3 Easy Annuals Every NEW Flower Farmer Can Grow

Looking out over the raised cut flower garden at the perennial beds, ( out old greenhouse which is being replaced with a flower studio) and our hen house to the left.

 Are you dreaming of a flower farm of your own some day? I'll let you in on a little secret. You don't need multiple acres to begin. In fact, a small suburban plot can serve as the perfect trial ground for your " someday" farm. I farm my garden on less than 1/2 acre where I grow many different annuals, perennials, herbs, and flowering shrubs. I grow all of my annual cut flowers in 4 x 12 raised beds, 12 inches deep. This makes planting, weeding, deadheading and harvesting manageable for beginners. 

Here are a few things to consider before you sow those first seeds.

Start with just a few raised beds to build confidence.

•  Make sure you plant in an area that gets a minimum of 7 hours of daylight.
•  Have your soil tested. Fast growing summer annuals need a nutrient rich soil to thrive. I order a horticultural mix  from our local landscape center. It arrives premixed and ready for planting flowers, herbs, and veggies. 
• Determine your water needs. Will you rely on nature, install a drip system or, will you hand-water your garden?  I hand-water everything ( and rely on frequent rainfall) here in New England. I own a 100' garden hose that reaches every corner of the garden.

Zinnias, sunflowers, dahlias, gladiolus, and pumpkin on a stick, ( ornamental eggplant)

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite easy annuals every NEW flower farmer can grow. They all have a few things in common. They're easy to start, have long blooming seasons, are great for cutting and require very little care in between. 

Let's start with the easy Zinnia!

Zinnias grow best when you direct sow them after the last danger of frost in your gardening zone. Most seed packets have planting instructions on the back or inside of the envelope so plant accordingly.  Zinnias will give you brilliant blooms from summer-frost and the bees and butterflies love them.

 3- 4 seed packets will be sufficient for one or two 4x12 raised beds. Try a few different varieties for fun!  

 Let's talk Sunflowers!

No flower garden would be complete with out sunflowers.  I love growing sunflowers. I just wish I had a field so I could grow bunches and bunches of them. Even still, they are worth growing in smaller amounts just because they are such a summer time favorite. Sunflowers aren't just yellow either.

They come in varying shades of deep red, chocolate ( almost black) and tawny golden oranges too! 

Three great varieties to try! 

Sunflowers can be started inside ahead of time in a greenhouse, or sunny windowsill but they grow just as well when planted directly at the proper sowing time.

This pretty lady isn't an annual, she's a perennial called Lemon Queen.

It's fun to let your perennial sunflowers, mingle with annual sunflowers. 

Below is a pitcher full of Black Eyed Susan's ( perennial), lemon queen ( also a perennial) and 

drop dead read, sunflowers ( annual ).

Sunflowers don't need much arranging for adding simple beauty to any occasion.

Let's talk Cosmos!

Cosmos are so easy to grow you barely need to think about them at all once you've planted them. 

 This one below is called, Rubenza for it's deep burgundy red color, although this photo makes it look almost hot pink.

Here they are in full bloom about mid-September. They make great cut flowers and will bloom well into fall until the first frost takes them out for good. I love using the baby green foliage for filler too so plant more than you need and you'll be able to enjoy multiple uses from this beauty.

Cosmos look amazing in loosely gathered arrangements.

I hope you'll give all three of these lovely ladies a try this year. No green thumb necessary. With a few prepetory steps in the beginning you'll have vases full of cut flowers right out your backdoor all summer long. 

When I fist started out I bought seeds from my local nurseries and big box stores. If you want more variety and better pricing for larger quantities there are some great sources online.

Johnny Selected Seeds
Baker Creek  
GeoSeed 
Floret Seeds NEW!

One of my dreams is to have my own seed line, Dandelion House Seeds...Put down some roots and BLOOM!

Keep me posted on your progress and feel free to contact me if you have more questions.  

Garden Notes With Deb : Farmhands and Flowers

These two cutie pies are my sweet little farmhands. Well, sort of.  Our son and his girlfriend were over last weekend and helped us get started on installing 5 additional 4x12 raised beds for our backyard flower farm. They helped my hubby with measuring the distances between beds and some minor construction.

