Month: July 2024

Gardening is much more pleasant this week, for a change. It is so much nicer to be dealing with the cooler temperatures, even though it is only for a few more days, it is actually nice to be out in the garden.

My biggest excitement is the house is finally finished being painted so no longer will you have to wonder where you were going to park when you come to get flowers. The driveway is open again. That is a huge yay, and I am sure they are just as happy to be out of here as well.

The flowers are going gang busters and some of the dahlias are even starting to celebrate by showing bud and soon color, and then home to you.

As you can see, just about every flower that has been planted for the summer crop is blooming. The rudbeckias, snapdragons, salvias, scented geraniums and basils for fillers, the list just keeps going on, and soon, very soon dahlias will be added to the list.

Not much new is happening on the farm so believe this, I don’t have much to say, so I am giving to give you all a break and stop here.

Remember, there is no flower shed this Tuesday, but the shed will be open on Friday and the rest of the scheduled flower days.

Until next week. Allie. I dream of flowers, do you?

This is the longest wave of heat I can ever remember and trying to keep up with the watering is, shall we say, challenging. The plants don’t like the heat nor does the flower farmer. Back when I was living in Queensland, we would have shade cover over the nursery stock. It did break the intensity of the sun and did make the plants, and growers cooler, but I don’t know if that is feasible here. At least not yet. In our future? It is a possibility. I’m certainly glad I am not harvesting in the high tunnel now. Or working in a greenhouse. They just get unbearable this time of year.

The summer flowers are finally hitting their stride. I am beginning to harvest the zinnias and celosia and a marigold or two. The garden phlox is beginning to bloom and blooms are coming in strong for almost all of the flowers now. This is a photo of last Thursday morning’s harvest, and is only part of it.

Even with the extreme heat, the flower shed will be open Tuesdays and Fridays. I am hopeless for posting the openings on instagram, but I do get the newsletter out the night before to let you know of any changes. Speaking of notices, Tuesday July 23 the flower shed will be closed. I will continue to remind you, if I can remember….Then back to our normal schedule.

I am going to go for a swim. Stay cool everyone, and hope to see you in the flower shed soon.

Allie. I dream of flowers, do you?

I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July weekend, or maybe even week? We certainly did. thank you to everyone who came by to get flowers on the second so we could have a long weekend with friends at the lake. R&R is just what was needed to rest up for mid season flowers.

The summer flowers are coming in and I am harvesting like crazy. The zinnias are just starting as are the celosia and marigolds. I may not have tons of one flower, but each harvest is at least three buckets full. I am shutting down the tunnel for the season now. The crops are almost done and the irrigation seems to have spring some serious leaks. Oh well. We’ll get it all fixed up for next spring.

The peonies are now all gone till next year now. In some ways they are like the tulips, although a much shorter season. I certainly love them when they are here, but it is also nice to see new flowers coming into season. And that season is the summer annuals. Yes, the “dirty flower” season is upon us.

What are dirty flowers you might ask. These are the flowers that make your flower water skanky. All of our favorite flowers are included in this category. Zinnias, yarrow, celosia, the scented geraniums. So when you get your flowers on flower days, remind me to give you a flower preservative packet. It keeps the water cleaner and also has a bit of flower food in it. If you don’t want the packet or run out, just a couple of drops of bleach in the water will help. Change the water every day or two, recut the stems and the flowers will be just fine. if you don’t do anything, well, they will turn skanky. Trust me.

The dahlias are coming along nicely, I am hoping by August? I will start having them available.

Flower farm details are check for slugs and Japanese beetles on my way to feed the donkeys in the morning, and after I feed the donkeys at night. Turn on the irrigation before the sun hits the hoses, harvest very early in the cool or wait until evening. Once a week I will the mobile water tank to water all the new plantings that are not irrigated, as well as top up the donkey water tank cause damn we need rain. Exciting I know.

I leave you with my red, white and blue flowers to celebrate the 4th.

Until next week. Allie. I dream of flowers, do you?