Magical Milestones of 2017

Happy Brand New Year, friends! The year is so very young and I'm feeling somewhat tentative and excited all at the same time for everything that's to come in 2018. I've been working on my book, (as mentioned in my New Year's post in 2017) but I'm not as far along as I'd like to be.

 I took off down a few new and unexpected rabbit holes this year and that put me a wee bit behind but these cold, dark days will be perfect to keep me grounded enough to finish in 2018. I'll be posting on Facebook and Instagram along the way to get you all primed and ready for the release date! 

I'm happy to report that I did indeed stand by my 2017 touchstone word ( Fearless)  and because of that it was a year filled with many magical milestones. I kept my promise to get out from behind the flowers and make some in the flesh connections last year and boy did I! 

 None of which I would have accomplished without the help of my sweet hubby. He's always behind me in everything I do. When I panic, he's my rock. When I'm overwhelmed, he picks up the pieces, and when I DREAM BIG, he digs in with me to make it all happen.

Me and the man behind my dreams and the camera.

The flowers led us to wonderful places and people last year! 

EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS....

In March and November, I organized and co-hosted two gatherings for the New England Farmer Florist Connection. A Facebook group I founded for flower farmers and florists in the New England Region. Both gatherings were filled with energy and passion. Flower Farmers and Florists gathered to network and collaborate to grow the slow flowers movement here in New England.

You can read about both amazing days, here and here.

Debra Prinzing, Semia Dunne, Me, and Monica Tavaras

COMMUNITY.... COMMUNITY..... COMMUNITY...... COMMUNITY..... COMMUNITY....  

I am a proud member of these Sustainable Flower Organizations

 Slow Flowers Directory 

 Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers 

 

Fall Floral Exchange attendees at Flowers by Semia, Studio.

 

 SPEAKING....SPEAKING.... SPEAKING.... SPEAKING.... SPEAKING.... SPEAKING....

 April brought more fun challenges and new experiences.  My husband and I were invited by a dear friend of ours to speak at a Woman's Club Meeting about Creative Living. Neither of us had ever done something like that so it was fun to work on it together. It was a 35 minute talk with some Q and A time at the end. I'm not gonna lie. I was TERRIFIED before the talk, but once we got inside the room and started talking to all the nice people my nerves took a back seat and we just had a good time talking about creativity of all kinds, including growing and designing with flowers of course. Phew. I was relived and elated when it was over!

TEACHING ...TEACHING.... TEACHING.... TEACHING.... TEACHING..... TEACHING....

In June I hosted a floral workshop on my backyard flower farm for a group of the sweetest retired ladies. This event was organized by my friend, author, speaker and gardener, Betsy Williams. This time our son was behind the camera while I talked with the attendees and my hubby was on yard detail making sure it was all perfect for the ladies, and me.

I wrote a blog about how to host a Garden to Vase workshop of your own, here. And, I'm planning more for 2018!

 FLOWERING... FLOWERING... FLOWERING.... FLOWERING.... FLOWERING.... FLOWER

July and August kept me busy in the cutting gardens and making arrangements for luncheons, charity events.

Ball Jar Bouquets

My ball jar bouquets graced the tables of several luncheons and events this summer.

IN THE PRESS.... IN THE PRESS.... IN THE PRESS.... IN THE PRESS.... IN THE PRESS...IN 

Dandelion House Garden was featured in the Country Cottage Issue of the Cottage Journal Magazine this summer. It was our second time being featured in this wonderful magazine and it was just so exciting! Maybe you saw us!?

We were also featured in Johnny's Seeds " Fifth Season Floral Design Elements" newsletter article here.

WEDDINGS... WEDDINGS... WEDDINGS... WEDDINGS... WEDDINGS.... WEDDINGS.... WED

Photography Credit: @liztracyphotography

Vintage Glam ( November )

I had the honor of  flowering two beautiful fall weddings in 2017. I can't express in words what it feels like to be apart of these special milestones, but I can say that I simply love every part of creating beautiful designs for weddings and events. I'm so excited for more opportunities in 2018 that I created a website just for weddings and events.

First Look " Old World meets Vintage Romance" Red Lion Inn, Cohassett, MA. 

