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Wow! We have had the sun out now for four days in a row! And not just a weak overcast sun, or a sun covered by smoke, but real sun. Let the watering commence. Although showers and storms are predicted for much of this week, that is OK. I have seen the sun.

The seasons are changing once again. I have been busy pulling out the cool flowers which included the bachelor buttons, the agrostema, most of the larkspur, bells of Ireland, and the clarkias. I have stopped watering the Icelandic poppies and it’s sad to say good bye to the sweet peas. That season had gotten off to such a good start but the wet, the heat and humidity just didn’t do them any favors so I cut down the first row. I would love to see if the re-sprout, who knows. The empty beds are being raked over and cover crop will be added until I am ready to get the seeded perennials and bi-annuals planted out later in September. So much work to do. It is hard to believe that in another 2 months the tulips will arrive. Yikes! So much bed prep to do!

The gardens and flowers are doing well, and lots of flowers are being harvested. The dahlias are setting bud and there is a flower here and there but soon, just soon there will be another explosion of color. I think dahlias rival tulips for color and style, and they are a great way to cap off the season that was started by the tulip explosion.

Just to show you the variety of flowers harvested last week, feast your eyes on these beauties.

Next week the wagon will look very different because every week new flowers come in, and old flowers go. That is what makes it so exciting.

So I will leave you now so you can dream of what to do with next week’s exciting floral selection. This is what I created with a handful of tiny stems or too weird to offer you, but I had a beautiful chance to be creative.

Until next week I will dream flowers and sunshine. Allie

Here we are. Mid July. Where is our hot and dry? Even hot and humid? This is stink’n hot and WET. I feel so far this summer that I am back living on Tamborine Mountain in Queensland. Holy Moly! Let the rain stop! I am grateful, oh so grateful that I am not a flower farmer in Vermont, or any farmer in Vermont, this is bad enough, but OMG, do they have it hard. And let’s just say that yes, crop insurance helps, but man dear, it doesn’t even come close. This flower farmer is so grateful that so far my flowers are standing, or rather leaning but we are good. This is this morning though. Didn’t know if I was going to have an open flower shed on Tuesday…

Yup, This is Stoddard Rd. Looking down the road from our driveway on the right, looking down the road from our driveway. All is good. It is safe. So the flower shed will be open Phew!

And the only reason I say phew is because I have flowers. Yup. Despite the rain, and the lack of sun, and the rain…I have flowers.

Squish, squish, squish as I walk around the property. My rain tanks are overflowing and have been for weeks now, the flowers are baulking and I can’t say I am blaming them. The non-stop rain is getting old, everything is damp, the weeds are OUT of Control! It’s a farmer’s life. We have no control, we just have to plan for the worst and hope for the best. The best? I have flowers. I am stink’n lucky. I am grateful for good drainage, good wellies and quick dry clothing.

And the flower life goes on. I am getting ready in my head for my next expansion. Lisa, don’t say anything. It isn’t going to be big, but as some of you know I am retiring from gardening for others at the end of the year and well, let’s just say that am planning on diversifying for my old age. I am prepping new beds between rain storms, and making lists. Then I will be done. Don’t say anything Lisa. I know.

Since I don’t have and #windowframethursday to amuse you with I will leave you with this I found on instagram. I love it. It speaks of so much. And only in the EU would you find this.

So until next week, when the sun shines, the breeze gently blows away the bugs and the moisture. May we all be grateful and enjoy flowers. Allie

So far this has been the yuckiest summer I have experienced in years. Hot and humid is one thing, that is to be expected because it is summer. But this rain? Holy crap! Enough for a week. Please! I am so glad I bought a water tank so I can keep everything watered throughout the summer. At least I know it works, I guess, and we have the system tuned I think. We haven’t needed it for a month now. At least we aren’t in fire danger, and I don’t have mold ruining my leather shoes and belts like when I was living on the mountain in Australia.

