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Happy October

The calendar might say October but as I write this is is 80 degrees and sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. This means that the flowers are still here! We had a couple of close calls last week, patchy frost, but all the flowers escaped!

That being said, when my watch was giving out frost alerts every hour I got the flowers ready. I harvested just about every dahlia stem there was to harvest, and any other flower that could be harvested. I got the hoops out and the frost cloth to protect the chrysanthemums but yay, everything survived.

It looks as though our next brush with cold will be Thursday. Steve will have to cover them on Thursday night and uncover them in the morning. Then it looks like we will have another nice run of weather.

Meanwhile, I am going to start the clean up of the gardens. Plants that are no longer producing well enough and are just sooo tired looking, they will be added to the compost heap. I have to get started at some point because there is always a lot to do. The beds that will house the outside tulips are all ready to go, but that is about it for next spring’s bulb crops so far and the bulbs should be rockling in very soon now.

You must be asking yourself, what flowers will I have for October, well I will have the chrysanthemums, the asters are looking good, and the dahlias are still rocking like stars. There will still be enough flowers to make some beautiful bouquets.

While I remember to tell you. The flower shed will be closed on Friday Oct 10th. I plan on being open on the 14th from 1-4 (if Steve remembers to cover the flowers while I am away). Remember, if you are not getting the all important newsletter, please sign up. This gives you up to date info on the flower shed times and days open.

There will also be no blog next Sunday, but I will be back the following Sunday with many stories to tell of my travels. Yes, I am going to Belgium for all things floral and plant as well as a birthday celebration. (Not mine)

So I will return in a fortnight, and I will be dreaming of flowers. Allie

It Might Be The Last Sunday of September…

But it feels like early September. What a beautiful weekend it has been. And to make it even more beautiful we had over two inches of rain last week, so my rain tank is up to 800 gallons so I can water freely now. That is good because I have a lot of transplanting to do. I started on Friday, and even with those two plus inches the ground is still dry, but I have water so I can hand water the transplants.

The othe good news is we still have flowers. The dahlias are still going strong in those beautiful colors, shapes and sizes. The cosmos look as though they are ready to see the end of the season, the zinnias are hanging on for dear life and the chrysanthemums are starting to show color so the flower shed will continue to be open. Stay tuned to the newsletter that goes out the night before open flower shed days for changes in hours or days. It is all flower dependent as you all know. If you aren’t getting the newsletter, check your spam, or sign up again. The news letter sign up is below the blog sign up.

It was a crazy flower week at the farm, lots of flowers going out, and I did the flowers for a big event on Saturday. I am going to bore you with a lot of photos of the flowers just to show you just how beautiful they are.

The brief was lush, jewel colors…you will see…

Then, not to bore you… the Huge one. I say Huge with a capital H because it was at least 30 lbs, and I had a stong man lift it into place. I was able to create this one on site which is good because I don’t think I could have moved it otherwise.

Needless to say, I got them all done on time. Client was beyond thrilled and I was exhausted.

Just in case I forget to tell you next week, the flower shed will be closed on October 10, I will be having fun in Belgium with friends, flowers and plants, food and wine. I will try to remember, but better make the note in your calendars.

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

The Last Day of Summer!

Tomorrow we enter into another season. Autumn, where the colors are deep and jewel toned, where the days really start to become short, the days starting out with many layers that then get scattered around the gardens until I need them again in the afternoon, where the autumn rains come. Please, may the autumn rain come. Also hopefully the frosts and freezes will stay away for another three weeks. I don’t ask for much for the autumn, just delayed frosts and rain.

The dahlias have finally hit their stride and I am harvesting buckets of them. All shapes, sizes, colors and wow are they amazing.

I liken the dahlias to the tulips. The tulips start off the season with the same vibrant colors, and interesting forms if you add in the amazing parrots, the ruffled, the doubles the fringed…And the dahlias end the season with the amazing colors, shapes, sizes and wow factor. Talk about the perfect floral bookends. Although…there are still the chrysanthemums waiting in the wings.

