Buckets full of sunshine
Hello!
I’ve heard it said that a weed is just a flower in the wrong place. At the moment, after all the rain (beautiful rain) we’ve had and heat we are having, everywhere I turn is the wrong place!
What a lot of work: tugging, hoeing, whacking, even brandishing the hedge trimmer – whew! Why bother? Because they are using sun, soil nutrients and water that I want the bouquet flowers and herbs to have.
The French are not very charitable about weeds. They call them mauvaises herbes or “bad grasses.” I agree. Naughty interlopers.
And talk about accountability. There’s no hiding, bluffing or obfuscating. If I’ve not done the work of covering or moving the soil, the weeds are there. My bad: Bad grasses.
With this heat, the cottage flowers, true to their Victorian roots (ha!) swoon and stall, waiting out the high temps. The name of the game is sunflowers. And rudbeckia (from the Black-Eyed Susan family, but my favorite so far, Irish Eyes, has a lime-green center – so pretty!) They are coming on strong; stronger than the weeds, in fact. Many varieties, colors, shapes and sizes. Summer sunshine!
Some of the very first rows of sunflowers I harvested have produced a number of unusual multi-headed stems. They are funny strange and funny ha-ha. A floral bad hair day.
My best guess is that earlier this spring, when temperatures were still fluctuating and frost cloth was going on for cool nights and coming back off during hot days, some pollinators got caught under the covers and decided to make the most of the situation. Now, a number of weeks later, their horticultural hanky-panky is out in the open!
Last week was a big one for the flower company. Flowers headed to familiar places and new ones alike. There were bud vases at local venues, a last-minute DIY wedding, Pride bouquets at Stumptown, the Davis Farmers Market, and the Canaan Valley Pop-Up. I’m so encouraged that so many people are making seasonal, farm-grown flowers a part of their lives.
This weekend there will be more. Look for bud vases in Thomas, bouquets at Stumptown, the purple tent at the Davis Farmers Market. And a change: I am moving the Canaan Valley Pop-Up to Saturday mornings 9am - noon.
Come on by! Get some sunshine in a vase and fresh herbs. Enjoy summer's beauty, flavor and delight.
Let there be flowers!
Lizz
PS - Points of Sale this week are:
• Thursday, July 2 - Sunday, July 5, bud vases at Blackwater Galley in Thomas, 7 am - 2 pm (delicious breakfasts and baked goods!)
• Thursday, July 2 - Sunday, July 5, bouquets at Stumptown Ales, Davis (while they last - the bouquets that is, there is plenty to drink)
• Fridays, 4:30 - 7:30 pm, Davis Farmers and Artisans Market, next to Davis Riverside Park, across from Shop’n’Save supermarket
• Saturday, July 4 - Canaan Valley Pop-Up, 9am - noon, on Route 32 / Appalachian Highway (by the Canaan Valley Garage)
• For custom orders, quantities, convenience or just because – contact me! hello@canaanvalleyflowerco.com