Author: Allie

Yay! The End of May

Strange title you say. Not really in my mind. This has been one of the most challenging flower growing months I think I have ever experienced. Beside the wild temperature swings, the once a week heavy rain, yesterday’s snow and an almost freeze, (of course only a few days after I planted out the heat loving zinnias), I just need to think that June must be better.

I have requests from designers for peonies for weddings and honestly, I am telling them I just don’t know. This week is supposed to be warm, but with cool nights, who the heck knows. The cool flowers like the ranunculus and anemones are doing just fine but everything else is at least a week or two behind. Oh well, gotta roll with the punches.

That isn’t to say that I don’t have flowers. Oh yes, I have some beauties.

I have 90% of the dahlias planted. The were soaked for a few seconds in castor oil, dish soap and water as a vole preventetive, fingers crossed that this works. At the end of the day I am dumping the extra solution in the mole holes. Can’t hurt, I figure.

The greenhouse is nearly empty, still about six flats of summer annuals to go in yet, but getting close. The anemones and ranunculus are doing fine, least the anemones are blooming. In the tunnel we have a lot of blooms happening.

With the rain, and the few days of warm temps the weeds are making their appearance so hopefully by the end of the week, when much of the planting is finished up I need to start going through once a week and get a handle on the weeds.

Meanwhile…

I am getting some design work in. This one is from my design class on Tuesday. I wouldn’t reccommend doing a zoom design class, but…here it is….

I have yet to post it like I am supposed to. It’s one things creating the piece, another photographing it, and then getting it posted for the class to see and on Instagram, well…not quite getting to that part.

I was also commissioned to do create two bouquets for a birthday gift. A large and not quite as large.

I will say, that I do enjoy the design challenge, only working with what I have. I am sure there are more flowers in these designs, but you get the gist.

This week on deck? hopefully getting the rest of the flowers planted out, including the last of the dahlias, weeding, and of course harvesting.

Remember, we are now open on Tuesdays from 2-5:00 and then our regular Fridays from 9-2:00.

Hope to see you in June! Until next week, Allie. I dream of flowers, do you?

May? or March

I sit here writing this again huddled by the fire. Raining, which I am not complaining about, but 50 degrees? Good lord, these weather swings are challenging, for the plants and for the flower farmers.

Despite everything Mother Nature has tossed us this month as far as temperature swings, a lot is happening on the farm. I am beginning to harvest some of the perennials which I find exciting, very exciting. As much as I love tulips, I am looking forward to having new and ever changing flowers to work with now. If you didn’t make it to the farm last week you would have seen the first of the bearded iris, geum, centaurea, and anemones, yes, anemones. The crop that I didn’t think I would see a flower out of this year because of the late planting time. I see no flower buds on the ranunculus yet, but they are looking good, which makes me hopeful.

The chrysanthemums have been planted out in their crates and are nestled in the beds the tulips were in. I think I chose the second hottest day last week to get them planted but I was determined to get them done. I thought I had taken a photo of my great effort to share but apparently not. Yesterday I got most of rows three and four planted out. I feel the rest of the seedlings need a little bit more growth to be planted out yet so they will wait. This week I will then plan on getting the dahlias planted out.

My never ending drama with the stink’n voles continues. More plants have been wiped out, argh, so before I plant the dahlias I am going to do Liz Thomas’s tulips dip. I am going to soak each dahlia tuber in castor oil, soap and water solution before planting. It worked beautifully for tulips and I figure why not for dahlias. Yes, it will slow down planting but at least, I hope, it will prevent them from being an expensive vole food.

I have another floral design class on Tuesday so since I now have more flowers than the lovely tulips I thought I better practice. Not that anyone from class is seeing them unless they follow me on Instagram, but I still need to do some practice. I find the bouquets the most challenging but I think I am getting better.

This one I gifted to a very deserving person and they were very grateful. I mean, how many flowers can I have in my house? I don’t have that many rooms!

This arrangement I created on Friday during open flower shed. I gifted it to myself in both the time to create it and that I kept it for me. That and I had finished the task of getting the five new mockoranges planted out in the twiggery. It is a true gift.

The flower sheds summer hours are now here. They are… Tuesdays 2-5 and Fridays 9-2:00, any other time by appointment please.

Now. Here is my thinking, last year I was doing an intentional Tuesday with flowers, where I would create an arrangement, but be intentional about it. I would like to open it up this year that on Tuesdays, you can join me. Letting me know in advance if you would like to join me would be great, just so I have enough flowers harvested and conditioned. You would bring your vase, and the cost would just be the flowers that you use. It is a good time to be stress free, breath deeply and be creative. I hope that some of you will join me this summer.

