2013 Tulip Varieties

Tulip Mania

A visual tour of the tulips we are growing this year.  Some of them are new varieties for us and so I have posted some photos from the net, thank you for sharing Google folk.  

We plant in succession, that means we plant early, mid-season and late blooming varieties in three different environments--heated greenhouse, hoop house and outside.  In theory, the early varieties in the heated greenhouse will be the first to bloom and the other varieties will bloom in succession.  Then the early tulips in the hoop house (unheated greenhouse) will begin to bloom, creating the second wave of tulips.  As the last of the late bloomers in the hoop house bloom the early varieties outside will also begin to bloom, giving us 10 to 12 weeks of tulips. 

 That means that not all varieties are available at the same time.

Beauty of Spring

Big Smile

Blushing Apeldoorn

Clearwater

Dordogne

Hocus Pocus

Impression Series tulips:

Apricot Impression

 Pink Impression

 

 Red Impression 

 

Salmon Impression

 

La Courtine

Mariette

 

Maureen

Menton

Neon Lights

Ollioules

 

Orange Queen

 Parade Series tulips:

Golden Parade

Red Parade

Parrot tulips:

Flaming Parrot

Red Cap

Rococo

Salmon Parrot

 

 

 Perestroika

 Spring Green

 World's Favorite (Ja's Favorite too)

 Grown local, harvested by hand and delivered to you with great care.

 Please check your fax and email for current availability.

Ground Hog's Day

At the crack of dawn, a lone man fights through heavy drifts of snow, often waist deep and digs until sunrise to free the greenhouse door.  As the first rays of the sun cut over the foothills he crosses the threshold and pauses, breath held, and lights a single heavy duty kitchen match.  Tension is high, as he holds it near the gas jet, a small whoosh and a tiny blue flame appears, cutting through the darkness...behold!  

It is spring at Bindweed!  Let the work begin.

Even in the deepest cold the tulips are sung in their beds.  Sensing the warmer air they begin to emerge.

 

A new shipment of plants arrive and we set baby snaps, poppies and stock into newly prepared beds.

The soil is warm and my senses wake to fresh air, moist and fecund, smelling of soil and plants.  Air that does not give me a brain-freeze or frost the hair in my nose.

The wind rages outside, throwing snow against the walls of the greenhouse.  It sounds like another blizzard moving in, but I peel off my work coat and finish the last flat of seedlings in my sweat shirt.  Our knees creek and our backs reaffirm our age, but it is good to be out in the dirt.

The Last Big Job of the Year: Tulips

Thanks to some very good, albeit strange, friends we just finished the last big job of the year.  Last Friday we received the second half of 30,000 tulip bulbs.  Our good friends showed up early Saturday morning and we kicked butt.

Kath (super volunteer/employee of the year) and Brenda (good good friend) planted back to back in raised beds, a very good way to become fast friends.  

While observing our labors a neighbor once commented that we did "low" work--this is the lowest.   It takes hours and hours and many hands to place bulbs in row...

...after row, after row.

 We all get a little crazy after a couple of hours in the "trenches".

Then there is the back-breaking job of covering the beds.  Shannon, dear insane friend, hauled bag after bag of soil mix.  She was unstoppable--well, except for the occasional photo.

It's a big dirty job but after a few months rest we go from this...




to this...

and this!

Now we can truly rest.  Thanks again to our dedicated crew.

Split Personality

I went a little crazy this season.  Keeping up with production, sales, blogging, menopause and everything else I got a bit scattered.  I enjoy being the Renaissance Gal but is difficult being all things to all people.  In an effort to create a little separation between farm life and creative life a few changes are needed.
First, a new blog dedicated to artwork, Bindweed Studio, another dedicated to all things delicious, Bindweed Kitchen and a new look and name for this blog, Bindweed Farm.  Here is the place to keep up with news on the farm, planting, harvesting and of course weekly posts on what's fresh.

Bindweed Studio is a place to share artwork and connect to the world visually in creative ways.  A stop at Bindweed Kitchen is like sitting down at my table where I serve up recipes, chit-chat and Bindweed-sized portions of good things to eat.   I invite you to visit my new blogs and hope you will follow me there as well.

Here's to new beginnings.

What's Fresh Sept. 17, 2012

We caught a surprise frost early this week and lost many of the annuals, most notably the zinnias.  Consequently we are left with the perennials and some hearty sunflowers.

Asclepias orange

Black-eyed Susans

 Indigo Spires

This photo does not do it justice, I was trying to illustrate just how beautiful and tall these babies are.  The row is 200 ft. long and about five feet wide and the spires themselves are four to five feet tall.  What a show they make, just gorgeous.

Lysimachia "Firecracker"

Miscanthus

This elegant bronze head is a perennial grass that grows to be eight feet tall, it is almost that high now.  The tassels are a silky copper-bronze, just stunning.

Ornamental Oregano

 Ravenna Grass

Another amazing perennial grass--we planted this at the foot of the wind turbine because it can grow to over twelve feet high--it's just about there now.  The heads are platinum to pewter and silky green.

These cool heads are from the rudbeckia family--cousins to the Black-eyed Susans.

Two kinds of sage, narrow leaf

and round leaf

 Scabiosa

Sedum

Snowberry

Coral berry

Sunflowers with brown centers and green centers

Verbena "Bonariensis"

Yarrow mixed bunch

We are no longer making physical deliveries but our good friends at Go-fer It are happy to bring you flowers Mondays through Fridays.  Please call or email if you would like to place an order.