This is Anemone

We are about a week away from getting enough blooms to begin delivery! Thanks to all who have signed up. We have just a couple of spots left for Friday delivery for the early spring season.

 This is the first in a series of blogs introducing some of the flowers we grow.

Anemone (Anemone Coronaria) is a late winter/early spring bloomer for us in Columbia. The corms (bulbs) come in many colors and in single double flower forms. In addition to the longer stemmed varieties that we use for cut flowers, there are short-stemmed versions that are nice to have in the garden.   

All types can survive our winters in the ground but the flowers don’t do well in the rain. If you don’t have time to be concerned about every bloom, you simply dead head those that have gotten wet. Otherwise, you can grow them under cover to protect them from our wet spring weather. Each plant will bloom several times while “in season”, so even if a flower gets drenched, all is not lost.

Anemone does best when the daytime temps are in the mid-60’s and the nights are in the 40’s. This translates to March for us. They will keep blooming until the daytime temps are consistently in the 70’s. After the heat comes on, they fade away until November or so.  Then they green up and take up the sun until the March blooms.

There is a proper time to cut every flower in order to maximize its vase life.  For Anemones, the right time is when the collar under the bloom is about a half an inch from the base of the bloom. They may wilt if you cut them sooner.  When properly cut, they will last a good week in a vase.

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.  

What do you think of this flower? Have you grown it? Is there another flower that you like to see this time of year?

I hope you are as excited for Spring as I am!

Best,

Linda

Fresh Flowers Delivered to Your Door

Our subscriptions shop is open! This year we are doubling down on our charge to get a little joy into your lives by offering 2 seasons of farm-fresh mixed bouquet flower subscriptions.

Early Spring

Season 1 is the Early Spring season.  The Early Spring offering will begin February 23 and go through April 30th (OK, technically late winter- early spring). This is the season of tulips, anemone, ranunculus and the hardy annuals (bachelor buttons, nigella, orlaya to name a few).  This is a 10-week window, which allows 9-week subscribers to miss a week if needed.  (Note: we are getting closer to Valentine’s Day deliveries but won’t have enough blooms to start by then. A future goal!)

Spring to Summer

Season 2 is the Spring to Summer season, including late spring and early summer.  This Spring to Summer offering includes lisianthus, sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, lilies, dahlias and other heat loving flowers. The Warm Season begins on May 4th and continues through July 20th.  This is a 12-week window to allow for some other events.  First, we are proud to be part of the 2021 Ag + Art tour in Richland County. This will be held (tentatively) on June 11th and 12th so we won’t be delivering on June 10th or 14th.  We hope you come and see us and tour the farm that weekend!  Also, we will not be delivering flowers the Friday before July 4th or the Tuesday after since typically people get away that weekend.

We hope there is something for everyone in this offering! Please let your friends and neighbors know. Our mission is to spread as much joy as possible by delivering every beautiful bloom we grow.

On another note, many of you have been asking about the flowers in our bouquets so our blog updates this year will include features on the flowers that we grow.

Thank you as always for your continued support of our small farm.  We are so blessed to be able to do what we do. While hard work, being surrounded by flowers on a daily basis keeps me smiling and happy. I hope that we will be able to open up the farm in the fall for flower arranging parties and growing classes so that you can spend some time with us in this cheerful atmosphere.

 Wishing you many blessings and good health,

Linda

A Flower Filled Book List for the New Year

Happy 2021 to you! We have been enjoying some down time over the past few weeks and it has been a wonderful respite. We hope that you and yours have enjoyed some safe and healthy time with your loved ones too.

January is one of my favorite months. I love the quiet time after the holidays. The decorations are put away and there is a clean slate to work with.

For the farm, it is a month for planning for the year ahead. While the early spring blooms are already in process, the summer and fall are wide open at the moment. Most summer annuals take 90 days to mature, so dreams and concepts have to become solid plans by March but it is great to luxuriate in considering the possibilities for now.

The planning process involves a lot of reading and reflection.  Here are a few of my favorite books on various subjects related to growing and using fresh cut flowers. I hope you see something that inspires you.  