So what is new besides the rain? Well, the flowers in the tunnel have had about enough. Because of the high temps that we have been having, besides the rain which hasn’t been bothering them because they are under cover, the flowers have said, “You know what? This season is the pits, and we are done.” So, say good bye to the Icelandic poppies, the godetia and the clarkia till next year. The cosmos, zinnias are hanging on, the sweet peas are like outta here, and who knows, the sun could come out on Tuesday and we may not see another drop of rain until October. I would almost say wouldn’t that be great.

My other most exciting news of the week is this. Not!

You know what this is? Bear poop! Yup. found this “dainty” (8 inches in diameter) morsel on the path between the flowers inside the fencing and the roses. Now I know that bears don’t eat flowers, that is up to Bambi, who so far is disliking the Irish Spring soap, but honestly, I don’t want bears this close to the house and the farm animals. Hopefully, it was a juvenile just wandering through. That is why the donkeys have been so testy, I am sure. And you thought flower farming was just easy by putting plants in the soil and letting them go until they are harvested. HAH!

I read this on a flower site the other day. July. This month is American Grown Flowers Month. This is the month that all 50 states have flowers to sell, and the perfect excuse to buy flowers from a local flower grower and not from the supermarket. I know that I am preaching to the wrong crowd, right? But locally grown flowers are fresher than any flower than you can buy in a supermarket. Think about it…The flowers that you find in the big stores are harvested on a Monday morning, prepped, conditioned with floral preservatives, then sit in an airport, then fly to an airport then sit in a wholesalers before they get to you. Five days? Yes, they have a shelf life, but handle with care, don’t smell them, and I wouldn’t even compost them because of what is used to preserve them. Locally grown flowers? fresher, supporting a local farmer, yes you can smell and handle them with out fear and safely compost them. So, even if you love to buy flowers at the supermarket because they are cheaper, and last longer because of the chemicals…please buy local for the rest of the moth of July. doesn’t have to be from me, although I do appreciate it. Just buy Local flowers. Please.

So on to my next topic. I leave you with two flower photos. My annual 4th of July photo, and my #Windowframethursday photo. I hope they make you smile. They make me happy because I get to play with flowers in a creative manner.

The 4th is all red white and blue, and windowframe is what I had. I love the creative process and I hope you do as well.

Until next week, when hopefully the sun will shine upon the flower beds. Allie

Happy Summer. We have had two days of sunshine, Yay! Now today it is raining. As if we need it. The good thing is I don’t have to water the plants outside, but I do have to water the high tunnel. The plants in the garden that have a high leaf area are not happy and they will have very interesting stems if i don’t cut them down out of frustration. I am talking about you, bachelor buttons and cress. Anyway, everything else is getting well watered, but when it dries out will need a good feed I am sure.

Now that summer is here, the ranunculus and anemones are done for the year. I am sad to see them go because they are so beautiful, but they filled a floral gap, and now it is time for them to rest and recover and get ready for next spring.

Flowers come and flowers go as you know. The tulips are gone, the ranuncs and anemones are done, the camapanula are going full tilt, and I should have planted more. Feverfew, bulbplurum are being harvested by the armful. The godetia is looking good but coming to an end already. Note to self, plant more godetia and less clarkia. More stock, more phlox Creme brulee series, more dianthus. If the sun comes out, the zinnias and other hot summer flowers should start producing faster. The dahlias have had their pinch and are branching nicely, and Jager seems to have scared off the tunneling rodents for the moment. Things are looking good I think. The sweet peas are baulking. They are loving the cool but when we have those days are are hot, like in the eighties, they drop all their buds. So frustrating because I just love my sweet peas. The chrysanthemums are growing nicely and it will be interesting to see what I have out of the mystery box.

In case if you are worried, don’t be. I have plenty of flowers, and will have them until November, so all you needn’t worry. And they will be interesting, colorful, and plentiful. Can you say I have flowers?