The robin in the tool shed has hatched her eggs and doesn’t seem to be stressed this year so all is good. Maybe we will see the babies fledge on an open shed day!

I am going to pass this off to Steve so he will amuse you (and me roll my eyes).

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

May’s Mid Point, Week 21

I am not quite sure how we have gotten to mid May already, nor our crazy temperature fluctuations.. I mean really? Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we were getting a much, much needed rain, and we had a fire in the wood stove each day because it never got to 50 degrees. Today, marvelously sunny, breezy and and unreal 80 degrees! Tuesday is to be 90! WTF!

Needless to say farmers are pulling their hair out. These swings are very hard on the plants, especially the ones that go out so small. I am keeping my eyes on the last batch of tulips left in the ground. As soon as they start to show color they are getting pulled. They will all be out of the garden by Tuesday for sure, if not tomorrow. That space will then be turned over to the chrysanthemums that are going to be grown in crates.

You know how I keep saying flower farming keeps you on your toes? Well here are the first anemones.

Now these are early. Like a month early for the greenhouse, and two months early for the tunnel. I have no idea what is going on. It should take three months from planting to bloom. the greenhouse ones were planted out the end of March. The tunnel ones on the right not until mid April and I thought they were going to be a total loss because of the heat. Five days of temperatures in the eighties and they start to go dormant. It looks as though I will have a handful of anemones at the shed on Friday. The ranunculus? Who the heck knows. the pansies are also starting to bloom, but I was sorta expecting that.

I was going to start the Tuesday flower shed this week but seeing the temperatures, the flowers will just blow wide open so I am going to wait until the 26th to start Tuesdays. Mark your calendars, and I will remind you.

I have to say I think the farm is at its most beautiful right now. The crab apples are blooming, as well as the magnolias, lilacs, narcissus and soon the bluebells and camassia, (what the stink’n voles haven’t destroyed). If you come to get flowers please wander around and enjoy the beauty.

I have a busy week ahead of me. Flipping beds, planting out the last of the sweet peas I”m not growing, potting up the chrysanthemums that was on the list two weeks ago, starting to get the annual beds ready for planting, oh yes, I have plenty to do.

I am going to pass this over to Steve, but before I go, here is last week’s tulips of choice and I was able to get a bunch for myself and OMG! They are stunning! Least I think so.

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

Happy Mothers Day!

I hope all you mothers out there were treated with fresh, local farm grown flowers for your day of appreciation, if not, I still hope you had a magnificent day.

I was having a creative day today. I was asked to assist in a floral install at the Inn at Hancock. I am glad we did a prototype on Thursday because it got the brain cells churning so this morning’s installation would go smoothly. We had left the framework in place from Thursday so this morning, starting at 6:00 all we had to do was flesh it out. I think all three of us were pretty chuffed at the finished creation.

If you can zoom in on it you will see it better. I am especially proud because every lovely stem was grown here at the farm. All of the forsythia, kiwi, spirea, tulips and narcissus came from Lottarock.

Meanwhile, while I am not being creative I am busy on the farm. No watering this week which is huge! I did get more hardy annual planting done before the rain and of course harvesting more tulips and narcissus. The cooler is getting full again!

The flowers in the tunnel are looking good. I do need to fertilize tomorrow morning, which I have to do before it warms up and the wasps take over. It is a point of contention having to share growing space with wasps. And speaking of sharing space, the robin is back on the nest in the flower shed. I just let her know that we have to share the space on Fridays during the open flower shed.

I do understand that my open flower shed days don’t fit everyone’s time frame but you can always message me to say that you need flowers on a certain day and I will do my best to accommodate but the flowers shed days do work best for me, and the weekends are mine. Soon, soon Tuesdays will be open, just not yet. I will let you know when.

The farm is looking it’s spring finest, I must say, so when you drive in and out I hope you go slowly to enjoy the beauty. It certainly makes my heart swell.

My other creativness was last Thursday’s floral hostess gift. I haven’t posted it yet on Instagram but I will share it here because I can.

I must say I do love being creative when I have the time not to rush…Hah!

I hope you all have a fabulous week, Allie. I dream of flowers, oh you have no idea how I dream of flowers.

The Calendar Says…

The calendar says May 3 but it feels more like April 3, or even March 3, but it is May by the number of flowers that are blooming here at the farm. The orchard is looking beautiful with all the narcissus in bloom, the peaches in bloom, the grass that is slowly greening up, yes, it is a spring sight to behold. On the other had, it seems as though growth has just stalled a little bit. That is fine I guess. I much prefer a long slow spring than one that last a mere week.

