New England Farm and Floral " SPRING " Meet and Greet

Happy Spring, friends! I hope this note finds you in good spirits and feeling happy about the promise of a new season. March has been filled with lots of activity here at Dandelion House. Preparations for a new season of backyard flower farming are under way and moving full throttle ahead which is very exciting. Even though I've done absolutely nothing in the way of actual physical preparations outside yet, my seed orders are completed; tubers and plugs are ordered and I've already quoted a few weddings for 2017/18.  What I'm most excited about sharing with you as March comes to a close is the amazing response we got for our New England Farm and Floral Meet and Greet event which took place March, 25th at Salted Root Farm, home of Beach Plum Floral Design, here on the south shore of MA. You may recall my mentioning the event in my podcast with Debra Prinzing last month. Debra was instrumental in helping us get as much exposure for our event as possible. What surprised me ( and my lovely co-hostesses, Jill Landry of Beach Plum Floral Design, Monica Tavares of
Prince Snow Farm and AJ Kocon of Little State Flower Co, was the overwhelming interest in our event from our regional flower farmers and floral designers. All of us are tuned in to the Slow Flowers Movement and are committed to doing our small part to educate others on the benefits of growing and using locally grown cut flowers, but we had no idea how thirsty our NE flower farmers and floral designers were to meet face to face to begin the conversation about how they can work together to provide local flowers to their clients and support each others businesses. Let me just say, next time we're gonna need a bigger barn! We were busting at the seems with over 60 extremely eager guests and unfortunately, had to shut down registration due to the venue being filled to the brim. Every New England state was represented as well as New Jersey. As a result of the event, new connections and friendships have formed and I have no doubt there will be many more NE Farmer/Florist events in the future. I cannot wait to see where this new family of flower farmers and floral designers takes the slow flowers movement both regionally and nationally.

 Below is a shot of Monica and me. Monica is a mom and full-time 6th grade teacher who's approaching retirement and has a love for flowers too.  She farms her small acreage, Prince Snow Farm just a short 30 minutes from where we live. We met on the NE Farmer/Florist Facebook Group I founded last year and we've been following each other's backyard flower farming adventures. When I had the idea to host an event like this my intuition told me to reach out to her to see if she might be interested in helping out, and it was right. Monica got busy right away procuring donations for our raffle. She sent out over 40 emails to farm and garden businesses and vendors which resulted in some amazing gifts for our attendees. Monica was my creative co-conspirator in crime on this event and we both had so much fun with the planning and executing. Her husband, Kevin helped with getting us a projector and screen for the guest speakers. Fun Fact! We also learned that our son's share the same birth date ( different years) and the last four digits of our land lines are exactly the same. You can read all about Monica's flower farming and floral design endeavors at her beautiful blog Prince Snow Farm.

 Monica also created these adorable parting gifts for each of our attendees. It was a mad dash to get the fresh pansies for the berry baskets. She tried three places before she finally found some the day before the event!
 

 Each one included one of these darling stickers from Sticker Fiend on Etsy



  Our half-day program was simple. Sign in was at 1:00 sharp followed by some words by yours truly about growing the Slow Flowers movement in New England and how the event came to be etc, etc.

 
 Our daughter came along to help me out with checking people in and handing out raffle tickets for the array of items that were generously donated by various businesses. And when it got to her turn to introduce herself she said some very sweet things about her momma and made the attendees cry. Me too.

Then we did that horrible thing speakers do and asked our guests to stand up and introduce themselves one by one. I know. Pretty cheesy of us but, it was a meet and greet after all. Then it was time for a break and things got loud very quickly. People were beyond excited to finally have a chance to connect. Just look at those faces! I wish I could convey the buzz in the room everyone heard and felt that day. I know it's something none of us will soon forget. It was kind of like the Beatles were in town but the Farmer/Florists were the Beatles and the guests all at the same time, except no one fainted. For whatever reason my phone only captured a loud ringing sound with no audible voices. In a way, that's exactly what it sounded like only in the best of ways!

  We put out some refreshments for everyone to enjoy. Keurig coffee and tea, cookies, cupcakes, cheese and crackers and some fresh grapes with plenty of bottled water. And, fresh spring tulips of course!

 After the break Anna Jane Kocon, of Little State Flower Co. gave an informative, realistic and fun presentation about how she started her specialty cut flower farm and what her vision and goals are moving forward.

