Month: July 2026

Do I Have Flowers!

They say that a good flower farmer should never have flowers in their fields. They should all be sold and the fields should just be green with buds. As you can see, I slightly disagree. Yes, I do keep the annuals cut so most of the time there is nothing to see, but the perennials I sell by the order and I leave the rest for the pollinators, and boy is the garden full of pollinators and birds. All good in my book, and hopefully yours.

I think I had mentioned that one of my projects was to broadfork the aisles between the peonies because the drainage was poor. What a project this has become. I started on Friday, and in four hours all I got done was one aisle and it just about killed me. And the broadfork.

Each try was at least 4 stabs, more like 6-8 stabs into the earth, rocking the fork back and forth to loosen up the soil. Then I had rocks that had to be dug out. Hard to believe I know. Beside the broadfork, I was also using a shovel and a spud bar to try to get the rocks out and out of the way. Some I will have to roll under the fence so I can pick them up with the tractor because I know better than to try to lift them.

I will say that I am very proud of this accomplishment. I am not looking forward to the next row, but that is for this week. Then I will sow a cover crop of tillage radish and hopefully it will get a toehold this time and will be able to open up more spaces. Only time will tell.

I think the compaction is from when Garth ran his digger back and forth for a week de-rocking and smoothing it out so I could make a garden. No heavy machinery has been on the garden since and I only broadfork now in the raised beds I should be good once I finish.

I have been so busy this week I haven’t even had time to do any flower arrangements for my #windowsillthursdays or my #intentionaltuesdays. A sad state of affairs in my flower arranging world but being busy with flower sales is good.

I have almost finished emptying out the tunnel of the ranunculus and anemone, almost, then I have to replace the irrigation in the tunnel then I will put the chrysanthemums that are growing in crates in the tunnel. I am giving myself a deadline of July 31 to get that all done. Meanwhile, I have a bunch of perennials that need to be cut down before they take over and hopefully get a second flush of blooms.

The gardens are looking beautiful right now so please swing by and see them. I know I certainly enjoy the break to stand up, take a break and talk flowers.

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

A busy Week in July

It’s interesting, some weeks the flower farm is busy with flower orders going out, and some weeks I get a lot on my list done. This last week was the first. I had three special orders going out, two were for tables after memorial services, a special arrangement, a big wholesale order for an event and two other orders.

The little daisy like flowers in the left on are a new coreopsis I am growing this year. I just love the colors and airyness. They are from seed I got from a grower in VT at the flower conference I went to in January. I have four varieties and they are all really cool. They are also with a variety of self sown rudbeckia and queens annes lace.

The bouquet on the right has malope, snapdragons, fillipendula, campanula, yarrow, veronica and blushing lanterns.

Speaking of self sown rudbeckia, when I was harvesting for the above arrangements I saw this beauty. I am going to flag the plant because I think these flowers are just beautiful.

I haven’t planted rudbeckia for about two years now, I just let them reseed. this year I have a beautiful patch of them and then this one. Amazing what happens when you must let nature takes its course.

What did I do on the farm this last week? I got a lot of harvesting done, I cleaned out the cooler, pinched the chrysanthemums that are growing in the crates, I cut down all the cool annuals in the tunnel and started pulling the first batch of ranunculus corms to save for next year. All very important but small jobs that I could fit in.

This weeks is fertilize the annuals, get the stakes in the dahlias, work on the weeds, and that is just some of the flower stuff. Then I have the rest of life stuff that also has to get done cause Steve’s knee is out yet again. It does seem to be slowly improving, or maybe that is just my wishful thinking and manifesting it. Olivia has done something to her right shoulder, in comisseration with Steve so she is off the the vet tomorrow. Oh the joys.

I have one last photo, of bits and bobs flower arrangement.

I am going to give this to Steve to proofread while I do the goats and chickens. Have a lovely week, and until next week, Allie. I dream of flowers, do you?

Three Days Away

After a horribly hot and humid week we decamped to the lake for the long weekend and boy was it needed. As I said to one of my flower people, I will be out of the office until Sunday night and will not be looking at my emails. It worked. I had three beautiful days away, kayaking, swimming, reading…Now I am back full of something or other.

I haven’t walked the gardens yet, that will happen when we go out to the barn, but I am sure they will be fine. The watering system should have done the job, and I am sure the voles have been busy dining, the weeds growing and everything else, but that is for later, if not tomorrow.

You all will be proud of me. At least Steve is proud of me. I was tempted to order 6 trays of 32 perennial plugs for the garden. After stewing about it for a day, I decided that even though I am leaning towards more perennials and woodies I really don’t want to make a huge investment on 216 perennial plugs. If I did that then a row at least would have to go from the annuals, and really, am I ready for that? I am still reducing the farming when I am 70, that is what I have promised Steve. I still have some time to change my mind…but if I add them, I will have to find some more wholesale accounts.

The flower shed schedule is back to normal now until August. Tuesdays from 2-5 and Fridays from 9-2:00 unless you have a special order.

The dahlias have been fed and have had their pinch. This week the plan is to get the stakes in so they will be able strung up when they are ready, i.e. tall enough. The cosmos are starting to bloom as is the celosia, marigolds and hopefully the zinnias, so the summer flower bunches aren’t far behind. Remember to ask for the flower food with the summer flowers. It keeps the water cleaner, or add a couple drops of bleach to the water to kill the bacteria. Believe me, it does make a difference.

I have no photos this week. It was too hot to do anything but get the essential flower stuff done. I will be much better about it this week and hopefully the following weeks. I haven’t even done any flowers for me this week!

I will pass this off to Steve. Thank you for reading this weekly missive. I do enjoy writing it and sharing my trials and tribulations as a aging flower farmer.

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