Important Updates for the Holiday Season
The Bulb Shop Is Open!
We’re thrilled to announce that our bulb shop is officially open at www.purpletuteur.com! Browse our curated selection of beautiful amaryllis, paperwhites, daffodils, tulips, and peonies, all chosen to bring vibrant color and fragrance to your home and garden this season. Whether you’re looking for holiday blooms or planning ahead for spring, we have something special for everyone. PLEASE NOTE: Local delivery and pick up only for these items. Deliveries are made on Tuesdays and Fridays. Deliveries will begin on 11/15, assuming everything in your order has arrived by then. (Everything is due in the week of 11/11). Farm pick up is available on the following dates from 10:30-12:30. November 20,23,27 and December 4,7,14. If these dates don’t work, please contact us and we will try to accommodate you.
For both pick up and delivery, we will notify you when your order is ready.
Come See Us at the Blythewood Farmers Market Holiday Market!
On another note, we unfortunately have to cancel our Holiday Open House due to a recent water pipe burst in the farmhouse. With repairs underway and water being turned off periodically, it’s best to hold off on hosting events at the farm for now. However, we will still offer pick-up for online orders—just plan accordingly around the bathroom limitations!
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be at the Blythewood Farmers Market Holiday Artisan Market on November 23rd from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. instead. Come by and see us there to pick up some of your holiday favorites!
Visit www.purpletuteur.com now to explore our full collection and place your orders before they sell out.
2025 Subscriptions
Our 2025 Subscriptions will be available for purchase starting 11/11/2024. Get your holiday gift shopping done or give yourself the gift of wellness with fresh flowers. Watch for our email update!
Thank you for all your support of our small farm. We are grateful and honored to serve you.
Best,
Linda
Our Fall Bulb Sale Starts Today!
We are excited to bring you our selection of spring blooming Anemone and Ranunculus bulbs!
These are the same bulbs that we grow at the farm, so you can be assured that they are appropriate for our climate. Growing instructions are included with your order.
We can ship your bulb order anywhere in the United States. We will start shipping orders in mid-October.
Here is the link to our website. Happy shopping!
ANEMONE
These are longer stemmed varieties and make excellent cut flowers. They have stems of 10 - 12 inches vs. the landscape de Caan varieties with 6 inch stems that are widely available.
There are two blue varieties that are not yet posted for the sale. I am waiting for them to arrive before I add them to the store.
Growing instructions are included with your purchase. You can also check out our blog post on growing ranunculus and anemone here.
RANUNCULUS
These are longer stemmed varieties and make excellent cut flowers. They grow well in pots or in the ground. Growing instructions are included with your purchase. You can also check out our blog post on growing ranunculus and anemone here.
NARCISSUS / DAFFODILS
We are not planning to offer daffodils this year. We are looking for a new supplier.
PEONIES/AMARYLLIS/PAPERWHITES/TULIPS
The peonies, amaryllis and paperwhites are not available for this sale. We hope to have them later in the year. There has been serious flooding in Holland both this past summer and the summer before causing damage to some of these crops. This, combined with the longshoremen’s strike, will create shortages. Will we have all of these? We sure hope so!
Fall Bulb Sale Starts October 5th
Fall Bulb Sale Starts October 5th
We will have our ranunculus and anemone for sale on the website starting October 5th and through the month of October. We have the favorites from years past and a few new ones. The breeders are doing some pretty amazing things and this is just the beginning. It’s a very exciting time for these flowers. We will be using them in our early spring subscriptions too, so if you are not a gardener, fear not, we will have some for you too!
We can ship these bulbs/ corms and we will use the US Post Office to do the shipping. We will also have options for local pick-up and delivery in our standard delivery area. We are not including any other bulbs in this sale since the rest of the bulbs arrive later and could delay delivery.