1.     Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms

If you are a beginning flower gardener and want to start with just one book, this first book by Erin Benzakein at Floret Farm has a little bit of everything.

2.       Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers: Designing Gorgeous Arrangements for Every Season

If you want to see ideas on how to use flowers in more natural styles, Erin’s second book is a great reference. This book gives examples of arrangements by season and shows the elements used in great detail.

3.     Cultivated: The Elements of Floral Style by Christin Gaell

For beautiful examples of floral design in pictures and some essays on the creative process I haven’t found a better book than Cultivated.

4.       Dirt To Soil: One Family's Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture by Gabe Brown

This is a very readable book about how one family transformed their farm practices from working against nature to working with nature for a healthier successful outcome.

5.     The Lean Farm: How to Minimize Waste, Increase Efficiency, and Maximize Value and Profits with Less Work by Ben Hartman

I read this every year. This is essentially a book on process improvement. Based on the principals of the Japanese auto industry, Ben shows how he has applied the concepts to his small farm.

 Do you have any favorite cut flower related books? I’d love to hear about them!  

May You Be Blessed with a Happy and Healthy 2021,

Linda

P.S. Since some of you have asked, we will be opening the subscription shop by the end of the month. Stay tuned for more updates!      

The Holidays are Coming!

Wow! We have had such a busy year at the farm. So many infrastructure projects are done which allows us to provide you with more flowers over a longer season. There is much to tell about all that has been accomplished but that will have to wait until winter arrives and things finally slow down. For now, we are in the season of Amaryllis and Paperwhites!

Ednie Photos

For growing instructions, see our blog post here:  https://www.purpletuteur.com/blog/2019/10/31/amaryllis-and-paperwhites

We have bulbs and forcing kits again this year. We have again searched out larger bulbs and more unusual varieties to make available to you in Columbia.  You can order them from our website and select a day to pick them up at the farm.  See our selection here: https://www.purpletuteur.com/winterbulbs

We will also have a selection for sale at the Jingle and Mingle event held Thursday, December 10 at The Lake Murray Visitor's Center (2184 North Lake Dr. Columbia, SC 29212), 4-7pm. If you live out that way, you will also be able to pre-order online and pick up at the Visitor’s Center during the event.

 Thank you so much for all the support you have given us this year. It means so much and keeps us going.

Wishing you many blessings over the holiday season,

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

Updates From The Farm

Since it has been awhile since I posted anything, I wanted to let you know what we have been up to!

I hope that you have enjoyed the long cool spring as much as I did! In addition to delivering our spring subscriptions, we’ve been taking advantage of the cool weather all season to get extra projects done at the farm.

Spring Subscriptions

This year we were able to start the spring subscriptions in March, earlier than in years past. Everyone is tired of winter by then and it has been our goal to get flowers to people as early in the year as possible. We added some new flowers to our bouquets, including several new specialty tulips and ranunculus in several colors.

Masks and hand sanitizer were de rigeur on subscription delivery days!

We are wrapping up the final deliveries this week. With Covid in our midst, we all seemed to appreciate the beauty of fresh flowers a little bit more this year. Since we had to be extra careful with the drop offs, I still haven’t seen some of our new subscription holders in person! I hope to be able to meet you as conditions improve.  

Thanks to all of you for a wonderful spring season!

The new barn/studio

On-Farm Projects

As you may know, we are transforming the old barn into a new barn/studio. We will have a walk-in cooler for the flowers along with a large work area. There should be room for small gatherings inside, but there is also a large covered porch on the front where we can gather when the weather is agreeable. We’re looking forward to holding some classes/workshops there in the future. I expect that we will have this ready before the summer is over.

The salvage tarp is used to kill the grass where the new beds will go without using pesticides. Darkness and heat can do the job.

We added a shade bed for plants that require little sun. Hellebores and ferns have been planted there and a few other things will be added in the fall. These will be ready for use late winter of 2021.

We are also working on some new beds that will be covered by a new hoop house in the fall. A hoop house is an unheated green house. This will allow us to grow flowering plants over the winter in conditions that will make them bloom over the winter. We’re hoping to have flowers ready by Valentine’s Day 2020.

