IT”S DAHLIA SEASON,  FINALLY!!!

But let’s back up a bit . . .   I haven’t posted a blog in years, so let’s take a minute to catch up on 2024 here at the farm.  A beautiful spring with cool temps and plenty of rain. We left our windows open in late May which is such a bonus for this I-hate-to be-inside girl. All the “cool flowers” were blooming in time for Mother’s Day and the best crop of campanula, snaps, and sweet peas we’ve ever had!

We stay around the farm for the most part and invite folks to visit us to attend a workshop, a farm tour, or pick up a CSA bouquet or wedding flowers. We love the relationships that tag along with flowers and we cherish all you folks who choose to take time from your days and spend time with us.

This year was the first year we did an early spring CSA that began with daffodils, flowering spring branches, and tulips (which I haven’t grown in years) and we loved getting to see our farm folk in March instead of April. We’re in our fourth CSA of the season now.

Workshops that involve teaching folks what we know about flower farming and growing in general are fun for us and hopefully informative for those who visit. We’ve also managed to host a Farm Tour every month since April and we are always so pleased with the discussions and friendships that come along with our visitors.

We enjoy our design workshops also and are amazed that we can all start with the same flowers and end up with unique and beautiful arrangements! We have another one or two planned before frost!

We have two weeks left in ourFall CSA Bouquet Share and we love sending bouquets out onto your kitchen tables, front porches, or even your desk at the office. This fall we have Tuesday pick ups at the farm or at Reclaimed Inspired Goods, the coolest shop in Johnson City!

We hosted our first ever U-Pick recently and we loved it. Moms and kiddos, families, friends, and just flower lovers gathered on a beautifully cool evening and cut a medium sized bucket, looked around a bit, and just relaxed for a minute or two. We also hosted our first Farm Store where we sold flowers fresh and dried, Roy’s charcuterie boards, art prints, corn shocks and more. Such fun finding new ways to visit with folks on the farm.

Well, that’s just a quick little recap of what’s been going on here this season. So, after a lovely cool spring, we survived the heat and drought of the summer and so thankful September has brought cooler temps. We’re always anxious for a bit more rain, but in farming we’ve learned to take each day as it comes and find something to be thankful for.

We’ve got more planned for September including a farm tour   this evening Thursday the 19th, from 6-8 p.m. you can grab a spot until 3 pm!  So many dahlias ready for you to cut and enjoy and the weather is perfect. You’ll learn a bit of farm history back into the 1700’s, a bit about what’s growing now and what’s to come, and we’ll hope you’ll make a friend or two along the way. This will likely be the last tour of the season!

And a new workshop Flower Happy Hour on Tuesday evening October 1st from 6:30-8:30 is one I’ve been looking forward to for some time.

Bring a friend or come and make a friend and sip mulled cider (or bring something a bit stronger) as we relax and enjoy the evening. We’ll have some flowers cut but will cut a few more and then create a fancy ball jar sized arrangement fit for a formal dining party or a casual picnic. Then we’ll end with charcuterie and more cider under the lights at the Homeplace.

Seems I  enjoyed writing this blog so I’ll hope to become a bit more regular at it. Glad to have you follow along and I’ll try to share something  specific each time that might help you grow something or just appreciate something blooming along the way.