If you need a refresher on how to grow these gorgeous spring blooms, this blog post outlines the process. Instructions are also included with orders. Quantities are limited, so order when you can!
https://www.purpletuteur.com/blog/2023/10/2/spring-blooming-bulbs-anemone-and-ranunculus
November/Holiday Bulb Sale
We will begin our holiday bulb sale in November. It will include amaryllis and paperwhites along with a few bareroot peonies! These items will be available for local delivery and pick up only. Since amaryllis are vulnerable to freezing, we don’t want to risk shipping them. We will send more information out on this closer to the start of the sale.
Nigella Seed Source In Columbia
Elaine K got in touch and said she found Nigella seed at Ace Hardware on Beltline, so if you want to give this flower a try, head on over to Ace. This is not a paid advertisement.
Easing into Fall
We’ve enjoyed some time off in July, alternating days of rest with days of planting for fall. We’ve had nearly 12 inches of rain on the farm in July – a welcome change from June. It is especially helpful for the new plantings. We’re looking forward to the days ahead with cooler temperatures and an abundance of flowers. For fall, we’ve been planting dahlias, zinnias, celosia, yarrow, snapdragons, callas, sunflowers and heirloom chrysanthemums.
Fall Wreath Workshops
Now that August has arrived, we are opening registration for our fall wreath workshops. Grab a friend and join us for a fun workshop at Purple Tuteur Farm. In this 2-hour session, we will talk about the basics of drying flowers and we will help you build your own custom dried flower wreath. If you would like to do this class for your private group of 8 or more, please send your request to purpletuteur@gmail.com and we will try to accommodate! Here’s the link: https://www.purpletuteur.com/classes
Fall Subscriptions
Our next subscription season will begin in late August. If you have signed up, we will be getting in touch closer to the first delivery day to verify schedules. We still have a few spots open if you are interested. Sign up here: https://www.purpletuteur.com/wwwpurpletuteurcom/new-products-1/fresh-cut-flower-bouquet-drop-off-service/late-summer-to-fall
We hope that you are enjoying the last days before school starts!
Best,
Linda
It's Ag and Art Weekend and Our Dahlia Growing Workshop is Coming Up Too
AG and ART weekend has arrived!
The Ag and Art Tour of Richland County is this weekend. We are a host farm and are looking forward to having visitors out between 9 am and 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday. I will be doing guided tours at 11 am and 2 pm each day. You are also free to stroll through the flower field on your own.
This year we will have a few plants and some dahlia tubers for sale along with our market bouquets.
Market Bouquets $20
Dahlia Tubers $10
Brown Eyed Susans $5
Agastache $5
Lemon Basil $2.50
There are also some very interesting artisans coming out to show their talents. They will also have items available for sale, so be sure to leave room in your vehicle for take home items!
It looks like we will have great weather this weekend, so we hope you can find the time to come by!
Growing Dahlias – On Farm workshop
Registration for this class is now open on our website.
If you want to add something to your garden that produces an abundance of flowers, consider dahlias. Now is a great time to get them started in the Midlands. Come learn what is involved in growing your own during our on-farm class.
Class is held from 10 am - 12 noon on either Wednesday June 19th or Saturday June 22nd
Choose the date that you want to attend when you sign up. Registration deadline is June 15th.
The training begins with a presentation, followed by a walkthrough of the dahlia beds on the farm, including a demonstration of some of the growing techniques that will make your dahlias produce their best blooms.
What we will cover :
Dahlia classifications and Variety selection considerations, Growing conditions, Planting, Tending, Common Pests and Diseases, Harvesting, and After Season Care
Here’s what you’ll take home:
A handout of the material covered
Two dahlia tubers from our farm stock to plant in your own garden
Maximum attendees per class is 10. Students must be 18 years or older to participate. No refunds after registering, but transfers of your seat to a friend are encouraged if you cannot attend.
We reserve the right to reschedule or cancel in case of severe weather or illness. Students will get as much advanced notice as possible. Refunds will be issued if Purple Tuteur Farm decides to cancel a class.
That about wraps it up for today. Flowers are a joy in our lives. We thank you for supporting our efforts to get them out to the community.
Best,
Linda
Bulb Forcing Class Update
Hi All,
Spring is another week closer! Flowers are beginning to show up on the farm, and the weather this week looks fabulous. We’re excited to get the season off the ground.
