A Look at January on the Farm
We hope your 2025 is off to a great start! After some much-needed rest with friends and family, we're back at it, ready for the exciting year ahead.
This time of year, crop planning and seed starting take center stage. Still, I've learned to pace myself—otherwise, I end up planning for double the space we have! So, I'm also clearing closets and attic spaces, tackling tasks we don't have time for once the season ramps up.
Outside
Things are quiet in the field now, at least above ground. Underground, the root systems are extending and strengthening. Even above ground, in the hoop house, we’re seeing buds form on the poppies and blooms on the pansies. The lone bloomers outside are the hellebores and they are a welcome sight.
Despite the record cold we’re experiencing this week, it won’t be long until we see the early bloomers. The Persephone period, when daylight lasts fewer than 10 hours and plant growth slows, ended for us on January 6th. With more light and warmth coming, the early bloomers will soon make their debut. We can't wait!
Inside
Farmhouse repairs are progressing after a water pipe burst last fall. With plumbing, drywall, and flooring replaced, we're adding a new back door and bathroom vanity top next. Painting and final plumbing are next, and we're optimistic about finishing before flower season gets busy.
Bouquet Subscription Season is Coming Up!
Looking for a Valentine’s Day gift or a little joy for yourself? A bouquet subscription might be just the thing! New this year, we’re offering Friday pick-ups at Molly Creek Company in Ridgeway.
We look forward to serving you in 2025.
Best,
Linda
More August Farm News
We are starting to see relief from the heat! With the temperatures getting into the 80’s during the day and the 60’s at night, our plants are waking up again.
The Late Summer to Fall subscriptions will be starting up in the next couple of weeks. We will be contacting subscribers for delivery start date confirmations in the near future. We expect the first delivery date to be August 30th ( for Friday deliveries) and September 3rd ( for Tuesday deliveries), assuming the weather stays on the current trajectory.
We’re off for a few more days for a wedding in Boulder. It is hard to get time away from the farm, so we are looking forward to it very much.
Next week we will be back at it until frost and beyond. Looking forward to making flowers available for your joy!
Best,
Linda
June on The Farm
June was filled with activity at the farm. Thanks to all who came out for the Ag+Art Tour. We had over 300 visitors and our artisans had so much interesting work to share. We enjoyed seeing old friends and made some new ones too.
Photo: Karl Lindquist
We also held our Growing Dahlias class. We enjoyed a very enthusiastic group of gardeners wanting to hone their skills. I feel confident that they will be growing beautiful dahlias in their gardens.
It does my heart good to have fellow flower lovers at the farm. It is always great to see the enthusiasm people have for what we do.
Dahlia Linda’s Baby
We also had plenty of bed prep and planting work to have blooms for late summer and fall. We’ve added some new beds so that we can have more flowers available. We’ve planted quite a few more heirloom chrysanthemums this year and another 250 dahlia tubers. We do a second planting in almost every bed each year so that we can have flowers over 3 seasons.
There is still room in our Late Summer to Fall subscription, so if you want to have flowers at home or at your office weekly or bi-weekly in September and October, you can sign up here.
Schedule Change
We’ve decided not to hold the “Summer Garden” classes in July and August. The extra warm temperatures are not conducive to making this a pleasant experience for everyone. We will see how things look in September.
Here’s hoping that you are enjoying your summer. Happy 4th!,
Best,
Linda
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.
Subscription Flowers for May and June
We’re just a couple of weeks away from wrapping this subscription season up. Then we’re on to the Spring to Early Summer season, which starts in early May. There is still time to sign up if you want to give this a try or add another season to your home deliveries. These also make great gifts, so if you are stumped for a Mother’s Day gift, a subscription could be the answer you are looking for. To find out more and to sign up, follow this link to our website.
https://www.purpletuteur.com/subscription-information
Ag and Art
Thank you for being part of our community. I hope you have marked June 8th and 9th on your calendars to come see the farm. That is the Richland County Ag&Art Tour weekend and we are a host farm for the event. The event is free to the public and lots of fun. We would love to see you! Hours are 9 am to 4 pm both days. More information here : https://www.agandarttour.com/richland
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
Happy New Year, Flower Friends!
We have been enjoying our extended hiatus from work this holiday season. We were blessed to spend time with our families and many friends over the past few weeks. I hope you have also enjoyed time with friends and family. Read on for updates on what we’re up to.
