Sunday, April 29, 2012

Idaho Spring

"If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes," was the motto of my first cross-stitch.  Not, it is actually one of my many tattoos...totally kidding!  It is just a reality, like the last four days.
Wednesday we wake to beautiful clear skies, warm and sunny.  By noon it is so hot it is too miserable to work, it feels like August!

Ice tea and lunch on the deck.


You can feel the heat radiating in these poppies!


Thursday is much cooler, cloudy with high winds.  I focus on green house work.


Friday morning is cold and windy.  We have snow flurries on and off all morning.
(Can you see the flakes against the barn?)

It is like living inside a snow globe--seriously!?


Note the snow on the barn roof...

and the snow on the chair and field where we just planted a ton of seedlings!
Although it remained chilly the snow quickly melted.


Saturday morning was crisp but bright and


we woke to "yellow snow"!

Welcome to Idaho in the spring.


Friday, April 27, 2012

What's Fresh April 30, 2012

How about a field trip?  This week I invite you on a virtual tour of  Bindweed.  Please enjoy field shots of what we are harvesting this week.


Crab apple blossoms


Lilac
 

Muscari aka grape hyacinth

 

 

Giant hyacinth


Sweet peas
 

Thermopsis
 

Icelandic Poppies



Tahiti daffodils, double and fragrant.


LA hybrid Lilies


Tulips
in red, orange, mango, pink, purple and white.


Bridal Crown daffodils, super fragrant, multiple heads on one stem.


Thank you for coming.

Please check your fax and email for full availability.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Earth Day

Did you see the Google Doodle for Earth Day?  I get a kick out of the doodles but especially today's little rhyme..."roses are red, violets are blue, for Earth Day this year, let's all plant a few".  At Bindweed, we took this to heart--big time, planting over 6000 little posies and not just because it was Earth Day.  We do this every spring.

You know, it is so fun ordering plants in the dead of winter.  There is such hope, such promise, envisioning the possibilities and it is just dang fun to think about filling a space with luscious color...  but when the orders start flooding in it can be totally overwhelming.

Tuesday afternoon we had visits from UPS and FedEx.
Here's the list:
     500 crocosmia bulbs
     1300 lily bulbs
     600 phlox bare roots
     5000 assorted annuals

It is important to get everything unpacked, hydrated and into the ground as soon as possible so we turn the little barn into a staging area and plan our strategy.  The weather forecast sucks for the next three days, high winds and cold temperatures with rain.  Total bummer, but farming is not for whimps.


The bulbs and bare roots come packed in peat moss, wrapped in large plastic bags, nestled in crates, that are housed in cardboard crates.  The cardboard crates are then stacked inside larger boxes for shipping.  Yes, we do recycle--so a big Earth Day shout out for Bingham Curbside Recycling! 

 The annuals come in plug trays, like the six packs you buy in the garden centers, but these trays contain hundreds of cells holding hundreds of seedlings.  (I nearly cry each time I unpack trays with 392 cells--they are killers.  The seedlings are usually small and delicate and it takes a long time to plant 392 seedlings.)  The trays are covered with  netting, like a sexy little red fishnet stocking, to secure the seedlings for shipping.  Then each tray is covered with bubble wrap.  Each tray rests on a cardboard flat with sides that fold up to create sides at the right height to protect the plants.  (More recycling.)  The trays are then stacked in boxes and shipped.
   
 Typical April day, cold with HIGH winds.  RT, my hero, took the dirty job planting outside.  




Lily bulbs ready for planting--roots down, pointy end up.

A row of lilies ready to be covered in.  The black line down the center is drip tape, buried with the bulbs so that the water is directed to the roots.


Inside the greenhouse the wind was not blowing 30 mph, lucky me.  I filled the spaces Carey and I cleaned out and prepared last week.

My good friend, Brenda, helped me plant in the afternoon, what an angel.  We filled the greenhouse with hundreds of seedlings--snap dragons, matricaria and bells of Ireland.

It took us two and a half days to set in all the plants shipped...and then when the weather turned warm.  That is so Idaho--so we did some direct seed planting.  RT planted cosmos, dill, fox tail millet, orach, and sunflowers.


We have this great little planter that drops the seed at perfect intervals based on the size of the seed. 


As the seeder is pushed it causes a disc with holes to rotate like a Ferris Wheel, collecting the seeds one by one.  Then they are dropped into a shoot set at the proper soil level.  A small chain drags over the furrow created by the shoot, burying the seeds and the back wheel compresses the soil.  Ingenious! 


Now it is just a matter of walking the seeder down the miles and miles of rows.


Four huge days, we are exhausted and feeling our age but in a few short weeks we will be reaping the benefits of thousands and thousands of beautiful flowers.


 
Happy Earth Day!




Friday, April 20, 2012

What's Fresh April 24, 2012

 Another big week for tulips at Bindweed.  We are enjoying the last flush of parrot tulips.  I did a small bouquet featuring Inzell and pink ranunculus.


(Yep, the little elf in the photo is our grand-daughter. )


The first cut of the day.


We have a beautiful assortment of tulips harvested daily.  I will load the trucks up with a variety of colors but if you desire  particular colors please call ahead or send an email.


We are also celebrating ranunculus by reducing the price.  We have an abundance and love sharing.


 Even Gracie loves Ranunculus!


We are loving the new variety of Temptress poppies--we are definitely tempted.
They are so rich in color and vigor.

The daffodils are just starting to produce outside.  Fragrant and delicate, like little ballerinas in the field.

This is the last week for grape hyacinths, harvested in bunches, they are a true hallmark of spring.



The sweet peas are just gorgeous, long, straight stems full of fragrance.

Please consult your email and fax for full availability and feel free to call or email to preorder.