Class Update
The class on Forcing Bulbs for Winter Blooms has been rescheduled to Saturday March 9th from 10 am until noon. I appreciate everyone’s patience with the date change since I got sick and things had to move. In this class, we do a deep dive into how to prepare your bulbs for early bloom, covering those that have to be chilled and amaryllis and paperwhites, which do not. Then you will have access to prepared bulbs that we have been cooling since November to make your own bulb garden to take home. Grab a friend and join us! We’d love to have you. Light refreshments will be served.
For the details and to sign up, follow this link:
https://www.purpletuteur.com/aboutourclasses
That’s it for now.
Best,
Linda
Would You Like to Visit The Farm This Year? Here’s How
We would love to see you at the farm for one of our scheduled classes or events. We will open up registration approximately 30 days before the class is held.
We’re kicking the year off with a new class on Forcing Bulbs and registration is now open! Here are the specifics.
Growing Bulbs Indoors For Winter Blooms – On Farm Workshop
Friday February 23 - 10 am to noon
If you like to keep flowers in your house, winter can be a challenge. It is too cold for cutting much from the garden. Fortunately, there is a wonderful alternative available by forcing bulbs. The world of bulbs offers a great variety of shapes and colors to delight you at home before spring arrives.
Once you have learned how to make this happen, you can unleash your creativity to create interesting pots of one or many varieties at home. Indoor bulb gardens bloom and trigger our endorphins at their very sight. Who doesn’t need a lift when the nights are still so long and the temperatures are low?
Come and join us for this workshop on how to prepare bulbs for indoor blooms. Forcing is a method of growing plants that makes or forces them to flower at a different time than they would under normal conditions. We will review the timetables for forcing various bulbs, discuss potting mixes, and storage options.
Select from the bulbs we have prepared and pot up your own bulb garden to take home. Selection choices include early Narcissus, Hyacinth and Iris. When the bulbs have bloomed out, plant them in your garden for blooms next year.
Workshop is limited to 7 people.
Current Classand event Schedule
We’ve added a new page to the website that shows the schedule for the year as it stands today. We will update it from time to time as the year unfolds and as a newsletter subscriber, you will be the first to know!
See the full schedule here: https://www.purpletuteur.com/aboutourclasses
Bouquet Subscriptions
Our bouquet subscription season kicks off in March. We have a few openings left for the Early Spring Season (March/April). If you would like to sign up or learn more, here is the link: https://www.purpletuteur.com/subscription-information
Spring is coming and there is so much to look forward to!
Best,
Linda
Our Holiday Shop
Hi All,
We have a lot in store for you this holiday season! From bulbs to greens to bulb gardens, we have tried to incorporate all of your requests into our new holiday season offerings. Everything will be available starting on December 1. You may go ahead and order on the website to reserve your purchases. This year, we are offering delivery in our standard delivery area for $12. Delivery zip codes are the same as the ones we use for our bouquet subscriptions: 29201, 29204, 29205,29206,29209, 29016, 29045, 29169, 29223, 29229. Select from “shipping” and “pick-up” options at checkout.
While we did offer shipping for our spring bulbs (and will offer shipping again for our summer bulbs), we are not going to ship during the holiday season. Amaryllis are cold sensitive and since we are just getting started with shipping, we don’t want to risk having bulbs arrive damaged or frozen. Hopefully we will be able to do this next year. For now, help us find homes for all these beautiful bulbs in the Columbia area!
Read on to learn what is coming available.
Amaryllis Bulbs
Here is our selection of bulbs. When you get on the website, you will notice that the prices vary. This has to do with the size of the bulb. A 28-30 cm bulb is a standard size and will have one stem (possibly two) with multiple blooms on it. 30-32 cm bulbs have 2 stems with multiple blooms. This year we have included some of the largest bulbs available, size 36-38cm. These can have 3 or 4 stems and are a show of their own. Naturally, larger bulbs are more expensive since they take longer to grow. Prices range from $16-$27 per bulb.
