Month: September 2026

A Rainy Sunday in September

Hello rain, and welcome to the garden. While the rest of the east coast is getting pummeled with a mighty nor’easter, we here are getting gentle waves of rain, which I am grateful for. The wind is blowing but so far for us this nor’easter is a calm one, which is good. I am just wicked grateful this isn’t winter and all this isn’t snow.

The gardens are looking good and that makes me happy. The dahlias are going strong, the asters are coming into flower and the chrysanthemums are in serious bud. There will be flowers well into October if the weather cooperates, and it looks like it will in the long range forecast.

It is going to be an interesting October this year. I have just spread a cover crop on the beds are are mostly clear of plants, yes, clean up is slowly happening. I am limiting myself to two to three hours in the garden until I get the “you can do more” on Oct 8. Keep your fingers crossed. I have eight quart cotinus arriving this week, and yes, I know where they are going. The tulips should be getting shipped in a week or two, Yay? Garden clean up in earnest after the freeze whenever that will be, everything goes on the compost pile. Dahlias cut back and lifted, twenty five peonies need to get dug and planted where the short row of dahlias will be vacating, the the tulips get planted, and the narcissus that I have forced the last two years need to go into the ground down by the new crabapples. I sure hope I get the “you can do more now.”

I still am not doing much playing with flowers because honestly I’m being challenged with the lack of light coming through the gas bubble and color, probably because of the same reason. I did make this bouquet at the end of the day Friday with the remaining flowers, which wasn’t many, thank you flower people. I think it turned out nicely, (from what I can see).

While I think of it, there are no more Tuesday flower shed until May? All depends on the flowers and spring, which I have no control over. Friday’s shed will still be open hopefully for another four to six weeks. I can still do special orders if you like.

I am going to pass this off to Steve, but before I go I thought you might like this photo.

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

Mid September, ish

Here we are at mid September and the flowers are still going strong. Not the flowers of high summer, but the flowers of late summer, and as of tomorrow, fall! Yikes.

As you can tell, the wagon load of flowers is very different from last month. Yes, there are zinnias and celosia, both high summer flowers, but going strong are the dahlias and the beginning of the chrysanthemums. Yes, right now the mums are just white, but very soon dark purple buttons will be joining them and soon after that, all sorts of mums. The amaranth hanging off the right side of the wagon is also going strong, so until we have a freeze, there will be flowers.

That being said, this Tuesday, Sept 22 will be the last of the Tuesday flower shed days until next June? Yes, there are still plenty of flowers but not enough to warrant being open on Tuesday. It is also because the daylight is rapidly decreasing and the light isn’t good enough to see the beautiful colors. If you need a special order, that isn’t a problem, it is just that the shed won’t be open on Tuesdays after the 22nd.

One of my fellow flower farmers has been harvesting flowers for the wedding she was doing. Since I couldn’t harvest that day, Beth harvested what she needed. This handful of amaranth is a bouquet in itself. I have been given the all clear from my Dr. for harvesting flowers now so I am a much happier flower farmer. Not easy with the vision, but at least I am allowed to harvest. I might be slower than normal but at least I can do it now. That, is a big yay!

I did my first creation in a month. It isn’t big or glam, but heck, I did it.

The pot is holding dahlias, celosia, zinnias, japanese anemone and some self sown ageratum.

I am going to give this to Steve now for some major proofreading. So, until next week,

Allie. I dream of flowers, do you?

PS.. Tuesday, Sept 22 is the last Tuesday flower shed. Sad I know, but Fridays will still be going strong until mid October.

The One Eyed Blogger

I am essentially typing this blog with one eye so pardon the typos. Hopefully Steve will clean them up for me.

It has been a whirlwind two weeks regarding the ole eyeball, Rushing here and there, but last Thursday I had vitrectomy surgery. So far things are good post surgery. I can see light, colors and shapes, mostly blobs but I think the most important right now is the light part. Recovery is going to be long, six to eight weeks. Ugh. At least after next Thursday I can lift more than 15 pounds. No gardening for a while, so it will be what it will be. Hopefully we will have a long indian summer so I will be able to get things done. At least the critical things like getting the dahlias dug and the tulips planted. My mantra now is patience, and don’t be stupid, Kerwin.

But to the most important thing that you want to know. The flowers, especially the dahlias are looking stupendous.

You know how I feel about dahlias. The are the swan song of the season. The most beautiful colors, shapes and forms, nothing is more beautiful. Except the tulips that enter in the season with their colors and forms. What better floral bookends can there possibly be?

Now I don’t want to give the chrysanthemums the short end of the floral stick because they are stunning in their own way, and may I just say that they are budding up beautifully. It is just the dahlias have a much bigger wow factor. They each have their own season though and that is what makes flower farming so interesting. Each major crop really has its own season.

The flower shed will continue with its summer hours for a few weeks more, then I think we will switch to late summer fall hours which will just be Fridays. This has nothing to do with my eye, it’s just that the flower variety will be a lot less and the daylight will be a lot less. I will let you know when that happens don’t worry. The weather looks as though we are going to be frost free for a few more weeks, fingers crossed, so there will still be plenty of flowers for you to enjoy.

I am going to stop here. Going a bit crossed eye. Just remember to tell me, patience, and don’t be stupid, Kerwin.

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

Happy September! Just can’t believe it.

I find it so hard to believe that we are in September but boy does it feel like it and sound like it. The swamp maples are starting to change color, the golds are becoming more prominent, the dahlias are going full tilt and the chrysanthemums are looking quite good.

The chrysanthemums are daylight sensitive so as the days get shorter, and they certainly are, the flower buds develop. Kinda like pointsettias, they also need short day length to redden the bracts.

I am already going through next year’s grow list, or what not to grow list precisely. On the chopping block, cosmos, I love them but… they are a pain. If I do grow them they will be started and planted out later and maybe fewer. Another one. Marigolds. I love them, and they do well, but as soon as the evenings start to cool and the morning dew gets going they turn to trash. That frees up some space for more perennials, not much, but some. I will probably plant more dusty miller, various basils and scented geraniums for filler/greens but out with the mahogany splendor. As much as I love its form and color it just doesn’t condition well. Period.

I get my best flower thinking time sitting on the tractor outside the garden, looking over the garden and making notes. And the view from there is spectacular as well, especially at the end of a long day in the garden. Since I never take time to sit in the gardens to enjoy them i find sitting in the tractor seat just as fine.

While I think of it, there is a slim possibility the flower shed will be closed or late on Tuesday but I wont know until it happens. I am just giving a heads up. I plan to be here, but I could be late.

Do come by the flower shed, the flowers are spectacular, if I must say so, and sit on the tractor seat for the view and relax. So until next week..

Allie. I dream of flowers, do you?