Bouquets

I am so confused!  One morning we wake to blue skies and the fields look like pans of brownie batter.  The very next day the rows are blanketed in white and frost coats every twig!  So to combat this case of weird weather blues I assembled some of my favorite spring bouquets from the farm last year...

 

 

 ...and these beauties I put together today.

 There may be snow on the ground and skies full of lead, but color and hope for the spring ahead are right here.

Greenhouse Experiment: Anemones

Every year we do a little research and development on the farm.  This year we converted one of the hoop houses to a heated greenhouse, doubling our early production real estate and heating costs.  Last fall we sectioned off half of one of the greenhouses with a plastic wall and planted anemones, ranunculus and hellebores.  It has been such a mild winter that I have had fresh flowers in the house for weeks and we now have anemones coming out of our ears!

 This is a great shot of the greenhouse division--anemones on the right, ranunculus on the left and RT placing transplants at the back.  He removed the plastic "wall" last week to make ready for new transplants but it was just behind all the greenery.

 We spent a long day in various squat positions last week transplanting over 3,000 new starts.  It looks like RT does all the work here but only because  he is NOT to be trusted with the camera.  I was right there with him--he removed the transplants from the plug tray and placed them and I set them in.  We filled the first greenhouse to capacity with snap dragons, Bells of Ireland and matricaria.

 Then we moved to the newly converted greenhouse and planted a long row, 100 feet, with the same varieties.  The ground in the middle of this photo is full of tulips planted last fall.

RT is demonstrating the most difficult planting position--the up against the greenhouse double knee side stretch.  It's a killer!