December at the Farm: Preparing for a New Flower Year

Even though the days are short, there’s a surprising amount happening on the farm right now. We’ve direct-sown a lot of seed for our Early Spring Subscriptions, and everything is tucked under frost cloth to protect it during those below-freezing nights. This includes cool-season favorites like nigella, larkspur, anemone, and orlaya.

Direct Seeded Beds

Cress waiting to be thinned

This week we checked germination (thank you, rain—you delivered!) and raised the covers with hoops so the wet cloth isn’t resting on the seedlings during freezes. If the cloth touches the plants, they lose their insulation and can freeze—one of those small winter details that makes all the difference.

Inside the Hoophouse

Poppies (lower part of the bed, not blooming) and pansies (mostly blooming) in the hoop house

Inside the hoop house, things look especially cheerful: ranunculus, canterbury bells, delphinium, snapdragons, poppies, and pansies. Everything is covered except the poppies and pansies, and I appreciate both of these crops in winter because I can see them without lifting fabric.

Poppies hail from Iceland, so a brush with freezing temperatures doesn’t bother them. We grow them in the hoop house so that once the blooms begin, the petals stay pristine. As temperatures rise in late winter, we switch to shade cloth to help keep them cool.

And then there are the pansies and violas—my absolute favorite winter crop. They bloom quickly, keep blooming all winter long, and bring so much joy to the hoop house during the quieter months. We deadhead them regularly so they don’t go to seed. They stay fairly short until the days reach 12 hours of light; then they gradually elongate, and by May they’re long enough to use in bouquets.

We start some pansies from seed and also buy some as small plants called plugs. Not all pansy varieties stretch tall enough for cutting—most breeding has focused on short bedding plants. There are seed varieties that elongate well, and hopefully in time we’ll see those available as plugs from local nurseries. If you’d like to dig deeper, I highly recommend Pansies by flower farmer and author Brenna Estrada; her variety trials are incredibly helpful for anyone wanting to grow pansies for floral design.

More Winter Work

Weeding e.g. removing the henbit (red x) so that the larkspur can grow.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be weeding and preparing additional beds for early spring planting. Winter is also when we handle the repairs that get pushed aside during the busy season—mending raised beds, fixing infrastructure, and taking care of the small-but-important tasks that keep the farm running smoothly.

We’ll also be digging and dividing our dahlias and getting them ready for next season. We’ll have some available for sale in the spring, and they’re always a popular choice for gardeners eager to grow their own blooms.

Another Burst of Fall Color

Just when we think the mum season can’t get any prettier, these late bloomers step up and prove us wrong. The field is glowing right now with coral, apricot, and sunset shades that seem to hold onto autumn’s light just a little longer. These heirloom mums have been a joy to grow and even more fun to share. Their long stems and sturdy blooms make them perfect for arranging, and they last beautifully in the vase. This week’s favorites:

Annie Girl

Coral Reef

Daybreak

Apricot Alexis

River City

Thank you for following along with our mum journey this year and celebrating the joy these heirloom flowers bring.

Linda

A Beautiful Finale: Late Season Bouquets & Our New Hoop House

Oberlin

As the days shorten and the air turns crisp, many people think the flower season has ended. But here at Purple Tuteur Farm, we’re just getting started on one of the most beautiful parts of the year. Thanks to our heirloom chrysanthemums and our brand-new hoop house, we’re able to extend the season and bring you fresh, abundant bouquets all the way through October and possibly into November too.

The Magic of Heirloom Mums

Fall Charm

Heirloom mums have a very long history but were almost lost as they were replaced in the marketplace by uniform, short-lived potted mums. For decades, chrysanthemum societies across the country quietly worked to keep these now-rare varieties alive. Today, local flower farms are bringing them back to the market—and customers are rediscovering just how extraordinary they are.

These are not your typical potted mums. Each bloom is layered, textured, and filled with character, offering a depth and beauty that is impossible to find in mass-market flowers. They come in a wide variety of forms. If you’ve seen the latest issue of Southern Living, you may have noticed their feature on Three Porch Farm in Georgia and the stunning resurgence of heirloom chrysanthemums. We’re thrilled to be part of this movement, sharing these breathtaking flowers with our community right here in South Carolina.

The Hoop House Advantage

Early season mums in bud

This year, we’ve taken a big step forward with the addition of a new hoop house, built with the support of an ACRE grant. The hoop house protects our mums from unpredictable fall weather and gives us greater control over growing conditions. The result? Stronger, healthier plants and more reliable blooms deep into the season. It’s a behind-the-scenes investment that allows us to keep delivering flowers long after the traditional bouquet season winds down.

Late Season Bouquets & Mini-Subscriptions

Saga no Yuki

Five Top Flowers in Our Early Spring Subscription Bouquets

Early spring is finally bringing an explosion of color, fragrance, and floral beauty to our flower farm. After our long cold February, the burst of blooms is more dramatic than usual. If you're new to our seasonal flower subscription, you’re in for a treat! Each bouquet is filled with the best of what’s blooming, carefully arranged to bring joy to your home or to give as a heartfelt gift. To many of you, who have been with us for years, we’re looking forward to bringing fresh blooms to your door and we can’t thank you enough for your continued support.

Here are five of the key flowers you will see in our farm to vase Early Spring bouquet subscriptions:

1.  Tulips – Tulips have elegant, cup-shaped blooms and come in nearly every color imaginable, from soft pastels to bold, vibrant hues. They are available in unique shapes including singles, doubles, parrot and fringe forms. They are phototropic, meaning they bend and reach toward light, creating a dynamic and ever-changing bouquet.

A tulip, even when cut from the bulb, will continue to grow and lengthen in the vase.  If you are making an arrangement, be sure to place them a little lower in the overall scheme so that they don’t end up floating way above the rest of the flowers.

2.  Daffodils – Typically the first flowers to bloom, nothing says springtime like the bright, sunny faces of daffodils! They are available in classic yellow, white, peach, and bicolor varieties. Almost everyone has a memory of a daffodil.

Daffodils have a nostalgic charm and can multiply readily in the garden, making them a great pass-along plant to share, often across generations.

 3.  Amaryllis – Amaryllis make excellent cut flowers. They have long stems and great vase life too. In addition to red and white, amaryllis come in corals, hot pink and even green blooms.  Once we’ve cut the flowers from the bulbs, we plant them in a warm spot in the garden so they can acclimate and bloom in early summer.

Amaryllis

 4.  Hellebore – Also known as Lenten Rose, new breeding work in Hellebore makes this a delightful addition to our early spring line up. The new “Ice N Roses” variety has stems long enough to use in a bouquet. Their upward facing flowers make the blooms more visible. They range in color from pure white to deep burgundy with many pinks and picotees in between.

Very long lasting, hellebore will remain beautiful in your vase after everything else has faded away.