When selecting your bulbs, consider how you want to display them. The container size and the visual effect can mean that you want several smaller bulbs or a large one.
Not every bulb shown here will bloom in time for Christmas. We will have a few that do, but many will take time to grow into their magnificence so that you can enjoy them during the winter days to come.
If you have any questions about any of these varieties, feel free to email me or come to our open house on December 2nd and let us help you.
Paperwhite Bulbs
We offer lightly scented paperwhites. The variety is ‘Nazareth’, also sometimes called ‘Nir’. See photo below, left, for the bloom. These bulbs are the largest available at 17-18 cm. The photo below on the right compares a standard daffodil bulb and the paperwhite. This means that they send up multiple flowering stems in a single bulb. Another great show. I am very excited to have them for you.
Priced at 5 bulb pack for $12.
Greenery Bouquets
We will also be offering our greenery bouquets again this year. Even if you have an artificial tree, like we do, its great to have the scent of winter greenery in the house. These can also be used for porch pots and swags outside. Deck the halls! These are $25
Potted Bulbs and Gift Kits
We have items potted up and ready to give or to use to decorate your home. Complete forcing kits are available for those who are travelling during the holidays and need to start theirs growing on their own schedule.
Holiday Open House
On Saturday, December 2nd, we will have our holiday open house. In addition to the items mentioned above, we will have bulbs potted up for gift giving and/or to decorate your home. Here are a few examples of what we will have, and another update will come out closer to the event.
Our Paperwhite Santa Tin (left) is a great gift for book club, teaches, church groups or others. $12 each. If you are ordering a number of these, please allow one week for delivery.
An amaryllis bulb planted in a birch pot, ready for its new home. $32 and up, depending on the bulb.
The website shop will be available by Wednesday 11/8 at noon.
We are looking forward to the excitement of the holidays and more time with friends and loved ones. We are working diligently this week, with lots of help, to get the majority of our spring planting done. Then we take a break through Thanksgiving. Horray!
We are so thankful for each of you who have supported our farm in some way. We appreciate your business and the honored to serve our community.
Wishing You Joy,
Linda
Our Spring Bulb Sale Begins On September 16
We are so excited to bring you our selection of spring blooming bulbs including Anemone, Daffodils and Ranunculus! These are the same bulbs that we grow at the farm, so you can be assured that they are appropriate for our climate. Growing instructions are included with your order.
New this year, in addition to our farm pick up option, we can ship your bulb order anywhere in the United States! We will start shipping orders in mid-October.
To begin planning your order, you can check out the information on our website now at https://www.purpletuteur.com/garden-bulbs
Inventories will be updated by 7:00 am on 9/16/2023. Please order early, quantities are limited.
ANEMONE
These are longer stemmed varieties and make excellent cut flowers. They have stems of 10 - 12 inches vs. the landscape de Caan varieties with 6 inch stems that are widely available. Growing instructions are included with your purchase. You can also check out our blog post on growing ranunculus and anemone here.
RANUNCULUS
These are longer stemmed varieties and make excellent cut flowers. They grow well in pots or in the ground. Growing instructions are included with your purchase. You can also check out our blog post on growing ranunculus and anemone here.
NARCISSUS / DAFFODILS
Narcissus is one of the most economical and carefree bulbs that you can grow. Add a little bulb food each year in the fall. If you forget in the fall, add bulb food in the spring when new growth is emerging. Watch them multiply over time. Who said they have to be highlighter yellow? There are many specialty varieties that will grow in our area. This year, we are offering three longer stemmed beauties, all suitable for the South (through zone 8. Not suitable for higher zones). Pink varieties (like Cum Laude) need partial shade after blooming. Plant them under a deciduous tree, but avoid areas where large roots are showing. Growing instructions included with purchase.
PEONIES
The peonies are not available as planned for this sale. We hope to have them later in the year.
Announcing our Growing Dahlias On-Farm Workshop
Dahlias are one of the fall’s best flowers and now is the time to get them growing in the Midlands.
Come learn what is involved in growing your own during our on-farm class.
