Author: Allie

Confessions of a flower farmer. The end of the season is always so bittersweet. You are so ready for the long season to be over, but the flowers will be so missed as well as the flower people that make all of this experience possible. I so love my flowers, and it is so hard to let them go at the end of the season, but to be perfectly honest, I am so ready to see them go. A few weeks break between here and there, and off we go again, growing beauty and making smiles.

Today was spent taking down the garden. I went from this this morning

to this this afternoon.

For the rows that didn’t get cut down before we left on a well needed holiday, I had destructed five rows today. I goes like this, put on a podcast on flower farming, chop, chop chop the plants to the first layer of Hortnova (the netting that makes the stems stand straight, if I do it correctly), then pull off the first layer of Hortnova. Chop, chop some more to the bottom layer, pulling that netting off and stuff it in zip lock bags ASAP. Take out support pots and put them in a pile. Lift the weed mat, putting the pegs in a neat pile, then once removing the said weed mat, folding it neatly for storage. Then wind up the drip tape. This year I got smart and did all the tapes for each row together. After lunch I got even smarter and labeled the rows the tape came from because almost every row is a different length. One that bed is done, move to the next one. Breathe deeply.

My goal today was to get everything done. Nope. Still have one bed left of the annuals, lift the dahlias and the peacock orchids and get them into storage. Then I have 3500 tulips to plant….I am still having 2:00 am thoughts on that.

On a positive note, the bulb cooler in the “garage” is getting built. Yay! We may not be able to park our cars in the garage this winter because of our lovely (not) building inspector, but I will have a bulb cooler for the bulbs that hopefully be rocking in to be planted in December. I also will also be prepping the ranunculus and anemones in the bulb cooler as well. Then the Icelandic poppies and on and on.

I am going to leave you with the images of the dahlias this morning before they got the chop. Literally got the chop. By the end of the week they will be lifted, compost will be spread and we will all wait for spring 2022. Ye gads!

Until next week. Allie

PS. to my egg customers, just drop me an email when you need eggs and it will happen.

Thank you to all my flower people who have supported my flower endeavor this year. You have made it so much fun and so worthwhile. I never would have dreamed that this year, despite all of its rain, would have been such a good one, and it is because of all of your support. This thank you also includes all the the Yays and support from my long distance followers.

Since it is now officially the end of the flower season here at Flowers at Lottarock I just want to remind my fellow flower friends that if you purchased a flower card this year your card is good for another year. If you purchased a card last year, 2020 and have a balance remaining, your balance will be “payed forward” to supply flower bouquets to the residences of Scott Farrer, Summerhill, and Rivermead for the residents to enjoy, so thank you for “paying it forward”. The flowers will be greatly appreciated.

Enough business, lets talk flowers. What a crazy week it has been. I heard a rumor from our builder that approval has been given to build the bulb cooler. Yay! I won’t believe it until the fat lady sings her aria, but I can hear her warming up in the wings. That and I have three piles of lumber sitting in the back of the wanna be garage. It is progress, and I am grateful for that, believe you me. Now. If anyone knows where I can locate a mere 50 bulb crates I really will be rocking to a happy tune.

Clean up of the flower gardens has begun. Yesterday I spent cutting back the plants that were gone by, pulling Hortnova (which is the netting grid that supports the plants that I have a love-hate relationship with), lifting the weed mat and rolling up the drip lines. It took me all day to do six beds. I went from this

To this at the end of the day. It may not look like much but believe you me…

The beds that already didn’t have a cover crop growing in them then this afternoon had last year’s leaf compost added on top, and then I top that off with a sprinkling of very old wood chips to hold the leaf mulch down. It all looks so tidy at the moment, which for here says quite a bit.

This weekend was the Dublin Art Tour and Steve had his studio/man cave open for visitors to view his photography. I made two arrangements for him because I could. One for outdoors and one for inside to give a bit of color. I leave you with the two arrangements I made for your visual enjoyment.