Subscriptions
The website is open for those who would like to sign up for farm-fresh flowers delivered to your door. Subscriptions also make a great gift. Treat yourself or a loved one for Valentines Day. This service is available in the following zip codes: 29201, 29204, 29205,29206,29209, 29016, 29045, 29169, 29223, 29229. Sign up here https://www.purpletuteur.com/subscription-information from your laptop or PC (ordering from your phone does not work and I am still researching this).
On The Farm
We had a big push in early November to get all our early spring flowers planted before the real cold set in. They have gotten off to a great start. During January and February, we monitor them and make sure that they are healthy and protected from extreme weather. Most everything is covered with frost cloth and the cloth is held down with sandbags. The sandbags help to keep the covers on when the winds are high.
Pansies are blooming, but not yet tall enough to cut and use in bouquets. They cheer us while we are working in the high tunnel.
Icelandic Poppies in pastel colors will be the first blooms ready to use.
Winter Projects
Over the winter, we get projects done that we don’t have time for when the field is actively blooming. First up this year, the septic system has to be replaced. The work begins next week.. Not the most fun thing to spend money on, but critical. We were lucky that it reached its limit during November, when things were slowing down.
Planning
Every year, we also use January as a planning month. We review the successes and failures of our previous growing year and then move forward with a plan for summer and fall. (Spring is already planted, and we do something similar in July for the early spring). Seeds are being started and plants are being ordered.
Some of the new things that we are planning:
1. A new class about growing bulbs in winter for indoor blooms. This will include lessons on how to force bulbs, followed by a hands-on workshop to build your own bulb garden to take home. I am just finalizing the information and will set the date soon. It will be in February or March, while outside blooms are limited and we can all use the lift that flowers give us.
2. A new section of beds will be added to the field so that we can expand our dahlia production. We tried lots of new varieties in 2023 and we will be increasing production of those that did well.
3. A Thanksgiving bouquet offering, consisting primarily of heirloom mums. I was so thrilled to experience these beautiful flowers for the first time this year. We want you to experience the joy too. We will have a more comprehensive blog post on growing these flowers in the near future.
Ag and Art 2024
We will be on the Ag and Art Tour again this year. June 8-9, so mark your calendars and come on out to our open house. There are new hours this year. Sites will be open Saturday, June 8 from 9 am – 4 pm and Sunday, June 9 from 9 am – 4 pm.
We are looking for artisans to participate on our farm. If you are an artisan or craftsperson (or know someone) with a business license and insurance, you can sign up at https://www.agandarttour.com The deadline for Artisans will be April 15.
New this year, the Richland County group will be holding a Farm to Table Dinner Fundraiser on April 27. More to come on this.
Anyone who wants to sponsor the tour or the dinner can also register at https://www.agandarttour.com There is a lot of local exposure for the cost.
That wraps it up for this first newsletter of 2024. Just a few more cold days before warm weather returns for a while next week! Winter is not over, but we welcome the balmier days.
Stay warm,
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
The Thrill of Fall
We’re so happy to see fall arrive! Fall is a very busy season at the farm. Our efforts now are for the current season and for our early spring season too. Thanks to the cooler temperatures, we are able to work longer hours and get more done than we can in summer.
Here’s what’s happening at the farm this season:
Fall Wreath Workshop
We kicked off the season with our Fall Wreath Workshop. We really enjoyed having everyone at the farm and many beautiful wreaths were created. We look forward to doing this again next year.
We’ve made up a few extras for those who would like one but don’t like the DIY process or couldn’t make the class. Contact us for the specifics. We only have a few, including the one shown above. https://www.purpletuteur.com/contact-us-1
Dahlias!
The dahlias are in their glory days. Dahlias are at their best when the nights are cool and the days are below 90F. They are starting to get very happy in their environment, which makes them more productive. They will continue to bloom until first frost (usually around Halloween), when they fold like a deck of cards.
We are growing some in our hoophouse this year so we are hopeful that we may have a few of them with us a little longer than first frost.