  "Little State Flower Company is a 5 acre specialty-cut flower farm based on Aquidneck Island in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Little State focuses on sustainable, environmentally-friendly growing practices in an effort to create local, healthy options for the wedding and event industry in and around Rhode Island.Their flowers find their way into the design studios of some of the most progressive and local minded florists with a strong desire to benefit their community and environment by supporting locally grown flowers. "

 After Anna's wonderful presentation  Jill Landry, Owner/Lead designer Beach Plum Floral Design presented the Floral Designer side of working and creating with flowers. She shared the ins and outs of working with brides to create their dream wedding and how having access to local flowers is changing the way she consults with her clients by offering them a local flowers option. This year Jill and her team will create and deliver over 100 weddings in the Boston/South Shore area. Dahlias are a high demand flower among brides and a favorite among floral designers, but any floral designer will tell you that they don't ship well. This is an opportunity for any flower farmer who can grow dahlias in their region. We are fortunate that dahlias love our southern New England climate and flower farmers are adding to their dahlia stock every year as demand increases. Jill placed her entire 4000  stem dahlia order with one lucky local flower farmer for the first time ever this year. 

Flower Farmers take heed! Floral designers want to buy your flowers and they want to be loyal to you. Grow a beautiful product, grow plenty of it and make shopping convenient by setting up your website with a simple pick and click ordering system. List your flowers by the season to further the selection process and you'll be well on your way to increasing your relationships with more local floral designers and fattening up your bottom line to boot. 

Jill Landry Beach Plum Floral Design

Meet Jill

"My craft began at a very young age when I returned from a walk in the woods with a large bunch of Lady Slippers and handed them to my Mother. Yes, these stems are indeed endangered but even at the age of six, I could not resist the urge to pick them.  From here, you could find me picking from our acres of farm gardens or trimming fresh pine and holly berry for holiday swags. I can still smell the lilacs before they are seen, stare at a peony for hours and feel a connection to all things rooted. Never did I believe I could take this love and create it into an actual career! You are supposed to dislike your jobs and complain about them, right? Truth being, there is something incredibly rewarding about meeting a client for the first time, listening to their newborn ideas, becoming familiar with their own uniqueness and within minutes create sketches of their dream day. Seeing the sudden comfort and trust on a brides face after a few photos and brainstorming sessions is remarkable. Creating a sense of ease and growing a personal connection with my clients is important to me. Listening to their ideas and turning them into concepts is the art. The true magic of my job is to create them with my own hands and watch the tears of joy and giant smiles on their day. It never grows old."

Jill Landry, Beach Plum Floral Design

 Jill created this beautiful Beach Plum spring arrangement and donated it to the raffle. Wouldn't you have loved to be the winner? 

 Having our event hosted in Jill's beautiful finished barn was so perfect. We couldn't have asked for a more ideal location for what turned out to be the perfect meeting of the minds we had hoped it would be. We can't wait to meet and greet again with our NE Farm and Floral tribe soon! I promise to keep you posted as more events unfold.

Put Down Some Roots and Bloom!
Deb

Generous Donors: NE Farm and Floral Meet and Greet
Debra Prinzing~ Slow Flowers ( www.slowflowers.com )
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds ( www.kitchengardenseeds.com )
Floret ( www.floretflowers.com )
Field Notes ( www.fieldnotesbrand.com)
Thimblepress ( www.thimblepress.com )
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds ( www.rareseeds.com)
A-Roo Company Floral Packaging ( www.a-roo.com)
Neptune's Harvest ( www.neptunesharvest.com)
Renee's Garden Seeds ( www.reneesgarden.com)
Pith and Vigor Newspaper ( www.pithandvigor.com)


Sellers/Vendors:
Berrybaskets:wwwsecondsunhdro.com
Pencils: Express Pencils LLC on Etsy
Journals: Beach Tree Paper on Etsy
Farmer Stickers: Sticker Fiend on Etsy
Fresh Flowers Tags :folkcity on Etsy
Chair Rental: New England Country Rentals ( www.newenglandcountryrentals.com )

What Every Bride Should Know About Choosing Local Flowers

My sweet husband and I will celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary this year ( I still can't believe it's been that long). Every time I meet with a new wedding client I can't help but be transported back to our wedding day and all the planning we did to create a special day for ourselves and our guests. We chose a small country venue for our old-fashioned Vintage Victorian theme ( who knew we were ahead of the trend by about 25 years? ) If I was wearing a flower crown instead of a wide brimmed hat I just might pass for a modern vintage bride today. The roses for my bouquet were local ( but most likely not in season in September) but I do recall having simple small wild flower arrangements on the banquet tables.

