Month: December 2024

Projects are slowly getting ticked off the to do list before the end of the year. The seed order has been placed, and has started shipping, but since it is ten days until the big day who knows when it will arrive. As long as it gets here by early January it is fine with me.

I still haven’t cleaned up the high tunnel but since that generally doesn’t get planted until mid March or so, there isn’t a huge rush, and there will still be plenty of nice days to play in there before it is needed.

What I have done is hauled a mini crate of Muscari into the dirty room. This crate is one that I summered over from last year. Kinda like overwintering, but summered over is more apt for this case. It has had thirteen weeks of cooling so it should be ready to go. Now is the waiting game. If this experiment works, oversummering, then bulb forcing, other than tulips could take an interesting turn. Only time will tell.

The narcissus that are in the bulb cooler are looking really good as well so they might start being pulled early January, the first crates of tulips will be pulled the middle of January and if all goes to plan, there will be spring flowers available in February. I, for one, can hardly wait.

It has been quite a year here at Lottarock, and i want to thank you all for your support, from helping out moving crates after surgery, moral support telling me yes, I can do this, and especially for all of your support enjoying my flowers. It means the world to me and I thank you all from the bottom to the top of my heart.

I am going to take a few weeks off blogging, you all are busy, and there really isn’t much happening in the flower world yet, but soon I will be back rested and full of exciting floral news about happenings.

Until 2025, have a wonderful holiday season, a happy new year, and I will be back in January.

Thank you for everything, Allie, the one who dreams of flowers.

It has been a very quiet week here at the farm, not that that is a bad thing, but when one is so used to running around trying to do things, well, it’s odd to say the least.

But what I have done is map out the new growing area and everything will fit. And more. Is that a big phew, and a shopping extravaganza! Tomorrow the crabapples get ordered, and the seeds for the 2025 growing season. After that, I will just have to sit around twiddling my thumbs and eating bon bons until the first bulb crates are pulled mid January. Bummer.

Next week will be a break in the blogs until things start up again and I will have lots to share, hope that is OK with you all.

So last wek we had a hicup in posting the blog, we forgot the link so Steve reposted it. Personally I like how he did it the second time better, you everything was right there, so we will continue to do it that way if we (Steve) can remember how he did it. Hopefully he will still be able to add his ditty because I know many of you love reading that, maybe even more than what I write?

Anyway, that is all for now, I’ll be back next week. I dream of flowers, do you?, Allie

It was a busy last week of November, but I got it all done. The cutting garden is all tucked in. Between prepping for Thanksgiving I finished getting the last of the beds composted and leaf mulch on top, the peonies got weeded and handfuls of leaves were put on top, two aisles had wood chips added and I was done by 4. Then the remaining tools were picked up, the garden tidied and the gate was shut. Phew.

The digital seed catalogs are rocking into my in box and I am thinking about what I am going to grow for the 2025 season. I must show restraint in ordering but it is so easy to get carried away as the days continue to get darker earlier and the snow is on the ground but now I only have 10 rows of annuals to work with and three of them will be taken up with dahlias…a half row for chrysanthemums….I have my paper map sorta mapped out…what can I do without? Now that is an interesting question to ponder this winter.

I am very excited about the changes to the donkey paddock next spring. I don’t know if Ursula and Esme will be that excited, but I sure am. Think of it, rows of woody plant material to use for bouquets. It adds such a special element I think…

I missed the pansy sale on Monday cause I was so busy in the garden. Oops. Well I don’t think all is lost because I have seed left over from last year, but I was so looking forward to trying some really cool varieties for next year. I’m sure it was far more important for me to be upside down in the garden anyway than on the computer ordering more seed.

My next big project is clearing out and getting the high tunnel ready for planting out in February. It shouldn’t take long because it isn’t that big a space and seriously nothing has happened in there since June so it is a bit of a wreck. I did drop the sides down before the snow so that at least is good. I just ned a nice sunny day to get in there…

I am going to send the computer over to Steve so he can fix all my mistakes, and he can write the entrance ditty that is so popular.

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

Allie