 5.  Ranunculus – The ‘rose of spring’ is a special flower and highly anticipated. These densely petaled flowers are often mistaken for roses, but they thrive in cool spring weather.  They coming in a wide variety of colors from whites to yellows, peaches, pinks and reds.

Ranunculus

  Wishing you a flower-filled season,

Linda

The Early Season 2025 Crop Report

Hi all!

It’s the “off season”, but we have been busy working on quite a few things behind the scenes. Let me catch you up!

The early spring crops are coming along very well, though they are coming on a little slower than they have in the past few years. We had a long stretch of cold days in January that kept things dormant longer than usual.  Then last week, temps hit 80F, even breaking a weather record one day. This definitely jumpstarted everything in the field! All the frost blankets had to come off so the plants could soak up the sun. Next week, we’re back to more normal weather for this time of year, including a couple of nights below freezing. So, blankets back on and slower growth again. February and March in Columbia, anything is possible when it comes to the weather!

For those who will be receiving an early spring bouquet subscription, this may mean that we are starting a little later than the first week of March. We will see how the next couple of weeks play out. The good news is that all the cold weather is great for the crops that need cold to grow their best, like tulips and peonies. We will be contacting each of you when we can get started.

Anemone

Poppies

Ranunculus

Tulips

The Mum Project

During the off season I participated in a proposal competition and was awarded a grant from the state of South Carolina to add a new high tunnel, which will be used to grow heirloom chrysanthemums. These flowers bloom in the fall, and we are going to have blooms from October – early December!

We have been growing smaller amounts of mums over the past couple of years to make sure our growing conditions are suitable. Now, we will take the next step and grow larger quantities of them. Chrysanthemums are tolerant of light frosts and can bloom when the daylength is short, give us a few more weeks of beautiful flowers in the year!

Heirloom Chrysanthemums

Specialty Chrysanthemum Saga No Yuki

  Website Updates

We’ve upgraded our website so some of the issues people have experienced with their cell phone access should be eliminated now. We will continue to make a few more refinements over the year, but most of the work is complete. If you are having any trouble or concerns, please reach out and we will be happy to help you.  You can send us a message from our Instagram account or use the Contact Us page to send us an email, or just email us a purpletuteur@gmail.com

  Here is the new menu as shown from a laptop or personal computer. The categories of information on the menu may or may not have sub-categories. For example, if you are looking for information about our bouquet subscriptions, put your cursor on the “cut flowers” category, and a list of the various ways we provide cut flowers will be listed. You can select from those and see the page you are looking for.

Here is the view of the home page from a mobile phone. The shopping cart, that was not always visible on your cell phone before, will be visible now.

That about wraps it up from here.

We have just a few openings for Early Spring subscriptions remaining, so sign up soon at https://www.purpletuteur.com/subscription-information . Thanks so much to those of you who are already signed up.

Spring blooms are just around the corner! Happy Valentine’s Day,

Linda

Amaryllis Care

Amaryllis Care Guide: How to Grow for Blooms Indoors and Outdoors

Amaryllis are treasured for their ability to produce large, vibrant flowers indoors during the coldest months of winter. Their low-maintenance care and potential for reblooming make them a favorite among indoor gardeners. Follow this guide to enjoy the beauty of amaryllis year after year indoors, or to transition them outdoors to enjoy in your garden here in Columbia.

Amaryllis Cape Horn

Choosing Your Amaryllis Bulbs

Look for firm, unblemished bulbs, similar to how you would choose an onion. Larger bulbs produce more stems and flowers. For a more impressive display, choose the largest bulbs you can find. The flowers are already formed in the bulb when you receive them, so larger bulbs will have more and larger flowers.

While red and white varieties are the most common, amaryllis is also available in shades of pink, burgundy, orange, yellow, and even green.

Select bulbs from the southern hemisphere (sometimes referred to as “Christmas Blooming”) if you want them to bloom for the holidays, or as fast as possible (4-6 weeks). Bulbs from the northern hemisphere (sometimes called “shelf stable”) will bloom after the holidays, since they are going to take longer to acclimate to the warmth of your home. Typically, these take 6-10 weeks to bloom and are wonderful to have in bloom in January and February,

How to Grow Amaryllis Indoors

Preparing Your Amaryllis Bulb

1. Wake the Bulb: Soak the roots in warm water for about an hour, then allow them to drain completely.

2. Planting: Use well-draining potting soil and pot the bulb, leaving about one-third of the bulb above the soil surface.

3. Initial Watering: Thoroughly soak the soil with warm water after planting, then refrain from watering until green shoots appear.

4. Placement: Keep the pot in a warm, dark spot (70-75°F) for two weeks to encourage root development.

Pro Tip: If your bulb has already started sprouting, don’t worry. The stem will naturally straighten as it grows.

Encouraging Blooms

1. Move to Light: Once roots are established, place the pot in a bright, warm location (70-80°F). A sunny windowsill or a spot near a heat source works well.

2. Watering: Water only when the top inch of soil feels dry. Avoid overwatering, as this can lead to bulb rot.

3. Patience is Key: Growth may take several weeks. Keep the pot warm and avoid excessive watering.

4. Rotate for Even Growth: When the stem begins to emerge, rotate the pot daily to ensure the stalk grows straight.

Caring During the Bloom period

1. Prolong Blooms: Once the flowers open, move the pot out of direct sunlight to extend bloom time.

2. Deadhead Regularly: Remove fading flowers by cutting them near the base of the stalk. This can encourage additional blooms.

3. Trim Spent Stalks: After all flowers have faded, cut the stem back to about 2 inches above the bulb. Leave green leaves intact to nourish the bulb for next season.

How to Save Amaryllis Bulbs for Reblooming Indoors

1. Post-Bloom Care: Place the pot in a bright location and continue watering when the top inch of soil feels dry. Fertilize monthly.

2. Summer Outdoors: Two weeks after the last frost (mid-April in Columbia), move the pot outside to a sunny or partially shaded area to promote leaf growth and strengthen the bulb.

3. Fall Dormancy Preparation:

   • In early fall, cut the foliage just above the bulb.

   • Bring the pot indoors and place it in a cool, dark location (50-60°F) for 8-10 weeks.

   • Do not water during the dormancy period.

4. Restart Growth: After the dormancy period, follow the initial growth steps to encourage blooming once again.

Note: Amaryllis bulbs thrive when slightly pot-bound. Repotting every year is not necessary, allowing for easy long-term care.

By following these steps, you can enjoy beautiful amaryllis blooms during the winter months and cultivate healthy bulbs that rebloom season after season.

