Month: October 2021

We finally have had a killing frost, or as flower growers call it ‘frostmass’. Even though I had already cut down most of the cutting garden, it is good to have the freeze officially here. As they say, better late than never. The dahlias in the high tunnel are still looking good, but not enough for all of you flower lovers. Just enough for me to enjoy, and believe me I am.

Since my last posting things have still been busy here at the Rock. There is so much to do, sometimes I feel as though I am losing direction but things are getting done. In the gardens, that one row that hasn’t been cut down yet is still standing although not nearly as proudly as it was last week. It is a little black around the edges, so hopefully this week it will be cut down like the rest of the flowers. The dahlias have been cut back, labeled and dug so now if I need anything beyond the first two feet in the tool shed I am out of luck until I get the tubers sorted and stored. That is on my list for this week. At some point, but I have more pressing things to happen first.

The most pressing task happening now is getting the first batch of tulips planted. They have been patiently waiting in their boxes on the screen porch waiting for this moment. Friday, the first few boxes were planted. Don’t ask me how many, I can only tell you that I have only 1200 left to go into the ground this week coming. Two thirds down, one third to go. I got an email from the other bulb supplier the other day, the sad news is that one variety isn’t available due to a crop failure, and I am shorted another variety, so I will only have about 2500 tulips to force when they come in in December. I am sad, but also somewhat relieved because I am having a hell-of-a-time sourcing bulb crates to force them in. If anyone knows of a source of black bulb crates like this snag them for me please! I am desperate!

Meanwhile, I have been getting next year’s seed order together, complete with some interesting things to try. Some that I grew this past year won’t be grown again, which gives me room to try some new cutting varieties this year coming. Spring is coming and I have to be ready for you my flower people.

So. If you have been worried that I would have too much time on my hands now that most of the gardens have been cut down for the season, rest assured, I still have plenty to do to keep me out of mischief.

Until next week. Allie

Confessions of a flower farmer. The end of the season is always so bittersweet. You are so ready for the long season to be over, but the flowers will be so missed as well as the flower people that make all of this experience possible. I so love my flowers, and it is so hard to let them go at the end of the season, but to be perfectly honest, I am so ready to see them go. A few weeks break between here and there, and off we go again, growing beauty and making smiles.

Today was spent taking down the garden. I went from this this morning

to this this afternoon.

For the rows that didn’t get cut down before we left on a well needed holiday, I had destructed five rows today. I goes like this, put on a podcast on flower farming, chop, chop chop the plants to the first layer of Hortnova (the netting that makes the stems stand straight, if I do it correctly), then pull off the first layer of Hortnova. Chop, chop some more to the bottom layer, pulling that netting off and stuff it in zip lock bags ASAP. Take out support pots and put them in a pile. Lift the weed mat, putting the pegs in a neat pile, then once removing the said weed mat, folding it neatly for storage. Then wind up the drip tape. This year I got smart and did all the tapes for each row together. After lunch I got even smarter and labeled the rows the tape came from because almost every row is a different length. One that bed is done, move to the next one. Breathe deeply.

My goal today was to get everything done. Nope. Still have one bed left of the annuals, lift the dahlias and the peacock orchids and get them into storage. Then I have 3500 tulips to plant….I am still having 2:00 am thoughts on that.

On a positive note, the bulb cooler in the “garage” is getting built. Yay! We may not be able to park our cars in the garage this winter because of our lovely (not) building inspector, but I will have a bulb cooler for the bulbs that hopefully be rocking in to be planted in December. I also will also be prepping the ranunculus and anemones in the bulb cooler as well. Then the Icelandic poppies and on and on.

I am going to leave you with the images of the dahlias this morning before they got the chop. Literally got the chop. By the end of the week they will be lifted, compost will be spread and we will all wait for spring 2022. Ye gads!

Until next week. Allie

PS. to my egg customers, just drop me an email when you need eggs and it will happen.

Thank you to all my flower people who have supported my flower endeavor this year. You have made it so much fun and so worthwhile. I never would have dreamed that this year, despite all of its rain, would have been such a good one, and it is because of all of your support. This thank you also includes all the the Yays and support from my long distance followers.

