HAPPY LONG WEEKEND. Yes, it is practically the end of May, only two more days left. Hard to believe that we are almost, almost half way through the year. But first, we are going to celebrate. What, you might ask? We are having a tulip sale. Yup, I have had enough of tulips. You must remember that I have been doing tulips in one fashion or another since December so, a tulip sale is in order. I want them all gone, and I still have some absolutely stunning varieties, doubles, fringed doubles, singles and just about every color you could want. For every dozen you buy, they will be $10.00 a doz. If you want less than a dozen it will be a dollar a stem. Either way it is a true bargain. Yup and easy math for me. And bring all your friends, Tuesdays tulip sale is open to everyone.
Just a small collection of tulips. More on the other side.
So. When you come to the flower shed on Friday, I will have peonies, ranunculus, Icelandic poppies and, fingers crossed, the beginning of the cool annuals.
Peonies and Icelandic Poppies
I have planted half the annual flowers, and this week the dahlias are going in the ground. More sowing of sunflowers, and some serious housekeeping in the dirty room. We have set a peanut butter bucket in the greenhouse to hopefully catch the damn rodents that are eating my ranunculus corms. At this rate, I won’t have any left to overwinter for next year. Honestly, if it isn’t one thing, it’s another.
The sun has almost left the garden so I must get out and water. Until next week. Allie
Wow, we sure have had some hot, un-spring like weather lately. I remember saying not that long ago that it was such a cool spring we were running about two week late in the season. No more, we blew that out of the water two weeks ago. One cannot predict Mother nature, nor should one try if one wants to keep their sanity. One just learn to roll with it the best one can. And I am trying. Really I am.
To mitigate the extreme temperature, I have hung frost cloth from the rafters of the greenhouse to break the intensity of the sun and it is sorta working but when the temps outside are in the nineties, it is truly hard to keep the greenhouse cool. I water early, harvest early, but I am sad to say the the ranunculus that I have waited so long for are looking peeked, kinda like the flower farmer. I am hoping to harvest a bit longer, but only the temperatures will tell. I do have some planted in the ground, verses the crates that are looking better, maybe because they are in the ground and maybe because they were planted later in the year. Hard to tell, but they are so stink’n beautiful, and they look so beautiful paired with the tulips. The anemones seem to be fairing with the heat better which is good.
Speaking of tulips, I still have many beautiful varieties available. Some stunning French singles, bodacious doubles, bi-colors and more. I am only conditioning what I think I can sell on the open flower days and I try to have an interesting selection available for your choosing. These are flowers that opened on Tuesday during open flower day. Almost a week later and they are still looking beautiful. And my house is not cool, believe me.
These have just been sitting out on the kitchen counter. Just look at them!
Then I have these tulips that I don’t know if they can get more beautiful.
I call these poetry. I have no idea what they are.
This week is the big push to get a lot of of the summer annuals in the ground. Steve is going to hook up the irrigation for me, so that will help tremendously. I only have three flower days a week to devote the the gardens, so I try to get as much done as possible without doing myself in. Not always easy to pace oneself with deadlines, but I am trying to be smarter with my body.
What flowers are on deck next? I would say that by Memorial day I will have peonies, and some of the cool annuals such as agrostema, orlaya, Icelandic poppies and other flowers, but that depends on Mother Nature.
I know that I have had some new people sign up for the newsletter and blog, so I just want to give you a warm welcome and give you a quick overall of Flowers at Lottarock. The flower shed is open on Tuesday afternoons from 3-6 and Friday mornings from 9-2. There is always room for new members. Members? sorta, but not really. For $100 you get a simple debit card, and the flowers you choose are deducted from your balance. Your card can always be topped up whenever you want. The cards are good for two years. I hope to have flowers available from Mid February through to mid October. The flowers can be purchased by the stem, or I can make a bouquet for you. I look forward to seeing you so my flowers will bring you as much joy as they do for me.
And last but not least. Because we are crazy here at Lottarock Farm and because we don’t have enough on our plates…Let me introduce you all to Whiskey and Bear. Our newest additions.
Here I was lamenting how cold spring was and bam! Summer. Oh, it isn’t pretty. I mean it is stunningly beautiful, but the cool flowers are not happy. Not one bit. I have pulled all the tulips and they are safely enjoying the AC in the bulb room, all tucked in for open flower shed days. There are lots of amazing varieties to be had, from french tulips to stunning doubles to just out of this world colors.
Look at that color. All chill’n.
Because if this heat, for the moment I will be having open shed days underneath the garage. All you will have to do is follow the sign and the driveway. That space is alot cooler than the flower shed is and I am doing everything I can to keep the flowers looking beautiful for you. I guess for the moment we will be the flower garage.
The heat is causing other problems as well. The ranunculus and anemones that were starting to look sooooo good, don’t like this heat at all. I have tacked of some light frost cloth to try to break the greenhouse getting so extremely hot, but with the ambient air at 85 degrees, it ain’t much, but it is some. Keep your fingers crossed that they will keep going and not decide to start to go dormant. On the other hand, the plants in the high tunnel are now going gang busters with the heat so go figure. A plant and growing technique for every season.