Growing Amaryllis Outdoors

Amaryllis also makes an excellent garden plant and is cold hardy in South Carolina through USDA planting Zone 8. This means Amaryllis grown indoors during the holiday season can be moved outdoors in the spring after the threat of frost has passed, generally around mid-April.  Gradually acclimate the indoor plants to brighter light by moving them to a porch or patio area before planting them in the garden.

find the right location

Amaryllis, like all bulbs, need soil that drains well. A raised bed may be necessary to ensure good drainage if your soil has a lot of clay in it. A soil rich in organic matter will provide the best growth, so add compost if your soil is lean like ours. Plant bulbs directly into the ground, spaced about a foot apart. Plant with half the bulb tip above ground, leaving the tops barely covered with soil.

Select a sunny spot in the garden that receives afternoon shade. Avoid placing the bulb where it will dry out excessively. Apply mulch, especially during the fall and winter months. Leaves work well for this. 

Fertilize

Fertilization determines the size and quality of the flowers and foliage. For garden plantings, fertilizers containing low nitrogen, such as 5-10-10 or 6-12-12 analysis should be used. Use quantities as defined on the fertilizer bag. Make the first fertilizer application as new growth begins, then repeat the application when the flower stalk is 6 to 8 inches tall, before blooming. Do not feed while the plant is in bloom.  Apply a third application immediately after flowering. Remove spend stalks/blooms but keep the leaves on the plant. 

Amaryllis grown outdoors are deer resistant. They will grow lush foliage outdoors over the summer, storing energy for future blooms.

A Versatile Bloom for Every Season

Whether you’re decorating your home for winter, planning thoughtful gifts, or adding beauty to your garden, amaryllis is a wonderful choice. With its vibrant colors and easy care, it’s a simple way to brighten any space.

We carry amaryllis bulbs each year starting in early November. Their arrival will be announced in our newsletter, Farm Dirt.

Amaryllis and Paperwhites: Easy Indoor Blooms for the Winter Season

I recently gave a talk to a garden club about growing amaryllis and paperwhites and was surprised to learn that many of the members had never tried growing these delightful bulbs. Both are easy to grow and offer a welcome indoor floral display when it’s too cold for outdoor blooms.

Amaryllis: Your Winter Weather Showstopper

Amaryllis bulbs take about 6–8 weeks to bloom, depending on the variety. To get started:

1. Pot them up and place them in a low-light location for the first week to 10 days. This helps their roots establish.

2. Once the stems begin to emerge, move them to a warm spot with indirect light

3. Turn the pot occasionally to keep the stems growing straight.

Did you know? Each amaryllis bulb already contains the flowers that will emerge—this is why bulb size matters. Larger bulbs produce more stems and more flowers per stem, creating a more dramatic display.

Amaryllis bulbs also make fantastic gifts! They remain dormant until potted and watered. One holiday season, I gifted amaryllis forcing kits to friends. Watching them share pictures of their blooms was so rewarding—it’s a gift that keeps giving long after the holidays.

Paperwhites: Quick and Elegant

For those seeking quicker blooms, paperwhites are the instant-gratification bulbs of the season, blooming in just 3–5 weeks. If you start now, you could even have blooms for Christmas! As with amaryllis, larger paperwhite bulbs mean more abundant flowers.

Most commonly, you’ll find the variety ‘Ziva’ in stores, known for its strong scent. However, newer varieties with milder fragrances and even touches of color are becoming popular.

A bonus: After the holidays, if your paperwhites were grown in potting soil, you can plant them in your garden. Add compost and a little bone meal to the soil, and you can enjoy their blooms for years to come here in Columbia.

Tips for Long-Lasting Blooms

• Keep blooms cooler and away from direct sunlight to prolong their beauty.

• Avoid high temperatures, which can cause stems to grow too long and fall over. If this happens, cut the stem at its base and display the flower in a vase—it makes a gorgeous cut flower!

A Fun Cornell Trick: Blooms on “The Rocks”

A study from Cornell University found that using alcohol—yes, gin, vodka, or tequila—helps keep stems of both amaryllis and paperwhites shorter and sturdier. Here’s how:

1. Mix one part alcohol to seven parts water.

2. Use this mixture for weekly watering once the stems start to grow.

3. Avoid beer or wine (too much sugar!) and keep the solution mild—too much alcohol is toxic (we knew that, didn’t we?).

Tip: Rubbing alcohol works just as well if you don’t have liquor on hand.

Local Holiday Bulbs

This weekend, we’ll have amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs available for sale at the Dolce Vita Farms Open House:
📍 1715 Congress Rd, Eastover, SC 29044
🕚 Hours: 11 AM – 3 PM on Saturday, December 7, 2024.

Amaryllis bulbs started now won’t bloom for Christmas, but they’re a joy to experience after the holidays.

If you’re looking for something blooming in time for Christmas, stop by Cottage and Vine:
📍 4619 Forest Drive - Suite 2, Columbia, SC 29206
🕙 Hours: M–F 10 AM–5:30 PM | Sat 10 AM–4 PM
📞 803.550.9409 | 🌐 www.shopcottageandvine.com

Nancy has beautiful, gift-worthy pots of amaryllis and paperwhites ready to go.

Wishing you a holiday season filled with love and blooms,
Linda

The Art of Dried Flowers: From Field to Fall Wreaths

As the seasons shift and the days grow shorter, our flowers take on new life. Throughout the growing season, we carefully harvest blooms at their peak—just as they reach the perfect growth stage. While many of these flowers find their way into arrangements and bouquets for weekly business needs, others embark on a different journey: drying.

Drying flowers is an age-old tradition, and over time, we’ve experimented with various methods. After much trial and error, our favorite approach remains simple and effective: hanging flowers upside down in a cool, dark space. This method not only preserves their beauty but also ensures they retain their vibrant colors and unique shapes. However, one crucial tip we've learned is to start with flowers in their prime condition. A bloom that’s past its peak will not yield a quality dried flower.

By carefully drying blooms all season long, we’ve built up a stunning collection of dried flowers in a variety of hues and textures. And as the frost approaches, these preserved beauties take center stage.

One of our favorite ways to showcase dried flowers is in fall wreaths. A couple of weeks ago, we hosted a fall wreath-making class in our processing shed. The space transformed into a buzzing creative workshop where attendees let their imaginations run wild. The results? Stunning, one-of-a-kind wreaths filled with the warmth and charm of autumn.

One woman who signed up for the class couldn’t make it in person, so she picked up the materials and created her wreath at home—a lovely reminder that creativity knows no bounds!

This year, we’re excited to share even more ways for you to enjoy dried flowers. For the first time, we’re offering dried flower bundles on our website, available for local pickup and delivery. Whether you want to craft a wreath, decorate pumpkins, create framed art, enhance gift wrapping, make potpourri or bath products, design holiday ornaments, or even incorporate them into a wedding, we’ve got you covered!

And if you love the look of dried flower wreaths but don’t have the time or inclination to make one, no problem—we have a selection of ready-made wreaths available for you to take home and enjoy.

Dried flowers are more than just a way to extend the life of blooms—they’re a celebration of nature’s cycles and the artistry it inspires. Whether adorning a front door, decorating a gift, or enhancing a festive centerpiece, these preserved blooms bring beauty and joy long after the growing season ends.

