Holy moly! It has been a long while since I sat down to do a post. The 2021 season was FLEW by, crazy, it was just crazy. Crazy busy, crazy stressful, crazy fun and the fun continues as we approach the end of the year. Some farmers slow down during the winter months but not this girl because I have a studio full of beautiful dried flowers.

I think dried flowers are wonderful. The textures, the colors, the fact they do not need water, I love everything about them. 

Wreath are hands down my favorite dried flower medium. They have so much character and add just the perfect pop of color to your home or office. Wreaths are also surprisingly versatile, you don't just have to hang them on the wall.  Wreaths make a wonderful centerpiece on a table with a candle in the center (battery operated of course) or hung from the back of a chair or over the front of a cabinet, you can even hang a wreath from the ceiling as a chandelier of sorts. If you want more ideas check out this article from Redfin, floral experts from across the county offer their favorite tips for incorporating a decorative wreath in your home.

If you are looking to add a handcrafted wreath to your home or send a gift to a loved one you can find my wreaths on Etsy. I never make the same thing twice and am adding new items every week. 

​What color combinations do you want to see? 

Dry flowers, everlastings, what ever you want to call them they are making a come back and I AM EXCASTIC! I don’t know why I love dried blooms so much, but husband think I like to have them hanging around because it feels a little witchy (this may be a fair observation – thank you Practical Magic and the lady who owns Sugarfoot on Heartland). Whatever the reason, I love them and quite a few of you do to.

Peony season has come and gone . . . . way to quickly I might add. These flowers are just fantastic.

They look fantastic, they smell fantastic, everything about them is just fantastic. Except maybe for the fact that they only bloom for about 2 weeks. 

Boy, oh boy are they good while they last though. I've added some new varieties this year and now I will very impatiently wait (2-3 years, Oy vey) for them to have good strong blooms. I can't wait!

Before I started growing my own cut flowers I really did not have a clue about how long flowers should last, what I could do to extend their vase life or what it was that I was doing to shorten the vase life of the flowers. They just lasted as long as they lasted and that was that. Fast forward several years and I now know that there is a lot I can do to help my flowers last as long as possible. Below are some tips and tricks to help you keep your flowers looking great longer.
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1.Good start - Get a good start by making sure the vase or container you put your flowers in is clean and free of bacteria. Wash them thoroughly with hot soapy water.
2. Water - flowers like nice clean water and they like it refreshed often.  To help your flowers drink up this water trim 1/2- 1 inch off the stem each time you change the water. 
3. Light/Heat - keep flowers away from heat and very bright lights. While many flowers tolerate heat well outside when on the plant that is not the case once they are cut.
4. Produce - Flowers do not like to reside next to many fruits or veggies, ESPECIALLY banannas and apples. Produce puts off ethylene  and will cause your flowers to drop their petals quickly. 

Some cut flowers no matter how great they are cared for naturally have a shorter vase life but good care will help ensure their maximum vase life.

Iris are one of the many unsung beauties of the cut flower world often forgotten by cut flower growers and home gardeners alike. I also am guilty of not giving these lovely flowers their due. As a matter of fact I completely forgot I had these until a hint of purple deep in the trees caught my eye.

I was given 1 rhizome years ago and unsure of where to put it so back in the dirt bank it went. Flash forward 3 years later they have established themselves and multiplied. 

I'm a little crazy for narcissus, ok maybe alot crazy. They are the first flowers I see in spring and after a long winter I need a little color back in my life. Also once the bulb is planted they pretty much take care of themselves so what's not to love about that!

Most people are not familiar with these beauties when I call them narcissus as they are commonly referred to as daffodils. Whatever you want to call them just know they smell wonderful!

The various shapes, sizes and colors provide something everyone will love! Every year I add more and more varieties, keep and eye out next spring for more peach tones and many, many more double varieties (the super frilly ones).

Spring has sprung here in Benton City. After record snowfalls and unusually cold temperatures in February and March buds and blooms are a welcome sight! Growing or farming of any kind is highly dependent and in some cases dictated by the weather and I have been reminded of that again this year. Mother nature has her plan and does not always jive with mine!

Now I'm trying to move in warp speed and makeup for lost time, cutting sod, prepping beds, and sowing seeds. It's wonderful and back breaking all at the same time. In a few months when I look back I will forget the long nights and sore muscles and somehow only remember the beauty of spring. I think this is a growers delirium that somehow wipes those memories away and keeps us coming back to grow more and more each year; these memories of absolute seasonal beauty!

It's this beauty which helped inspire me to expand my personal cutting garden and venture beyond my favorite perennials to share the beauty of nature with you all. I am so excited to dive into the world of annual flowers and bring seasonal color field to vase. It's going to be an exciting journey and Im glad your here to follow along!