Photography Credit: @theshannongrant

 I will stay true to sourcing local material from my own cut flower gardens, and other local flower farmers in season. And when the gardens are sleeping here in New England, I'll buy beautiful American Grown product and Dutch Blooms for my floral work.

My helpful guy's.

We managed to get away to the beach this summer for some much needed R and R and to celebrate my hubby's 60th birthday.  Well, 60 is the new 40, right? That's what I keep telling him so he'll keep up with me!

 My year of being " fearless" taught me to have faith and courage and to continue on this path laden with beautiful flowers and lovely people. So, I declare COURAGE my touchstone word for 2018! 

The skies the limit! 

Have you chosen yours yet?  

Blessings in the coming year from all of us at Dandelion House.

Love,

Deb ( and Boz )

I'm in Lisi Love ( Lisianthus)

You know that feeling when you first fall in love? Yeah, it happens with flowers too. Oh yes. It's real. The REAL DEAL! I'm in Lisi love! I get all giddy and nervous inside with first season flowers. Every thing's a mystery and there's so much to learn when you trial a new flower. Anticipations and expectations are high in the beginning until the doubts set in. Will this new addition grow deep roots with my love and care or will it not? In other words, how will this relationship end? We only have a short time to get acquainted after all. We're either going to get on or, we're not.

 I'd never tried growing Lisianthus because I always thought our coastal New England season was too short and I'm not set up for starting seeds properly so I did what every flower farming, love-sick Lisi lover does. I bought plugs. ( wrote about it here)  and prayed they would take root and grow outside in my raised beds. 

Pretty Rose Lisianthus with apple blossom snaps in the background.

And they did just that! They are tricky little flowers though. They form buds that stay small and tight for a few weeks then it takes about another week for them to finally unfurl, but when they do it's heavenly. The Rose pink were the first to bloom. Stay tuned for white and pale yellow!

I was so anxious to design with them once they were fully opened but I didn't have much else blooming at the time except for the apple blossom snapdragons which couldn't have been more perfect with their creamy white and pale pink petals. They are the sweetest smelling flowers too!

Apple Blossom Snapdragons

Bouquet Recipe:  Hydrangea foliage, early budding sedum, nine bark, deep burgundy dahlia, and dusty miller,

 The greens off the pale pinks set my heart a thumping and the deep burgundy picks up on the deep red center of the Lisi which adds drama and elegance to the over all pallet. 

But don't let those delicate paper-thin petals fool you into thinking she's a delicate flower though. These beauties can take a light rain and still stay looking fresh. They get an A+ for vase life too.
It was well over a week before they finally started to droop a little.

We enjoyed them on the dining room table while they lasted. And I took a few mason jar arrangements into Crystal Lake Garden Shop where I work play part time.



I absolutely adore Lisi's even more than I thought I would.  I can't wait to try some of the other shades and varieties next season.

Here's what I learned about my first season growing Lisianthus.

Planting:  Lisi plugs can be planted very close together. I planted mine at 5 inches apart and I'll go even closer next season for more blooms and so they'll lean into each other as they get tall. Some varieties can get up to 28 inches. You can net them so they'll stay upright as well. It's a personal choice. Some flower farmers are huge fans of netting while others find it difficult to harvest around.

They are slow growers and bloomers. They like consistent watering especially during the early growth period right after planting. This helps them grow strong, tall stems that are great for cutting later.

 Designing:  Lisi's are very popular for weddings and make a great substitute for roses. They're all the rage for the garden fresh, organic flower styling that's trending today.

Over all they are slow but fairly easy to grow and I had no issues with disease or pests. Weeds love to grow right near the flower stock so be careful when weeding that you don't pull the plug right out along with the weeds. I've also read that if you plant them out as early as April ( even in colder climates) you may enjoy a second flowering in September. I don't think I'll be that lucky this season as I planted the first week of June but, there's always next year!

I encourage flower growers of all levels to try Lisianthus.

Visit Farmer Bailey Plugs for a beautiful selection of  Lisianthus for your farm or cutting garden. Order early for best selection and I bet you'll fall in Lisi love too!


