After buying a greenhouse and learning how easy it is to grow cut flowers in my own backyard I decided to write a book to show others how to add more fresh, local and seasonal blooms to their backyard on a budget. Here is the introduction for my book ( in progress ) called Backyard Blossoms. I'd love to hear what kinds of specifics my gardening friends would like to know about growing your own patch of cut flowers!
I’ve been a suburban hobby gardener for twenty-five years. I cut my gardening teeth on the rocky, clay- packed earth in Northern Nevada where my husband and I spent ten years taming a south facing backyard slope into a beautiful naturalized zero-scape. We planted drought tolerant plants alongside, natives and evergreens that eventually resulted in the high desert oasis we had envisioned. It was on the east side of our home where I planted my first cut flower garden. Even back then I was in love with the idea of a frilly, romantic cut flower garden brimming with delicate old fashioned favorites like delphinium, roses, iris, pin cushion, cosmos, cone flower, hollyhocks, and more! As a hobby gardener nothing is as satisfying as stepping into your own backyard knowing you’ve created it from scratch and being delighted with the results! The old pat on the back from friends and neighbors is always welcomed too!
Eleven years
ago we left the dust; tumbleweeds and our suburban hillside garden behind and
moved to the south coast of New England near Cape Cod Bay. What sold us (ME) on
what would soon be our new home were the flowers all a bloom surrounding what
we now call the deck garden. It was if they were saying, “Welcome Home “! I can say that it is nothing short of heavenly
to be able to slide my shovel into the soft, sandy soil Cape Cod is known for
and not hear the crunch and scraping sounds of metal against rock we so often
encountered in our western garden adventures.
If you are
reading this book, I’d bet my favorite garden clogs that just like me, you feel
gardening is part therapy, part art, and
part drama with plenty of room left for
daydreaming and planning new garden spaces. I’ve always loved the excitement I
feel in the planning stages of creating
a new bed or border, but it wasn’t until I planted 484 square feet ( to be
exact ) of organically grown cut flowers in the spring of 2012 that I truly
began to feel connected to my garden like never before. Why this sudden change? Because, I knew in my
heart I was in for a whole new adventure in gardening! I stepped out of my gardening
comfort zone when I decided to turn a large patch of our lawn into a cut flower
garden brimming with blossoms, bees and butterflies. During the winter of 2011 as the rain fell,
and the snow flew I soaked up everything I could get my hands on about flower
farming, greenhouses, hoop houses, heirloom seeds, seed sources, organic soil,
and proper siting for maximum blooms. I even dreamed of selling my organically
grown backyard blossoms at our local farmers market one day. All of my daydreaming and planning paid off and
when spring finally arrived I felt like a race horse at the starting gate! I
purchased a budget friendly 10x10 backyard gardeners greenhouse from our local
TSC (tractor Supply Company). With the
help of my husband and our teenaged son it was up and secured to the ground in
one afternoon! It in no way compares to
the look of a charming English glasshouse or conservatory but it functioned
beautifully and I couldn’t be happier to have my own backyard gardener’s
greenhouse to plant, plot and putter away in.
Up until the spring of 2012 I had only dabbled in
the occasional annual for added seasonal color in my established borders or
container gardening for our deck and patio. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t
believe that annuals were a thrifty choice where they only last one season.
But, oh what a season! I had no idea what I was missing! The anticipation of
waiting for each tiny sprout to muscle its way through the planted seed trays
in the greenhouse (and raised beds outside) was beyond exciting and fraught
with worry too! My mind raced from one
dyer ‘what if ‘scenario to another. What
if I over watered them? What if they are too dry? What if I planted the seeds
too deep? What if it’s not warm enough? What if it’s too cold and damp? What if
there’s not enough air circulation? What if I planted them too soon or too
late? What if they begin damping off or
even worse, what if they just don’t grow at all? The mind can be a terrible
thing to listen to when you’re planting your dreams. You can ‘what if ‘yourself
right into not doing anything at all but there would be no way of knowing if
you really
could grow that dream garden of yours. I’m here to tell you, YOU CAN! I
have the blossoms (and a few new worry wrinkles) to prove it and you will too!
Did you know
you can literally put anything into a vase and call it a flower arrangement? Growing
annuals for the simple pleasure the additional bursts of seasonal color they
add to your landscape completes the garden picture. Just when your perennials
are quieting down the annuals come along and steal the show!
Having exotic Dahlias and old fashioned heirloom flowers like Drop Dead Red Sun flowers, Celebration in Pink Cosmos and Pumpkin on Stick just steps outside your back door is a glorious feeling! Besides the beautiful bouquets you’ll be able to create and share all season long, it’ll make you feel like a master gardener even if you aren’t!
Having exotic Dahlias and old fashioned heirloom flowers like Drop Dead Red Sun flowers, Celebration in Pink Cosmos and Pumpkin on Stick just steps outside your back door is a glorious feeling! Besides the beautiful bouquets you’ll be able to create and share all season long, it’ll make you feel like a master gardener even if you aren’t!
Growing flowers for the soul purpose of having a
house full of flowers is a luxury for sure, but home growers know that isn't
the only reason to nurture a blossoming flower patch. We want to be in awe of something greater
than ourselves. We need to witness beauty and miracles on a daily basis to
thrive. We do it to learn, share and grow deeper in love with the wonder of
gardening AND to create precious memories for ourselves and each other.
What better way than to get down and dirty with the
ingredients NATURE gave us and go to work!
This book is about the birth of MY BACKYARD FLOWER
FARM from seed to vase. Inside you’ll find more than just practical information
for growing your very own beautiful old fashioned cut flowers, herbs, and
shrubs. You’ll find all of the inspiration (and tools) you’ll need to create
your own BACKYARD FLOWER FARM brimming with yard flowers galore!
Isn’t it time YOU grew a patch of memories?
“Put down some roots and bloom"
“Put down some roots and bloom"
Happy Flowering,
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