We are Going to Have Some Snapdragons!

Wow!  So one of my goals for myself for the coming year was to ensure not only did we have quality flowers to offer, but also quantity.  We have such a small growing area (580 dedicated square feet thus far - not including perennial beds) that what I really wanted to do was have each row be just one flower type.  And for the most part, it looks like that's going to happen!

There are 128 Potomac Orange Snapdragon plants in this 20' row!  My germination rates for snapdragons were amazing this year.  Last year I didn't keep records because it was so heart-breaking.  But if I were to guess... out of 80 or so soil blocks, I got maybe 6 actual snapdragon plants.  This year, I got nearly 100% germination - and they are THRIVING in this bed!  So much so that I'm debating pinching them before I cover them tonight for the season.

I also have a 20' row dedicated to direct seeding.... the jury is still out on how that is looking but I will continue to hope for the best and maybe the birds didn't get to all the poppy, nigella, larkspur and rudbeckia seeds.

Finally bit the bullet and yanked out the plants on the other side of the garden.  The ageratum were beautiful and still bountifully producing...

... but I needed to make room for the Madame Butterfly Bronze Snapdragons and several different varieties of Dianthus - otherwise known as Sweet William.  Speaking of Sweet William... this one is growing like a weed... must be all that rich soil...

And his brother is pretty amazing, too.  Yesterday as I was trying to get some more work done in the garden, Owen decided to take these spent zinnias and make some beautiful table art.

And who said leaves are only for mulching pathways and amending soil?  Well, that's what these were intended for, but we need to do some leaf pile jumping first!

Here we go Spring 2018!

So we are officially kicking off activities for our Spring 2018 flowers.  We have started some of our hardy annuals in soil blocks, kept company by a vase full of inspiration from our current gardens.

These hardy annuals are just that - hardy!  Hopefully in a few weeks we will have little seedlings that we will plant in our yet-to-be-prepared beds to winter over for Spring 2018 blooms.  So what do we hope to have?  Below is the list of what has been started in our soil blocks:

Plant Type	Color
Snapdragon - Potomac	Orange
Snapdragon - Madame Butterfly	Bronze
Ammi Daucus Carota Dara
Ammi	Green Mist
Helichrysum Double	Mix
Monarda Citridora	Mix
Dianthus Amazon	Neon Cherry
Dianthus Chabaud	Orange Sherbert
Dianthus Superbus	Fringed Pink
Calendula Officinalis	Yellow
Feverfew
Scabiosa QIS	Mix
Scabiosa	Fire King

I hope our germination rates are much improved for all of these this year... and I'm going to do a better job of tracking not only our germination rates, but how many of each make it to light, make it into the garden, winter-over, and begin producing.  Once producing, I need to document when we make our first cut and how many usable stems we get per plant.  I think that part (hopefully we get there!) will be a little harder based on my experience this year.  I need to be ruthless and really heed the advice of the pros and pinch some of these early if I want to have better more usable stems....  but it's so hard to make that first cut!

Next up, also to be planted in our yet-to-be-prepared beds, these will be direct-seeded into the garden:

Nigella Damascena
Bupleurum
Conslida Ambigua	Mix
Papaver Rhoeas	Red
Centaurea Cyanus	Florist Blue Boy

I fell in love with Nigella last year, commonly called Love-in-a-Mist.  Fantastic hardy little pink, white, blue and purple flowers with funky little seed pods.  I hope some will have self-seeded in my perennial bed, but regardless, we will be putting them in en masse in our cutting beds.  

And now I'm off to check our little seedlings for germination...

Past their prime... but more on their way

I know these flowers are past their prime and are starting to fade... especially the phlox... but even spent flowers can bring me joy.

But not to worry, the garden is recovering from this week's harvest and more are on their way.... yesterday's rain will help too.

My first statice...

Cosmos!

Celosia

Zinnias

Dahlias, dahlias and more dahlias...

First Wedding Flowers

Today I delivered our first flowers for a wedding - 12 mason jar arrangements as reception table centerpieces at Harvest House at Lost Creek.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day - about 80 degrees, sunny, slight breeze, low humidity - perfect day for an outdoor wedding.  I realized I should have taken photos of where the ceremony was setting up in a beautiful glade down the hill from the main house and reception venue.

When I met with the bride and we talked about style and color - "rustic" and "pops of color" seemed to resonate most.  Hopefully these made her smile.  Here are the arrangements on our kitchen table as we were getting ready to transport them.

And below are a few photos from the venue - they were just setting up as I arrived so my flowers were the first things on the table!  There were table numbers and wine bottles with sprigs of baby's breath also prepped to go on the tables and I can't wait to see pictures of the final setup.

Most of all, I hope she is happy.  I started to get teary-eyed as I thought about the wedding day and just how beautiful weddings are - full of hope and promise.  And of course, I was thinking about my darling husband who did so much to help me get these flowers ready - mostly by keeping our two young boys away as I harvested most of the day on Friday and arranged all Saturday morning.  Oh - and he figured out the perfect way to transport these arrangements - in cut down wine bottle boxes!

All my best to the bride and groom and their future!