Stay tuned for my next post about my first floral workshop here at Dandelion House!

Put down some roots and BLOOM~
Deb 

Field To Vase Supports American Flower Farmers

That's me! On the Field to Vase blog today!

What do you picture when you hear the phrase, " Field to Vase" ? If your vision includes beautiful flowers like the kind your grandmother grew in her garden then you are right on the money. Today's flower farmers grow in hoop-houses, greenhouses, backyards and front-yards, abandoned city lots, community plots, and good old -fashioned farmland too. I'm talking about flower farmers who grow 100% home-grown flowers for wholesale, retail, weddings, events and more. 

If you've been with me for some time now, you know I'm a budding backyard flower farmer aiming to do my small part in bringing flowers back home to American soil where they first began. Imagine how excited I was to find others who are doing the exact same thing all over the United States.

 I'm so excited to introduce you to a fantastic grass root/flower roots online community called Field to Vase. An online directory of flower farmers and farmer/florists committed to educating the public about where to find local flowers where ever you live. I learned about it through digging around online looking for flower farming communities on Facebook. 

This community was created by Christine Stembel, founder of Farmgirl Flowers. She ( and her team of talented artisan floral designers) have earned rock star status in San Francisco, Calif. with their signature burlap wrapped bouquets using flowers 100% locally sourced flowers from local flower farms in California.

 Farmgirl Flowers was also recently featured in a three page spread in the San Francisco Chronicle.

How cool is that?

Check them out on Yelp to see more fabulous flower photos and read over 600 reviews!

And, if you're thinking about starting your own backyard flower farm some day, read my article on the Field to Vase Blog, and meet more inspiring flower farmers there too. Who knows? You could be living right next door to your local flower farmer.

Garden Notes: September Snips and Second Flourishes

Mini blooms designed by my girl ( Nicolette)

Hello Blog. Hello Friends. I've missed you! I don't think I've ever gone 20 days without posting. EVER! I think it's high time we get reacquainted, don't you? I confess, I've been posting on Instagram quite a bit and keeping up with my freelance writing work but my Dandelion House writings have been piling up along with the garden waste. Where to begin?

  

What an amazing season we had. In a span of about ten weeks our little backyard flower farm put out enough flowers for three local weddings, two farmers markets, and plenty of household blooms to enjoy. Adding 5 additional raised beds to our existing 8 made all the difference. Planting seeds at intervals of every two weeks in the new beds allowed us to have more flowers longer. I'll plan things even more efficiently next season.

Cosmos

We had very little rain this season which caused the larger perennial beds to crisp up earlier than normal. Even so, the grass plumes are feathered out and look so pretty in the autumn breeze.

Zinnias and Grass

The dahlias suffered from spider mites which stunted the growth for a few weeks in August. Talk about nerve racking! It was right in the middle of wedding season when I needed them to perform the most. I had to perform an emergency spider-ectomy with Neem spray. Complete removal of several plants was also necessary. I got to them a little too late and they just couldn't be saved.

Second Flourish

They finally perked up with new foliage and fresh blossoms just in time for the last two weddings of the season. My last two brides were DIY brides. I'm still waiting on photos. I can't wait to see what they created with their flowers.

I got to experiment with making flower crowns too! I made one out of silk flowers for one bride so it would be a keepsake for her. I'm anxious to make some with fresh flowers too. I have some lovely mixed pin cushion flowers and purple asters about to bloom which will be fun to create with. I didn't know how I would feel doing wedding work but it turns out I LOVE it. Collaborating with couples   about flowers for their big day is exciting and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

" Having couples out to the farm to see where their flowers will come from and the looks of awe and surprise on their faces when they saw the flowers was validating and inspiring. "

A mix of cultivated and foraged flowers,herbs and berries.

 Of course I made bouquets while we were at the cottage too! I didn't plant anything there this year but I scavenged some volunteer cosmos, mint, goldenrod, quince berries, grape leaves and weed with pretty small white flowers  I don't know the name of.

Cosmos

My daughter scavenged the garden yesterday and came up with this pretty little late September number.

All in all its been such a satisfying and rewarding season on the farm!