 Have you ever seen a tape measure like this? Every time we do a project my hubby pulls out some old tool I've never seen before. He must keep them hidden away just to surprise me when the time is right. He paid five bucks for it at a yard sale nearly 20 years ago. How have I never seen this? Anyway, it's 100' long and the handle on the side winds the tape in or out as needed. It worked great for our project and surprisingly the linen tape is still in very good condition. From what I can barely make out of the faded print, this one is a Non Metallic Rule Tape Measure made by the  made by Lufkin Rule Co.     A manufacturing company that came about during the Civil War.

 I love the aged leather-clad casing. I think it would make a great decorator item just sitting on a shelf with some vintage books and drafting props. 

It was pretty light work that day.  Then again, I was just carrying a camera around. The guy's worked out the distances and Tid-bit ( that's my nickname for Zach's girlfriend  )and Max helped with the measuring. 

You can see the zinnias are just abut 4 inches out of the ground now. Soon we'll be neck high in flowers! 

I planted the bed in the front of this photo with the summer annual, cockscomb which I purchased from Bakers Creek Seed Co.They are just starting to sprout.

Source Wiki

The shape and texture  of the large curly flower heads look just like a rooster comb which surely inspired its name. I hope they come up nice and tall. They are supposed to be good sellers at the Farmers Market, and I think they'll be fun fillers too! 

The dahlias are doing very well. I only had a few that didn't come in and I'm not sure why exactly. I need to dig them up and check for rot, mold or insect damage. I'm happy to report there have been no trace of slugs ( yet ) so I haven't had to do any pest control but I check daily because those slimy buggers could show up any minute and make a meal out of those lush green leaves.

 Its always a good idea to mulch dahlias as well. I've adding three inches of mulch to the tops of the dahlia beds. That will keep them nice and hydrated during mid-summer hot spells. 

All of my hydrangeas are loaded with buds right now.  They must have really liked the freezing weather we had this past winter. It's hard to believe this plant was under 6 feet of frozen snow all winter long. It looks so healthy and vibrant. I've also mulched all of my shrubs and perennials so they won't be quite as shocked when the heat and humidity return.

Ah.... what a relief it is to have farmhands and the promise of flowers again.

 

Now, who's gonna help me fill the new flower beds?  Looks like I might have to call on my loyal farm dog if not for muscle, then at least for moral support. He's always smiling and eager to ( get right in the middle of everything and drop his Frisbee at my feet) help. 

How are things shaping up in your garden? June weather has been a little cool and wet in places and that always makes us gardeners/farmers nervous. Rain brings pests and cool weather stunts newly seeded rows of summer loving annuals. Anticipation can quickly turn to anxiety. After all, we can plan, till and toil with every intention of making our garden dreams come true, but we can't control the weather. I have flower farming friends who are waging wars on aphids, and others who are battling too much water due to flooding. Losing plants whether it be a few precious blooms in pots on your doorstep or a field of flowers or veggies is a loss deeply felt to the tender hearted gardener.

  So... I'll leave you with this hope-filled garden quote by Audrey Hepburn.

" To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow" 

I believe. Do you?

Till next Wednesday!

Zinnias~ Brash or Beautiful?

 The zinnia is by far one of the boldest and brightest flowers you can grow in a cutting garden. 

These brazen-faced, hotheaded, self assertive and if I may, uppity flowers bring the heat and spice to a fading flowerbed quicker than many deep- rooted perennials and they last longer too, blooming right up until the first frost.

I'll admit, I'm a fan of their brightly lit petals and brash undertones.

What's not to love about the nervy and vivacious zinnia? 

They adore showing off in the garden and in the vase. And, the magnetic attraction between them and the local bees is something to behold.

They can't keep their fuzzy little bums away from them!

I planted several packets of Botanical Interest Cut and Come Again seeds in late spring in  our deep raised beds of 12 inches and we've had blooms since mid-July. We always get a very high germination rate with Botanical Interest seeds ( even the Heirloom varieties)! Love them!

 Zinnias give so much for the little care that they require. All they need to start a fiesta in your flower garden is good draining soil, ( rich in organic matter ) plenty of sunshine ( 6- 8 hours per day)  and steady doses of watering during germination. Once they've got their leaves give them a good drink every few days ( more water during severely hot weather) but don't over water. These cheeky blooms, like it HOT! 

Every garden needs a PARTY GIRL!