Happily Married me! (circa 1991)

 The 2016 Wedding season is here and locally sourced wedding flowers are more popular than ever before. Whether you're going the DIY rt.or having your flowers designed by a farmer/florist there are a few things you should know about choosing local flowers for your wedding day.  

• I  recommend an in-person or at a minimum a phone consultation to find out what kind of farm/garden or other local sources your flowers will be coming from. This is also the best time for the farmer/florist to get to know you and find out about your venue, wedding theme, the types of flowers you would like as well as any personal details in the wedding flowers you wish to include. 

• Local and seasonal flowers aren't always cheaper than imports. When comparing costs, remember that your local farmer/florist has been married ( so to speak) to your flowers since the day they placed their first corm/seed and tuber order for the season. From that moment on they are committed to bringing you fresh, lush and vibrant blooms for your special day. Local flowers are almost always 100% sustainably grown and have been given lots of TLC before they come to you, so they come with love and beauty.

•  Seasonal flowers means, just that, seasonal. June, July, August and September are brimming with beautiful blooms so be sure to ask your farmer/florist what will be blooming the week of your wedding. Some may have pinterest boards, and/or websites with lists of the flowers they offer each month.

• It's always a good idea to visit the farm or garden where your flowers are coming from. I love to have couples over to see the flowers. This is a good time to bring any vases, ribbons, trays, etc that will be incorporated into any design work your florist will be doing for you. 

• If you're working with a local florist and want to use local flowers, just ask. It's possible they have a network of local flower farmers to source seasonal flowers from. 

• Some farmer/florists also deliver and set up a venue, others do not. Expect a delivery and set up fee to be added on to the cost of the flowers.  Be sure to iron out those details from the very beginning. You don't want any extra stress tacked on to your wedding day. If the grower is also your designer, expect a design fee to be added to the cost of the flowers. 

• Local flowers can also mean plants, trees and flowers from your local garden shop. Some nurseries offer design services which can be a great fit for romantic garden themed bridal showers and weddings.

 Find local flower farmers, florists, and designers, on the Slow Flowers Directory Website.

As always, thanks for reading! 

I wish you a wonderful gardening ( and Wedding ) season. 

Only ' natural ' green gasses were used to drive us to our reception hall.

Put down some roots and BLOOM!

DIY Wedding Flowers for Rouwenna and Craig

Rouwenna and Craig

Every time I look at this photo I just get giddy! What a joy it was to provide flowers for Rouwenna and Craig's DIY wedding. I had the pleasure of meeting the bride when she visited the farm to discuss her wedding and flowers with me. I love having people out to see where their flowers are tended and loved prior to the wedding day.

Rouwenna  (such a pretty name) was kind enough to send me some photos of the flowers in action to share with you so here goes!

Dandelion House Flowers

 Rouwenna and Craig put together such a beautiful and personal celebration for their late September wedding day starting with the venue. Not far from Plymouth center is Pinewood Lodge Campground and Events Center, ( a family owned and operated campground  tucked into the woods overlooking a scenic pond with a lodge, outdoor events center, tent and trailer sites, cabins, cottages and yurts for rent).  Family from both sides of the isle came from far and wide to " camp out " at the Pinewood Lodge for a few days prior to the wedding.  

I loved this brides can-do spirit. She took a personal and practical approach with every detail. She knew exactly  what she wanted and stuck to her budget. I admire that! One of the things she wanted was tiny purple flowers and some baby's breath for her hair. Luckily my perennial asters were in  bloom the week of her wedding and the lilac color matched her flower-girls dresses to a tee!

 

Family and friends gathered the night before the wedding for the rehearsal dinner and some DIY flower arranging for the following day!

The bride getting some help with her bouquet.

 

She went with the ever popular mason jar for vases with fit the bill for her rustic venue. The colors of the flowers popped against the backdrop of the bridesmaids navy blue dresses. 

The bride and groom with the ladies of the wedding party.

 Mr. and Mrs. 

What I learned:

•  On the "farm" side of things the dahlia patch suffered a spider-mite epidemic in mid-August that nearly wiped out one entire raised bed. I just barely made it for being able to provide enough flowers for what the bride ordered. I had to source additional flowers from a nearby local flower farmer. She was in the same boat as I was, scurrying to finish her wedding season also but the added blooms helped! I'll be planting 6, 4x12 beds of dahlias instead of three next year.
• Listen, listen, listen...to your bride! Don't push unnecessary flowers and drive up costs. DIY brides are DIY brides for a reason. They are on limited budgets but also very creative and are keen on putting a personal touch on their wedding. I respect that being a DIY'r too.  
• Provide some flower arranging tips for your DIY brides. Print out a small list of how to care for the flowers, and some flower arranging tips.
• Be confident you can deliver what you promised. The day Rouwenna visited my flower farm I had just done a big cutting for a previous wedding. My established beds were a bit bare and my second crop was just starting to form buds. If I was her, I might not have committed but she believed, because I believed.
• Be flexible and enjoy the little surprises and surpluses along the way. It's all good when you are surrounded by beautiful flowers every day.