So, whether you’re looking to get creative or simply enjoy the beauty of dried flowers, we invite you to explore all the possibilities they offer.

Growing Nigella

Growing Nigella (also known as Love-In-A-Mist)

It’s September and we are past the high heat. The dahlias are coming into their own, with daytime temperatures in the 80’s and nights in the 60’s. Francine is due to bring us some much-needed rain this weekend, which will help get the bloom cycle moving.

This time of year you can also prepare for early spring blooms by direct sowing seed for some cool season annuals. In our area, with our limited cold weather, fall sowing is the way we can provide the right conditions to flowers that prefer cool weather. One great example is Nigella.

Nigella is a favorite for sowing from seed in the garden. Its beautifully delicate flower comes and goes quickly. While cultivated, it has the look of a wild flower. It can be difficult to transport when in bloom. Growing it locally is the only practical way to have it available. Fortunately is is fairly easy to start from seed.

     Another great feature of Nigella is its seed pod. As the flowers fade, a seed pod takes its place. These are very long lasting and they can be used fresh in arrangements or dried for fall wreaths and arrangements. Once the pod has formed on the plant, simply cut the stem as you would a flower stem.

Fresh Nigella Pods

Dried Nigella Pods

 The blooms and the seed pods vary with the variety of nigella. This one is Nigella damascene. It comes in white, blue, purple and pink blooms.

You won’t see Nigella in garden centers. Growing it from seed can give you an abundant supply.  You can find many varieties on the internet. We like to shop at Johnny’s (https://www.johnnyseeds.com/flowers/nigella) and Baker Creek for our seeds. I am not aware of anyone in Columbia who sells this seed. If you have another seed company that you like to use, especially one in the area, please let me know and I will share it in the next newsletter.

Linda

P.S. We still have room in our Fall Wreath Making class on 9/26. We’ll have an abundant selection of dried flowers to choose from, including nigella pods. You can get all the details and sign up here: About our Classes. Come to the farm and experience the joy of specialty cut flowers.

April On The Farm

We have been delivering our subscriptions for 5 weeks now and people who are unfamiliar with our services are always surprised to hear that we have flowers this early. Most of what is blooming now and in the next month or so is prepared in the fall. It is a more challenging way to grow, especially when we have late frosts or freezes, but worth it for the early blooms.  There have been years when we lost crops to the late cold. We always plant extra in anticipation of a weather event.

This year, we have had a mild winter, meaning we haven’t had any severe cold snaps that can kill our crops.  4/15 is considered our last frost date. These dates are determined by historical records kept by NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). NOAA uses 30 years of historical data to project the last frost date in the spring and the first frost date in the fall. There is more to it, but not for today. We are just celebrating the fact that the forecast looks great for this week and frosty weather appears to be over!

Colibri Poppies

I got a question about the poppies in the subscription bouquets, so others may also be wondering too.

These are a type of Icelandic poppy, bred in Italy. We use a pastel mix for our early spring bouquets. It does come in a few brighter colors too. They need cold weather to grow, so we will probably only have them for another couple of weeks. You can see them in a few forms in our subscription bouquets. The flower forms in a pod and when it is ready to bloom, the pod cracks and falls off. We generally put them in bouquets at the cracked pod stage or when they have just opened.

Best,

Linda

March 2024 on the Farm – “In like a lion, out like a lamb”

March is the most precarious month of the year at the flower farm. The days are getting longer, flowers planted in the fall are starting to grow again and temperatures fluctuate between 32 to 80. Weather watching is critical to protecting the plants until the temperatures smooth out in April.

This year, our winter has been relatively mild. We have not experienced the kind of cold snaps that can wipe out early spring crops. So tender young growth can be seen on most of the crops. This past week, we had temperatures up to 80, unusually high for this time of year. We had to cover our cool season plants with shade cloth so they don’t get the idea it is time for them to go dormant. Monday night, we are supposed to have a low of 32 degrees, which is cold enough to damage new growth if left unprotected. So, on Monday, the shade cloth comes off and the frost cloth goes back on. This is the dance of early season flower farming.  It is a challenge, but one I wouldn’t trade for anything. We need these spring flowers to kick our endorphins back into gear after the long nights and short days of winter!

Despite the challenges of March weather, we’re enjoying good harvests so far. Early Spring subscriptions have started up and are filled with tulips, daffodils, anemone, hellebore, hyacinth, amaryllis and poppies. Next week, ranunculus will also be included.  

Next Up, Peonies!

 Looking out a few weeks, the next big crop is peonies. Some are just coming out of the ground, but Coral Sunset is up and in bud! The coral peonies are the earliest to bloom on our farm.

Coral Sunset and Kansas are two varieties that are three years old now, so this is the first year we can cut any blooms from them. Peony roots need two full years of no blooms in order to establish a healthy root system that can support a plant that can live 30 years or more. Even this year, the quantities will be small. We will not cut all of the blooms produced. Instead, we will deadhead about half of them so continue to get large root systems established. Peonies are a long game plant. Their rewards increase over time.

Spring Gardening?

Are you sprucing up your spring garden? We have a lot of Muscari ready to go. Grown in sterile soil, these can be used indoors or outside. $2/ 2inch pot of three bulbs. Fun to add these to pots or in the front of the garden border. They come back every year and are one of the earliest bloomers. Contact us if you would like some. Farm pickup can be scheduled or if you have a flower subscription, we can drop these off at your door with your next delivery.

Looking for Inspiration?

The Art Blossoms Event at the Columbia Museum of Art is a community event full of flowers. This year the event is being held March 21-24.  Garden Clubs from around the state are assigned an art work and they create an arrangement inspired by the work. Creativity at its best. General admission is $10 and so worth it! There are lots of other special events that you can sign up for too.

We wish you a flower-filled spring,

Linda

Heirloom Chrysanthemums

Heirloom Chrysanthemums

Heirloom Chrysanthemum Saga No Yuki

In recent years there has been a growing interest in heirloom chrysanthemums. We’re not talking about potted mums that you can find in the fall at every garden center, but rather the more unique, tall, older varieties that have been passed down through generations. These plants pre-date modern hybridization techniques and are the result of natural selection and the passage of time.

Heirloom chrysanthemums have not been especially popular in traditional floristry trends. There was a time when a few varieties were overused and dyed shocking colors. Mums fell out of favor. Many of these beautiful flowers are no longer widely grown.  

Fortunately, lots of varieties have been maintained by Chrysanthemum Societies, where plants are grown for show competitions. There is also a company called King’s Mums in Minnesota that has sold a diverse selection of heirloom mums with a wide variety of shapes and colors for many years. Awareness of these heirloom varieties, now grown by local flower farms, has resulted in renewed demand for these flowers.