The harvest of the field tulips has begun. Normally it seems that I just about harvest all 1500 tulips in a few days, but here we are, slowly harvesting and getting them into the cooler. My timing has been good this year. I have maybe 150-200 of the forced tulips remaining, then onto the field tulips. I think I have some beauties coming in for our enjoyment.

The narcissus are getting harvested, counted, name noted, wrapped and put into the cooler. I still have a few varieties that are just showing bud but most of them are now in the cooler. I try to harvest every morning so everything is at their best. And for the people out there that think narcissus/daffodils are just plain boring yellow flowers, you couldn’t be more wrong, I have some stunners out there waiting to be harvested.

The leujcocium will be ready this week, along with possibly the last of the fritillaria, but other spring bulbs are ready to take over in the love department. Ask any flower farmer what their favorite flower is and their answer will always be the flower that is blooming at that moment.

Everything is looking good and I am pleased. I feel as though I am on top of things, (for the moment I am sure). I am topping up quantities of perennials that the damn voles have eaten, I moved all the remaining camassia out of the garden and tucked them hither and yon. It will make harvesting a royal PIA, but at least I will have something to harvest. I have ordered another ten bareroot shrubs that should be here by the end of the month. Again to fill gaps (sure Allie). The forcing tulip order is in and confirmed, now I just have to get my field tulip order together along with more narcissus and other bulbs. One can never have too many flowers I say.

Somehow I ran out of time last week so I did not do a #windowframethursday, but…I did do table flowers and a large arrangement for the Music on Norway Pond Gala event last night. I think it came out well.

This week on deck is to start transplanting the rooted chrysanthemums into bulb crates and get them outside to grow on until there is space in the tunnel, once the cool annuals are out. The flower tetris never stops, believe me.

Many of you have asked about Tuesdays open flower shed. Not yet. I will certainly let you know, but I need to have enough variety of flowers to offer you, as well as volume to make that work. Believe me, I will let you know, and I will also put it in the newsletter. If you aren’t on the newsletter list, after you read this, scroll down, way down, and you will see where to sign up. I think, the newsletter is the second sign up.

I see that many people sending out newsletters etc. are stating that their piece was not written by AI. None of this is AI generated, nor will it ever be. I enjoy writing my weeklies far too much, and it is rare that I have nothing much to say.

So I will leave you with last week’s tulip offerings. Soon, there will be more.

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

Last Sunday of April

Everyone says that March can be a fickle month, and that is certainly true, but let me just say, I think April can be just as fickle. I think in last week’s post that as I was writing it I said it was snowing out.

Then, To make things even more challenging, the forecast for Tuesday morning was to be 22 degrees. A nice temperature if you are reading Celsius, but not so nice if you have tulips showing bud in NH. So, the frost cloth, the heaviest out there, and the twinkle Christmas lights were put into action.

The good news that all came through beautifully. I am so glad that we took the time to rig everything up. As it was in the morning when it got above freezing the frost cloth was iced over from the sleet we had shortly after covering everything.

Let’s just hope that May’s temperatures become a little bit more consistent. I would like a long slow spring, but who knows. The florists I work with keep asking what is available in the palette they want and well…. we’re getting there.

The outside tulips are a few days away? from the first harvest, so at least that crop timing seems to be working out. Not so much I fear for the second crop of ranunculus and anemones…I might be missing the flower boat on that one, but I have made notes to get them in much earlier next year. I need to try to get a door rigged up on the tunnel so maybe I can plant in there earlier and safely.

I so much more like growing perennials than the annuals for cut flowers, although they have their problems as well. Mostly vole food, especially over the winter but also anytime of year. They are enjoying the cammassia right now, just working their way up one row and down the next. I have planted narcissus across the top along the fence to deter them, but I think after they bloom, if they do bloom I will move them out and scatter them around. This will at least make it more challenging for them to find. But what I like most about the perennials is that they make a show of being there unlike where the annuals go which is still empty rows.

The red stems in the back of the right side perennials are the peonies. You will have to wait another month for those beauties.

On deck for this week flower wise? Pricking out the summer annuals, seeding more annuals, planting out the last of the perennials and the pansies, finish getting compost on the perennials on the right side, and maybe, just maybe planting out some hardy annuals? I will see that the long range forecast is. It will be May next time you get the blog.

Here is your flower fix for the week if you don’t have real flowers.