 Oddly enough, I didn't seek out wedding work this summer. Local couples searching for local flowers found me through the farmers market and an add I placed in a local Edible South Shore magazine. I was pleasantly surprised by the interest and decided to go for it. I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous about the flowers being " on time " but I welcomed the challenge and new experience. Turns out, I loved it and I can't wait for next year!

So, if you're wondering if you can turn your backyard garden hobby into a small business the answer is absolutely, positively YES! 

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #206

 

 Happy Farmgirl Friday farmgirls!

The first week in September is always a whirlwind if you've got back to school or ( off to college) aged kids in the house isn't it? I always feel like I've just gotten into my summer groove and it's time to start back to school shopping already. With our youngest off to her freshmen year in a local college this year I'll have plenty of time for indoor painting projects and feathering the nest. Luckily it's not completely empty, yet but it's a comin'. Sniff, sniff.

I'm holding on to my baby AND  these last few weeks of summer because I'm still " in the flowers " as my family likes to say.  I'm even dreaming about them at night! 

Take it from this flower farmgirl,

The power of flowers is a strong and wonderful spell to be under.

This is one of my recent bridal bouquet mock-ups created with seasonal blooms from my little backyard flower farm. The combination of the soft pink of the Cafe Au Lait dahlia, deep royal purple dahlias with a mix of earthy greens and lacy dusty miller makes for an earthy, yet romantic feeling. The bride and groom are having an intimate backyard ceremony and celebration with local food, FLOWERS and music.

Tell us, are you seeing more local flowers at events and family celebrations these days? 

My farmgirl co-hostess Debbieand her sweet hubby Mike, are working in the garden and mid-way through a kitchen DIY project. Aren't they ambitious? I can't wait until it's finished. I hope she posts pics.. Hint, hint!!!

I bet your kitchens and gardens are bursting as you work hard to preserve this season harvest. 

Share it all right here with your farmgirl friends from far and wide.

 It's a three day weekend too, so have fun and be safe where ever you are.

Garden Notes~ South- Eastern Massachusettes Succession Planting Tricks And Trials for Cut Flowers

Raised beds planted in Mid-March - late May

 We're having a heat wave this week with temps in the high 80's so I'll be hiding out inside most of the day until I can get back out to the garden this evening . 

I want to talk about my experience with succession planting today. With 13 4 x12 raised beds I was able to experiment planting seeds and dahlia tubers at different intervals this season with a goal in mind of having enough cut flowers in one season to sell at the Farmers Market and provide flowers for one or two local weddings. 

 So far so good! Two farmers markets down and one wedding to go! 

Until the season is actually finished I won't have a true sense of how my plans worked out but I can tell you how it's going so far.

 Here in Eastern Massachusetts we have a fairly long growing season which goes from Mid-March - November. This is pure gardeners heaven for someone who cut her gardening teeth in the clay packed earth of the high desert of Northern Nevada. If you've ever planted a tree in a hole you dug with an auger ( auger is slang for small jack hammer ) you know my joy!

Our last frost date is Mid-March and the first is somewhere in late October/early November. 

Here are my plantings and planting dates for the 2015 growing season.

 Mid-March- late May Plantings: dahlia tubers, and gladiolus corms

Dahlias

Mid-May Plantings: Bakers Creek Rare Seeds ( sown direct )

  zinnias, cosmos, cockscomb, sunflowers,  

Mid-May 

 Snapdragon and  dusty miller annual packs purchased at my local nursery.

These plantings filled 8 of my 4 x 12 raised beds and have provided all of the flowers for my floral work this season. Thus far I've created 70 32 oz mason jar bouquets from the first planting.

Cockcomb

This is my first time growing Cockscomb and it us such a fun plant to grow. The flower head just keeps changing and getting bigger every day. I've been using them in my arrangements in the early stages of blooming and they're perfect for added pops of bright color and interesting texture.

Cockscomb and Senorita Pink Zinnia in the rear bed. 

Sunflowers and cosmos

We didn't finish construction on the other 5 raised beds until early July. I had hoped for a late June second planting, but went ahead with the early July because I wanted to see how long it would take for those seeds to germinate and flower.

