This past month was all about digging the dahlias up and putting the garden beds to rest. It's also about being strategic with preparing and planting for next spring's blooms. My focus this fall is on next spring's daffodils, tulips, ranunculus, anemones, allium, stock, snapdragons, statice and sweet peas.
Daffodils are already in the ground from previous years, but I did dig them up and divide them. This should increase the number of blooms for the next few years. If you have your own daffodils-it would benefit them by digging them up and dividing them every few years. I just love seeing the daffodils in the spring.
I just received the tulip bulbs from the Dutch wholesaler. They will be going deep in the ground this weekend. They get tucked in nice and close to each other and they will bloom just in time for Mother's Day.
I am still new to growing ranunculus-but I do know that they are so pretty! They resemble a rose-but they do not smell. They have a very nice vase life- plus they are just gorgeous in bridal bouquets. These were bought from another local grower and I used them in my friend's wedding. The ranunculus corms will be going in the ground this weekend as well. They are in the above picture that look like little baby octopus tenacles.
I have some purple anemones that I have been growing for a few years, but this year I will add some pink shades.
The purple ones I have been growing over the past few years do not have the longest stem, but wow they pack a punch of color in the spring. I wrote about them in another blog post last spring.
Purple allium are the tall globe like puff balls that pop up in May. They have been in the ground for several years and come back each spring. I did dig some bulbs up and divide them this fall.
Stock is another new to me cut flower. They are started by seed- and so I started them this past month. They are currently growing, and they will be planted out in the hoophouse when they are strong seedlings. I should have started them back in September, but I was late in getting them going. I think that I still can keep them alive in the hoophouse this winter with even more protection when it gets down around or below 10 * F.
I will start another round of stock in the spring. They have the best clove like smell. I used this purple stock in my friend's wedding this spring and I just loved working with them.
Snapdragons are also a great flower to grow throughout the winter for spring blooms-with a little protection from the elements. I will grow some in the hoophouse this winter. They are started from the tiniest of seeds. The first round of plants was just started, and the next round will be started in March.
Another "S" cut flower is statice. This one has become a favorite of mine and I just love it dried. I started a mix of colors this past year and purple statice was dominant in the pack. In the mix, I got this one plant that was a shade of blue statice that I loved. I hope to get some other colors growing (besides purple) for next spring's blooms. Blue and yellow have been started as seeds- and I hope to get pink statice seeds soon.
Last but not least are the mighty sweet peas. Last spring, I started them, and they were growing great until the aphids found them. Aphids multiply overnight and suck out the life of plants quickly. I had to rip them all out- which was a big loss because I was so looking forward to using them in the cut flower bouquets. I will try them again and see if I can beat the aphids to the game. Lady bugs and green lacewings love aphids- but even with the good bugs, they are hard to control the pesky aphid. I won't use any pesticides either because I do not think that they -pesticides- are a long-term solution or sustainable answer to our land and health. I want you- my customer and friend and neighbor- to be able to put your nose right up to these flowers and not have to worry about any pesticides on them. This might not be a big deal to you- but it is to me.
Hope you enjoy this short post on what I've been up to here on the flower farmstead. If you've ever met me, or know me, then you probably have realized that I just love growing these flowers. I will probably always grow cut flowers until the day I meet Jesus.
yours truly, Heather
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