I know you know, but still no rain. The 1500 gal tank is dry…I have two little tanks to pull water from but that will only last me two weeks tops, and I am transplanting now, argh. I am going to cut back the water on the big garden to every other day…I guess the good things is the days are shorter and the plants are requiring less water? Gotta think positive.

To be honest, last Monday I was just in a big gardening funk. It was hot, it was sunny, I have a list a mile long of things to do, all requiring water and ya know, I just took a personal day. couldn’t do it. Had drinks and nibbles with gardening friends which was the balm that soothed all our souls and by Tuesday I was back to my ole gardening self. Mostly.

Another balm to my soul is being able to get creative with my old and seconds flowers. A true chance to be creative. Working with mechanics, colors, scale, vases it all is such a relief to be able to do something beautiful and not look at the dry earth.

I have been spreading leaf mulch, last year’s shredded collection and let me just say it is beautiful stuff. I am making two more beds for the shade perennials, I know, they will need water when I plant them but think of next year’s beauty.

So on this note, I leave you with this week’s beauty. My #windowframethursday. Chicken wire mechanics, deep jewel tone colors and quite fun to do.

Until next week, Allie. I dream of flowers, do you? (I have a funny story to tell you all some day about that saying, if I remember)

PS. Tuesday flower shed hours will now be from 1:00 to 4:00. Friday will stay the same. Just changing Tuesdays.

PPS. If you are local and get this and don’t get the newsletter, check your spam or junk mail. You might have to re-sign up on the website for the newsletter. It is a different form than the blog. It gives you the hours the flower shed is open and what flower will be available.

PPSS. If I haven’t said it before, you guys are the BEST!

It is Sooo Dry

I know, be careful of what you wish for, but damn I wish it would rain. I would be happy, or pleased with half an inch because right now I am down to less than 200 gallons in my big tank. I feel as though my mobile tank and I are becoming one. The hose is just an extension of my right arm. A half inch would give me 100 gallons of water. Please rain. I know we aren’t as bad as up north and parts of Maine, but we are pretty bad.

Despite the lack of rain, the cover crop of radish in the peony rows seems to be going ok. No more water for that, they can live off the dew and what the drip hose gives them. In case you are wondering, the radish is there to break up the compaction in the peony beds. Drainage is very poor there, probably compacted from the excavator when that garden was created. The cover crop in the dahlia bed will also just have to be what it is at this point.

I am directing the water I have to the box of new perennials that arrived on Friday afternoon, and for the plants that need to get divided and moved before October, because once October comes, it is bulb planting time, garden cut back, dahlia digging…you know how it goes.

For those who come to visit you hear me exclaim how well the cosmos are doing. They have earned a reprieve for next year, and the celosia is just going crazy and is stunningly beautiful. It also has won a spot in the garden next year. Lucky them.

The dahlias are still producing well, and the chrysanthemums are showing buds. Not color yet, but the buds look good. I got the second tier of netting on them because not all stems can be artsy fartsy, and the hoops in place for when we have those cold nights. I need to protect the flowers.

So now onto the pretty stuff. The first is my #intentionalflowertuesday

Then if that isn’t enough, I did a practice run for an event that I am doing on the 27th. Getting the mechanics right was the biggest challenge, but I think it came out well the second time around.

Then, because I could, I took the copper bucket from the #intenionaltuesday, and filled it with the flowers from the above arrangement. This is recycling at its best, and they got to be enjoyed at a baby shower.

This week coming I will do another practice run then I think I will be good to go for the event. Now, I have no idea what flowers will be used for the event because it is two weeks away, but I am sure they will be lovely.

The dogs are getting antsy and want to do chores so I will take care of them while Steve writes his magic.

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

Welcome September

What an exciting week we had this last week! Some beautiful with bucketfuls of flowers, which is always exciting, and some a little nerve wracking. Those of you who came to the flower shed on Friday noticed the boards across the driveway. Yes, more driveway woes. We had a sinkhole. A mere 18 inches across and only 18-24 inches deep and only three feet wide. Yup, let it happen on a flower day.