On that note. For you locals, the flower shed will be closed this coming week. Tuesday is the Fourth, and Friday is because we have house guests. I will be at the farm on Friday working in MY gardens, so if you need an arrangement, or bouquet email me, text me and let me know and I will have them ready for you, but I plan to be upside down in my garden.

I leave you as usual with my #windowframethursday because I can….

Have a happy and safe fourth of July, remember if you want to have flowers on Friday, let me know and I will have them ready for you. Otherwise I will see you on Tuesday the 11th and beyond. Allie

Here we are finally at summer, and it actually feels like it today. Hazy and hot. Just the way the summer flowers like it, and now that it looks like the summer temps will be here for awhile, the summer flowers might actually put on a little bit of growth. The segue between the tulips, the cool flowers and the summer flowers is always interesting. Sometimes there is a gap, sometimes they get confused because of the interesting weather patterns and sometimes it all works. I think that this might just be one of those years…fingers and toes crossed.

I think, and I say this with hesitation, that the last of the spring flowers for next year have been ordered. I am beefing up my range of anemones, dutch iris and alliums for the most part, along with a handful of some fun things to round out the spring flower offerings. Alliums are supposed to be deer and rodent proof, I don’t know who got to the bulbs, but out of the 100 alliums I planted last year, I had two, yup, two come up this spring and bloom. So like any good flower farmer, I am ordering more. We shall see what happens. I do love the alliums, but not as much as my dahlias, and the damage right now is bad enough I am letting our dog Jager in the garden when I am in there working. At this point, who can create the most damage?

The last of the sunflowers have been planted out, and the pumpkins will go in the ground on Tuesday. We shall see. The willows have been planted and I am creating a new bed for the last? of the shrubs that I want to plant for cutting. I am also starting more perennial beds amongst the taller shrubs because I want to make it easier on my body in my later flower growing years. I just don’t want to get bored because you all know what happens then. Maybe not. If I were to be bored, no, let’s not go there. Poor Steve.

I leave you with not a flower picture, but this.

I am not a grumpy flower farmer, I just don’t have Steve making funny faces at me to make me smile. I took this photo myself and was concentrating. Maybe a bit too hard?

Until next week. Summer is here! Allie

But for the most part you would never know it. What strange weather. Cold, damp, with just nuisance rain, enough to get your feet soaking wet, but not enough to water the plants which just is not kind. Then a few days scattered of wicked hot weather. Neither the plants or I know what to do, It’s a farmer’s lot. We just need to be prepared for anything.

The peonies are beautiful this year. Spring has been cool, see that is a good thing, so the flowers have come on slowly, and most of the varieties have been harvested and are in storage so I can have peonies for you for many weeks yet. The sweet peas are coming on quite nicely and I have harvested the first bunch. Joining the harvest now are the foxgloves, feverfew, geum, phlox, dianthus Icelandic poppies and just so much more. The flower shed is a riot of color and fragrances.

Most of the garden is planted now, I just have a few things to go in yet, then the woodies…but at the moment and for quite a while now, watering and harvesting will be taking up most of the flower time.

Until next month when I need to start sowing the perennial seeds and the dirty room will become dirty again.

There isn’t much else to report this week. Harvesting, watering, harvesting, watering, but that is all good because I am producing some stunning flowers, if I must say so.

So every Friday afternoon I make a bouquet for myself. I put it in a go cup and take it to the lake where it gives me such happiness, then Sunday afternoon it comes back to the farm where I can enjoy it for the rest of the week. since I spaced #windowframethursday this last week I am sharing this week’s bouquet.

Until next week. Allie

Welcome all. Well it has been another crazy week here at the farm. But really, what would you expect at this point right? Friday was a bittersweet day for me here. It was the last day of the tulips. I had been growing them since September, offering to you my amazing flower people and many more since Mid February and Friday it was their last day. They were an amazing crop, each week providing spectacular flowers and yes, I will miss them, but there is so much more beauty coming on that to be honest, I need the room and their time has come to move on. Thank you all for enjoying them as you did.