Since it is now officially the end of the flower season here at Flowers at Lottarock I just want to remind my fellow flower friends that if you purchased a flower card this year your card is good for another year. If you purchased a card last year, 2020 and have a balance remaining, your balance will be “payed forward” to supply flower bouquets to the residences of Scott Farrer, Summerhill, and Rivermead for the residents to enjoy, so thank you for “paying it forward”. The flowers will be greatly appreciated.

Enough business, lets talk flowers. What a crazy week it has been. I heard a rumor from our builder that approval has been given to build the bulb cooler. Yay! I won’t believe it until the fat lady sings her aria, but I can hear her warming up in the wings. That and I have three piles of lumber sitting in the back of the wanna be garage. It is progress, and I am grateful for that, believe you me. Now. If anyone knows where I can locate a mere 50 bulb crates I really will be rocking to a happy tune.

Clean up of the flower gardens has begun. Yesterday I spent cutting back the plants that were gone by, pulling Hortnova (which is the netting grid that supports the plants that I have a love-hate relationship with), lifting the weed mat and rolling up the drip lines. It took me all day to do six beds. I went from this

To this at the end of the day. It may not look like much but believe you me…

The beds that already didn’t have a cover crop growing in them then this afternoon had last year’s leaf compost added on top, and then I top that off with a sprinkling of very old wood chips to hold the leaf mulch down. It all looks so tidy at the moment, which for here says quite a bit.

This weekend was the Dublin Art Tour and Steve had his studio/man cave open for visitors to view his photography. I made two arrangements for him because I could. One for outdoors and one for inside to give a bit of color. I leave you with the two arrangements I made for your visual enjoyment.

• 

• 

Next week there will not be a blog because I am not taking my laptop on holiday with me, but rest assured, I will be back with more news from Flowers at Lottarock before you have time to miss me.

Until next time. Allie

So here we are in October. It is so hard to believe that we will have had 20 weeks of flowers here at the farm. I think that that is quite an accomplishment, all things given. Yes, I will admit that we had a few no flowers weeks, but for the most part we are good! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.

Despite that it is October, the flowers are still flowering like crazy. Yes, I have pulled the sunflowers and have fed the stalks to the goats, the seed heads to the birds and chipmunks, and have sown a cover crop on all of those now empty beds, but it seems as though the birds aren’t quite happy with the sunflower seeds I left for them but seem to have a propensity for the cover crop seed as well. If nothing germinates by Sunday, last year’s composting leaves will be added to the beds and ancient wood chips added on to to hold the leaves down, (lesson learned from last year, hold the leaves down) to keep the beds covered. Not only is every year different, but every week is different here at the farm. Soon all the beds will be cut down, and covered. I need to keep two beds prepped and ready for early spring planting of the Icelandic poppies, snaps, bachelor buttons, and maybe stock. As much as I love it, I have yet to turn out a decent stem, so next year is its last year to do well before it is out of the line up.

UPS notified me last week that the spring bulbs were starting to rock in. Thursday’s delivery was the anemone, (100), ranunculus, (300) and freesia (50) that I absolutely adore, but haven’t grown them since my days at the old Woodmans. I say old because when I started there in, GASP, 1977, it was a pretty good flower growing concern and an excellent floral training for me. Anyway, we used to grow at least a quarter of a hoop house of them during the winter along with snapdragons and stock.

Thursday, UPS notified me that I had 5, yes five boxes of bulbs coming. The average weight of each box?, about 50 pounds. They got to the house late so it must have been a new driver. I had already left for the lake, so Suzie S and company lugged them up onto the porch. Good thing cause the driver had left them sitting in the driveway.

But I look at it like this. Those boxes in six months become this.

What else is happening on the farm? I am still harvesting buckets of flowers. I will say again to remind you all that this is the last week of flowers. Unless…. we don’t have a frost….and you still want flowers. I don’t know. I am ready for a break. My local people, pay strict attention to the newsletters that come out either the night before a flower day, or that morning. Anything can happen.

• 

• 

The flowers are covered with bees of all types, and I have to check each flower before I harvest it to make sure that I haven’t but my hand on a bee of some ilk and disturbed it. Bumble bees, honey bees and lots of monarchs hanging out on the asters.

So. Remember that this week coming is officially the last week of the open flower shed. Unless you read something in the newsletter. I just can’t give the flowers up yet.