bodacious blooms, we can’t forget about the littlest of blooms. Many times these are more intricate and delicate and would get lost in a large bouquet, but in a little spice jar or jelly jar they just stand out. I have a lovely selection of very dainty narcissus that I have been harvesting this past week, and what they make up for in size they make up for in scent. They are powerhouses.

I leave you with todays littlest arrangement that graces the counter in the loo. It is in an old spice jar which seems to be the perfect size. What also works well are old little bottles or even empty nip bottles. Perfect for a stem or two.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Tuesday 3-6 and Friday 9-12. There are plenty of flowers for everyone.

So here we are. May. Nearly the beginning of fabulous flowers to be had from Flowers at Lottarock. What a month April was. I have been absolutely busy here at the farm, some days I feel like I am spinning and by the time dinner is cooked and cleaned up, I am cooked.

We have had some good rain in the past week. Not enough to get us out of the drought stage, but enough to put water in the rain tanks, and to give me a day off from hauling water to all the trees and shrubs that we dug and transplanted at the beginning of the month. I look at it that right now, every drop of rain is a good drop.

In the seeding department the warm temperature annuals have been started. There are only three to four weeks before they go into the ground, and they grow quickly so they get a later sowing date. Exciting things are happening though. Lots of very cool zinnias, cosmos, scabiosa, and celosia have been started with lots of fillers and little flowers I have received notice that the dahlias have been shipped so with what I have overwintered and what I am getting it should be a very colorful summer.

As the seedlings are ready and when the weather cooperates, the beds are being planted out. It is pretty exciting though, I have to say. The scary part is will I have enough space? Only time at the end of the month will tell.

Speaking of color, the tulips and narcissus are really coming into their own, and I am harvesting at least twice a day.

I have plenty of flowers available for everyone and as you can tell, color is not a problem. We have doubles, parrots, singles, yellow, purple and pink tulips and it seems as though every other color under the sun. They pair beautifully with the fragrant narcissus, some random greenery from the yard and viola’, you have just created a beautiful bouquet.

I leave you with an image of a tiny posey I made with tiny flowers. The vase is just an old spice jar, but I have found that nip bottles also work well in a pinch. This posey includes a narcissus, some cedar from the hedge that had just been sheared, some muscari and frittilaria.

Remember, the flower shed is open on Tuesday afternoons from 3-6, and Friday mornings from 9-12. I look forward to seeing you all. Until then, Allie