One reason for their resurgence is their unique bloom time. Heirloom chrysanthemums bloom in late fall, often the last thing to bloom before winter sets in. They need to be protected from hard frost but can withstand the light frosts that we usually get around Halloween. Small flower farms use them for season extension benefits, a late crop to harvest and sell before winter sets in. They make wonderful Thanksgiving arrangements.

Heirloom mums are also an incredibly long-lasting cut flower. It is not unusual for them to have more than two weeks of vase life.

Since these plants are the result of natural selection, there are no patents on them. They can be freely reproduced.  Chrysanthemums grow easily from rooted cuttings so this is the most common way to pass them along. Harmony Harvest farm in Weyers Cave Virginia is one of the farms that is taking the lead on expanding chrysanthemum production. They were written up in Southern Living for their efforts. In 2022, a collector of heirloom chrysanthemums passed away and the grower’s wife donated the entire inventory to Harmony Harvest.

Last year I grew 4 varieties as a trial and I am also convinced that the world needs to experience more of these flowers! They are categorized by their shape and by bloom time. There are early, mid and late blooming varieties. The actual time may vary based on where you are located.

Here in the Columbia area, I only grew the late varieties, which started blooming the last week in October. Early bloomers could start in the first week of October, and mid-season bloomers may start in the middle of the month. We are growing across all bloom times this year. If all goes well, some of these will be included in our fall bouquet subscriptions.  

We will also have a special offering in mid-November, just in time for Thanksgiving. More to come on that.

Crimson Tide

Kermit

Growing

If you are a grower and interested in trying these beauties in your garden, you can order chrysanthemum cuttings in the spring. Harmony Harvest (https://www.hhfshop.com), Three Porch Farm (https://3porchfarm.com/) in Comer Georgia and Clara Joyce Flowers (https://www.clarajoyceflowers.com/mum-cuttings) in Illinois are three of the bigger farms that sell them.

Other Farm Notes

Things are beginning to shape up at the farm for spring. We continue to see good progress with most of the early flowers. We’re busy getting seeds started and ordering what we need to get through the season. We got some new tables for the processing shed just in time for our new Forcing Bulb class. This time of year, we hold the classes indoors.

We’re using these rainy days to get caught up on lots of planning. It is exciting to look out through the year and organize our growing plans to make sure we have flowers blooming every week.

And I have been wanting to tell you about the Heirloom Mums for awhile and am just now getting it down in the blog. So, I hope you enjoy and also hope you have a very happy Valentine’s Day! We don’t have flowers this week, but a subscription or a bulb class seat might be the ticket. Godspeed.

Linda

October on the Farm - Dahlias and Mums

Farm Update

Happy Halloween!

Farmers are surprisingly busy in the fall. Seasons converge. We’re busy wrapping up the fall harvest, getting the beds prepared and planted for spring, getting the spring bulb sales delivered and preparing for our holiday offerings too.

Temperatures are forecasted to be in the low 30’s at night this week, which is pretty much a guarantee that the dahlias and the rest of the summer annuals will be done. This is the average first frost date for our area, so statistically speaking, we are on our normal schedule.  

Here are a few highlights from our fall season.

Dahlias

The dahlias were a lot of fun to grow this year, and we hope that you enjoyed some of them. We doubled the number of tubers we planted and grew several new (to us) varieties along with some old favorites. It is always fun to find something new and beautiful, that does well in our warm climate. Here are some of our favorites for the year.

Clockwise from top left: Totally Tangerine, Mr. Franz, Genova, Labyrinth Two Tone

Totally Tangerine is an anemone form dahlia. The plant is small, so good for a pot. It produces a large number of 2 inch blooms.

Mr. Franz is a waterlily form. The blooms are 4-6 inches and the petals are peach and yellow.

Genova is a small ball form dahlia. The plant produces many flowers. The size makes them easy to use in arrangements.

Labyrinth Two Tone is a lavender and white dinnerplate dahlia. They are typically smaller than a dinnerplate in our summer heat. This makes them good for arranging. This is a recent release from the same breeder that brought us the Labyrinth dahlia.

This last one is called Babylon Bronze. It does well in our heat. As the season’s days got shorter, it grew much larger and had petals that were more yellow than bronze.  These are hard to use in bouquets or arrangements, so I took them home! A few blooms for the farmer to enjoy at the end of the season.

We’re trying to keep a few dahlias going in the hoop house, so we’ll see how that works out.

We will be selling dahlia tubers in early 2024. This will give us room in the field to add a few new ones and expand the quantities of the ones that do well in our climate.  

Heirloom Mums

This year we are also growing heirloom mums for the first time. They generally bloom after the dahlias and their blooms are triggered by shorter days. Heirloom mums come in many shapes and sizes. We’ve just started with three to see how they do. So far, so good. This one is called Crimson Tide. More updates will be coming on these interesting flowers.

Heirloom mum Crimson Tide

Spring Blooming Bulbs

Thank you for those who have ordered their bulbs. We are getting things delivered/ready for farm pick up as the bulbs arrive from Holland. Shipping from Holland is a long and complex process, so the providers are not the best at keeping a predictable schedule. We have everything now except for the tulips. They are supposed to arrive next week, so we will get them to everyone as soon as we can.

The most important thing to remember is that we have the luxury of planting all of these now through January in our glorious climate. Just keep the bulbs cool and dry until you are ready to get them into the ground.

Holiday Shop

This year we will have bulbs, bulb gardens and greens bouquets available for purchase on the website and at our holiday open house at the farm on December 2nd.  

In addition to a large variety of amaryllis in various sizes, we will have extra-large paperwhites. These are 17cm, which means that they are some of the largest available. Larger bulbs provide larger and more flowers. Here is a photo showing a standard daffodil bulb next to one of the paperwhite bulbs.  

More information to come in our next email update.

Standard Cum Laude daffodil on the left, our extra large paperwhite

Spring Blooming Bulbs - Daffodils

Growing Daffodils

Part 3 of our 3-part “Growing Spring Bulbs” Series is about growing Daffodils (Narcissus). Growing daffodils is a relatively straightforward process that can add vibrant early spring color to your garden or vase. If you do a little research, you can find many varieties of daffodils beyond the highlighter yellow trumpet. We only offer specialty varieties that are harder to find and that are also used in our Early Spring subscriptions. So, if you are not a grower but love our subscriptions, we have you covered too!

For this year, we are offering the following 3 varieties of daffodils. The Mt.Hood trumpet came highly recommended by Bets Daniels of Columbia, SC on one of our Facebook posts. She said that her mother grew them and they are plentiful in her yard.

Need to Know- Daffodil Basics

Daffodils need some cold weather to grow correctly, so not all varieties are suitable for the South. We select only those that do well in our Zone 8 climate (limited cold required) and that have sufficient stem length to work in a vase arrangement.  Everything that does well in the South also does well in the cooler zones, 3-7. I don’t recommend them for warmer zones, 9-10.