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

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Mid April and Not A Good Forecast

Actually, it’s not even the middle of April but the third week of April. I say, with a week of rain, .1″ here, .2″ there, another .1″ it does slowly add up and with the not normal temperatures things have really begun to spring. All is looking good…

Tonight’s temperatures doesn’t really worry me. They say (the very accurate weatherpeople) our low is going to be 29 degrees at 6am. Ok, everything I have planted out so far (and it’s a lot) is cold hardy so should be fine. Fingers crossed. My big concern is Tuesday morning were it is to be 23 degrees. We will have a problem. Flowers, and flower buds are very susceptible to be killed at these temperatures. See all those beautiful tulips? I am going to have to try to protect them. I am sure I will not get much sleep the next two nights worrying. l have hoops that I can put over the tulips with frost cloth, and Christmas lights for a bit more heat. I am and will be harvesting everything tomorrow that is even close to harvesting. I can always store it in the cooler.

This afternoon I went out in the rain and harvested the flowering nectarine branches that would defently be black by the morning, the forsythia and the spirea that is just breaking bud. I also harvested every narcissus that was a goose neck stage to put in storage.

All of the bare root plants that got planted last week…I might cover them…the hellebores that are just now blooming their hearts out, they will all be covered with something….I have a little bit of stress going on right now. In many ways snow would be so much easier. It would protect the plants from the cold…

Anyway, onwards and upwards. Just about everything that was ordered in the cold dark winter days has been planted out, except the roses that have already leafed out and the hydrangeas that came fully leafed out. They have been pulled into the dirty room for the next few nights. It is a good thing all the tulips crates are out now.

The summer annuals have been seeded for the most part and they have all germinated since Tuesday’s sowing. Once they get their true leaves, they will be transplanted, and eventually go into the greenhouse ready to grow on until they are planted out.

The tunnel is completely full now. All the cool annuals are in, the ranunculus are in as are the anemone, and yes they will be covered Monday night for a bit of added protection.

On to brighter things. i have started my #windowframethrusday now that I have enough flowers to play with so here you go.

All held together with a hairpin holder and chicken wire. I just love how those Caro tulips open up and change color.

Well, as I look out the window as I am typing this missive I see snow. Great.

So I leave you with a photo of last week’s tulips offerings… enjoy

Until next week, Allie. I have nightmares about flowers, do you? Just let me worry, you enjoy.

So far in April we have had snow, days in the 60’s, beautiful sunny days with incredible wind that makes it feel like its 30 degrees out, warm days with little sun, and days with no rain. Which we need, especially this time of year when everything needs that boost to emerge out of the ground and flowers .

Despite the lack of rain, spring is slowly happening. I have one full crate of tulips left in the dirty room and two partial crates so we could almost have a party in the dirty room now there is so much space to move around in. The dogs are wondering what has happened to their obstacle course to get to their crates. The seed rack has been cleared out to make room for this week’s sowing of the summer flowers, the greenhouse has been emptied (sorta) to make room for the seedlings that came out of the dirty room, and the tunnel planting has begun and that will get finished up tomorrow.

Tomorrow the ranunculus and anemones go into the tunnel.

The last of the bareroot stock went into the garden so besides the six crabapples, the woody garden otherwise known as the twiggery now has 16 lilacs. I still have six hydrangeas to be planted but they arrived fully leafed out so I am hauling them in at night when it gets below freezing along with the five roses. They are keeping each other company in a bulb crate for the time being. Unless I am crazy, I do believe the twiggery is about planted to capacity. If I succumb to buying more woodies, they will have to go somewhere else.

Drone shot of the twiggery. The grey stripes are the plants that got planted last spring. Where you see brown earth is what Garth did, and this was removing tree roots, rocks and regrading. At the top on the right are the crabapples and the 16 lilacs, two rows worth plus two. Out of view on the left is the regraded bank of the pond to the east and south. It is amazing. The first bed on the left is for two perennials that really like to run so they will contained in their box, and the next bed was tilled today and that is for the hydrangeas that will go in when the rest of the farm leafs out. That is the major project of this year in a nutshell.

Besides all of the hard yakka, I did have some fun playing with flowers. I didn’t sell out on Saturday at FlagLeaf so I had some flowers to play with.

This is called a mash up of colors and flowers. I used what I had. Tulips on the left from Friday, the hyacinths from the week before as well as the tulips on the right. A few of the flowers I forced just cause, and the greenery is all at least a week old. Not my best, but still, color.

Yesterday I created this with the first of the outside flowers.

I think that is about it for last week. This coming week is more of the same, just different. The weather is supposed to be good, I hear rain is in the forecast, fingers crossed.

