Hey Folks, it's a new week and a new month. Welcome to February. Typically the coldest month, but luckily also the shortest month. Hoping to breeze through February and welcome March and spring with welcome arms. Spring is always the goal and always what keeps me going through these difficult winter months. I've been obsessing over the past 2 months about my garden plans and what will go where. I can't even tell you how many times I've changed it, including yesterday making some big cuts and deciding to welcome back snapdragons. There are so many factors that go into deciding what to grow, so let me list some of them out for you.
Sun Exposure
We are very lucky to live on a corner lot with a mostly south western exposure. We have beds in the front, on both sides of the house and in the backyard, where the majority of flowers are grown. Most of the annual flowers that we grow require full sun to thrive. Since we do have some shady areas on the side of the house and under the sugar maple, I have found some beautiful perennials that thrive in those conditions. For me, having unique perennials in the garden provides a special, je ne sais quoi to the arrangement.
Growing Conditions
I like to rotate crops on a 3 year cycle. Meaning I won't plant the same thing in the same location for 3 years. I do this in an effort to deter pests so that they don't get used to living in a certain area. This is especially important for crops like tulips that can attract fungal diseases that can hang around for years. This also changes the soil health as different plants can leave and deplete different nutrients, so it is important to keep on top of the overall health and amend with compost and organic fertilizers.
Cut Flower Characteristics
There are some key qualities that I like to look for it a flower when choosing to grow them. One of the main factors is if they have a long vase life. This is the most important factor for market bouquets or just every day arrangements to enjoy so that you can enjoy them for as long as possible. Some examples of flowers would be lisianthus, ranunculus, strawflower, china asters, zinnias etc. Having said that, I do also grow some varieties that won't have a great vase life, with the intention of using them for event work, where vase life is not nearly as important. Some examples include sweet peas, bearded iris, peonies etc.
I also like to choose flowers and colours that are unique and not something you would be used to seeing. I love when folks walk by our stall at the farmer's market and say "wow, I've never seen anything like that before!" Having decent stem length is also important so that the blooms are useable and can be used for many functions!
High Demand
This is important for me to keep and eye on so that I make sure I'm not just growing flowers I like lol because what I like isn't necessarily what you like. The perfect example for me is always pink. I am not a pink gal and rarely gravitate towards pink flowers, but so many of you do, so it is important that I grow things with that in mind!
I also think of growing flowers that are unique as mentioned before. I want to grow flowers that you can't find at the store to create my own demand. Although I love a classic sunflower, you won't find them here because you can find them everywhere!
I also want to g row things that florists are looking for so that I can sell excess blooms that I don't need through the local flower collective. This also gives me access to other blooms that I don't grow myself!
Grow more Focal Flowers
Since I have a limited amount of space, last season and this season coming, I really tried to just grow higher value, focal flowers and less "filler". Although it is important to have varying sizes and interest in flowers for my designs, it is more important to grow higher value flowers. I can always bring in other blooms for other talented local growers to complete my designs. I also am finding myself designing with less and less filler and using more focals and it is fun to update my garden plans to accomodate for that. Having said that, I do still have plans to grow eucalyptus for some late season weddings and some ageratum for keen market goers who loved that flossflower pop.
So, with all of that in mind, here are my garden plans for the year. Please note that these are absolutely likely to change lol sorry.
And then beyond this, another exercise that I completed for this season was to basically create a breakdown of when flowers start to bloom by month. This is a highly visual and satisfying exercise as you can see everything laid out by month and what will be blooming when. This helps me to identify any gaps where it feels like there aren't enough flowers in bloom.
I really like this exercise too because I can customize and move and adjust the post-its. I've also added in stars to the flowers that blooms more than once to remind me that they will still be blooming beyond the month they start in.
Please let me know what you think and if you have any questions!
Thanks for reading!