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Next week there will not be a blog because I am not taking my laptop on holiday with me, but rest assured, I will be back with more news from Flowers at Lottarock before you have time to miss me.

Until next time. Allie

So here we are in October. It is so hard to believe that we will have had 20 weeks of flowers here at the farm. I think that that is quite an accomplishment, all things given. Yes, I will admit that we had a few no flowers weeks, but for the most part we are good! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.

Despite that it is October, the flowers are still flowering like crazy. Yes, I have pulled the sunflowers and have fed the stalks to the goats, the seed heads to the birds and chipmunks, and have sown a cover crop on all of those now empty beds, but it seems as though the birds aren’t quite happy with the sunflower seeds I left for them but seem to have a propensity for the cover crop seed as well. If nothing germinates by Sunday, last year’s composting leaves will be added to the beds and ancient wood chips added on to to hold the leaves down, (lesson learned from last year, hold the leaves down) to keep the beds covered. Not only is every year different, but every week is different here at the farm. Soon all the beds will be cut down, and covered. I need to keep two beds prepped and ready for early spring planting of the Icelandic poppies, snaps, bachelor buttons, and maybe stock. As much as I love it, I have yet to turn out a decent stem, so next year is its last year to do well before it is out of the line up.

UPS notified me last week that the spring bulbs were starting to rock in. Thursday’s delivery was the anemone, (100), ranunculus, (300) and freesia (50) that I absolutely adore, but haven’t grown them since my days at the old Woodmans. I say old because when I started there in, GASP, 1977, it was a pretty good flower growing concern and an excellent floral training for me. Anyway, we used to grow at least a quarter of a hoop house of them during the winter along with snapdragons and stock.

Thursday, UPS notified me that I had 5, yes five boxes of bulbs coming. The average weight of each box?, about 50 pounds. They got to the house late so it must have been a new driver. I had already left for the lake, so Suzie S and company lugged them up onto the porch. Good thing cause the driver had left them sitting in the driveway.

But I look at it like this. Those boxes in six months become this.

What else is happening on the farm? I am still harvesting buckets of flowers. I will say again to remind you all that this is the last week of flowers. Unless…. we don’t have a frost….and you still want flowers. I don’t know. I am ready for a break. My local people, pay strict attention to the newsletters that come out either the night before a flower day, or that morning. Anything can happen.

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The flowers are covered with bees of all types, and I have to check each flower before I harvest it to make sure that I haven’t but my hand on a bee of some ilk and disturbed it. Bumble bees, honey bees and lots of monarchs hanging out on the asters.

So. Remember that this week coming is officially the last week of the open flower shed. Unless you read something in the newsletter. I just can’t give the flowers up yet.

Isn’t it interesting that the flower season here at Lottarock begins with flamboyant tulips,

and ends with flamboyant dahlias.

Flowers in with a bang, flowers out with a bang. Holy moly, the colors of the dahlias are as stunning as the fall foliage will be, but even better because there are more choices of colors and sizes of blooms. It is enough to knock one’s socks off. Keep all this in mind because there are only two more weeks of the open flower shed. Then Steve and I are off on a well needed holiday, good for us, maybe not so good for you, so hurry up and get some of these stunning flowers.

This morning I sat in front of the computer for the second half of my tulip forcing workshop. It was lucky for me that the morning was way overcast and windy because I didn’t find it quite so difficult to be inside on my laptop for 3 long hours. This portion of the class was devoted to planting up the tulips, their holding temperatures, and then growing them on for sale. I am starting slow and low with only 3000 tulips to force. My plan is to start providing stunning, locally grown, farm fresh tulips to you all by the first of March. Now, I do have a few spanners being thrown my way, but hopefully I will have a bulb cooler/flower cooler before Thanksgiving. If not, well, some good ole’ yankee ingenuity will have to happen. I also have a mere 3500 tulips that are going to be ground planted this fall. I am very excited and I hope you are all as well because I have ordered some stunners for this spring.

