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
Perennial Phlox
Does your garden have too much sun for Hydrangeas? You may want to try perennial Phlox, Phlox Paniculata. The bloom has a shape that is similar to a hydrangea. They bloom this time of year and are available in a variety of colors. Be sure to select one that is resistant to powdery mildew and you are good to go!
These plants grow tall, with 2 – 4 foot stems, so find a spot in the back of your sunny bed. If you cut them to bring inside, cut the stem near the base of the plant. Often, a second smaller flush will come up before the season ends. As with many perennials, they die back to the ground over the winter. Green shoots start up early in spring.
If you have a bouquet subscription with us, you will see Phlox in the next bouquet. We grow David’s Lavender. In the garden the bloom is pink. When we put it into the cooler it turns purple. When it warms back up, it turns pink again. No other varieties have this chameleon-like characteristic.
Do you grow perennial Phlox in your garden? What is your favorite variety?
Other News:
Thanks to all of you who came to the farm for the Ag+Art Tour. We had between 250 and 300 visitors this year. We appreciate being able to share what we do and what the artisans do during this event.
I will be spending a few days in Massachusetts for the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Grower’s annual conference in early August. This is the first gathering in 3 years, due to Covid. I am looking forward to being face to face with like-minded growers who I usually communicate with over the phone or on social media. I am looking forward to a farm tour too! Five Forks Farm, in Upton Mass will open their farm to Association Members for a tour. You can learn a little bit about them and their story in the last printed issue of Martha Stewart Living. Check it out here
https://www.marthastewart.com/8257345/fivefork-farms-flower-tour
Our summer bouquet season is coming to an end soon. We are offering a fall season of 6 weekly bouquets starting in late August and ending in early-mid October. We would love to deliver our fall bouquets to your door! You can learn more and sign up on our website: https://www.purpletuteur.com/subscription-information
Wishing you much joy in the abundance of summer!
Linda
Fall is Just Around the Corner!
Hello Friends!
We’re happy to be back after some time off in July and August. While we still have flowers in these hottest months, the work is more of an effort in the heat and we can work less hours outside. With the arrival of September, the temperatures are finally starting to trend downward, and everything, including me, is starting to perk up!
We continue to offer flowers at the Lake Carolina Farmer’s Market and at Soda City (through Fabel Farms) until the end of October. Thanks to all of you for your support of us and the other vendors at the markets.
As fall arrives, the dahlias will be coming on. We planted a few new varieties over the summer and look forward to seeing them. We will also have sunflowers and lisianthus in our bouquets now.
The infrastructure projects at the farm continue to move forward. Our walk-in flower cooler was completed last week! I have been renting cooler space at another farm which was a big help, but nothing beats the convenience of having a cooler on site. So grateful that my husband Rufus, a.k.a. Mr. FixIt was willing to take this project on.
In addition to the work being done on the processing shed, we are putting up a hoop house (a.k.a. high tunnel, unheated green house) this fall. This will allow us to extend the growing season to the colder months. The first goal is to have local flowers for Valentine’s Day. The beds are ready for planting and the structure will be added over them. There is much to be done to make this happen, so stay tuned!
We are planting significantly more flowers this fall than we have to date. The community support for our subscriptions continues to grow and we are forever grateful for that. We are delighted to have orders for several DIY weddings next spring, not only for the flowers but for the hope that there will be a vaccine and we can gather in greater numbers. We also anticipate that event planners and florists will have increased demand so we want to be ready to support these sister businesses that buy local flowers as we are able to.
We had hoped to have some classes this fall, but there is still much to be done before that can happen. We will continue to work toward that goal in 2021.
We will be offering amaryllis and paperwhites again this year between November 1 and December 15th. More on that to come!
We feel blessed to be able to provide to you and your loved ones with these little bundles of happy beauty. Thank you all for your continued support. Stay healthy and happy,
Linda
5 Annual Cut Flowers That Flourish in Our Hot and Humid Summers
Its still summer. Sigh. Our “famously hot” summers are no joke. The hot and humid weather is a challenge to us and to most of the plants that we try to nurture through to fall. There are those, however, that do well or do their best in these conditions. Here are my top 5:
1. Zinnias
Zinnias
Who can resist these happy blooms? They come in every color but blue. There are multiple sizes and shapes available. They can be started fairly easily from seed and if you cut and feed them weekly, they will produce flowers for your home for weeks. They are prone to powdery mildew, so here in Columbia, plant them further apart than the seed pack recommends. I plant mine a foot apart (Benary’s Giants) so there is plenty of airflow between the plants. Cutting them frequently also keeps the vegetation thinned out, further improving the airflow.
2. Basil
Basil
Yup, you read that right. All bouquets need greenery to make the blooms pop. Basil does the trick. Using Mrs. Meyer’s Lemon or Cinnamon also adds a lovely fragrance to your bouquet. When growing basil as a cut flower, you need to let the plant bloom and let the stem get woody before you cut it. This is the opposite of what you would do if you are growing it to eat. Basil grows well in full sun in the spring, but in the summer give it a little bit of shade to keep it happy.
3. Globe amaranth
Globe Amaranth
This sweet bloom doesn’t even get going well until it gets hot. Really hot. It may seem like it isn’t going to do anything, but when the heat rises, it produces a profusion of blooms from a single plant. It will keep producing until the fall frosts arrive. It comes in white, light and dark pink, red and orange.
4. Sunflowers
Sunflowers
These magical blooms are not bothered by the heat. We grow the pollenless single stem varieties for bouquets, but the branching varieties will also do fine when we’re wilting. Did you know that you can affect the size of the blooms by how you space the plants? Planting them 6 inches apart will give you blooms that are right-sized for a bouquet. At 12 inches apart, the larger, more typical flower head with form from the same seed. Be sure to cut them before they are fully open so that bugs don’t ruin the blooms.
5. Celosia
Celosia
This comes in many forms – spike, fan or brain and wheat. They all add texture and color to your bouquet. They come in good variety of colors so you can use this to round out the mix. Be sure to pick this one before the seed forms or you will find little black droppings on the table under your bouquet.
If you want to have something to cut in your garden in the hottest part of summer, these plants can fill the bill. Do you have any other favorite annuals that do well in this heat?
Happy Gardening!
Linda