What's Fresh September 12

Does this Lysimachia "Firecracker" look familiar? Look back to my blog dated August 8 . I did several arrangements with "Firecracker" and at the end of the week I took everything out except the lysimachia. Each week I refreshed the water and marveled at the longevity of this little plant. After four weeks I find it freakishly strange!

The bad news is that we have ended deliveries for the season--the good news is that our good friends at Go-fer it are happy to make deliveries right to your door. This week we are in a bit of an uproar getting ready for tulips and prepping a new greenhouse for rannunculus and anemonies. So my blog this week is down and dirty--photos of flowers right out of the field.

First up: Amaranth "Hot Biscuit"

Bells of Ireland

Blood flower AKA Scarlett Asclepias
and
Sea Oats

Delphinium and orange bits in the front of the bucket are Orange Asclepias

Euphoriba "Marginata"
Seriously this is another foliage plant with longevity. I deliver a bouquet each week to a doctor's office in town. Three weeks ago I made a monochromatic bouquet with this euphorbia, white phlox and Highlander millet. Last week my client asked me to leave the bouqet because it still looked good. This week I did take the arrangement away because the phlox was very tired but the euphorbia, and of course the millet, looked fantastic. Freaky!

Ornamental oregano, yarrow and more delphinium.

"Pee Gee" Hydrangea--we are still cutting "Lime light" and the "Pee Gee" has just started.

Snow berry and Coral berry--we did not cut it back this year and so the stems are branching multiples instead of one long arching stem. I think it is easier to work with.

We are still greeting the dawn with shears in hand and start each day cutting what ever is ready. Due to the prolonged cool spring, the list is surprisingly long. Please check your fax and email for full availability and if you are especially interested in something just call us. We will be happy to send it to you.

What's Fresh September 5

The days are shorter, the nights are longer and cooler and the fields are becoming empty. The grain field on our north side was harvested weeks ago and the potato harvest has begun a few miles south...it is fall. Before it is all over I wanted to share a bit with you.

Such an odd year...it is not unusual to get a second bloom from this clematis, but unheard of to get one so late. It looks fantastic with the ash berries in the background.

We continue to harvest each morning but the pace is much more relaxed--there are fewer varieties to harvest and it stays cooler longer. What a tremendous difference a few days can make, just last week we were scrambling to get everything done before the killer heat at noon.

These rows are just gorgeous...in the early morning it looks as if it has snowed on the euphorbia.

Finally the sunflowers are blooming as they should, they are unstoppable.

Lime Light hydrangea row in full bloom.

Our last view of the sweet peas--I have been putting RT off for a week now--this row needs to be torn down so the ground can be worked in readiness for tulip planting, but they are just so lovely. In the evenings their fragrance covers the farm.

It is unheard of to have sweet peas in late August, a miracle to have them in September!


Ready for delivery tomorrow:

Celosia in multiple color variations--lime green is my favorite.

We also have yellow and orange combinations and fuchsia.

Lime Light Hydrangea--the extended cool period was excellent for this hydrangea. The heads are full, huge and because they have not been bleached out by the sun, are very lime green.

We finally have more suns than we need--surprise!

Hot Biscuit (Gold) Amaranth

We are celebrating the fall season with grasses--we have two new varieties this week.

Lime Light Millet

This millet is very similar to our Foxtail millet except the heads are much larger.

Switch Grass
Not new to us, just new on the truck.

Tapestry Grass

Large golden heads, curiously woven on a strong stem.

Please consult your fax and email lists for full availability.