Month: September 2023

I say this kind of tongue in cheek. I love this time of year, maybe because it is sorta winding down, because of the colors are so intense, because the temperatures are cooler and there are fewer bugs to contend with, but it is also because the season is winding down. Sorta. Still plenty to do in the gardens once Frostmas comes, beds to be cleared, covercrop sown, dahlias dug and stored, tulips planted. You know, so on and so forth. It has been a very busy week, some good, much of it challenging.

The gardens are still producing. Not like in the middle of the summer but there are still plenty of flowers out there to be had, and beautiful ones at that.

The dahlias are still going quite strong and I need to mark the ones that haven’t made the mark and will be destined to the compost pile or just into the weedy flower gardens for color. Besides the dahlias the chrysanthemums are really starting to come through.

This is just a few of the varieties that are starting to color up. I also have many that are only just budding up so there are still plenty of flowers to be had.

The flowers are drying nicely, many are in storage, and many are still hanging. They will start to be available the first week of October if all goes to plan, but stay tuned. There has been a spanner thrown into the works so I am not making plans too far in advance. There will be dried flowers, it is just you might have to be creative and arrange them yourself or make your own dried wreaths.

The newest in fashionable harvest wear, being modeled by yours truly is because I have broken my clavicle. Yup. Tuesday evening I was in the emergency room getting x-rays and here we are, or here I am anyway. Flowers take longer to harvest, and there is a lot I can’t or won’t be able to do, so after Columbus day I might suck in my pride and ask for a help party to get the garden sorta put away. I could be out for 6-8 weeks, and I haven’t quite had one week down yet. I will know more after my appt with orthopedics on Wednesday.

On that note, we are supposed to have a beautiful week this week coming so make sure you get a chance to enjoy it. I will keep you updated on things here at Lottarock, but at the moment, everything is the same. I look forward to seing many of you before the season ends, whenwever that might me.

Until next week. Allie

I am not quite how we got to mid September, but here we are. It has been the absolute weirdest summer, one that will go down in the books, but despite all the punches, the flowers are looking good and are still bountiful.

I have had a few flower people ask when will I have flowers till. Well, that all depends on what Mother nature deals me. I am planning to be open for the Columbus/Indigenous weekend and a quiet plug here, Steve will be on the Dublin Art Tour that weekend so come on by and see his photos, then after that it might just be by special order but that is why one pays attention to the newsletters. They keep you up to date.

Many of the flowers are still going gangbusters while flowers like the annual asters have said so long for the season. The yarrow has been cut back, I should have done it sooner for a possible second flush. Oh well, next year.

Flowers are being cut and dried, some being hung in the shed while some are upstairs in the garage where it is hotter and certainly drier. In October I will have dried flowers for you, dried flower bouquets, maybe some wreaths. That is the plan anyway, we shall see what transpires. Speaking of wreaths, I will be making Christmas wreaths this December. They will only be by special order. More details will follow in November, so stay tuned.

The cutting shrub garden across from the donkeys is quickly filling in. I hope to have it all planted out by the middle of October so next year there will be some really cool material for arrangements and wreaths, which is exciting.

Other than this, not much is happening that is terribly newsworthy, so I will just leave you with a couple of photos to brighten your day.

So until next week, think sunny weather and happy flowers. Allie

The weather can’t decide what it wants to do, or where it wants to be. Summer? Fall? No, lets try summer again…with added humidity, oh and rain! But no matter what the weather or season it decides to be, the flowers are just stunning. The colors, the depth of colors, everything needed to make stunning bouquets is available now. Not that it wasn’t available before, but the colors and textures right now are certainly something to write about. So I am. (Insert smiley face).

So let’s start with the dahlias. The OMG of flowers. The colors, patterns…you can have the jewel tones, or the pastel tones and just about any flower goes with them. I think they are my most favorite flower next to tulips. Well, OK, it’s a tie. The tulips herald in the flower growing season, and the dahlias are the swan song of the flower growing season.

This is just a smattering of the ones on offer, if I took photos of all of them you would have your socks knocked off they are stink’n beautiful. Do I have a favorite? No, they are all just amazing.

So. Speaking of tulips. Can you hear me sigh deeply? I got yet another letter from my sales rep saying that it was the worst year on record for tulip bulb growers, fusarium infecting the bulbs from the wet and cold year, so I will have no idea what I will get of my tulip order until the day they are supposedly shipped. So. I don’t know what I will have for the spring. Bummer for me. Because I am so small, it is hard for me to hedge my bets. I have tulips that have to get crated and in the cooler by a certain date to be able to offer them to you in February. If I was to order more tulips, that I can figure out the cool time for they won’t get shipped until the date that would push them back into March, so I am going to do the wait and see. I am only starting to have sleepless nights over this, but thank goodness I am not a tulip bulb grower. Jon, my sales rep thinks many will toss the towel in because of their losses. Fingers crossed that I will have some tulips to grow for you this year.

On to happier flower thoughts. The flowers are looking stunning. It must be from all the available water. Everything is still going strong. Some of the beds have been ripped out and have a nice healthy cover crop growing on them, I have been harvesting and drying flowers for use later in the season, thinking dried bouquets, wreaths, gift toppers, you know, that sort of thing. I have perennials that need to be divided and planted into their new homes, and beds extended. The Acidanthera is coming into its own, the Cobea is starting to bloom as is the hyacinth bean, filler and foliages are looking good and it is starting to rain again. It will be a wet harvest tomorrow morning, but everything will be well hydrated.

I will leave you with two images from this week.

Next week I will have Steve take a drone shot of the gardens before I harvest so you can see all the color.

Until next week, may you immerse yourself in the beauty of flowers. Allie

I decided not to labor this Labor Day weekend, and instead spent the days at the lake rowing, bicycling, swimming, having lunch with flower friends and dinner with family. It turns out I was way too busy to get the blog out last night, but here I am. And you thought you had a break from me.

The flowers are bountiful and colorful. The annual asters are in full stride, as are the marigolds, zinnias, and the dahlias. Ahhh, the dahlias are outdoing themselves this year despite the rainy summer. The chrysanthemums are budding up nicely and some might even be harvested this week. The Acidanthera have started to bloom. These are related to the gladioli but so much better, they are much more subtle of a flower with a lovely perfume.

I have started a new garden bed, at least I have gotten the new row marked out and the cardboard down, that will be finished this week, because I have new plants to go in. Meanwhile the plants are sitting in the shade most of the day until they are ready for planting.

Because it is labor day, I won’t labor on, but will leave you with a bunch of images from the past week. Enjoy.

Until next week. Allie