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.
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.