Hello Summer!

First real warm-season harvest.

Summer temperatures and humidity have arrived! We have been turning the beds and planting more heat-loving summer flowers and foliage.  Our warm season favorites are finally getting the conditions they need to thrive.  Zinnias, celosia, cosmos, dahlias, rudbeckia, sunflowers and lisianthus are some of what is coming on now.

We are also trying some new warm season growers – alstroemeria, lavatera, bee balm, jewels of opar and Greek oregano. We will see how they do in our heat and humidity!

Where to Find us This Summer

1.   You can pick up our flowers at the Lake Carolina Farmers Market or contact us through the website www.purpletuteur.com or through our facebook page to place a special order.

2.   I am also working with one of my classmates from Clemson’s New and Beginning Farmer Program to make flowers available at the Soda City Market when it opens again. Once I have the specifics on this booth location, I will send an update out.

3.   We also offer bouquets at B79 in Blythewood as flower capacity allows. Follow us on Instagram for announcement of pop-up sales at B79.

4.   A few other discussions are underway in an effort to make farm fresh flowers available to you, so stay tuned!

What’s Next?

We have had several requests for a fall subscription offering. We are looking at this now. Certainly, with the prospect of a second wave of Covid 19 in the fall, this may be the best way to get flowers to everyone safely. We will be looking at the feasibility for this over the summer.

Finally, I want to thank you all for your continued interest and support in our small farm. It is our pleasure to bring you fresh blooms and to make you smile. In these challenging times, everyone can use a little joy.

Linda

Life with Corona's Influence

Hopefully you are well, if socially isolated, as I write this.  We are certainly living in turbulent times. I expect that we will see some fundamental changes to life as we know it when we get through this period of uncertainty. Many of us are of the age to have experience other turbulent times. They can be very unsettling but as we know, this too shall pass. Not without disruptions and disappointments. Wishing you as much normalcy as possible through this transition to life with Corona in our midst.

Here on the farm, we are continuing to plant, grow and harvest. We will deliver our subscriptions as planned.  We will be taking special requests and fill them as our flower supply allows. We offer delivery for these special requests for a small fee.

We’ve added many new beds for more growing capacity, both in sun and in shade. Work is progressing on the new barn. Our fall planted hardy annuals came through winter just fine. A couple of additional weeks of warmth and they should begin to bloom!

For 2020 flower subscription holders, we have flowers for you! As you know if you have subscribed before, it is hard to predict when the first blooms will be ready in spring. So much depends on the weather conditions and they vary widely from year to year.  I will begin checking in with each of you to see who wants flowers this Friday or next Tuesday. This will not be the start of the weekly deliveries. There will be gaps until spring really gets going, but most of us are hungry from some blooms this time of year so I like to get them to you as soon as possible.

What are you doing to adjust to live under these circumstances?

New perennial beds

Future home to the flower cooler and a classroom

New shade beds

Winter hardy annuals uncovered for spring

This is an early blooming tulip called Double You

Wishing you and yours good health along with faith, hope and love.

Linda

January on the Farm

I love January farming. It is a clean slate, a chance to review and reflect on the learnings from last year and plan for to what is to come.

While we don’t spend as much time in the field, we’re still there checking on the bulbs (tulips, iris, heirloom narcissus, anemone and ranunculus) and the fall sown hardy annuals (agrostemma, nigella, bachelor buttons, statice, queen anne’s lace, dianthus and bupleurum).  Happily, all survived our unusual cold snap. We cover the beds with frost cloth, which protects the plants from the below freezing temperatures.  

Hours and hours are spent on planning the growing season, including researching new flowers and greenery that might bring you joy. We also review what you loved from last year and make sure we include those too. We order seeds and supplies that will be needed, at least for the early part of the year.

This year, we have been busy with an additional project. We are renovating the barn! We have been working on the plans and working out the details with the builder. He will start in late February and hopes to be done by May. We’re super-excited to have more studio space, a walk-in cooler and a large covered porch. We will be sending out updates as things progress.

