Sunday, April 20, 2014

Finally, it is Spring!!!

There goes my good intentions for updating the blog once a week! But hey, you can only do so much when you are digging in the dirt 24/7 taking care of a u-pick berry farm, a plant nursery, and now a cut-flower farm...add children to that mix along with a husband who slaves for me in what little time he has from his full-time job...and it gets a bit chaotic around here.

What's new in the field: Tulips! With their rich colors and fragrant gorgeousness it was a wonderful crop and the first wave of 1800 has found very happy new homes...now we are waiting on the next wave of 1400 tulips which should coincide with Mother's Day. Also new in the field, peonies are growing like mad in this crazy 80 degree one minute and 27 degrees the next weather we have been having, they have gotten a little bit wind burned from the constantly strong and -unusual even for us- winds that have we been having for the last two months...but they are hardy survivors and are putting out buds faster than I can nip them! Next up in the field are the berries; The blueberries that we planted last Spring are now fully established -despite the goats pruning them!- and have their first blossoms with lot's of new green growth. Jay and I have been busy laying plastic and planting strawberries...we intend to get 2000 strawberries into the ground over the next week. The blackberries and raspberries have also fully established themselves, and we are so excited to have some berries off of them this year! As for the flower field, we laid white plastic with our new mulch layer for the field, we are hoping to get the Lisianthus in the ground over the next two weeks, and with 5000 plants to settle in it will likely take the full two weeks because we will also be planting out sweet peas, dahlias, gladiolus, and tuberoses at the same time!








What's new in the greenhouse: With around 20,000 new plants -mostly all grown from seed over the Winter- the greenhouse is FULL! And we have ROSES! The first blooms started yesterday from Abbaye de Cluny a gorgeous apricot, huge bloom and fragrant hybrid tea rose...the fragrance is so intense that it hits you like a wave of deliciousness from the moment that you step into the greenhouse...it is moments like these in which I thank God that I am a flower farmer blessed with a love of the land and all things colorful and fragrant which feed my soul!

Happy Easter everyone! and come blessed Spring after the long cold Winter!