We use these flowers in our subscription bouquets and they also go to florists and event planners in town. If you are interested in these for your own event or home décor, contact us through our website and we will try to accommodate your needs. https://www.purpletuteur.com/contact-us-1
Spring Bulb Sale
Our bulb shop is live on our website. First, thank you to all who have already purchased spring bulbs. We are sold out of some things already. We will be sending out a series of blog posts on how to grow the bulbs we are offering. We started with tulips in the last post. Anemone, ranunculus and daffodils are to come. Link to bulb shop is https://www.purpletuteur.com/spring-bulbs
Mums
We are growing heirloom mums this year for the first time. Mums don’t produce flower buds until the days are less than 12 hours long. Hello fall, we’re here. Tiny buds are forming now and we’re so excited. Mums are a very long-lasting cut flower, which is great since they are the last to bloom until spring. We hope to have some on our holiday bouquets this year. Speaking of which…
The Holidays are Coming!
We are here to help you deck the halls and locate the perfect specialty gift for your flower-loving friends and family.
As in years past, we will have paperwhites and amaryllis bulbs for sale. We will also have some potted up and ready to go along with our holiday bouquets and wreaths. Everything will be available to pre-order from the website. We will offer local delivery and farm pick up for these. Shipping will not be available.
Save The Date! We will have our Holiday Open House this year on Saturday December 2. More details to come!
We are ever grateful to be able to bring you these products and services. Thank you for your support. Happy Fall!
Linda
August Farm Update
Catching Up!
We’ve enjoyed some time off over the past few weeks! If you follow us on Instagram @purpletuteur, you may have seen some of the photos/reels of our trip to Santa Fe to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Time does fly! We enjoyed it all and I am blessed to have a great team at the farm that is able to keep things going without me. I am about caught up on things now…
Back on the Farm
As cooler temperatures approach, we are so ready to start up dahlia season! We planted out our tubers in June and they are just beginning to bloom. We’ve added several new (to us) varieties that we look forward to seeing and sharing along with some of the favorites from past seasons.
Fall Subscriptions Start Next Week
Next week we start up the fall subscription season. The season is sold out. Thanks to all of you that signed up. We are looking forward to getting farm-fresh flowers to your door soon.
Upcoming Events
Fall Bulb Sale
For the gardeners in the group, we will have the spring bulb shop offerings online by September 16th. This year we will be offering farm pick up and shipping! Orders will be filled and sent mid to late October. For those who want to pick up, we will have a few dates and times to choose from.
For those who are local, we will have a few garden plants available too. We are not able to ship these at this time.
Fall Wreath Workshop – Wednesday September 20th, 10 am to noon
Join us for a fun “get ready for fall” workshop at Purple Tuteur Farm. Learn how to build your own dried flower wreath. We’ll be using a grapevine wreath and beautifully dried flowers from Purple Tuteur Farm. Take yours home and hang it on a door or in a window, just in time for fall festivities. Sign up on the website https://www.purpletuteur.com/classes
We are forever grateful for your interest and your support of our small farm. Thank you for all you do.
Cooler weather is on the way!
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.
Behind the Scenes - Our Winter Peony Project
New Peony Project
This past winter we added another 40 peony plants to our supply. I selected two new (to us) varieties to include more colors, yellow and white. Both Sunny Girl and Duchess de Nemours are early blooming varieties. Early blooming is a requirement in the Columbia area and all zone 8 regions. They bloom before the end of May, when the warmth makes them go dormant.
We plant bare roots, so they won’t be productive until their third bloom season. They are far more affordable than potted plants and transplant easily. Bigger roots produce more flowers sooner, but they will all produce by the third year. The one shown is Sunny Girl and they are huge. They are priced accordingly.
Sunny Girl
Duchess de Nemours
Peony Bare Root
We use raised beds for our peonies. Peonies need cool weather to grow properly. Planting them in a raised bed keeps them cooler since the air can chill the above ground soil better than planting in the ground. The beds are in full sun.
A raised bed can be made with mounded dirt and no boards, but we use these for ease of harvest. If you are planting these at home, you can use a pot (at least 24” in diameter). If you have a retaining wall, the soil behind it is elevated too, making it a good spot.
We had a week to get this done to beat three days of rain that would have made it much more difficult. The first day we got the supplies to the farm. The second day we built the frames. They are set right on the grass since the soil will smother it. We put hardware cloth in the bottom of the beds to deter moles and voles.
The next effort was to fill the beds with soil. We mixed topsoil and mushroom compost together. Any compost with pine bark (most of them) should be avoided. The bark carries something that the peonies are vulnerable to. Mushroom compost works well. The fertilizers were also mixed into the soil at this point. This part took two days.