Trying to keep cool.
I am behind in the sowing and the transplanting. I have been holding down the fort while Steve is away and just lets say that there aren’t enough hours in the day. Or there are enough hours, but I am good for only a portion of them. Up at 5:30, in the garden by 5:45 trying to beat the heat and collapsing by 9:30 and still not getting everything done. Oh well. It will all eventually get done. Or not. The good news is that the first of the Icelandic poppies are starting to bloom and they don’t seem to mind the heat so the flowers continue.
First Icelandic Poppy
With the tulips all pulled I have let the dogs into the garden for rodent patrol, besides now tilling up the beds and aerating them, I have a very tired and dirty garden dog.
Taking a quick nap before the next patrol.
And I leave you with this weeks bouquet, with Mikey in repose. What a life.
What a week! What a Day! But first. Happy Mothers Day to all, non mothers included because you too are important and vital to households giving love and support as well. I am a mother to all the critters on the farm, so therefor, I also celebrate. Even having a mimosa to celebrate my mother and my mother in laws life. Cheers ladies.
The tulips are rocking in fast and furious. If it is sunny and warm I am harvesting tulips, narcissus and anemone three times a day. If it is cloudy and cool, I can get away with just one harvest. Last Thursday I got in a minor panic. The bulb room hadn’t been set up with its new cooling system and I had tulips coming on like mad so my darling Steve hooked up the new aircon and we are good to go. And just in the nick of time because I needed the cooling space. Bless him. I knew I married him for something. Need I say, that the cooler is filling up nicely and smells like an intense florist shop. Yumm.
This is just the beginning of the flower haul from Friday.
The tulips and narcissus are going strong, as are the anemones. The frittilaria are now being allowed to go to seed. The ranunculus are starting to come in as are the allium and leucojium (otherwise known as Giant Snowflake). Certainly in a week there will be more flowers in the offering. All dependent on Mother Nature of course, but exciting none of the less.
Beautiful. little green aphids and all
Yes, the anemone have little greenfly. Yes, they will stay there. They are doing no harm to the flower, the numbers are low and I prefer not to use any insecticides, even insecticidal soap because first they will ruin the flower faster than ever, and second, I really don’t want to use anything because of the ecosystem I am building here. If they are really bad I won’t sell them, If you want a perfect flower then you may not want to buy them, but those are our choices.
So I made a snap call last night to open the flower shed for Mothers Day, and thank you to everyone who came out. I had lots of lovely tulips and flowers to offer and it was such a beautiful day to travel to the farm.
Flower shed offerings. Screen to sorta hide the flower shed by Steve.
The plants in the high tunnel, greenhouse and the garden are all looking good. Requiring a lot of water because of the wind whipping all the moisture out of everything but they are getting bigger. I can even see them from a few feet away now. Onward and upwards they say.
It looks like, for the time being because I have so many flowers, that the flower sheds hours will now include Tuesday afternoons from 3 to 6 as well as Fridays from 9 to 2. It might be a bit chaotic, but you are probably used to that by now with me. I look forward to seeing you.
I leave you with the photo of this weeks bouquet. Not my photo, but Steve’s.
Just able to have fun with the flowers that come off the shed door and a few seconds., Not bad I must say.
Holy Moly, here we are at May 1. I don’t know whether to be in a panic or excited. Doesn’t matter, it is the first of May, and things are a rock’n at Lottarock. Where do I begin? The anemones are requiring a daily harvest, the ranunculus are so close, oh so close to being harvestable and available, the narcissus are going gang busters and the tulips? Ah yes, there will be tulips available at the flower shed this Friday, especially if the rest of the week are days like this. OMG, what a day this is.
This mornings harvest. ‘Scuse the “model” holding them. But just look at those flowers!
In answer to your burning questions, yes, the spring flowers are rocking in here at Lottarock. I have been busy watering every day the wind is just whipping the moisture out of everything, my face and lips included. Where is my Burt’s Bees? People might look at me quizically when I say it is dry, but it is, trust me.
The summers annuals seeding is progressing nicely. This seasons perennials have been planted out, the older perennials are starting to look good, like something is happening anyway. The peonies, the next big exciting thing here at the farm, once we move on past the early spring flowers, are putting on some good growth. My days are busy, but that is good. It is keeping me out of mischief.
At this point I am going to keep the flower shed hours open just on Fridays from 9-2. But that is all up for change ’cause I can, and if I am overwhelmed with flowers, I might open on Tuesday afternoons, but that will have to wait and see.
I am leaving you with a photo of last week’s posey. Let’s see, anemones, fritillaria, narcissus, andromeda and pine. My next challenge is to make a bouquet a week, photograph it well (like Francis Palmer, have you see her work?) and record it for you. That way I am hopefully improving two skills. Flower composing and photography.
May 1, 2022 still life.
So. Until next week, may the weather be balmy with a slight breeze to keep the black flies away and some lovely evening showers to help the flowers grow. Allie