It is patched for the moment, until we get the prices on repair or replace. It’s safe to drive on and far more quiet than the thump thump of the boards and plywood covering the hole.

The dahlias have finally hit their stride. It took some time this year because of all the crazy weather, the hot, the dry, the cool, the dry, the whatever, but there will be loads to choose from for the next few weeks, and there are some stunners. I mean, look at this bee just nestled in the bosom of the Cafe au Lait.

Speaking of bees, the garden is just humming with life. If fact I have to be careful harvesting in the morning because the flowers have sleepy and cold bees on them and I have had them hitch rides on the flowers and on my clothes out in the garden. And the flower shed is also humming with big bumblebees on flower days. The garden is full of happy critters. I think even whatever is in the garden nibbling the clover and queens Annes lace is happy. Charlie, my brother, has spotted a rabbit, and where you have one, you have more. Joy.

The most Joyful though is we have had rain. Here at the farm we have had a whopping .7 inches. Not a lot by any stretch, but you know the plants are loving it. They are all standing tall now versus sagging to the ground. The big water tank is back up to 400 gallons! and believe me, that is joyful.

Have you ever wondered what 250 hydrangea stems look like after they have been harvested? Let me show you.

I think this is my largest hydrangea harvest to date. Last year was 175 stems, might have been 150…Anyway, it is a good thing I planted another 15 bushes this spring, because I am going to need them in the future. Fingers crossed as always.

The chrysanthemums are looking good, and my goal this week is to get the frost/cold protection built for when that time comes, and it will, although hopefully not until the end of October, please.

I had no #intentionaltuesday last week, but… I do have a #windowframethursday for you all to enjoy.

Well I have to go harvest more flowers for a special order to be picked up tomorrow, so I will hand you off to Steve. It is always interesting to read what the man has to say. So until next week.

Allie, I dream of flowers, do you?

Last Day of August, Welcome September

Well another gardening month done. Probably two months to go. Don’t get me wrong, I love flower farming and all my flower lovers, but it has been a bit of a challenging year this year. first with the nonstop rain and the prolonged cold, then the extreme heat, and now the wicked dryness. I have less than 400 gallons of water left in my big tank with no rain in sight. A plus is that the days are shorter, it that a plus? Yup. Less sun on the plants and betters hours for the flower farmer.

But have no fear, the well isn’t dry yet, although I will probably be pulling water from it next week to water the further reaches of the flower farm. Despite the dry, the flowers are still going like crazy and there are plenty of them for all to enjoy. The first of the chrysanthemums are showing nice color, others are showing nice buds. I need to get those beds ready for frost soon. Who knows what the weather has in store for us these days. Back in high school we always had a killing freeze before we went back to school. Now, not until mid October, but who knows. It is better to be prepared than get caught with our pants down, or however that saying goes.

Speaking of chrysanthemums….I have ordered next year’s plugs. Four new varieties plus the ones that you will be enjoying this year when the time comes. I am excited to offer flowers later in the season. I know, silly me. Retirement looks a bit farther down the road…Sorry darling.

The tulips will be rocking in in about six weeks, more or less with a lovely tarrif attached to them. Gulp. Some flower farmers are trying to cancel their orders, some are trying to figure out how to deal with the added price. Me? I am just hoping for the best and I can sell them and cover my costs. I will cross that bridge when I get to it. At least I’m not buying 600,000 bulbs like the larger growers, but still, the tarrif will have to be paid.

On to happier news. I have been enjoying doing my #intentionaltuesdayflowers even though I haven’t been posting them. You get to enjoy them but not instagram yet. I just can’t seem to get around to posting them. Anyway, here is last week’s non posting.

The nice thing about the #intentionaltuesdays is that I do it in the flower shed between flower people and I use the flowers left over from the previous Friday, this way you all get the best flowers, I get to have fun and there is no waste to speak of.

So now we have the #windowframethursday, which I do post on instagram?

Well I think that is enough rambling for today. but before I go I have to show you this tee shirt Steve got for me….