The last day’s effort included laying the irrigation, planting the roots and mulching. In our climate, the roots need to be planted just one inch below the top of the soil. This will also help keep the plants cool. We mulch with coastal hay. This forms a weed barrier and breaks down easily, providing a little nutrition to the soil.
Building the raised bed
Raised beds done!
Filling the beds with soil
Completed! Planted, irrigation set up and mulch added
Whew! We made it before the rain. Now, the test of patience before they bloom. Green plants will come up this spring. They may even have a bud or two on them. We will pinch them off. The goal is the get the best root system established before they really put a lot of energy into blooms. This will result in a much stronger plant. Since they can live for 30 years, it is important to give them a good start.
If you are growing peonies, I would love to hear how you care for them.
Growing Lilies in the Midlands
March is a weather challenge for farmers and gardeners alike. Fluctuating temperatures keep us on our toes as we cover and uncover tender plants. While it is extra work, I don’t mind because we still have ranunculus, poppies and anemone until the daytime temperatures are consistently above 70.
In addition to the weather dance, we also plan and plant for summer. We start summer seeds and plant bulbs for summer between now and mid- April. Most varieties take about 90 days to bloom so we are starting things now that will bloom in June and July.
One garden favorite is lilies. We have a good selection of lilies this year and I am wondering if some of you would like to purchase some of these large Oriental bulbs for your own gardens. We have a limited supply to offer.
Growing Conditions for Lilies
Lilies are relatively easy to grow and make a great visual statement in the garden. Find a spot that is sheltered from the wind and has afternoon shade. They can also be very successfully grown in pots, allowing you to move them to the light or shade as needed.
As with all bulbs, they need soil that is rich and drains well so that they don’t rot. Plant them 8 – 12 inches apart in the garden or no more than 3 per 16” pot. Water regularly but not heavily. Plant them 3 times to a depth equal to three times the height of the bulb. Our warm climate favors a little deeper planting.
During the season, the lily plants will get tall. You can stake them or plant them between shrubs that will provide support. Blooms can be left in the garden to admire or cut to bring into the house to enjoy. After bloom, remove any spent flowers and slow the watering. Leave the stalks to do their photosynthesis activity and strengthen the bulb for next year’s blooms. The stalks can be removed when they are brown.
Early each spring, side dress the bulbs with a balanced fertilizer. Mulch the plants with a light layer of leaves or compost.
Bulb Sale Information
In order to encourage people to get them planted at the optimal time, we are going to limit the window of the sale to two weeks. We will be posting the information on our website starting on Friday 3/24 until Friday 4/7. You will be able to order for pick up or local delivery if you are interested. (Sorry, we are not shipping yet but getting closer). These bulbs should be planted as soon as they are received, for bloom in late June or July. These are varieties that will bloom for years to come in your garden.
Here are the three varieties that we will be offering. Do you have other favorites?
Zelmyra
Tigermoon
Pink Zsar
There is more information about these and other spring bulbs on our website, www.purpletuteur.com.
Happy Spring!
Linda
Here Comes Spring!
With the unusually warm weather we’ve been having, some flowers started to bloom earlier than normal, giving us a welcome jumpstart into spring. We started our Early Spring subscription deliveries the last week of February which is a week ahead of plan. Mother Nature has her reasons.
We’re busy getting the last of our winter projects done so that as the volume of flowers increases, we can stay focused on getting the flowers out of the field and into your hands.
This winter we did a lot of maintenance on the raised beds, added a new peony bed (more on that in a future post) and prepared some new beds for new plantings. We divided our Tuberose and dahlia tubers. We expect to have some of these tubers available in our summer bulb sale, a new offering for us. Date is still tbd, but we will mention it in this newsletter first.
On the farm Tulips, Poppies, Anemone, Ranunculus, Hellebore, Delphinium and Narcissus are in bloom. The hardy annuals are also on the verge. The peonies won’t be far behind!
If you didn’t get signed up for our Early Spring subscription, we still have space available in our Spring to Summer and Summer to Fall offerings. You can sign up on our website. If you don’t like the internet world and would rather not order that way, contact me and we will work it out.