My other exiting news is that my new greenhouse came on Tuesday. This is very exciting because it replaces the old “erector set from hell” greenhouse that Steve got for me 10 years ago. This greenhouse is twice the size and has automatic venting which will make life so much easier on those shoulder seasons, and certainly in the spring. Check it out!

I am going to leave you with this afternoon’s harvest of flowers for tomorrow’s delivery. Just look at those stunning colors. They just make me smile and when you come by to get some they will put a smile on your face as well.

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Until next week, Allie

Here we are. September 19. Wow. I almost wrote July 19 but stopped myself just in time. I seem to be seasonally challenged this week. Maybe because I have tulips on the brain, or maybe I am just confused by how quickly the flower season has moved. It catches me off guard each year. But, we still have three more weeks of the open flower shed and that is good because the autumns flowers are now rocking in as well as the most amazing dahlias I have grown yet!

The recent heavy rain and crazy wind has ended a number of flowers and I am getting them out of the bed and composting them. I am hoping to get a cover crop on but first the entire bed has to be pulled before I can sow seed. I’m not sure how that is going to work so we will see. One bed of sunflowers is totally gone so I can get seed on that bed anyway. Maybe on Tuesday when I have a farm day.

So you ask, what do I have for flowers this week of September. The zinnias are still going strong, the second flush of lisianthus, sunflowers celosia are all happy and looking good and then we have the dahlias. OMG. I am not going to ever grow tons of them, but each bloom is a study. I love the shape and colors of the flowers, I am just sorry that their season is so short for me, but I enjoy every day of them, believe me.

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The sunflowers are still going strong. I usually don’t harvest the flowers if the bee’s are on them, but somehow this fella went for a ride into the flower shed.

I love the flower form of these celosias, The colors are unreal, and they just seem to add a punch to the flower bouquets because they just aren’t normal. Maybe that is why I love them. They are like coral from the reef.

I got a new flower book a few weeks ago by Sarah Raven, who gathers or has photos of herself harvesting flowers in a champagne bucket. Imagine. Anyway, my dear friend BJ came by last week with a champagne bucket for my flowers so here I am posing with it full of dahlia blossoms. Only problem is the silly me has my hands covering the silver bucket. So maybe if I ever have another picture of me posing with flowers in my champagne bucket I will keep my hands off to the side.

My most exciting news this week is that my long awaited new greenhouse is to be delivered and assembled on Tuesday and I can hardly wait. It will be put to full use in flower production next year. Just think, more ranunculus, anemones and hopefully freesia, fingers crossed. And tulips. Can’t forget my tulips.

Until next week and the floral diaries. Allie

PS. I am doing a flower card for the Cornucopia Project’s annual auction that is going to be held on Sept 24-26. Their website is http://cornucopiaproject.org , and the auction site is https://www.32autions.com/cornucopiaprojectauction. You can go to the online auction and get a gift card for yourself for next year, gift it to a friend, and support the worth Cornucopia Project at the same time. Just a thought.

Things in the garden are starting to slow down. The days are getting noticebly shorter, I now don’t find it imperative to be in the garden by 5:30 to get everything done that needs to be done before the heat of the day. Now I find myself lounging around until 5:30 and not really moving until 6. A lovely sleep in. The flowers are also starting to slow down. Oh they are still growing and blooming but just a a slower pace. I like that.

Clean up is beginning in some of the beds. Some of the flowers, like the asters, have just had enough of the wet and although they show beautiful color from a distance, they are shot and getting pulled. I am only pulling half though because they are still swarming with bees and butterflies who are obviously enjoying the nectar. The high winds we have had have broken many stems of the cosmos and the sunflowers so I am also cutting many of these back. At least enough so I can get down the paths to harvest the remaining flowers. Again, leaving some that have gone by for the bees and the birds. The finches just love the seed heads of the cosmos and I have waves of finches and chickadee’s raiding the sunflower heads. It is just so beautiful to see all the action happening in the garden.