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

Cooler Weather, Yay!

Last week was a beautiful reprieve from the hot weather. I am sure it will be back soon but the forecast for this week is also going to be cool and I will take it for sure. When the days were so hot this summer it was hard to be in the garden past noon, but now with the cooler weather I am playing catch up with everything that had been put on hold.

So off the list is getting the tunnel cleaned out. When it had been so hot I didn’t even want to go in there because the temperature would have been close to double what it was outside. Not good. On Tuesday because it was cool and drizzly I spent the morning pulling weeds, which there were plenty of, and lifting out the ranunculus corms. The flowers that still looked good I have kept, but everything else is gone. Two tractor bucket loads of crap.

The rest of the week was spent weeding the poor willows and watering them. They look so stressed, but I will give them another deep drink this week and finally get some mulch on them which will really help. I also got that garden mowed so you can even see that there are plants in there. After that I watered the twiggery deeply and finished that weeding, then watered the the external gardens. It is so dry I feel as though I have done nothing but water. If we don’t get rain soon it will be really bad because I only have 650 gallons of water left in my big rain tank. That will only be another 3 big waterings. An inch of rain will go a long ways to filling the rain tank.

I did get some cover crop seed down on Tuesday in the drizzle, only wet enough to get my shoes soaking wet, not enough to get the soil damp, so I am now hand watering the seed so it will germinate. Argh.

Despite the dryness, the flowers are going gangbusters. I am harvesting lots and still have plenty, the insect life is amazing. The garden just hums with happy insects and birds.

I had a disaster Friday, to me anyway. I was liquid feeding the dahlias when my very tangled hose was NOT cooperating, and rather than putting the hose down, walking up the path to get it around the corner I yanked hard, and got the hose to where I wanted it, but…in the process I broke the corner stake and crushed three dahlia plants. I was soooo cranky with myself not to take the time. But, after I finished up, I disconnected everything and took the hose out of the garden and completely straightened it out in the sun and had it relax, then I nicely rolled it back up. A lesson learned? I would like to think so.

So I leave you with last week’s #windowframethursday. Another fun one to make and hopefully for you to enjoy.

It will be another week watering, mulching and harvesting flowers, so until next week, Allie, I dream of flowers…

Week 34 in the Farm Calendar

Here we are at week 34, two thirds of the way through the calendar year, and probably the same for the gardening year. I would say that I have a third or less of the growing season left. Yikes! The weeks move on and the flower varieties continuously change. The snapdragons are done, the annual asters are full bore for this week and maybe next and then they will be gone. Ever changing and that makes it exciting.

The dahlias are really starting to come into their own. More and more varieties are coming in and the number of stems is also increasing. They make such a wonderful focal statement in arrangements, but also act as a great bridge blending colors together. I just love dahlias. More than tulips you might ask? The tulips offer the same colors and floral interest in the spring that the dahlias do in the late summer. I love them both, and they are both hard work and expensive to grow, but in my eyes, so worth it.

Not much new is happening on the farm. I am just trying to keep up with the watering. The cutting gardens are watered on the well, everything else is being hand watered heavily once a week until we start getting some good rain. I still have half a tank of water, but some rain to top that off would be greatly appreciated. Actually as I am writing this we are in New London at the lake having a nice downpour. Enough to make puddles and if this rain gets to Hancock, fingers crossed it would put another weeks worth of watering in the tank.

I have been very good about doing my #intentionalflowerstuesday but not so good about posting them on instagram yet. So here is last week’s non posting. There are two sets here. Same arrangement, two different backgrounds. This whole process is so interesting, one, being intentional with what I am doing, then photographing them…

So these are against the dark wood of the cave… the next are in the cave against a white wall, same arrangement.

Not much of a noticeable difference. Much

So my last is last week’s #windowframethursday. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do creating them…

I am going to pass you off to Steve now. I will be back next week with more flowers and flower news. Hopefully we will get some rain. Until next week. Allie. I dream of flowers.

