All the Pretty Dahlias
One of my goals this year was to make sure I got a picture of every dahlia variety I grow. So I’ve been making time for that each week as new varieties come into bloom. I thought I’d share some of them with you. If you want to see more, join me on Instagram live, Monday, Sept 21 at 7pm for a Virtual Tour through the Dahlia Field. Follow me on Instagram @flwrtherapy
Mouse over the image for the variety name.
Fall Planting Q&A
I’ve been getting lots of comments and questions about fall planting. So let’s answer some of those.
Lack of Sunshine: The most common comment I hear from people regarding growing (any type of garden) is that they don’t have enough sun. Lack of sunshine can be a common problem especially if you live in an older neighborhood. I remember removing 13 trees from my first home so I could have a small raised bed garden. But here’s the good news— fall planted annuals don’t require loads of sun! If you have an area where the trees drop their leaves over winter, that’s a perfect spot for fall planting. The plants will get plenty of sunshine all winter and when the tree begins to leaf out in the spring, it will naturally shade your plants and keep those cool weather lovers blooming longer. Fall planted annuals are actually a great little hack for those areas that are a little shady the rest of the year.
Cold Weather: Won’t my plants freeze? Fall planted annuals (often known as Cool Flowers) have some unique properties that other annuals don’t. They can survive quite a dramatic temperature swing. By planting in the fall, you give the plants all winter to build robust root systems that will take off when the weather warms in March and give you blooms way before anybody else on the block. You can be the cool kid who takes bouquets to their neighbors for Easter!
Space: Do I need lots of room? No, most of these plants require only 6” of space away from their neighbor. So you can snuggle them in next to your shrubby perennials or even create a container masterpiece. (See our blog for some ideas).
Bloom time: Spring flowers are fun because you can have a lot of variety in a short span of time. From March thru May, you could easily have over 20+ varieties of flowers blooming. Begin with some anemones and ranunculus and then add several of the other plug varieties and you’ll have 3 months worth of blooms.
Are you intrigued yet? We’ve just announced our Grow Your Own Workshop for Spring Flowers. A few years ago we gave a full fledged on the farm version of this but since times are crazy, we’ve condensed the most important parts into a 2 hour online workshop. We’ve also created a Facebook group for participants to grow together throughout the winter where you can ask questions and show off your blooms. So come join us, Sept 29, 7 pm— sign up on the shop page!
Shop our Fall Plant Sale to get your spring blooms!
Why do you buy fresh flowers?
Dahlia Bouquet
I spent some time over the past week asking this question of multiple repeat customers. The first comment out of almost every person's mouth was- happiness! Flowers make me happy, they bring joy! Honestly I'm not sure why I was a little bit surprised. I guess maybe I was expecting some deep existential revelation that I hadn't discovered for myself yet.
You see, I started dabbling into the realm of selling bouquets to the public about a year and a half ago. Up until that point, I was all wholesale. Selling to florists was easy. It made sense to me. I had a product they needed to run their business. I could supply that product in a high quality manner and with a freshness you just can't find from shipped flowers. It was a no brainer.
Then I decided to diversify a little bit. I knew what flowers brought to my life. I knew the joy I found in spending hours researching just the right variety or color. The planning process of where it's all going to grow in the field, the soil preparation, seed sowing, planting, tending, and finally the harvest. The process is what intrigues me and fulfills me. But as I began sharing these blooms with the public, I learned about a whole group of people who appreciate the beauty of the results of this process- flower lovers! My florist customers were obviously flower lovers but there were so many others who savored the joy that flowers brought into their lives.
I’ve always kept flowers around my house but mostly it’s a vase or two here and there with stems just thrown in— usually my vases contain my test cases— the new varieties that I need to test vase life. But as I began to see the level of appreciation and joy these flowers brought into other’s lives, it caused me to slow down too. I began to design flowers just for myself. I even kept some of the best stems just for me! I’m a process/goal oriented person- I enjoy figuring it out and the accomplishment is it’s own reward. However, the downside is that you get too wrapped up in all the “goals” you need to accomplish and you forget to celebrate your wins. I forgot to enjoy the harvest of all that hard work. So enjoying my flowers became a version of self care.