If you are a beginning gardener, daffodils are a great place to start. They are the most economical bulb because they are easy to grow, multiply in the ground and have limited pests. The flowers are long lasting in the garden or in a vase. They can stand on their own in a vase for a pretty, daffodil only arrangement.

As a more seasoned grower, these specialty varieties can add more color and texture to your existing garden.  They offer color when little else is blooming.

The step by step to growing daffodils in your garden

1.       Select the proper location: Daffodils need well drained soil and partial to full sunlight. The pink/soft orange varieties do better with a little shade.

2.       Planting time: Plant in fall or early winter so that the roots can get started growing before bloom season.

3.       Bulb planting and spacing: If you have just a few bulbs, dig a hole 4-6 inches deep for each one. Keep the bulbs 6 inches or more apart so they have room to multiply. For larger quantities, dig a trench and spread the bulbs out in the trench. Place the bulbs pointy side up and cover with soil

4.       Water thoroughly after planting. This helps remove any air pockets in the soil and helps the daffodil begin the process of developing its roots

5.       Cover with mulch. Mulch will help retain moisture, deter weeds and keep an even soil temperature.

6.       Fertilize in spring with a bulb fertilizer. No need to fertilize when planting. The bulbs won’t be ready to take up any nutrients until the roots are formed. We use Espoma Bulbtone for all our bulbs.

7.       Maintenance: Remove spent blooms (not the leaves) from the plant. This helps it use more of its energy to grow a bigger bulb for next year. Let the foliage die back naturally for the same reason. Remove brown foliage.

8.       Division. Bulbs are busy making more bulbs under the soil. They can become crowded. They need to be dug and separated every 3 – 5 years after the foliage has turned brown. You will know that it is time to divide when the leaves come up and no flowers bloom. You can wait for that, but you can proactively divide every 3 years to have continuous blooms.

9.       Harvesting : If you want to take some of these lovely blooms indoors, you can harvest them in what is known as the “gooseneck” stage. This is when the bud is colored and bent over, not yet opened. They will open in the house. By harvesting at this stage, no insects or harsh weather will have a chance to damage the petals. Cut the flower stem at ground level. Leave the leaves behind and uncut. Leaves absorb energy from the sun that restores the bulb for next year’s flower.

Daffodil at gooseneck stage, ready to harvest

10. Conditioning: If you are lucky enough to have daffodils (including paperwhites and heirloom narcissus) and other flowers to make an arrangement, be sure to place the daffodils in a separate vase for 24 hours after cutting. The daffodils secrete a substance that can shorten the vase life of other flowers.  Waiting 24 hours to mix them with anything else gives the stems time to heal over so they will not affect other blooms. If you trim your stems mid-week (a good practice for making your flowers last!) you must repeat the healing process before combining them again.  

We hope that you have enjoyed this three part series on growing spring bulbs. Will you give them a try? Do you have any other favorites that also do well in warm climates? We’d love to hear from you.

Best,

Linda

Spring Blooming Bulbs - Anemone and Ranunculus

We’re continuing a short series on the “how to” of the spring bulbs we grow and sell. These are the same bulbs we’re growing for our Early Spring bouquet subscriptions. So we hope that you enjoy them, whether from our garden or yours.

Pre-ordering for 2025 bouquet subscriptions will open on December 1, 2024. We will send out more information closer to the date.

Growing Anemone and Ranunculus

If you want to have cutting-garden blooms in late winter and early spring, Anemone and Ranunculus are two great options. While they are very different flowers, they are often discussed together because their growing conditions are very similar. They take a little special handling to get them started but once you have them in the ground, there is very little care required. They will send up multiple stems from each plant, giving you beautiful flowers to bring indoors when not much else is in bloom.

Anemone and Ranunculus are native to the Mediterranean, where it only rains in the winter. From this, they have evolved to go dormant in the summer and then grow during the rainy season. The closer we can come to creating these conditions, the more successful our plantings will be.

Anemone

 Anemone Bulb (Corm) Selection

Anemone (Anemone coronaria), is also known Poppy Anemone for the shape of its flower. They are also known as Windflower.  Select bulbs based on usage and size.

Two shorter-stemmed landscape varieties are generally available. The de Caen variety has a single layer of flower petals. The St Brigid variety has a double flower. In our climate, stems are 6 – 8 inches tall when grown in full sun. For longer-stemmed cutting needs, use the Italian or Israeli varieties. Mistral is an Italian variety with longer stems.

Anemone corms come in different sizes, from 3-4 cm to 5-6 cm. Larger sized corms are worth the extra cost. Larger corms produce larger plants and more flower stems.

If you are thinking that you knew of anemone as another flower, you are right. There is a shrub-like perennial called Japanese Anemone (Anemone hupehensis). The blooms look very similar to the bulb form but they bloom in a spray in the fall.  This is why botanists revert to Latin names for flowers. Many common names apply to multiple plants but each has its own unique Latin name. 

Ranunculus

Ranunculus Bulb (Tuber) Selection

Ranunculus (Ranunculus asiaticus) is commonly known as Persian Buttercup and as “rose of spring”. Two strains of R asiaticus are available. The Telecote varieties are the longer stemmed versions with double flowers. These are the more common. A landscape strain with shorter stems is “Bloomingdale”. It is harder to find.

As with Anemone, the size of the tuber matters.  With sizes ranging from 3-4 to 5-7, larger corms produce larger plants and more flower stems.  

Growing Conditions

Both Anemone and Ranunculus need full sun and good drainage. They can be grown in the ground or in pots, so if you have clay soil, you may want to use a pot or a raised bed. Too much water will cause the corms to rot.

Both are hardy in zones 8 – 11, so you can leave them in the ground.  Corms can be lifted and replanted in colder zones.

Anemone and ranunculus like day temperatures in the 60 – 70 F degree range, with nights from 45 – 55F.  This means you can plant them in the fall or in February for early spring blooms in zones 8-11. Plant in spring for other zones.

 The soil temperatures around 55 F are optimal and once it gets warmer, they will go dormant. They need to be protected from freezing weather. Cover them with heavy mulch if we get one of our freak cold periods.

Anemone will bloom about 90 days after planting. Ranunculus needs the 90 days and 8-12 hours of daylight. Both will begin to go dormant when daylength reaches 13 hours.

 So, in the Columbia SC area, the window for growing them is October 1 – April 13th.  To illustrate: Pre-sprout the corms for 10 days, starting on October 1, then plant them out on day 11. The anemone would be ready on December 30.

To find the date range for 8-12 hours of daylight in your area, Google daylength, the name of your town and the growing year. You will find charts that map out the daylength/hours of darkness by date. This can be a guide for understanding when to plant and when they will bloom. You can do the same for average temperature ranges. In colder climates, this can be a guide to determine when to plant.

