April Happenings
Ok, wow, so APRIL!
This is really when things get moving around here - checking the forecast daily (okay, hourly), mapping out when to do things, following the plans I set back in the midst of winter, checking on seedlings, moving plants to the greenhouse and most importantly - trusting the process!
I feel like April has really sent a curveball with the weather last week. For those who aren’t in Minnesota, we experienced FOUR DAYS STRAIGHT of high 80 degree weather, with some pretty hefty winds during those days. It felt like all hands on deck, and between a full time job, kids, flower farming business and a stomach bug (thanks, kids) there was not a free minute to be found.
And that’s just in the last five days. It looks like we’ll be getting some snow now, and steadier (but lower) temps for the next week or so. As much as I love the feel of summer, it’s definitely too soon (especially for the tulips popping up) and I need a bit more time to follow my plans!
Now for the updates. With the craziness of last week, I was able to get two beds planted - bachelor’s buttons with anchusa (dropmore) and a bed of snapdragons. These guys have hung in there, almost to rootbound status, since February and they were READY to get in the ground. They’re already thriving with the day of rain we’ve had, which is great! Next up are more snapdragons, lisianthus, clary sage, and more cool flowers to get in the ground when we can.
I took advantage of the high temps and had most of the dahlia cuttings and eucalptus seedlings - they’re more like actual plants now - sit outside to give my home office a break from the lights and humidity for a few days. They weren’t big fans of the wind, and I didn’t think I’d be staking dahlias before they were in the ground, but here we are. Hopefully now that they’ve gotten a feel for the outside they’ll be primed and ready to go by mid May!
I took advantage of the high temps and had most of the dahlia cuttings and eucalyptus seedlings - they’re more like actual plants now - sit outside to give my home office a break from the lights and humidity for a few days. They weren’t big fans of the wind, and I didn’t think I’d be staking dahlias before they were in the ground, but here we are. Hopefully now that they’ve gotten a feel for the outside they’ll be primed and ready to go by mid May!
I’ve also sown two rounds of sunflower seeds, aiming to have some blooming by early June. If things go somewhat to plan, they’ll go in the ground at the end of the month and I’ll use covers to protect them from any late frost. Keep your fingers crossed!
The last round of dahlia cuttings has been taken, which puts us right around 600 total. Combine that with the 900 tubers I have from last year and I’ll be swimming in dahlia blooms come July - that means LOTS to share!
The tulips have gone bananas in the span of three days with the higher temps. They’re looking great, and the lower temps we have now should steady them out a bit, and hopefully catch the stems in time from getting too weak. When they shoot up too fast (due to high temps), the stems will flop. While still gorgeous, we definitely want strong stems to support the blooms!
(From left to right - Tulips on Monday, Tuesday and THURSDAY!)
We’ve been able to get 18 4x20 rows of weed barrier prepped for planting - this involves burning holes in the weed barrier with a handheld propane torch and multiple templates of plant spacing. The majority of the beds use 9in spacing (snapdragons, bachelors buttons, scabiosa, forget-me-nots, zinnia, marigold, rudbeckia) followed by 6in (single stem sunflowers, lisianthus, anemone), 12in (clary sage, cosmos, celosia, queen anne’s lace) and the less often used 18in (hibiscus, branching sunflowers, eucalyptus). This allows for good air flow between the plants and a way to hopefully keep weeds down! I learned very quickly last year that having this many beds and hand weeding was not a good use of my time.
(Behold, a very messy greenhouse packed with weed fabric, seedlings, and a treasure trove of empty pots)
In total, I’ll be planting 40 4x20 beds of cut flowers and fillers, along with 15 4x50 beds (100 plants per) of dahlias. Lots of work goes into each bed - the weed barrier, the planting, staking if needed (usually is) and watering. We’ll be using drip irrigation for the dahlias as they are a bit more high mainteance when it comes to watering - they don’t like overhead watering, don’t handle drought well and like a more consistent watering system. These are all steps we’re getting into place now so that we can enjoy the summer of cutting and sharing blooms!
I can’t WAIT to get these flowers into your hands - and to continue to share updates!