I don’t know what is worse in the gardens. The mole/vole tunneling and destruction, the chipmunk nibbling of the branches or the deer that are grazing through the garden on weekends when the dogs are away. I stomp on the tunnels, I don’t think it works, but i do get a bit of pleasure out of it, and we have fenced off the roses to keep the deer away from them and we have hung bars of Irish Spring soap on the branches of the shrubs they seem to be enjoying the most of. I would put Jager in the garden to do his job, but I think at this point he would be more destructive, but if the action picks up, I just might let him at it.

So now that the tulips are gone, there is room for the next batch of flowers which is, drumroll….Peonies. Yes, the peonies will be coming in strong with this week’s heat in the forecast. (So they say). Steve will be on flower harvest duty Monday and Wednesdays which he is not looking forward to but he will do fine. Some varieties there will be only three stems available, looking at you Coral Charm, but other varieties will have many many stems, like the stunning Red Charm. I figure harvest will last about two weeks, but I will have peonies to offer until July. Fingers crossed.

The ranunculus and anemone in the tunnel are still going strong, despite a little creature that is also harvesting stems but this one is just letting them fall. Argh. Also the cool flowers, which are the ones that got planted in the high tunnel back in early March, are just now starting to come into flower so by the end of the week there will be bunches of Icelandic poppies, stock, clarkia, bachelor buttons, and orlaya available. AND… another drumroll, the first sweet peas are showing color! That first harvest might just be mine though. You can say that we are now going to be a flower farm instead of a tulip farm. Variety reigns.

The chrysanthemums have been planted, and the first of the cuttings will be taken this week. The pumpkins have been sown, as well as the next batch of sunflowers that I wasn’t going to grow. The first crop of ranunculus will start to be dried off to be stored for next year, and the cycle continues.

So I leave you with flower photos, and words of wisdom. “Flowers create happiness for the receiver as will as the giver”. So make some flower bouquets and make the world, or your space a happier place.

Honestly, how can this not make you smile. It certainly makes me smile for the joy it brings.

Thank you for bringing joy. Allie

This weekend it’s not the weather, that is for sure. But the flower heat is on! The flowers are being harvested several times a day now they are coming on so fast. I have to get them early for perfection and vase life but it does make things a little crazy around here. So crazy in fact, that I am going to train Steve tomorrow on the finer art of harvesting so he can do the 11 and 2 o’clock row walking and harvesting, and I will do the 7am and 5pm row walk and harvesting. Such fun.

The heat of last week has finished off the ranunculus in the greenhouse. It is a shame because they had really just come into their own and were looking really good, but despite my efforts to keep them cool, they will be done by the end of the week. Lucky for us I have a second planting in the tunnel that are starting to come on, so fingers crossed I will have those for another week or two. The forecast looks to be in our favor. Fingers crossed. I will let the ones in the greenhouse begin their dormancy after the harvest is complete, then they will be stored for next year.

The anemones are still going strong and the Icelandic poppies are just starting. Another crop that needs to be harvested multiple times during the day to get them at peak condition. I am also harvesting the stock, what a divine aroma they have, like cloves, and one stem to a bouquet is all that is needed. The Clarkias are all budding up beautifully and they too will joining the offerings soon. Like I said, things are heating up.

Outside of the every other week of sunflower sowings and plantings, everything is in the ground. Oops, I forgot one thing, but that will be in the ground on Tuesday afternoon. The pumpkins and gourds will be sown this week…I have cuttings to take some of the heirloom chrysanthemums, oh, and I have to plant the chrysanthemums, right. Not done yet.

So last week I think I said I would show you drone shots of the flower farm. Here you go.

So the photo on the left is the gardens that you see when you come and pick up your flowers, the flower shed being on the right. The right hand photo is back behind the house and garage which is added growing space, where the tulips are grown in ground, the cool flowers are grown and a handful of veggies.