Amaryllis Care
Not sure what to do with your Amaryllis after it has bloomed? Keep it going with light watering until September. Check out this blog post for what to do to get it to bloom again. https://www.purpletuteur.com/blog/2021/9/10/want-your-amaryllis-to-bloom-for-the-holidays-easy-as-123
Anemones and Ranunculus Harvesting Tips
For those growing anemone and/or ranunculus corms, if you got them planted by November, you should be seeing growth now. (If you didn’t get them in the ground, you can keep them in the paper bag on a closet shelf until next November. They will hold if they are kept dry and cool.
Anemones tend to come up first. The first stems are short and they get longer with each cutting. The flowers open during the day and close at night. They need to do this a few times before they are ready to harvest. The best time to cut them is when the collar, which is just below the bloom, moves about an inch away from the bloom.
Ranunculus also start a bit short and get taller as the season progresses. They should be harvested (ideally) when the bud is colored and soft as a marshmallow.
That’s it for now! We continue to be grateful to all of you for your support of our small farm. We couldn’t do it without you. We look forward to bringing you bundles of joy (the kind that don’t need college tuition) through out the year. Many many thanks.
Update on Our Fall Plantings
I am happy to report that the fall plantings are coming along very well. Everything has recovered from the December deep freeze and we’re seeing the first buds and blooms on the earliest varieties. March is only 34 days away and by then we should be cutting ranunculus, tulips, narcissus, poppies and anemone for our early spring bouquets.
Here are a few examples of how things look now and how they will look soon (based on last year’s activity). I hope this brightens your day! Linda
The anemones have started to bloom! They start with very short stems but after cutting a couple of times they get long enough to use in bouquets. The left photo is from last week. The other two are from last year, after they get further along.
This is a poppy in bud in our hoop house this year (left). Poppies are one of the earliest things to bloom at the farm. We grow an Italian variety that has extra-long stems and larger flowers. We plant pastel colors that we like to have in Spring.
Our crate-grown tulips are really coming along. Most of these will bloom in March but some in April too. The one shown is Apricot Impression from last year. It is among the first to bloom. We’re growing some new varieties this year, so I don’t have pictures of everything.
The delphinium is also coming along well. The left photo is the hoop house this January. The two on the right are from last year and show where we are headed! This usually starts to bloom in the second half of March.
The campanula looks great this year. It likes cold weather. This one will bloom in April, and what a show! The left photo is this year. The 2 blooms photos are from last year. Campanula is best grown under cover. The bell shaped flowers capture all the rain and it can be damaging to the blooms.
Come on Spring!
Happy New Year 2023!
Thank you for a wonderful 2022. Every subscription, custom order, wholesale delivery, Ag&Art Tour visit, Garden club talk and visit, our feature on Making It Grow, every farmer’s market and retail purchase and our first Holiday Open House helped us to grow. We could not do it without your support, and we feel so welcomed and inspired by your community feedback.
In 2023, we are looking forward to bringing you more joy through flowers. We’re trying some new (to us) bloomers and expanding on the most popular ones.
We’ve made it through the first weather test, Storm Elliot, with very good results. The wind and extended cold period caused some damage. Fortunately, most things are already showing new growth thanks to healthy root systems that were blanketed by the warm earth. These plants will be slowed down a bit but will be robust in Spring. We did lose our Cynoglossum but this can be re-seeded in February for a later appearance in our bouquets.
There can be an upside to the cold too. This should be a good year for tulips, daffodils and peonies. All of these plants like a cold period and should benefit from Elliot’s effects.
We hope that you weathered the storm without a lot of damage and have much to look forward to in 2023. We will continue to try to make you smile through the beauty of fresh flowers.
Happy New Year,
Linda
Last Call for Bulbs!
Thanks to all of you who came out to our first ever Holiday Garden Market! We enjoyed meeting some new flower friends and seeing some familiar faces too. Since our first year was a big success, we are looking at doing it again next year. For the second year, we will do a weekday and a Saturday for those who can’t get out during the week. Please let us know if there is anything you would like to see us offer.
Selling bulbs, forcing kits and bulb gardens is a great way for us to bridge the revenue gap between cut flower seasons. And of course, we have to offer bouquets! Our greenery bouquets have been well received too, so thank you.
This is our last week for bulbs. If you are ordering now, bulbs will not be in bloom by the holidays, but will bring some sunshine into January for whoever grows them. We have a selection of Hot Pink (Bolero) and Soft Apricot (Rilona) and White (Denver) that will be great choices, along with Sparticus, the red and white striped bloom that works for Valentines Day too. Forcing kits make a great gift for those who travel during the holidays and are home in January and February.