 What I've loved the most is doing my part to raise awareness about the slow flower movement and bringing fresh local sustainably grown flowers back home to American soil and America's tables. 

Wednesday Garden Notes with Deb: Direct Sowing Annuals

Dear friends, Welcome to my new weekly series, Wednesday Garden Notes with Deb: Through out the growing season I'll be checking in each week with notes from my garden. This week, I'm sharing my low-tech tips for direct sowing annuals in raised beds and a simple way to keep track of what you've planted and where.

I'm a fanatic for seed packet art. I partially blame the artists behind these beautifully illustrated seed packets for turning me from hobby gardener to backyard flower farmer. There are just too many to choose from but every year I try to sneak in a few new varieties.

I've had my eye on the Zinnia Pink Senorita for a couple of years. So this year while I was making my seed list I was sure to add it along with the Will Rogers Zinnia and the Giants of California. All new to my cut flower collection this year.

 I fell hard for the Cosmos Rubenza, Scabiosa Tall Double Flowered Mix and the mixed Cockscomb.

Dampen your planting area lightly then make your rows. You will be able to see the distance between rows better this way.

I''m gardening in Zone 7-A in the northeast. The temps have been very moderate with danger of frost behind us so I feel quite confident with getting my annual seeds in the ground now.

 I'll be experimenting with succession planting this summer as well, but more on how that goes in a future post! 

 Before any seeds can be planted the raised beds were raked and weeded. I sprayed each bed lightly with the garden hose so that when I make my rows for seeds I can see the distance between rows better. I can make 4 rows in my 8x12x4 raised beds which gives me the equivalent of a 48 foot row and 96 square feet of growing space.  

Once the rows are made you can begin planting your seeds. Most annuals should be planted between 1/4 and 1/2 inches deep in fertile, well draining soil. I tend to plant my seeds closer than recommended. 

 I like the fullness of flowers crammed together, leaning in to one another as if they're long lost friends. 

Once your seeds are in cover them loosely by brushing the soil back over the top of them with your hands or the back of your garden trowel. Lightly water and keep moist until they germinate. Then water lightly daily until they area few inches above the ground.

I keep a small notepad nearby to record what seeds go in what bed and the date I planted them. When winter comes I can easily transfer my garden notes to an excel spread sheet with notes about what was successful and what wasn't. Now, I'm not saying I will actually do this but it's a good thought!

That's it for today friends...The garden calls! 

What kind of system to you use for keeping track of your plant collections?

Dandelion Wishes,

Deb 

 

Day 6 ~ Springspiration! Logo Design for Dandelion House Flowers

White background

Dear friends, 

This is THE year I will be taking my flowers to market! We have a wonderful local farmers market here in Plymouth, MA which I am very excited to become a part of this coming summer!

I've spent the last few years " practicing" growing flowers for market in my backyard and while I'm anxious to get my hands in the dirt again and watch seedlings take root I've been spending some time thinking about my " brand". I knew I wanted something that felt nostalgic and romantic cause that's how I feel when I'm in my garden, but I also wanted it to have a FARM FRESH feeling too. I love how it turned out and can't wait to order up my labels for bouquets and business cards as well as a large banner and car door magnet so I can flaunt my flowers this summer! 

Cream background

  I am obsessed with antique/vintage seed packet art and botanical drawings so I used that as a spring-board for my own design. I have a board on pinterest devoted to this beautiful art form. 

I don't have Adobe Illustrator ( yet ) so I farmed this project out to a talented friend who does graphic art for a living. I simply sent her a link to my seed packet art board for inspiration and she created my new logo for the farmers market in just a few short days. As much as I love creating things, having her do this for me saved me a lot of time and allowed me to make the deadline for the add space I reserved in our local Edible South Shore and South Coast magazine. Nearly every state has one. It's the go to publication for all things local farms, food AND FLOWERS too! 

If you've been sitting on the fence about taking your " farm goods " to market nothing will get you motivated more than " branding" your business and buying add space! I'm all in now!

I would love to know, how many of you sell your homemade goods at YOUR farmers market or garden shows!Tell me all about it!

Oh, and what do ya think of my logo?