Where has the time gone?

This Spring and Summer have been full of flowers and all sorts of growing... mostly in terms of learning about HOW to grow flowers.  I have been so delighted with what has been growing, but also surprised by what is not growing so well.  All sorts of lessons learned that will be applied to the next seasons.  I guess the main lesson is that this is farming and it is difficult... but oh my is it rewarding!

Below are just a few happy pictures of the bounty!

Can I please just get a day in the garden?

Well it is officially the First Day of Spring!  We've had some pretty major ups and downs temperature-wise and I know a lot of folks in the area have been worried about their early flowering plants... either I'm a little cooler where I am or I put stuff in the ground late last year and that is why they are late.  I suppose we shall see next year what schedule they are on.  I have been able to pick some daffodils and they make me so happy!  Just sunshine in a little cup!

I also went up to my local nursery and picked up (finally!) a forsythia and a flowering quince.  I did receive some gifts of each of these from my aunts but they don't seem to have fared well so I'm starting from scratch.  It is so nice to see those bright flowers in the garden while everything else is still brown, though with a bit of green poking around at the bottom of some of the plants.

Because of our temperature swings, I haven't cleared out the garden yet, basically wanting the old plant matter to provide some additional protection from the high winds and cold temperatures.  It looks like in the next 10 days we have one more night that might get to the 20s but everything else looks like 30s, 40s and even 50s as low temperatures.

These two little ones, in between eating dirt and who knows what else, smacking each other upside the head and picking up things that they're not supposed to... they make it a little hard to get anything done.  But, guess what, they did help me plant a rose bush last night... they dug their little holes and I dug mine and they helped me cover it up... progress!

And, of course, my Mike... who puts up with me as we both are trying to figure out all of this and try to get it done right... or just get it done!  He made the planting template so now we just need to get the landscape fabric situated on the beds and Thursday night I am planting my first seed block transplants!!!  I am so excited!  They are probably hating me right now because they should have been planted weeks ago and are getting to such an overgrown state that I'm not quite sure how many I have.. but, whatever, they are going in the ground!  I have some snapdragons too and they might just end up in the same bed as the stock because they are so few (maybe 6).

I have been losing confidence in my Green Thumb abilities with soil blocking... but I have my third round of seed blocks going and I MAY have gotten it right.  The first set was too wet and cold, the second too hot and dry... and this third... not dry... maybe a little too warm... but it's looking okay at least.  Anyhow, I guess some plants are better than none and I've noticed that when I give up on snapdragon seedlings... then somehow those trays start to show a little life.

So I really don't get much time in the garden, and last night I came home from work, kicked off my heels and threw on my boots and went out to the garden... dress and all.  I know my neighbors must wonder what I'm up to but I just needed to get out there and changing clothes takes time.  So, in this cute little number - ha! - I planted two rose bushes, three heleobores, got my dress caught on a raspberry vine and tried to keep the boys away from daddy who was setting up the drip irrigation.  But can I please just have a day in the garden?

Is this Spring?

We've had such a strange winter... or lack thereof, that I think the plants and all of us are a bit confused.  I've had cheerful little crocus heads peaking up at me in the morning in all of their yellows, purples and whites.

As I head off to work I check on the daffodils and the tulips to see how much they've grown (and if the bunny rabbits and/or deer are continuing to munch on the tulips).  I saw life from a peony that I had long ago given up for dead and was just overjoyed to see it poking it's funny little purple/red fronds up.

We go from 70 degree days to 40 degree days within the same three-day span and while I'm excited to see all these signs of Spring, it comes with worry that it comes too soon.  Technically we have seven weeks to go before our official last frost date of 18 April and I wonder if some of these plant babies are going to make it through the temperature swings that are ahead of us.  

I'm continuing to work on my seedlings and soil blocking.  I've already learned some "what-not-to-do's".  Basically, it seems that where I was starting my seedlings was a little too cool and I had quite a bit of damping off.  I also over-watered which didn't help anything.  We went out and purchased a $40 space heater and it seems to have done the trick (along with the 70 degree days).  So, I've rescued what I could of the snapdragon seedlings (oh, I might have five left...) and the stock (these did much better) and am at a point where I need to get them in the ground.  Here they are hardening off on the front porch.

We are a little behind on getting our beds going... but the boys are enjoying their makeshift sandbox!

In the background you can see the original three beds we prepared.  Two were planted with a cover crop of clover.  I've heard that the benefit really comes from letting them flower before you turn them over, but I might just bite the bullet and turn these into the bed for the seedlings I have that need to go in the ground now.  The third bed was planted on 3 October with cool flowers and they are continuing to flourish.  In this photo you can see dill and larkspur that will need to be thinned once they get a little taller.

The next projects are to get the beds on the other side of the house prepared and outfitted with drip-tape irrigation and landscape fabric (to cut down the need for weeding).  The longer term plan is to hook the irrigation up to rain barrels but we may initially hook it up to our regular hose-bib with Town water until we can get all of our barrels in place.  Lots of projects ahead, but also hopefully lots of flowers!  I can't wait... and maybe Spring isn't going to wait either...