For the gardeners in the group, we still have a few anemone and ranunculus corms available. Check out the website for the color selection. You still have time to soak and plant them for gorgeous spring blooms!
So, if you order by 12/9, you can pick up at the farm on Saturday 12/10. For orders over $40 we will deliver next Tuesday 12/13. We will be taking the bulb shop off our website on 12/9 at 8:00 pm
Subscriptions
For those who want to provide a bouquet subscription as a gift, or to get your order in early, we will be setting up the subscription shop on 12/12 for spring and summer subscriptions. Stay tuned!
As always, thank you so much for all of your support of our flower farm. We feel so blessed to be able to provide flowers to our community and we couldn’t do it without you!
Linda
Final Fall Notes and A Holiday Event!
The dahlias ended their bloom period with an early frost in the middle of October. It is always a bittersweet time because the flowers are so beautiful that we hate to see them go, but their end means that we can shift our focus to our bulb sale and the work needed to prepare for spring.
Once we shift gears and begin this work in earnest, we make a lot of progress on tasks that have to wait until this time of year. Soil tests are done in the fall and beds are amended accordingly before planting begins.
Most of our early season blooms are either direct seeded or planted as small plants, aka plugs, that grow into their space. We are actively working in 78 4x8 beds and working on adding a few more.
Irrigation is also checked for needed repairs while the beds are empty or contain seedlings. It is much easier to see any issues now.
Nigella aka Love in a Mist
As of today, we have gotten all of the cold hardy annuals in place. These are things like Larkspur, Nigella, Bachelor Buttons, Orlaya and Saponaria. The rain we have been getting has really helped with seed germination so things are shaping up nicely so far.
Tuberose
Perennials that have been in place for three years typically need to be divided. You can tell if they stop or slow down producing blooms. Yarrow and Echinacea were done last week. Phlox and Tuberose are on the list for early spring.
Fall is also a great time to plant shrubs and trees. We planted a new hydrangea hedge that I am thrilled to finally have in place. We also planted a pussy willow which was rooted from some of our early spring bouquet material.
The spring bulbs are also in progress. Narcissus has all been planted. The anemone and ranunculus are being soaked and rooted for planting in early December.
So, these last four weeks have been very busy. Our early spring subscription season looks very promising.
Next, we are going to be on vacation for a couple of weeks. This time to see friends and family is something we have really been looking forward to.
A New Event at the Farm
After vacation, it will be great to focus on the current holiday season!
On December 1st from 10:00am – 1:00 pm, we are going to host a holiday market at the farm and you are invited!
We will be doing demonstrations on how to grow Paperwhites and Amaryllis.
We will have amaryllis and paperwhites available for sale as bulbs, forcing kits and ready to go decorations. These make great gifts too. If you have a container that you want to use, bring it and we can help you get it planted.
We will also have Angel Wing Begonia, which is a wonderful houseplant, yarrow for planting in your garden and a few other surprises.
Mary Ann Adams from One Hubcap farm will also be there with her beautiful fresh wreaths.
So take a break and come on out to the farm for your holiday greenery. We would love to see you!
Fall Bulbs Make Spring Blooms
Our Fall Bulb Shop is Live
We know that some of you flower lovers are gardeners too. We are happy to bring some harder to find and high-quality bulbs to our community so that you can share in the joy of growing these beauties. Here are things that you can order from our website:
Anemone
Narcissus
Ranunculus
We also have Amaryllis and Paperwhites available on the Bulb Shop again this year.
If you don’t have much gardening experience, I highly recommend trying Amaryllis or Paperwhites for the holidays. They are one of the easiest things to grow and can be grown indoors so that they bloom in December or January when it is harder to get outside.
I really enjoy seeing the photos that people send me of their bulbs in bloom. They bring such joy and there is such excitement for those who are trying for the first time. Here are a few examples:
Beginner Judy H.
Beginner Lynn E.
Seasoned Grower Karen T.
Seasoned Grower Susie
Seasoned Grower Becky H.
On the Farm
The dahlias have been good this year. We tried a few new varieties which we liked and will use again. You will probably recognize these if you had a fall bouquet subscription. They will continue to bloom until the first frost, which is usually around Halloween here in the Midlands.