Prep and Planting

Both Anemone and Ranunculus need to be pre-soaked for 2 hours before planting. Put them in a sink, in a bowl filled with water. Keep the faucet dripping slowly, letting the water overflow. This ensures that there is oxygen in the water while the corms are submerged. You can also submerge an aquarium stone in the water to add oxygen.

Once they have been soaked, you can pre-sprout them to ensure that the corm is viable or you can go ahead and plant them. I think it is easier just to plant them.  Make sure your soil drains well.

 To pre-sprout, put them in a flat of damp vermiculite or potting soil and keep them at 40-50F for two to three weeks. If you soak them and then leave them at 60 or above, they will rot since they stay dormant. The first year I tried to pre-sprout these, I did not take the 40-50F seriously and I ended up with a moldy mess!  Try a refrigerator if you don’t have a cool enough space outdoors. White roots will emerge and need to be handled carefully when planting.

Plant the corms 6 inches apart with two inches of soil under and one inch of soil over the corm. Anemones should be planted with the point down. Some have odd shapes. If you are not sure which is the pointy end, plant them on their side. Ranunculus need their legs down in the soil.

Anemone Corm 

  Ranunculus Tuber  

In Season Care

Water them well when they are planted and then do not water again until leaves appear. After the green leaves are visible, feed them with a water-soluble fertilizer once a week until the blooms appear. Stop feeding when the blooming begins.

Cover the plants when weather gets below freezing. If the leaves freeze but the roots are OK, the plant will come back.

Harvesting Your Anemone Blooms

Anemone open during the day and close at night. They should open more than once before cutting. Cut at the base of the stem, being careful not to cut newly emerging stems.

For the optimal cut, the collar should be about an inch from the base of the bloom.  In the photo below, the collar is the proper distance from the base of the bloom for cutting.

Harvesting Your Ranunculus Blooms

 Ranunculus petals open from a ball shaped bud. Let the blooms open about half way on the plant and cut the stem at the ground (see pink bloom example above). You can also cut the stem when the bud is colored and soft when squeezed (as shown) and it will open indoors . The second option is handy if rain or a late freeze is in the forecast and you don’t want to risk losing blooms to the weather.

 End of Season Care

 When the days turn warm and daylight gets to 13 hours, ranunculus and anemone will go dormant. Let the greenery die back naturally, cleaning up after they are yellowed. Leave the corms in place and they will come back when the conditions are right the next year!

Happy Growing,

Linda

Sources:

Growing for Market Magazine/ September 2021

https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/anemone-coronaria-poppy-anemone

https://www.gardendesign.com/flowers/ranunculus.html

https://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/collections/italian-anemones

Note: The first post in this series was about growing tulips in the south and was sent out on September 16 2023. https://www.purpletuteur.com/blog/2023/9/16/growing-tulips-in-the-south

Spring Blooming Bulbs - Growing Tulips in the South

Double Early Columbus Tulip

Growing Tulips in the South

There is a trick to growing tulips in our warm Zone 8 climate. They need 10 – 14 weeks of chilly weather to prepare to bloom, which we just don’t get here. Fortunately, with a little special handling, you can be successful getting tulips to bloom at home.

Buying pre-chilled bulbs gives you a head start on the necessary chill time. Pre-chilled bulbs have been stored in a cooler for at least 6 weeks. The remaining 4 - 8 weeks can usually be accomplished naturally in our climate.

You can also buy tulip bulbs in the fall and leave them in a refrigerator for 8 – 10 weeks before you plant them, making sure to get rid of any soft or moldy bulbs. Planting them outside in early winter will give you enough natural chill time for spring blooms here. It also helps to plant them outside in a pot. The soil in a pot stays cooler than the ground.

Regarding care, tulips need a regular weekly drink of water, either from rain, irrigation or hand watering. If you keep them partially shaded, the stems will be longer than if you plant them in full sun. Sudden swings in temperature (like what we experience in February and March) will hurry the blooms along, and you may still have short stems. 

Harvest the blooms when they are still closed but showing some color.  Pull the entire plant up, bulb and all. Tulips are effectively annuals here, so no need to leave the bulb behind. Trim the bulb off and put it in your compost bin along with any leaves that you want to remove. Rinse off all visible dirt.  Place the stems immediately in water.

Apricot Impression Tulip harvested with bulb on, barely showing color

Apricot Impression, a few days later, showing more color

When selecting a vase for your tulips, keep in mind that they will continue to elongate in the vase. Tulips are very sensitive to light and will bend toward it, so you may want to turn the vase occasionally to keep them more upright.

Happy growing,

Linda

Introducing Solidago Romantic Glory and Notes on Dahlia Care in the Heat

New Plant - Solidago Romantic Glory

We’re getting the first harvest of our new Solidago, called Romantic Glory (Asteraceae Solidago Romantic Glory). This is a great bouquet filler for this time of year. It can take the heat and is fairly drought tolerant. While many varieties of Solidago have a yellow bloom, this one is almost creamy. The flower is a bit larger than other varieties too and seems like a refined feverfew. Bred for cut flower production, it has strong stems. The plant grows about 4 ft tall and 2 ft wide. A perennial, we look forward to having this for several years to come.

Protecting dahlias in the heat

We added shade to our dahlias to protect them from the 100 F heat this weekend. We are also watering them daily to keep them well hydrated. If you have some growing in your garden, try to give them some cover this weekend. Next week’s temperatures are predicted to be back in the 80’s. Rain is in the forecast too. These are both wonderful improvements in conditions for the dahlias and they will respond well! Even with the heat, these are tough plants. If the heat has made the foliage yellow or wilted, just cut it back. The tuber will produce new, healthier growth as the weather cools. The best of dahlia season is yet to come.

Coming up

Fall Wreath Workshop

We still have room in our Fall Wreath Workshop on September 20.  If you would like to join us, please register online at www.purpletuteur.com Feel free to contact us with any questions.

fall bulb sale

Our Fall Bulb Shop will open for pre-orders on September 16th. This sale includes spring bloomers like anemone, ranunculus, daffodils and peony roots.   This year we are introducing U.S. shipping for our bulbs! So now you will be able to pick up at the farm or have them delivered to your door. Order fulfillment will begin in late October, the best time to plant spring blooming bulbs in the South.

Please stay hydrated this weekend!

Linda

The Wellness Benefits of Flowers

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you love flowers and have probably experienced that lift that comes from fresh flowers. This goes beyond the visual charm. Research shows that flowers have the ability to also reduces stress, speed healing, enhance concentration, and improve mood.  Here is a recap of what the science community has to say about the wellness benefits of flowers. The links to the research papers are included in the underlined text below.

“1. Flowers Generate Happiness.  Having flowers around the home and office greatly improves people’s moods and reduces the likelihood of stress-related depression. Flowers and ornamental plants increase levels of positive energy and help people feel secure and relaxed. 

According to a 2005 study by professors from Rutgers and La Salle universities, flowers have “immediate and long-term effects on emotional reactions, mood, social behaviors, and even memory for both males and females.”