Senorita pink zinnia

5 rows of zinnia seeds in a 4 x 12 raised bed

The second planting of zinnias ( last weeks photos ) is coming along and have grown  even more since these photos were taken and the plants have formed buds! It's looking like I'll have flowers for September as long as the weather cooperates. Living near the coast we are subject to coastal storms and high winds so keep your fingers crossed we don't have any of those until after my last wedding on September 26th. I'm learning the realities that farmers have been dealing with for centuries. We can't control the weather but I'm willing to gamble!

This patch of zinnias are all reds and oranges. Perfect for fall flower arranging!

Farmers Market Bouquet 

My grab n go mason jar bouquets have been a hit at the Farmers Market this season. People really like having something table ready and they make great gifts too.

Branches in Bloom

I'm so looking forward to the first  blossoms of spring this year and I bet some of my northeast friends are too!  As I was looking back at some photos this morning I came across these images of some dogwood tree and white lilac blooms my hubby brought home from his mom's garden for me to play with a couple springs ago.

I love to use branches in bloom to make simple no-fuss arrangements to place around the house.

Don't be afraid to get out there and snip some branches for yourself. They don't last that long outside so go ahead and cut a few branches to bring inside before they are in full flower to force. You'll get a good week, week and a half of beautiful spring blooms to enjoy inside.

For shorter, smaller bouquets simply cut the stems so that the flowers will just come above the top of the vase by a few inches or so. Don't try to make it look too perfect. They aren't that way on the trees so why force them to behave in a vase? This goes for larger arrangements like the one below too. 

I find lilac cuttings to be a little less unruly to work with than the dogwood branches so  place them in the pitcher first to provide stability. Then you can just tuck in the dogwood branches like 'bookends' to frame the lilacs. 

Aren't they gorgeous? 

What are some of your favorite branches in bloom? Do you bring them inside to enjoy? Just about anything that flowers can go in a vase so be creative and have fun bringing in spring! 

Re-Claimed Raised Beds for FRESH Flowers and Produce

One of 8 raised beds (filled with dahlias) made from re-claimed stone tiles

 Raised bed gardening and the creative ways people utilize these unique micro-garden spaces continues to grow! As more people get bitten by the gardening bug raised beds provide a much needed solution, especially in small spaces. One or two 4x4 or 4x8  raised beds will provide a small family with seasonal fresh herbs and veggies all summer long. 

It's not too early to start thinking about your growing spaces for this spring and summer! All that snow will be melted before you know it! If you've got a barn, garage, garden shed or car port you can get started on the construction now!

Below is a photo of our raised beds " under construction" three years ago. We happened to have quite a stash of 12x12 discontinued tiles stored in our basement ( from when my hubby sold imported stone) that came in quite handy for creating the 'walls' of the beds.

Here are my guy's attaching the L brackets to the two sides of 2 x 4 x 12 lengths of board and the two 4' end pieces.

 

Once the frames were built they attached the grade stakes to each corner and drove them into the ground. No need for digging up turf or soil. Simply lay down cardboard or newspaper over the ground and water it slightly or cover it with leaves. We did all three before we added the garden soil. Laying down paper vs garden fabric creates an invitation to worms which you want plenty of in your garden soil! 

CORRECTION: We used 2x2 grade stakes instead of 1x2 for more stability.

 If you are a frugal gardener like me, building your raised beds from re-claimed materials is a great way to lighten your footprint on good old mother earth and keep some extra dough in your wallet for those high quality GMO FREE seeds you'll be purchasing. I love the idea of using metal roofing material for the sides too!

The list of what you can grow in one 4x8 raised bed is limitless, really. You can grow annuals, vegetables, herbs, perennials, even roses and shrubs!

You control the amount of sunlight by where you site your raised bed and you also have control over the soil. We placed all 8 our ours in the largest, sunniest place in our backyard for maximum growing potential for my cut flowers, herbs, and veggies. I purchased a mix of 50 % loam and 50% organic matter. It took nine yards of loam to fill them all the first year. When the soil level drops, you can easily order in some more fill and top them off!

Here they are sprouting with new life in Mid June! 

If you're just starting out with flowers,choose easy annuals such as zinnias, sunflowers and cosmos. All can be sewn directly in your raised bed after the danger of frost ( in your garden zone ) has passed. 

If you're limited to one or two raised beds don't forget about vertical gardening! Cucumbers,

pole beans, snap peas will provide you with fresh veggies at little garden-space expense!

Just be careful who you let in to your tomato patch!