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

And the Boxes Keep Coming

‘Tis spring, and what happens in the early spring? All the plants that I have ordered through the long cold winter are starting to rock in. On Wednesday two boxes of roses arrived and are waiting planting. Thursday 2 boxes from FEDCO arrived holding 35 bare root trees and shrubs, that I managed to get into the ground yesterday. It is a good thing Garth finished up when he did on my last? clearing project. On Friday the box with the chrysanthemum cuttings arrived and they got potted up Saturday morning. This week coming the 16? lilacs I ordered are arriving and another order of shrubs has been shipped. Oh, and all the perennials that I have ordered have also been shipped. It will be a busy week planting. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Oh, and snow is in the forecast for Tuesday to make it more fun to be outside.

Every flower that was harvested last Thursday sold, and if I had more to harvest they probably would have sold as well. I think everyone is needing color and happiness right now. Don’t worry, there are still tulips to be had in the coming weeks, just no more hyacinths.

Speaking of tulips… if you look closely, really closely, you will see the tips of the tulips poking out of the bark mulch.

That is very exciting and a big phew…I think I stress more about tulips than I do any other crop I grow. Probably because they are such an investment of dollars, time and energy. They are such a treat at this time of year.

I am sure you are all asking what I am going to do with my time this week, besides planting 20 shrubs and I have no idea how many perennials. Wait, I think it is 90 perennials that will have to go in this weeks as well. Well… I have a greenhouse of seedlings that are ready to go and be planted in the tunnel.

They will also be joined by the last planting of ranunculus and anemone. This planting will wait until at least Thursday because the lows for Wednesday morning will be 18 degrees. That calls for two layers of frost cloth for protection.

Meanwhile, under the benches I have narcissus from last year’s crates that I wintered outside and hauled in when they were un-frozen. I had hoped they would beat the field grown narcissus in bloom time and that just might be the case..

So on this long rambling note, I will leave you with our Easter wishes from Lottarock.

Until next week, Allie. I dream of flowers, sunshine during the day, rain at night and a few more hours in a day.

The Last Sunday of March

To be honest, I won’t miss March. It has been crazy weather wise, beautiful days to melt the snow, and then the next day a few days of winter returning where the winter coat comes back out for barn chores and garden walks. Not that the beginning of April will be much nicer but it is a lovely thought to have. And yes, I still have snow piles, but nothing like what they were last week.

The snow is finally gone out of the cutting garden so I made my official foray into the garden on Friday. It is still far to early to see much growth, but it has been good to be able to get in and sorta check on the spring process. The voles were very active and dined very well over the winter. I don’t think I have lost complete crops, yet, but they were certainly active. One just has to breath deeply and look at it as a way to change it up. Again.

Speaking of changing it up…Garth is in with his digger and in two days has done major work in the twiggery, also known as where the donkeys were. Stumps have been pulled, rocks discovered, some serious grading and this picture doesn’t say it all but holy moly, what a difference. I have tons of room now for more shrubs and trees!

I can’t believe that I won’t have any full bulb crates to haul in tomorrow. It will be a shock to my system. Now I am just taking out empty crates and stacking them up for the meantime, and the flowers are getting pulled and put into the cooler. Slowly the dirty room will empty of bulb crates and I can think about taking chrysanthemum cuttings, which won’t be nearly a space hog but will still keep the room dirty. That and I have a lot more seeding to do as well, the summer annuals will needed to be started this week or next.

With our bitter cold temperatures the last few nights I have double frost clothed the seedlings and ranuncs and anemones. Yes, I know that they are cold hardy, but not that cold hardy. Looking at the forecast it looks as though I can put away the protection for a week. With the double layers they seem to have come through well, but when it gets down to 18-20 degrees overnight they need protection.

My first hellebore bloomed for me on Friday.

Just cause I can I am taking a Zoom floral design class with a designer in Belgium, Emily of Fleuropean. It is am interesting group; a few Canadians, a Swiss, German, and a number of us from the US, but we are from all over. We are to design along with everyone on Zoom, which is weird, but anyway, it is interesting. This is what I made. I used everything that I am growing here so I was far more limited than the Europeans, but it works.

All done in a small bowl and held together with a hairpin frog. Next week’s creation will be also using chickenwire taped down for more stability. I still have limitations in flowers but i really don’t think this is all that bad.

Next Sunday is Easter! I am going to be creating mixed bouquets for the shed and Flag Leaf Bakery. Everything will be from the farm so it will include tulips, willow, branches, narcissus and hyacinths. I just want to mix it up for the holiday, and to see if I could get the timing right for easter. Then we will be back to tulip bunches until I have narcissus and more.

One last photo before I send this over to Steve for his editing and ditty.

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