Keeping flowers around the home and in the workplace greatly reduces a person’s stress levels. Natural aesthetic beauty is soothing to people, and keeping ornamental flowers around the home environment is an excellent way to lower levels of stress and anxiety. People who keep flowers in their home feel happier, less stressed, and more relaxed. As a result of the positive energy they derive from the environment, the chances of suffering from stress-related depression are decreased as well. Overall, adding flowers to your home or work environment reduces your perceived stress levels and makes you feel more relaxed, secure, and happy. Flowers can help you achieve a more optimistic outlook on your life, bringing you both pleasing visual stimulation and helping you to increase your perceived happiness. (Brethour 2007, Collins 2008, Dunnet 2000, Etcoff 2007, Frank 2003, Haviland-Jones 2005, Hartig 2010, McFarland 2010, Rappe 2005, Waliczek 2000)”

“2. Accelerates Healing Process.  The presence of plants in hospital recovery rooms and/or views of aesthetically-pleasing gardens help patients to heal faster, due to the soothing affects of ornamental horticulture. 

Another study found that people recovering from surgery who have plants or flowers in their hospital room have better health outcomes and report lower feelings of pain, anxiety, and fatigue.

Shrubs, trees, and flowers have a practical application in hospitals: the presence of plants in patient recovery rooms greatly reduces the time necessary to heal. The soothing effects of ornamental flowers and plants are so great that simply having daily views of flowers and other ornamental plants in landscaped areas outside patient recovery room significantly speed up recovery time. Another technique to decrease recovery time is horticulture therapy, where patients care for and nurture plants themselves. Patients who physically interact with plants experience a significantly reduced recovery time after medical procedures. (Brethour 2007, Frank 2003, Friend 2008, Lohr 2000, Park, 2009, Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Assn. 2009, Ulrich 1984)”

“3. Reduce Stress. Studies show that people who spend time gardening have less stress in their lives. Plants soothe human beings and provide a positive way for people to channel their stress into nurturing.

 Participation in gardening and landscaping activities is an effective way to reduce levels of stress. Studies have shown that people who nurture plants and garden have less mental distress than others. Gardening provides people with a positive way to channel their stress and frustration into something beautiful that provides them with comfort and joy. Part of the effects of gardening come from the satisfaction people get from nurturing and helping a living thing grow. Plants and gardening soothe people because they help them turn their stressful feelings into something positive which gives them pleasure. By helping them transform their stress into a more positive emotion, gardening also gives people an excellent coping mechanism for their daily frustrations. Nurturing plants reduces stress levels and gives people a way to cope with their negative feelings. (Mitchell, 2008, Brethour 2007, Bringslimark 2007, Frank 2003, Kohlleppel 2002, McFarland 2010, Pohmer 2008, Ulrich 1991, Waliczek 2000)”

“Flowers lower stress levels and anxiety in people,” says Christine Capra, program manager at the Horticultural Therapy Institute in Denver. “Even stress levels related to depression are decreased by having flowers, whether it’s in your outdoor garden or in your home or going to visit a botanic garden.”

“4. Concentration and Memory. Being around plants helps people concentrate better in the home and workplace. Studies show that tasks performed while under the calming influence of nature are performed better and with greater accuracy, yielding a higher quality result. Moreover, being outside in a natural environment can improve memory performance and attention span by twenty percent. (Also part of the Rutgers study, noted above). 

Keeping ornamental plants in the home and in the workplace increases memory retention and concentration. The calming influence of natural environments is conducive to positive work environments by increasing a person’s ability to concentrate on the task at hand. Work performed under the natural influence of ornamental plants is normally of higher quality and completed with a much higher accuracy rate than work done in environments devoid of nature. Going outside or being under the influence of plants can increase memory retention up to twenty percent, a recent University of Michigan study showed (Sewach). The effect of nature in the home and in the workplace serves to stimulate both the senses and the mind, improving mental cognition and performance. (Bisco Werner 1996; Brethour 2007; Frank 2003; Pohmer 2008; Serwach 2008; Shibata, 2001, 2004; Yannick 2009)”

So, to sum it up, if you want to feel better or make someone else happier, get some flowers!

References

https://ellisonchair.tamu.edu/health-and-well-being-benefits-of-plants/

https://www.shondaland.com/live/body/a44131237/embrace-the-mental-health-benefits-of-flowers/

https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/cecmh/services/recovery-services/horticulture-therapy-program/

Best,

Linda

This Blueberry Season Make Some Blueberry Basil Sorbet

We grow blueberries at the farm, though not enough to sell. Some years, when the late freeze hits while the bushes are blooming, we get very few berries. Other years, like this one, the bushes are full of berries.  When we have a good year and the berries are plentiful, I like to make Blueberry Basil Sorbet.

Years ago, I first tasted this delicious desert at Ristorante Divino in Columbia. (The restaurant has since closed). While this is not their recipe, it tastes very much like the refreshing end to the meal I had there.

If you don’t have your own blueberries to harvest, the season was good here in Columbia and there are many available to purchase.  You may even want to visit Dolce Vita Farms in Eastover to harvest your own.

(https://www.facebook.com/dolcevitafarm/)

If all else fails, or blueberries are out of season, you can use frozen blueberries.

 Ingredients (makes about 1 quart)

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

Pinch of Kosher salt

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

½ cup fresh basil leaves (be sure that the stems have not started to bloom, as this can make the basil taste bitter)

¼ cup prosecco

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3 pints fresh blueberries (frozen berries will also work)

Step 1

Combine water, sugar, salt and vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat, add the basil leaves and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let syrup steep for 30 minutes. Pour the syrup through a sieve to remove the basil solids.

Step 2

Puree the blueberries in a food processor. (Pour them through a sieve to remove any solids if you prefer a smooth texture). Add the syrup, prosecco, lemon juice to the berries and blend everything together.

 Step 3

Pour the final solution into an ice cream maker and churn until solid.

Dahlia Workshop Fun

Photo: Karen Bickley

Friends old and new gathered for our first dahlia workshops this past week. Enthusiastic growers came out to learn more about these beautiful flowers. Some even learned that they were neighbors with a shared interest.

We started with a review of key concepts – from selection to end of season care and everything in between. With all topics in the handout, students had a reference to take home.

After discussing the concepts, we went into the field to get a look at the dahlias growing there. Concepts were reinforced with demonstrations and hands on practice.  

Demonstrations included cutting the blooms and bagging the buds to protect them from insects without using insecticides. Photo: Karen Bickley

Everyone got hands-on experience pinching and disbudding. Photo: Karen Bickley

After the lessons, each student selected two tubers to take home and grow in their garden. I am looking forward to seeing the results.

Watch our newsletter for announcements of other on-farm classes later in the year.

We will be closed the week of July 4th so we can spend some time with friends and family. Have a safe and happy holiday.

Linda