Howdy friends. I'm popping in for a short farm update and to share some great last minute " living gift" ideas with you. Some of you may remember that I went to work part-time at a local nursery back in April. It's been a great compliment to my own flower farming endeavors and quite an education to go through the growing season from a garden center's perspective.
One of my favorite things about this time of the year at the garden shop is still being surrounded by seasonal living plants. Paper whites and Amaryllis bulbs are some of the easiest bulbs to force. Paper whites will grow in pots, jars, tubs, bowls, soup tureens, what ever you have on hand.
Amaryllis bulbs take about 8 weeks from planting to bloom time and make a lovely, bold impression indoors during the holidays. Once dormant you can store them away until the following year and start all over again!
I may be showing my age here, but do you recall the taste of Wintergreen gum? Did you know that it's the Tea Berry that gives it that wonderful sweet flavor? You can taste it immediately after popping one in your mouth. They are darling in a small container inside until the ground thaws then they can be planted outside after the danger of the last frost in your garden zone to be enjoyed year after year in your garden.
Christmas Cactus is always the perfect living gift for indoor gardeners. This winter flowering plant comes in a variety of bright tropical colors and will brighten a windowsill like no other plant can.
They are happiest placed in indirect sunlight with temps between 60 -70 degrees. Christmas Cactus are easy to propagate which makes them a great plant to grow and share.
Working at garden shop has opened my eyes to the other side of the growing industry making me all the more grateful and passionate about my backyard flower farm endeavors. I love guiding customers in the early design stage of planning their gardens and assisting them with plant choices and you can bet your last pack of zinnia seeds there will be more of that happening in the coming year.
That said, I'm so ready to go inward now that my own little farm has been put to bed.
I'm excited to have some quiet time to plot out what's next for Dandelion House 2017.
Please stay tuned! In between blog posts you can find me on Instagram @dandelion_house
Merry Christmas and thank you all for growing with me!
Put down some roots and BLOOM.