Hamari Gold
American Dawn
French Can Can
Subscription season is over for this year. Thanks to all of you who participated! We’re already busy getting plants and bulbs in the ground for next spring’s subscriptions.
Next year, we will be expanding our subscription delivery area to include zip code 29169. Deliveries typically start by the first week in March, weather permitting.
Snapdragon Seedlings
These are snapdragon seedlings that we will plant in the next week or two for spring blooming. It is fun to refresh the fields and look forward to the next season of flowers.
Happy Fall,
Linda
Happenings at the Farm
It’s Ag and Art Week for Richland and Lexington Counties!
We are busy getting things ready for our annual open house as part of the Richland County Ag and Art Tour. If you have wanted to see the farm, don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity. This event is free to the public and no tickets are required.
The Tour hours are 10 am to 4 pm Saturday June 11 and 1pm to 5 pm Sunday June 12. Find more information at https://www.agandarttour.com/
As far as our farm is concerned, here is the information on artisans and activities. We look forward to seeing you!
Purple Tuteur Farm
787 Langford Road
Blythewood, SC 29016
Open both Saturday and Sunday
Come see our field with seasonal flowers in bloom. We offer scheduled tours of our operation and self-guided tours are also available. We will have bouquets and some plants for sale during the tour.
Restroom facility on-site
Guided tours at 11 and 3 on Saturday and at 2 on Sunday. Self-guided tours all day.
Artisans on Site:
Ellen Yaghjian, copper sculptor ellenyaghjian.com (both days)
Molly Creek Soap Company , soaps, lotions and cleaning products www.mollycreeksoapco.etsy.com (both days)
5 Miles West - wood working; charcuterie boards, trays facebook page @5MilesWest (Saturday only)
The Flavor Station - ice cream creations www.theflavorstation.net (Saturday only)
Luke Moore - Musician (not acoustic, but soft rock) (Saturday 1- 3 pm) facebook @lukemooremusic99
Late Summer Subscriptions
Our current subscription season wraps up in late July and it is sold out. Some of you have been asking about the next subscription season, so here’s the scoop:
The Late Summer subscription season goes from August 23 until October 7. We will offer 6 weeks (weekly) with deliveries on Tuesday or Friday for $210. We use a 7-week delivery period in case you need to skip a week. The website update is ready now. Use this link to get more detail and/or to order:
https://www.purpletuteur.com/subscription-information
Fall Bulb Sales
We will have Ranunculus and Anemone for sale again this year the last two weeks of October. Plant these in November for beautiful early spring blooms.
Amaryllis and Paperwhite swill also be for sale again this year during November and early December.
More detail on these as their time approaches.
Final Thoughts
As always, we are grateful for your support and encouragement. We couldn’t do it without you. Wishing you a fun-filled summer!
Linda
The Kousa Dogwood
Our cousin Susie brought us a Kousa Dogwood the year our mothers passed away. She told us that it would be in bloom on Mother’s Day and I looked forward to seeing it flower. The year was 2006.
The young sapling came in a nursery pot and was about 3 feet tall. This was a good size to plant, as I could dig a reasonably small hole and get it settled in.
I found a spot in our back yard, in partial shade, where it could be somewhat protected and got it planted. After giving it a deep watering, I made a mental note to check on it again periodically, but especially on Mother’s Day.
The next year, the tree had grown but there was not much flowering. It needed more time to get to its mature state and flower. In the following years, we saw just a few blooms.
Last fall, we had some aging pines cut down. They were at risk of falling on our house or on our neighbor’s place. This past winter, we had high winds and lots of cold and several other shrubs fell in the same area. This all happened near the dogwood, which remained unaffected.
We have a hole in the landscape now that needs to be filled. I am excited to be able to select some new trees and shrubs for the ‘privacy fence’ between us and the neighbors. I am looking at flowering shrubs like Weigela, Viburnum and Cotinus. This, however, is not the most exciting thing.
The Kousa is blooming! It has bloomed this year like it never has before. Letting more light in made it explode with graceful white flowers. These proper growing conditions should allow it to get taller and stronger going forward. It is thriving and in full bloom this Mother’s Day week. The happy memories of our mothers and times spent in their loving care are represented in each and every bloom.
Wishing you all a Happy Mother’s Day. Whether they are here or are gone, may the light of their love be with you.