This photo is the kit and kaboodle. Growing beds, house, back gardens, barn, orchard, and see all those rocks? That is why we are called Flowers at Lottarock. Because I have a LOT of rocks.

I just find these photos so interesting. Even I really had no idea of the scope of this little flower farm. The farm might be small, but I would say we are mighty.

As usual, I like to leave you with a few flower pics to inspire you.

So, until next week, dream flowers. I do, and so should you. Allie

It is very near the end of May and the push is on to get everything in the ground. I think I have figured out where everything is going, but we shall see. I finally decided where the pumpkins and gourds are going in the two o’clock sleepless moments a few days back so that is good. I have figured out where the sunflowers are going so that is good. I have planted 80% of the dahlias and that is very good, now I just have to get all of this planted.

The cool flowers are starting to come into their own,

That is correct, after waiting for months, not very patiently, and in my mind writing off both crops of anemones and ranunculus I have flowers. As the weeks progress and, if we can stay away from the wicked hot temperatures, I should have bucket loads of these stunners. The other cool flowers, the godetia and the clarkia are showing buds so along with the tulips, I will have beautiful late spring bouquets on offer. Speaking of tulips, I still have a wide variety to offer. Their beauty just knocks my socks off.

Even though the seedlings will hopefully all be in the ground by the next blog posting, I will still be doing successive sowings of sunflowers, then I need to sow the perennials so they will be well established by the time they go in the ground in the late summer. Not like this year with the seedlings being so small I am not sure where they are. They are growing, but I would like to be ahead of the game. I would LIKE to be ahead of the game.

I want Steve to send up the drone to give you all an overview of the gardens this year. They have expanded just a bit. You won’t see color, but you will see masses of green plants. I think it is pretty cool to see and I think you will enjoy an arial shot as well. Especially if I can fine a shot of the gardens 4 years ago. I will see what I can do.

Come on around and see the farm and get a floral fix. The flower shed is open on Fridays from 9-2 and on Tuesdays from 2-5. I always enjoy seeing you, and it gives me a chance to stand up and stretch. If you have seen me garden, you will get it.

I leave you with a missive outside a flower shop in the UK. Thank you KD. I think that the sign is just so true.

Until next week. Allie

It is Sunday afternoon and I am sitting on the screen porch writing this flower missive. It is something I enjoy doing, letting you all know what is happening on the farm. It is an exciting placer to be, especially at this time of year, and I love sharing it. That, and it is a great way of taking notes for me, something that I am dreadful at, farm notes, but this way we can all be happy.

My most exciting news has nothing to do with flowers, I know, shock, horrors, but yesterday we got 1.6″ of rain, and my 1500gal rain tank has about 500gal of water in it. Our newly installed gutters are working just fine. Now when I need to get water out to those far flung places that I never thought I would plant, I fill up the little bowser and drive out to the new spaces and water. This will make life so much easier. I just have to hook up the pump and away I go.

In answer to your burning question, yes, I still have tulips, all shapes and colors await you. I have a few handfuls of narcissus left, and the anemone and ranunculus are budding and showing color, so soon, like Friday, maybe even Tuesday, I will have a lovely assortment of flowers to go with those most amazing tulips.

Not only are the anemone and ranunculus showing bud, but the Icelandic poppies are budding up as well!

I bet you couldn’t think it could be any more exciting, but wait, there’s more! the early peonies are starting to show color. They could be a few weeks out yet, but who knows. It certainly is something to look forward to for sure.

This week coming up is going to be crazy. This is about the time I plant out all the summer annuals and the dahlias, which I have yet to divide. I have to keep an eye in the forecast though. The nights are still cool, and at this point I don’t want to loose the seedlings by jumping the gun. If I have to wait another week, I will. Also the dahlias’ soil should be around 60 degrees and I haven’t taken its temperature yet….So many things to do, so little time to do it in, but I am told, Patience is a gardening virtue.

So I spaced last week’s flower arrangement, so I will leave you this instead.

Until next week, may we all have “Plants in our Souls”. Allie