What do YOU think about this popular heirloom bloom? Brash or Beautiful?

Slow Flower Bouquets~ Three Ways!

 

  Besides picking ripe, juicy tomatoes right off the vine, nothing is more rewarding than cutting your own fresh flowers from the garden and placing them in a favorite vase for home decoration or to give to a friend or family member. Today, I'm sharing three ways to create simple bouquets using mostly dahlias in different colorways. The arrangement and color story in the top photo was inspired by the beautiful bubblegum pink art deco vase which was a recent gift from my mother in law. I've seen it filled with blooms from her yard over the years, displayed next to her kitchen sink where it sat until recently when she gave it to me. This year I chose several deep red, burgundy and purple dahlias  as well as some lighter softer shades of pink for the garden. I think they look smashing in my new/old pink vase don't you? They go perfectly in our guest room which is decorated in soft, grammy- like colors.

 

Next up is a bouquet bursting with the energy of bold, bright hues of a few dahlias and some brightly colored zinnias placed in the ever popular mason jar vase.

I promise you, these are the actual colors! Heirloom varieties bloom longer and brighter than other seeds because they are truest to the original plant. This arrangement will sit on my dining room table where it will compliment the other colors in the room.

 And sometimes one gigantic bloom in a sweet little vintage vase is all you need to bring some simple beauty and elegance to a small corner of your home. Think bathroom vanity, entry way tables, or nightstands. I love to cut fresh zinnias for our daughters room and sometimes she even cuts her own and makes arrangements for herself which I love!

This large white dinner plate dahlia placed in a little clear hobnail vase is earmarked for my desk in our bedroom... Simple and romantic!

I hope you're inspired to grow a patch of your own " slow flowers" and create some of your own home-grown bouquets to beautify your home and share with friends and loved ones!
Any old vase will do, just let the flowers do the talking and you'll be amazed what you can whip up!
Happy Growing! 

 Love,
Deb 

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 167 and Heirloom Blooms

Zinnias

 Welcome back to the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop! We missed you! 

Since we last hopped, the flower gardens have really started popping here at Dandelion House!

It always amazes me how fast flowers grow and bloom in such a short time span. 

Here's what's bloomin' this week! 

White dinner plate dahlia

 

Buckets of dahlias!

 These are for you!  Enjoy the abundance of the season! 

Be sure to stop by Big Sky Acres to see "my farmgirl in crime" co-hostess, Debbie too! ( aka Farmgirl Unleashed) . I hear she's been cooking up some delicious homegrown tomato and mozzarella cheese sandwiches! YUM!

Time to link up for your weekly fixin' of farmgirl soul-food!
Tis' the season of plenty and there is so much to celebrate! Share the bounty here!
 Crafting, cooking, canning, chickens, gardening, farming, and just plain farmgirln' around!

What's bloomin' at your place? 

As always, we thank you for your participation in the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop! 

Put Down Some Roots And BLOOM!

DH Garden FEATURED in The Cottage Journal Magazine!

Howdy friends,

I feel like it's been forever since we've visited! I hope your summer is going well. 

Our family took some much needed time away from the buzz of blogging and social media to recharge and refresh by the sea in our tiny off-grid beach cottage.

 We've been very lazy, soaking up the sun, ( and some rain too ) reading, walking, eating, connecting with our summer friends and enjoying some quality time with our teens. I hope you've had a chance to enjoy some " down" time too! It's so important to give in to the long slow days of summer and let ourselves " just be" once in a while.

 Along with the anticipation of our vacation we were also excited about our " first ever" Dandelion House magazine article. 

 We had the great honor of having our garden featured in the beautiful pages of The Cottage Journal magazine this month and I can't tell you how exciting it was to see the little red hen house and our treasured flower gardens inside along with so many other wonderful features. Katie Wood did a fabulous job with the article ( which she titled, " Put Down Some Roots and Bloom ") and they even used our photos which was extra exciting! We had fun sharing it with all of our friends at the beach and I couldn't wait to get home and share the excitement with you too! 

Here's the spread!

If you've got some down time comin' your way,  and you haven't discovered this lovely magazine, let me tell you every article is a feast for the soul! Pick up a copy and steel away to your favorite escape ( even if it's just the bathroom with the door locked) and enjoy!

Much love,

Deb, aka  beach farmgirl, Deborah Jean, me...