Seasonal Bouquet
As I listened to my customers last week, so many shared how flowers have been this bright spot for them over the past few months. They spoke of turning to nature when everything else was horrible. Watching the changing of the seasons through the blooms became a way to know that time was passing even though things seem stuck right now. Several people spoke of how the flowers were a bright spot at the end of a long or hard week- the little push they needed to get to the weekend. Freshness when they were tired and run down. My favorite comment was about how flowers can make your house feel cleaner! I’m a big fan of that one because this farmer rarely has time for a good deep house cleaning.
It’s kinda hard to believe that it’s this simple to find a little happiness in all the crazy of life right now. But just a single bloom can bring so much joy.
My last phone call was with one of my August subscription members. She shared how the flowers reminded her of family members who grew blooms. The flowers brought back beautiful memories. This is true of my life as well. I often think about how much fun it would be to take my grandmother on a tour of my farm! I think it would blow her mind.
So who can you share the joy and happiness of flowers with? Or maybe you need a little for yourself? Being kind to yourself is one of the healthiest things you can do right now. Grab some flowers this week- whether it be a bouquet delivered to your door or picked from your own backyard. Place them in a prominent spot in your house and share them with others. Spread happiness!
Spring Blooming Containers
Don’t have enough room for a cutting garden? Try a cutting container instead. I’ve come up with several good combinations for beautiful spring containers. Definitely plant more than one so you can have one to cut from and one to display on your porch or patio.
Each combo requires a pot that’s at least 12-15” deep and 18-24” in diameter — really the bigger the better but you can use multiple smaller pots. Fill with a good quality potting mix— whatever is available at your local garden center, preferably an organic mix if possible. Potting mixes are designed for good drainage so I recommend those over a straight compost or mixing your own (unless you really know your soil). Most potting mixes already contain fertilizer but if it doesn’t, try a granular fertilizer that has equal parts of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (also known as a balanced complete fertilizer).
Our plants come in 6 or 8 plug strips so buying one combo will actually give you enough to plant 2-3 pots. Make one for display, one for cutting and one to give away!
After filling with organic potting mix, space your seedlings 6'“ apart in the pot. Water thoroughly after planting and make sure the plants stay watered well for the first few weeks while they are establishing. During the winter, water when they are dry. If your pots sit in an uncovered area, monitor to make sure they don’t stay constantly wet. We have wet winters in Upstate South Carolina and you are more likely to loose plants to rot than to cold. Moist soil will also help prevent your plants from cold damage but too much water will cause rot. So moist soil not drenched soil!
Alright— ready for our combos?
Combo 1
Anemones and Ranunculus- this will be a long blooming combination with the anemones starting to bloom in March and the ranunculus beginning in April. They’ll bloom together until mid May. Any combination of colors you like. My choices would be hot pink ranunculus and blue anemones or salmon ranunculus and maroon anemones. With this combo, you’ll want to keep cutting off the spent blooms— this will produce more lovely flowers. Feel free to cut blooms for your vase from this container!
Combo 2
Sweet pea tripod trellis- One pack of sweet peas is perfect for planting on a tripod style trellis. My choice of sweet peas would be the blue mix. Plant around the outside edge of the container about 6” or so apart depending on pot size (just space evenly). You can wait until early March before putting up your tripod poles. You’ll want one pole for each plant. Sweetpeas can get tall so think 6-7’ for your poles (Bamboo canes work well). Tie them together at the top. You can also use a flat or ornate style trellis.
Combo 3
Campanula, Blue Anemones, and Magenta Dianthus- Plant 2 of each variety in the pot grouping like plants together. If your pot is not round and you are planting front to back, place the campanula in the back because it’s the tallest and then the dianthus in front of the campanula and the anemone in the very front.
Combo 4
Snapdragons, Tropical Mix Ranunculus, and Coral Dianthus- Plant 2 of each variety in the pot grouping like plants together. Snaps in the back and mix the ranunculus and dianthus in the mid section and front.
