Month: August 2022

Only three days left in the month of August. August, the hardest month of my flower growing year. Almost…over. I find August always hard. The light really starts to change, not that that is a bad thing because I think the colors of the flowers glow more because the sun is lower in the sky, and I am allowing myself to stay in bed till 5:30 which is a treat, but the insect pressure is greater, the dryness is particularly difficult, and my body is just plain weary. But then I get huge a huge uplift looking at the flowers that I am harvesting and your excitement over the flowers that I have, and that just makes it all so worthwhile.

Things are still busy here at the farm. Besides doing my daily rain dance, (to no avail) I am still busy watering, thank god for drip irrigation and lots of mulch; fertilizing weekly, weeding still and harvesting. Never a dull moment. The cover crop in the garden has been mowed

and it will die down during the winter adding biomass to the garden.

Like every fall, this is when I assess what will happen next year in the flower garden. So far, I know what will be leaving. Sunflowers will be way reduced in numbers. More perennials will be added, fewer cosmos. Actually it isn’t that I will be eliminating either sunflowers and cosmos completely, it is just that they will be planted on the sides where the narcissus are because the bees just love them, and if I need to cut a stem I can, but they won’t be taking up flower space. The rest of the flowers and their numbers will probably stay. I might be getting too old to plant more peonies but I just can’t resist. In the new empty space I thought I would do pumpkins and gourds again. They were loved by all when I did them a few years back, but all things are up for change, but that is where my mind is going now. Any thoughts and or suggestions?

If you could walk through the garden with me in the evenings you would be able to hear how alive the garden is right now. The garden is just humming with bees, if you could only see the bees on this sedum. It was quivering, and if you know sedum, you would know it takes a lot to make it quiver because the stems are so think and succulent.

The finches, sparrows and chickadees are all taking the seeds from the unpicked sunflower heads and the gone to seed cosmos. See why I want to plant them on the verges of the garden? And the butterflies just add more amazing living color to the mix. It is truly and amazing thing to see and hear.

I am trying my hand at drying flowers this year. Nothing fancy, but I hope to be able to give each of you, my regular people, a small posy at the end of the season to keep you excited about the next season. That and I thought I would try my hand at wreath making this winter. It has been a long time since I have done them, but what the heck. So stay tuned as they say. I could have some very interesting ones. Very me.

I will hand this off to Steve now for editing, (checking my spelling and that I don’t have too many run on sentences) and then he, not me, writes the little ditty at the beginning of the email, that send all you so gleefully to the blog. I just thought I should give him credit for that entertainment.

Until next week. Allie

Although the days are getting shorter and the flowers aren’t quite as needy, there is still lots happening here at the farm. Just about every flower that I have is in bloom right now, and looking good to boot! Let me start at the front right row and go from there. Cosmos, blooming, marigolds and nicotiana all blooming. Next row, strawflowers, asters, scabiosia and cleome, all blooming, and so on and so forth. You get the idea, I have a lot of flowers blooming.

Most normal flower growers would never have flowers blooming in their fields, I know I shouldn’t, but if I haven’t cut it, and I have plenty to cut from, I am leaving it for the bees, and let me tell you I have some very happy bees right now. The garden is humming with their excitement. Don’t fret though, there are plenty of flowers for you all as well. I just want to make everyone and everything happy. I am not happy though sharing my flowers with the Japanese beetles. Come on birds, there is plenty for you in this garden as well.

I wish it would rain. I have a bunch of seedlings from the old vegetable garden that I want to move into the flower garden, and some transplanting to do so the question is…do I take the risk and do it by the end of the month? Or do I keep my fingers crossed and hope for the late summer fall rains to help me out. I need to get them moved soon so they can get established before winter sets in. I know, I know, that is months away, but things like this have to be planned for.

As I am typing this I am looking at the vase of sunflowers that came out of the sign last Friday. Waste not, want not. Yes, I recycle my flowers. That water in that vase is skanky! Does it need changing! Actually not only does the water need changing, but I should also clean the vase. You know the saying is that your flowers want clean water to drink as well as you do, so if you wouldn’t want to drink the water in your vase or your flower buckets, neither would they.

Here are some flowers of the week….

I grow the talum for the little red berries, but I am going to try using the flowers and some of the very chartreuse foliage because it looks so cool. I will have to experiment.

My final note tonight is this…because I am such a space cadet most evenings and I can’t remember to send out the newsletter the night before flower day I have decided not to. If I have any important changes to tell you I will let you know, like time changes later in the season, but for now, I am going to give your inbox a break from me, and my sent box a break. Rest assured, I will be open, without fail on Tuesdays from 2-6 and
Fridays from 9-3, until further notice.

Until next week, Allie

Here we are in Mid August, and the flowers just keep coming on. New varieties of flowers almost every two weeks and that is what keeps it all so interesting, all the different varieties of flowers that I can offer you.