Class is held from 10 am - 12 noon on either Wednesday June 21st or Saturday June 24th
Choose the date that you want to attend when you sign up on our website.
The training begins with a presentation, followed by a walkthrough of the dahlia beds on the farm, including a demonstration of some of the growing techniques that will make your dahlias produce their best blooms.
What we will cover:
· Dahlia classifications
· Variety selection considerations
· Growing conditions
· Planting
· Tending
· Common Pests and Diseases
· Harvesting
· After Season Care
Here’s what you’ll take home:
· A handout of the material covered
· Two dahlia tubers from our farm stock to plant in your own garden
Maximum attendees per class is 10. Students must be 18 years or older to participate. No refunds after registering, but transfers of your seat to a friend are encouraged if you cannot attend.
We reserve the right to reschedule or cancel in case of severe weather or illness. Students will get as much advanced notice as possible. Refunds will be issued if Purple Tuteur Farm decides to cancel a class.
For more information and to register for the class, Class Registration
Behind the Scenes at Columbia Art Museum’s Art Blossoms Event
Note: This article will be easier to read in a browser due to the number of photos. See link at the bottom of the email.
Before the Art Blossoms event, I had never experienced building a large floral installation. It was a construction project that turned buckets of fresh flowers and greenery into a sculptural art form. Since the elements are perishable, it could not be started too early. The result had to be ready for a reception on Wednesday evening and keep looking fresh through Sunday, Mother’s Day.
Planning had been underway for months before the event. Ann Holtschlag, museum docent and coordinator of all garden club exhibits for Art Blossoms, invited me to discuss the possibilities with Joelle Ryan-Cook, CMA Deputy Director. After some brainstorming, we agreed that I would do a talk on Cutting Gardens. Joelle was also going to follow up with Julianne Sojourner, Floral Designer and Event Planner, about using our flowers for her installation. Julianne agreed, so we were on. Julianne also did a large arrangement demonstration after my talk on Cutting Gardens
Julianne Sojourner
Wilson Bame
For the installation, construction began on Tuesday. All elements had to be brought in from the loading dock. As you can imagine, security is high, but we were expected and helping hands came to greet us. Wilson Bame, CMA Manager of Engagement was there to help and to ensure that we had what we needed.
Julianne, center, and her team, Lizzie(l) and Lynn(r)
Julianne and her team got to work on the structural support for the display. In the background the CMA team was getting the stage ready for our presentations. Chicken wire was wrapped around the beam and held in place with bungee cords. Julianne attached the top end of the chicken wire to a light fixture using zip ties so it would not slide as flowers were added.
With the foundation in place, some of the greenery and branches were added. These are items that don’t need a lot of water to stay fresh. Set up for the table arrangements and bud vases was also done. This was all the preparation we could do on Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning, Julianne’s team continued to work while I went to the farm to work with the farm crew there and to get more flowers. When I got back around noon, much progress had been made. Tammy had joined Julianne’s team and had most of the table arrangements ready. Bud vases were also done.
The large display was really taking shape, but there was still work to be done. Oasis in Lomey bowls was used to provide water for the items on the floor and work continued. Julianne invited me to add flowers to the display too. This was fun but I could see that I need more practice to work at the speed others could already do, so for the remainder I prepared flowers and put them into water picks (tubes of water for each stem) so the experts could work as quickly as possible.
From left to right – Julianne, Tammy, me, Lizzie and Lynn.
At last, we were done and the room really looked great. Such a fun experience for me, and a great team to work with.
One final note : This was just one of many exhibits that were set up and on display for Art Blossoms. Kudos to the CMA team and all those who contributed to the event. If you have never been, I hope this will encourage you to go next year and see the results of all the creative energy that goes into this event.
For the community and by the community, it helps provide funds for the programs at the museum. General admission tickets were $15 this year, $5 for museum members. Extra events were also offered and priced separately.
Upcoming Flower Related Events In The Midlands
Spring is here and there are so many ways for us flower lovers to enjoy it! Several events are coming up and we wanted to let you know about them in case you haven’t heard.