The flowers that are getting cut are either getting composted, for future soil building, or better yet, making the feather and fur creatures happy. Recycling at its best I think.

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There are still lots of flowers to choose from at the flower shed. Still lots of zinnias, celosia, a beautiful second flush of lisianthus, dahlias, sunflowers and more.

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Just a reminder. i am planning to shut the flower shed on Friday Oct 8 for the season. Weather permitting. If you purchased a flower card this year you still have another year left. If you purchased your card last year and you have credit left, you have 4 weeks remaining to use it up. Just saying in case you have forgotten.

Until next week. Allie

Do I sound like I am wishing my flowers away? No siree. I am just letting you know that there are only five more weeks of flowers. Could be less, but that is weather dependent, and who knows what the weather is going to be. Two tropical storms in as many weeks, the flowers are, well, damp. The good news is at least I don’t have to water as often.

The last storm took down the cosmos, they are all looking so they are going to get the hedge shear treatment this coming week. Everything else is looking good. The twenty foot tall broom is blooming, or doing what ever it does. It is hard to see that far up although I could get out the binoculars for a close up, I will take a photo for you so we all know what they are doing. I don’t have some shorter ones, but these are so interesting. And you should see them sway in the wind. It is almost poetic, their movement so graceful. Hopefully the wind will be kind for a few more weeks so things just don’t get bowled over.

The dahlias are coming into their own as are the glads. The peacock orchids are setting flower buds and I can hardly wait until they start to flowers. Their perfume is just intoxicating. So I googled the name, and it is a Gladioli species. It is far more beautiful and sensuous than the regular gladioli It reminds me of the tropical flowers that I used to grow in Australia oh so many years ago.

Last year I grew the most interesting pumpkins and gourds that kept us all entertained with the colors and the diversity. Despite having planted about fifty plants out this summer they are, sad to say, a bust. The best ones were growing in the goat paddock, and I didn’t even know how many there were until… we got home last Sunday and not only had they trampled all of the vines, but the also ate all the pumpkins that had self sown, and beautifully at that from last year. So. If you were planning to get some really cool pumpkins again this year, it unfortunately isn’t going to happen. I am so sorry, I was hoping for some myself. Not only did I not get really cool pumpkins and gourds for you, but I have no winter squash in the garden for me. No butternut, no acorn, no nutt’n. Argh.

I just want to say that, if I haven’t told you when I see you, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support and love of my flowers. This is a dream that is coming to fruition from thirty years ago. I have the notebook from my years living in Australia spelling it all out. It is one of those OMG moments. Seeing what I wrote all those years ago, doing this now, and THEN finding the notebook. Way too ‘do do do do’ ( you have to hum that part). I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support.

Until next week. Allie

So here we are, the last Sunday of August, and by my calculations, weather permitting, we have six more weeks of flower shed days. OMG, where has the flower time gone? It seems as though I was only just stating with tulips back in May but here we are, or here I am counting down the number of weeks left. That is good because I am about ready for a break, and that is bad because I just love my flowers and seeing you all.

But just because there is just six more weeks left, there is no need for panic. Your flower cards are good for two years. If you bought a flower card this year you are golden, if your card is from last year, 2020 and you have a balance left, you might just want to stop in and get some flowers because time is fleeting.

On to the exciting flowers though. There are still a lot of exciting and beautiful flowers to be had. The zinnias, annual asters, sunflowers, rudbeckia are all still going strong. They are growing faster and flowering faster than I can almost keep up with.

The glads and the beautiful fragrant peacock lily are trickling in as well. The perennial asters and soon the hardy chrysanthemums will be coming into flower, as well as the perennial grasses to fill out your flower selections.