It’s Gonna be a Hot One

The forecast for this week looks like it is going to be a hot one. Joy. First up on deck will be harvesting before the sun hits the gardens and then filling up the mobile watering tank and water all the plants that are on the verges of the flower field. This will take a number of tankfulls I am sure because some flower farmer who will remain nameless has been pushing the planting boundries and those plants need water. It has been a very dry last few weeks so I need to get on it.

Also because of the heat on Tuesday the flower shed will be in my flower cave. I will remind everyone on the newsletter list on Monday night, but the flowers will appreciate not being in the hot shed.

I got an email from one of the larger importers of tulips, peony roots, and other essential spring plants from the Netherlands and to sum it up, they are anticipating a tarrif of15% on goods shipped over this fall. Up, that includes the tulip bulbs that I ordered back in March. There is nothing I can do, or they can do…everyone hopes that everyone involved will come to their senses. If not, the floral industry is going to take a really big hit. Globally, not just me. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that an agreement is reached before the tulip shipment.

My biggest accomplishment last week was getting the twiggery weeded. Steve mowed the paths for me which was a termendous help, then I just weeded and tidied. When you drive in now you can actually see the shrubs, and despite the weeds and lack of watering they are looking really good. Yay!

I am being really good about doing my Tuesdays intentional designs and photography. I am now going to post them and they will be under #intentionalflowertuesday. I will also show them here. Here is last week’s…

So I sent this photo off to a friend, and she commented back about the beautiful celosia. I replied that I had a bunch of different varieties this year and sent along photos of each variety. The comment back was about this orange one, which I think is Burnt Embers would be hard to work with.

I then paired it with three different dahlias, and see what it does.

I find the color play fascinating. What do you think?

So, here is the last floral of the evening. Last week’s #windowframethursday

I am going to pass you off to Steve now…so until next week, Allie. I dream of flowers, do you?

One last photo, taken at the fountain outside the kitchen window the other night.

Have I Ever Told You?

How much I love flowers? Just in case you didn’t know, I do. I really do, and I love my little flower farm.

I was listening to a year 4 flower farmer who is changing things up for their farm, no surprise, we all do that. It is part of the growth of flower farming. But something they said struck a sad chord for me. The said that you aren’t a flower farm unless you only grow 8 crops and grow them well. Everything else is just ‘gardening’. Well, I must differ with them, because it really depends on what one’s market is, and my market is selling the variety of flowers that I do to create arrangements and bouquets that are beautiful and unusual. More gardenesque than a bunch of sunflowers, zinnias and statice. I hope this is why you love my flowers as well. Oh well. Every business is different, but they should learn about not being so arrogant and negative about other small growers.

So since I do grow so much of everything damnit, I went and ordered more plants today. The autumn rains will hopefully be coming next month which is the perfect time for planting. Lots of good root growth with less top growth stress. I ordered more peonies, only 9, and I have just enough space for them as well as a couple of late spring perennials and summer perennials. This fall I have some jiggering of the garden to do, rearranging the existing plants, removing some plants that just are’t cutting it, as well as planting the new plants. That as well as the usual autumn stuff like cutting back and putting down leaf mulch and hopefully mulching the paths with wood chip. Oh, I also ordered more hyacinths for forcing and some dutch iris to try to go along with the tulips next year. It is going to be one crowded cooler this winter.

I have been busy working on my floral work, trying to be more intentional as you know, as well as working on photographing them. So I now have Tuesdays Intentionals, and Thursdays Windowframe. This will be an interesting exercise, but fun. Come join me in the ‘fun’.

Two days later…I have last weeks #windowframethursday. This one is totally different. They were made to go to the Waterhouse Restaurant, the little one goes along with it.

Like I said, very different. I grew a handful of lilies this year, not that I am a big lily fan because they need a big vase to look their best, but I has been fun working with them.

It will be a busy week on the farm this week, playing catch up from the last few weeks extreme heat. Mowing, watering the outlying areas and maybe even finally getting around to mulching the willowery.

Steve is back, we can all breath a big sigh.

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