Richland County Master Gardeners Plant Sale April 20-21st
Do you need some plants for your garden? Whether the December freeze zapped a few, or you are in a new house and just starting a garden, this is a sale not to be missed. Not only is there a broad selection of plants but there are Master Gardeners on hand to help you with your selections. If you have a space to fill, come prepared with the size of the planting area and whether it is in the sun or shade. If you prefer to be more spontaneous, come see what is there and take home whatever strikes your fancy. As a Master Gardener, I have donated plants to this sale and hope you like the selection!
Columbia Green Festival of Gardens April 22 and Sunday April 23rd
In the mood for some garden inspiration? Columbia Green’s Festival of Gardens is happening Saturday April 22 and Sunday April 23. Sign up to tour gardens in Shandon, one of Columbia’s best loved neighborhoods. Purchase tickets at the website below. I will be a docent at one of the homes on Saturday afternoon, so hope to see you there!
Art Blossoms at Columbia Museum of Art May 11 – 14, 2023
Four days of flowers and flower related activities over Mother’s Day weekend. What’s not to like? Displays and flower arranging classes done by professional florists. Area garden clubs show their talents for design by creating floral arrangements that correlate to museum art assigned to them. Mother’s Day Brunch and much much more. I am honored to be a speaker on Thursday 5/11 and will be talking on Having a Home Cutting Garden. Here is the link to The Art Museum’s site, for more information and to order tickets. Hope to see you there too! https://www.columbiamuseum.org/events/art-blossoms
South Carolina Ag and Art Tour May-June
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know about the Ag and Art Tour. South Carolina opens up its farms for this free to the public event. This year 11 counties will participate. This is your opportunity to learn more about farm life and see the work of artists and artisans who come out and show their talents at the farms.
We are not a host site this year due to other commitments, but we are a sponsor. I also hope to be a tourist for this one! You can find out more about the event and the specific sites on the website https://www.agandarttour.com/
I hope that you can get out and enjoy some of these events. Want flowers at your door? Sign up for a PTF bouquet subscription, where we bring farm fresh flowers to your door. And don’t forget mom! These make a great Mother’s Day gift too.
Best,
Linda
Ag+Art Tour: Purple Tuteur Farm Open House on June 29 and 30th
Many of you have expressed interest in coming out to the farm and we are opening to the public on June 29th and 30th as part of the Richland County Ag+Art Tour!
A Little About Ag+Art
The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is a free, self-guided tour of farms and markets featuring local artisans at every stop. During the tour visitors have the opportunity to see first-hand where their food and flowers come from, watch artists in action, purchase their works and learn more about rural life. The tour is the largest free farm and art tour in the nation with over 35,000 visitors participating since 2012.
This is the first year for the tour in Richland County. As a member of the planning committee, I am thrilled to finally see it happen.
What is Happening at Purple Tuteur Farm during the Ag+Art Tour
Agriculture
Guided Tours
Guided Tour of the farm Saturday June 29 at 11 am and 3 pm
Guided Tour of the farm Sunday June 30 at 2:00 pm
Self-guided Tours all weekend
"Ask a Master Gardener" booth.
Master Gardeners will be on site to answer basic gardening questions and they will have an activity for children – all weekend
Farm Store
We will have mixed bouquets from the garden available for sale along with a few plants and some pre-chilled lily bulbs that you can plant now for fall bloom!
Art
We have a wonderful group of artisans that will be sharing their talent with us including:
Abstract Alexandra, Painter, painting on site during the tour weekend
This Butter Be Good, Skincare, wellness, art & jewelry
CjStudios, Mixed media
Gallery West, Handmade jewelry, making jewelry on-site
Peace and Mud Pottery, Potter, pottery wheel demonstrations during the tour weekend
All artisans will have items available for sale.
Purple Tuteur Farm is located at 787 Langford Road in Blythewood, S.C.
We hope to see you there over the weekend!
Linda
For more detail on the full tour in Richland County follow this link https://agandarttour.com/richland/
For more on Ag+Art happenings around the state, go to https://agandarttour.com/