Combo 5
Peach Foxglove, Lemon or Cream Ranunculus, and Maroon Anemones- Foxgloves are the tallest here so in the back or center and mix the ranunculus and anemones in front or circling around the foxgloves. 2-3 of each variety depending on pot size.
Combo 6
Lavender Foxglove, Purple Sweetpea Mix, and Pink or Maroon Anemones- You’ll need a flat trellis in the back of your pot - plant sweet peas 6” apart and then plant the foxglove in front of those then the anemones in the very front of the pot— a square pot would work well for this one. All of these 3 require 6” spacing so plant how ever many your pot will hold with the recommended spacing.
Combo 7
Yarrow, Coral Dianthus, and Snapdragons- This pot has some later blooming varieties and will start late April and go through May. All 3 things are pretty tall so I would suggest planting evenly spaced (6”) and position this pot in the back of a grouping of pots.
Combo 8
Salmon Ranunculus, Peach Foxglove, and Pink/peach Sweetpea mix- The ranunculus will bloom first in this mix so position them towards the middle or front. The sweetpeas will need a trellis to climb so plant them towards the back. The foxglove would look nice off to one side or maybe framing the sweetpea trellis.
Combo 9
Magenta Dianthus, Lavender Ranunculus, and Campanula- The tall spires of campanula will make a good tall focal point for the back of the container. Then mix ranunculus and dianthus in the middle and front regions of the container.
Combo 10
Pink Anemones, Snapdragons, and White/Blush Sweetpea- Place a trellis in the back for the sweetpeas, then add the snaps in front of the sweetpeas. The anemones will fit in the front of the container.
Feeling inspired? Take a look through our Fall Plant shop and pick out a winning combo that will produce beautiful blooms all spring! Or contact us with your color needs and we’ll suggest some beautiful combinations sure to make your porch or patio dazzle!
Spring Blooms
Early May is one of the best times for locally grown flowers. All the good stuff intersects in a beautiful 2 week period: peonies, garden roses, sweet peas, ranunculus, poppies and many more. I took my fancy camera into the field the other day to capture some of the beauty and I thought you’d like to see!
White Sweet peas in the tunnel
It’s the first year we’ve had a hoophouse and it has made a massive difference in the quality of our sweet pea crop. Those blooms hold up so much better if they don’t get trashed by every rain storm.
White Campanula
This is campanula or Canterbury Bells. Better known as — “What is that? It’s gorgeous!” I’m still surprised by how many people don’t know this flower. It looks beautiful in an arrangement, a bouquet, and large scale installation pieces. Also, it has a vase life of almost 2 weeks!
White Chantilly Snaps
Chantilly snapdragons are my all time favorite snap! Their open face design makes them seem so much fluffier and I always like anything a little unusual.
Orlaya
This is orlaya, she’s kinda like if Queen Anne’s Lace and a Lacecap Hydrangea had a baby. She’s sweet and delicate looking but with a strong stem. Also this is one of the toughest plants I know in regards to cold hardiness. You sow these in the fall and they grow all winter with no cover and they are just fine!
Abraham Darby Garden Rose
This is Abraham Darby. One of the best peachy pink garden roses. It’s not quite ready for production cutting yet but still one of my favorites to admire!
Purple Clematis
I’ve been working on clematis for about 3 years now and finally have enough of them to share with all my wonderful customers. This is a purple variety that grows in a herbaceous fashion. It grows more like a bush instead of a vine which makes it way easier to cut! You’ll find these in a lot of our Mother’s Day bouquets. They have gorgeous foliage as well as blooms.
Nymphe Peonies
This little cutie is called Nymphe. It’s one of the few peonies I can still identify. Six floods kinda reaks havoc on your markers in a field! She’s a great producer, loads of stems.
Butterfly Ranunculus
These are butterfly ranunculus. We grew them for the first time this year— in lt pink and creamy yellow. They are definitely a keeper- high stem production, don’t seem to mind our heat too much, and totally beautiful!
You’ll find a selection of these beauties and more in our Mother’s Day Bouquets. So ladies, don’t be shy— forward this post onto your special someone and let them know you want locally grown flowers this year!