I am starting the seeding of the spring hardy annuals this coming week, I have ordered 500 ranunculas, 100 anemones and 50 freesias to add to my early spring offerings, so fingers crossed, there will be plenty of flowers from mid April until mid October next year. I have been fretting about the tulips that will be arriving mid December that will need growing on so they will be available to you by early March. Our builder swears the garage will be finished by then which includes the bulb cooler and flower cooler. I am not as confident, but have come up with a solution, I hope. We will just build the bulb cooler in the corner of the finished basement and wing it with a hope and a prayer, and a good extension cord. Or a lot of prayers. Argh. Friggin’ building inspector.

Enough of that worry. I thought I would add a photo that Steve took on Friday of the “Flowers at Lottarock” so we could all see just how cool it all looks. I have to say, I am pretty damn proud of it. I only wish I was younger so I could really see my dreams from 30 years ago through, but hey, I think I am doing pretty stinking good, and I am my own worst critic.

I hope to see you all soon. I can not tell you how much I appreciate all you support and all your good vibes. Makes all those not so good gardening days worthwhile.

Till next time, Allie

Here I am on the screen porch writing this, hoping for the best outcome with tropical storm Henri. I am not worried about the structures, but I am worried about the strength of the stems with the wind if the wind speeds pick up to what they are supposed to do, 40mph+. So far, knock on wood, this isn’t any worse than many of the storms we have had this summer, but it is early yet, and the flowers are larger and the sunflowers will not like the heavy winds at all. All I can do is wait out the storm and see what happens. I have harvested all I can at the moment.

So besides Henri, you might ask what else is happen at the farm? I am harvesting flowers like a mad woman. The asters are blooming like crazy, singles, doubles, spiders, whites, purples, pinks oh my!

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The asters are only a smattering of the flower sheds offerings here at Lottarock. I have sunflowers, rudbeckia, zinnias, celosia, cosmos, monarda and so much more. Just look at what is in the cooler at the moment waiting for you all to stop by and get flowers.

I have ordered and received seeds for fall planting which I need to start now. ASAP if I hope to get them established enough and in the ground before I lose my overwintering planting window. Never enough time. I am trying to find flowers that will bridge the gap from tulips to peonies and then the next gap from peonies to the summer annuals. It is said that it can be done with the facilities I have, so what really do I have to lose right? I just need to get the lead out and do it.

At the moment I have two concrete walls for by bulb/flower cooler. I told Paul, our builder, I must have two more walls, a ceiling, a door and electricity by Thanksgiving or I am going to be on the hunt to find homes for 60 full bulb crates. He tells me “no problem Allie”. We will see Paul, we will see.

I leave you with photos of the flower garden, taken in the rain mind you, of what they looked like at the beginning of tropical storm Henri. Hopefully at the end, they will be looking the same.

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Until next time my flower friends. Allie

What an August this is turning our to be. Wow. Flowers are coming out of my ears! In other words, the flowers are producing like crazy. Almost all of what I have planted are blooming now, and I am just gob smacked by their beauty. Lisianthus, snapdragons, cosmos, zinnias, monarda, asters, rudbeckia and sunflowers…OMG. Did I add that the dahlias are starting as well? Almost too much for the senses to take in, trippin colors man. Oh to be a flower farmer with lots of flowers and flower people that just love flowers.

All you wonderful flower people that come to get flowers on Fridays know that as soon as the flower shed closes, well not as soon as I would like because there is still lots of work to do, but as soon as I can I hop in the car with my “go cup” of flowers to go to the lake for the weekend to decompress. To my bliss. So every Friday, my flowers and I go on a trip to the lake. And here we are Sunday, with Friday’s flowers at the lake.

Flowers just don’t have to stay home with you, they can travel with you as well. It is embarrassing to say but we were at a wedding two weeks back and yes, I took flowers with me to grace our room for the weekend. In a “to go cup”. Isn’t that the reason that DD and McDonalds make go cups to transport flowers to where you need to be? Works for me. and if you don’t know, I have a collection of “go cups” on hand to get your flowers from point A to wherever point B might be.

To all my flower people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support and for your love of flowers.