On your mark, get set…
Hello!
There’s a saying, often attributed to John Lennon, that life is what happens while you’re making plans. That certainly holds true for flower farming.
I mean, it’s mid-April now. Proper spring. The peepers are peeping, quail are “bob-bob-whiting,” and I keep blinking and wondering: “Where did that green come from? I don’t remember buds on that branch last time I looked.”
Many things are just starting, while others are already done. The daffodils are finished. Some seeds have just been planted, while other seedlings have been moved up from the basement to a shelf outside by the garage door, where they’re meeting wind for the first time as they “harden off.”
In flower farming, a good rule of thumb is to order for next year while you’re harvesting this year. That way, you can expect that what you’re loving now will show up again next season. It’s one of those “be kind to your future farmer self” practices.
Take the jasmine-scented Bridal Crown daffodils that filled the bud vases on my Bridal Expo table last weekend. They were a delight. They weathered an 11°F night and, once cut, held up beautifully in vases over the next several days. Always good to see. Paired with ruffly White Lion daffodils, dusky rose hellebores, and sprigs of eucalyptus I’d overwintered in the greenhouse, they made for a stunning display. So, I’m ordering more of those bulbs for next spring, along with a few later-blooming varieties to follow them at this time next year.
Speaking of orders, 40 hellebores arrived today! That brings me back to the present and those best-laid plans. These new arrivals need watering and acclimatization, then they will go into the ground. I’m getting myself and the flower bed ready, too.
All of this makes me even more eager to get the farm stands up and running. So, when flowers and herbs are blooming and fresh, I can let you know, and they can be there for you.
Let there be flowers!
Lizz
PS - That’s me at the Bridal Expo last weekend. The new banner looked great, the flowers looked and smelled even better, and I met some truly lovely people. Not bad for a first time out!