The extreme heat and humidity of the last few weeks wasn’t good for anything. Your flower grower wasn’t happy, the dogs weren’t happy, and the flowers weren’t happy one bit. The strong scattered storms only dumped torrents of water, good for the rain tanks, not good for much else. The cosmos took a hit so most of the have been cut back, but cosmos really aren’t wind stable. They break with just the slightest breeze even if the are staked up. The rain gutter on the tank I use for filling the water buckets and washing the buckets has come unattached, which Steve has fixed but I realize that the down pipe is not where it should be so I just have to climb up and reattach it. Speaking of rain tanks. Look what I purchased.

This tank holds 1550 gallons of water. It will be placed behind the new, and still unfinished garage and the roof on the right side will fill the tank. We have a few details to work out, but we will be ready for next year’s growing season. It may not be used for the flowers, but it will give me water to get the fruit trees, blueberries, grapes and all the trees and shrubs decent water during the growing season if the weather gods aren’t kind to us. Very excited about this believe you me.

You must be wondering by now what flowers are available. There are plenty for you all to choose from. Zinnias, ageratum, scabiosia, celosia, dahlias, asters, marigolds, sunflowers, rudbeckia and so much more. There is also lots of aromatic and colorful filler to round out each bouquet. Oh, and the peacock orchids are setting bud so stems of those will be available as well!

I was asked on Friday now much longer will I have flowers and I would say through mid October so that is exciting. Then clean up and I start planting for February tulips! It is never ending here at Lottarock.

I have had requests this year about doing flowers to be given as gifts, small dinner parties and little events. I have done them happily, so now I am putting this out there for you all. Can’t believe I am doing this. If I have enough notice, I will create for you. NO WEDDINGS though. Dinner parties, birthdays, concerts all can be done. All I ask is a day or two of notice. If you need the flowers on days that I am not open, I will do them and put them in the spare fridge for you and they can either be deducted from your card, or they can be paid for separately. Just saying that I am not a floral designer, but will do my best. If you have any questions, just shoot me an email. I do enjoy the creative part of flowers as well so we will see how this goes.

I leave you with the shed door bouquet, made out of stems that are too short. I kinda like it.

Until next week. Allie

We have now entered August, and boy does it feel like it. Hot, humid and dry. Dry as a bone in the outback. The good news, we had .85″ of rain today. Not nearly enough, but I won’t have to water the garden tonight. I am trying to get myself into the difficult mindset of running the irrigation in the evening, hoping that the flowers will have a longer time to take up the water before the sun hits them. I have been watering at six in the morning but I am going to try to remember to do it after evening chores at six at night. One wouldn’t think that this would be difficult but apparently it is for me. I am hoping that it will make a difference with the flowers.

I am not really sure what all the fuss is for flower growers to grow cosmos. Yes, they are a lovely pink, red, seashell form, doubles etc, but the vase life is short, or the flower life is short and they get tangled up in everything. One could say the same about the flowers of the sweet pea, but at least with the sweet peas you are wooed with the intoxicating aroma. Cosmos, bah. Next year they will be relegated to the verges for the bees, but not in the flower garden per se. If I need a quick filler for something I will have them on hand but for my mixed bouquets, bah. I am in love with the nicotiana that I am growing now and might try a few different colors to round things out.

You know how I say that flowers have their season? Well, the sweet peas are out, the perennial scabiosia that I love, love, love is about down, but the zinnias are doing well, the rudbeckia is out of this world. In fact, next year maybe I will plant only half of the sunflowers. I love the rudbeckia so much more, and I get about the same color schemes. I mean, look at this Rudbeckia.

The fillers are coming into their own. I don’t know why they take half the summer to be able to pick, but they are so worth the wait. If I can make a bouquet smell as delicious as it looks I am a happy flower farmer. The foliage of the Hibiscus mahogany, the basils, the mints, the various amaranths, are all good in my book. Like I have said before, if you want unusual, I will grow it.

Another flower I am having fun with this year, and I can’t believe I am saying this, is the cleome, or spider flower. Yes, it is thorny, and yes, it doesn’t not have a pleasant aroma, but it holds up well and gives a bouquet some…what is the word I am looking for?…Look at these florets? unfolding…

So, What else is happening? The dahlias are coming into bloom. Slowly, but I should have a few stems to offer this week, with more on the way.

This is very exciting and I have the old standbys as well as a bunch of new varieties this year. But also, besides the dahlias coming in, the first of the annual asters are starting to flower. Soon, there will be buckets of asters.

So. I leave you with this thought. Am I growing too many flowers? Nah. I hope. It is just high summer and everyone just wants to stay cool and not think about flowers. Sigh.

Until next week. Your flower girl. Allie