Month: November 2024

Well this is my last post for November. It is hard to believe that this time next week it will be December. How does the time fly so quickly? Probably because I am always so busy.

As of this writing I have all but two rows of the annual beds to get prepped for next spring. If I can get my butt in gear with this colder weather, it will happen. I would also like to get some leaf mulch on the peony beds before Thursday, we will see. The forecast isn’t looking fabulous….

So there has been talk here at the farm about expanding the flowers. You know that I have been adding more perennials to reduce the amount of work while slowly cutting back on the number of annuals, don’t worry, there will still be plenty of flowers, I am just thinking of my body for the future. The next step is to add more shrubs for cutting and now crabapples. Once they get planted the amount of work involved will be nothing like planting ten rows of annuals every spring. Three different varieties of shrubs have been ordered and my wish list for crabapples is on deck. Steve and I paced out the space this afternoon and it isn’t nearly as big as my dreams…hmmmm, it will work out, then I have the lilacs I am going to move into the same area….it will be tight…but it will work.

I have ordered the chrysanthemums for next year’s stock. I was cutting flowers up until the beginning of this week. Just enough for my final bouquet for me before I have to resort to buying flowers (egads!) until the tulips come in, which should be mid February. Here is this week’s bouquet. Check out the dried sunflowers. The birds ate all the seeds and left me with these beauties.

Other material used are the branches of the spirea, and the sea oats with the last of the chrysanthemum flowers.

After Thanksgiving, my next task is to get into the high tunnel and get it cleaned up, composted and getting it ready for the cool flowers that go in early March. If it is a sunny day it will get quite warm in there despite there aren’t any ends on it. Late December I will be starting the fancy pansy seeds that I will hopefully purchase tomorrow that have been selected as cut flowers, yup, pansies as spring cut flowers as well as starting the perennials that I have seed for. Not much rest, but enough.

Meanwhile, I am planning for 2025…most importantly, what am I growing and where the hell is it going to go. I am planing for a very floral year so get ready and stay tuned.

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

PS. Steve doesn’t dream of flowers but he is very patient of my dreams and goals.

Needless to say that I have been a very busy flower farmer since I wrote to you last week. But all the critical things are done for the year! Yay!

Last Monday and Tuesday all of the tulips were crates and put in the cooler. Was that a feat and a half that was, the hardest part was getting the planting medium wet. I was one muddy mess by the end of the day, but by Monday evening I had planted 2000 bulbs. Tuesday afternoon went much faster having to only plant 750, and because I got smarter on Tuesday wetting the medium went faster because I used hotter water.

So all of that project took Monday and half of Tuesday. But I’m not done yet. Wednesday the weather gods were cooperating and 2750 tulips were planted outside in the raised beds. That was nearly an all day project.

So with that project done, a huge yay, and thank you to Steve who helped, all of the very early spring is taken care of so if all goes to plan, the first crates of tulips should be pulled from the cooler mid January for tulips to be had mid February.

Not that I am resting yet. Although I am really wishing for rain that we so desperately need, I am taking advantage of the beautiful weather by getting the beds prepped for spring. So far, half of the summer annual beds have been composted and a nice layer of leaf mulch added on top. This week I hope to finish that project up, and if the weather still holds, I will get the perennial beds mulched with composted leaves. Meanwhile I am also watering much of the plant material that was planted late this year since we aren’t having any rain. They say rain on Thursday? I certainly hope so.

As you can see my list is getting smaller, but still have things to do. I am looking at seeds for next year, dahlias and woodies as well. I know, I am cutting back I tell Steve, somehow I don’t think he believes me.

So until next week, I hope you all can get out and enjoy the weather because I certainly am.

Allie. I dream of flowers, do you?

I have been back from our grand adventure for a week plus now and going by my ever growing list of things to accomplish before the snow flies, I feel as though I am making headway. The majority of the garden is cut back now, except the row of chrysanthemums that are essentially done, but every time I think I will cut them down the honey bees are all over it, buzzing contently so for the moment there is still color, but everything else is cut down and composted. Beside the mums being cut down, I just have to put down compost and leaf mulch on the beds…

But this week is designated tulip week. Starting tomorrow, the tulips are going to start to get planted. Yesterday I divided all the tulip varieties in half, 250 for the crates, and the other half for the raised beds. About half of my order substituted so it will be interesting come flowering time. Hopefully they subbed me with some nice varieties. Only time will tell. I figure it will take me about a week to get everything planted. Then, back to the garden to get the beds covered.

The weather has been in my favor thankfully so it has been quite pleasant to be outside doing all my chores. I wish it would rain though. We are about five inches in deficit and it worries me going into winter so dry. The pond is looking mighty low right now. Hopefully we will get a good snowfall, as much as I am not a big snow fan, we do need it for ground protection and ground moisture.

Despite all the garden work, I did manage to make a bouquet for a friend who needed it for a thank you. I think it was the end of the flowers officially, but given the task, I am sure I could create something if needed.

I also managed to get in last weeks #windowframethursday. This is the end of the mums for being cut. The rest are for the bees.

I like this because it truly does say November. It includes forsythia branches and viburnum with berries for fall color, mums, mignonette, miscanthus and cerinthe. As you know, all grown here at the farm.

So that is about it for now. I have to save my energy for this weeks tulip planting.

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

I”m back from a lovely three week vacation, I know, you missed me right? Steve and I had a fantastic time in South Australia, doing an Outback Adventure in an area that we couldn’t do 14 years ago with the road closures because of the rain. The first few photos are of my favorite, Australian flowers. When I was living in Australia I would gather armloads of these and stick them in spaghetti jars, (much like now with the spaghetti jars). Back then one would never see Australian native flower bunches for sale. Thankfully that has changed. I bought a bunch for our hotel room the first week were in Glenelg just cause I could. The staff must have thought I was nuts.

We were able to go to the Adelaide Botanic Garden our second? day in Australia which was wonderful, but even more so because Dale Chihuly, the glass artist, has an exhibit there of his work. I am only posting one photo because it is floral, but the installation was just amazing. The colors and designs and how they fit into the gardens…but enjoy this one.

After a week catching up with friends, doing museums, wine tasting, doing touring, we set off on our adventure. What an adventure it was, a truck converted into a tour bus driving the outback of South Australia seeing the sights. The only sight you get to see is of the Sturt desert pea, that was still blooming in Coober Pedy and is South Australias state flower.

But as you can tell, we are back. Arrived home after a 26+ flight on Wednesday evening. Thursday I cut back and dug all the dahlias, got them in crates and into the cave because it was gong to get cold. Friday got all the rest of the tender stuff I needed to get out of the garden. Saturday I rested and today all the dahlias are safely put to bed in the cooler.

Next week the rest uf the garden gets cut down, netting stored, landscape fabric lifted, folded, labeled and stored. Irrigation then gets lifted, labeled and stored. Then, it will be tulip planting time. Yay. After that? spreading compost and mulching the beds getting ready for spring.

I did an experimental planting of chrysanthemums this year, cause I could. When I had ordered the cuttings I didn’t realize we were going to be away for the month of October, but last Friday, this is what I harvested that hadn’t been affected by the freezes that had occurred when we were away. Looks pretty good I think. Planning to do more next year so all you flower lovers will have more to enjoy.

So enough of me rabbiting on. It is good to be home.

Until next week. Allie. I dream of flowers. Do you?