We start seeds for some annuals and for tender perennials like eucalyptus, oregano and dusty miller. These take the longest time to mature into a usable plant. We are trying a couple of new ones this year. The first year is a “trial” season.  We grow a limited amount to see how they do in our climate and to see if you like them.  The trial can be a huge success or an absolute bust. It is part of our commitment to bring you the best locally grown flowers available.

Some of you have been asking about subscriptions. We will be opening up the subscription shop on the website sometime in February. An announcement will be sent out when it is ready.

We are grateful for each of you. Without your support, none of this would be possible. Thank you so much for your support.

Wishing you a blessed year, filled with joy and flowers.

Linda

Transitioning From Fall to Winter

Fall can be a very busy time on a flower farm and ours is no exception.

This year, we had a long, warm fall that let us keep cutting dahlias and zinnias into November.

Behind the scenes, we were busy turning the existing beds, adding new beds, sowing seeds and planting bulbs for the spring crops. It is really important to get this done so that we can bring you flowers as early as possible in the new year.  All the beds have been covered with frost cloth to protect the plants through the winter.  We have added new varieties and colors to our offerings and are excited to share them with you next spring!

In addition to getting those flowers to market, we offered holiday amaryllis and paperwhites for the first time. Hopefully, some of you are seeing yours in bloom about now!

As we are now officially in winter, we have wrapped all that up and can turn our attention to family and friends! We are happily taking a break while the cold weather sets in and will be unavailable until January 6th.

This has been a great year on the farm and we are so very grateful for all of your support. We could not do it without you!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and the happiest new year!

Linda

Amaryllis and Paperwhites

It’s November and Christmas is seven weeks away. While there is still plenty of time for shopping and baking, if you would like to have amaryllis and paperwhite blooms for the holidays, it is time to get started.

Ednie Photo

Amaryllis take 6 – 8 weeks to bloom, depending on the variety. Once you get them potted up, put them in a low light location for the first week to ten days so that the roots get well established first. Then move them to more indirect light as the stems begin to emerge from the bulb. Remember to turn the pot occasionally so that the stems stay straight.

Did you know that amaryllis bulbs already contain the flower/flowers that will emerge? This is one key reason why bulb size matters. Larger bulbs produce more stems and more flowers per stem.

Amaryllis bulbs make wonderful gifts. They stay dormant until they are potted up and watered. One year I gave amaryllis forcing kits to a group of friends at the holidays. Not only did I enjoy growing one myself, but everyone I gave them to sent me pictures of theirs in bloom. It was a fun thing to see after the holiday season was over and the excitement shared in the pictures made me sure that they really enjoyed them.

Ednie Photo

Paperwhites are the instant gratification bulb of the season. Paperwhites need only 3 – 5 weeks to bloom. 3-week bulbs can give you blooms for Thanksgiving if you get started soon. As with amaryllis, bigger bulbs produce bigger and more abundant flowers.

There are many new varieties of paperwhites. Most of what you see in the retail stores is a variety called Ziva and they have a very strong scent. This variety has put paperwhites out of favor with many people. New varieties have milder scents and are more colorful.

The other great thing about paperwhites is that they can grow in our gardens in Columbia. After you have enjoyed them inside for the holidays, you can put them into your garden and enjoy them for years to come. Just add a little compost and a little bone meal to the soil when you plant them. (Note: this will not work if you use only water to force your bulbs indoors. They must be grown in potting soil).

Making Them Last

As you grow amaryllis and paperwhites indoors, keeping them cooler and away from direct sunlight will keep the blooms lasting longer.  High sun or warm temperatures may cause the stems to get very long. This, along with the heavy flowers, can cause the stem to fall over. If this happens, cut the stem at its base and put the flower in a vase. These make long lasting cut flowers too.

Floppy Stems?

One fun study at Cornell University has resulted in a way to keep your paperwhite and amaryllis stems from flopping over. And it involves alcohol! Gin, vodka or tequila works well. Do not use beer or wine, as they contain too much sugar. Mix one-part alcohol to seven parts water and use this mixture for your weekly bulb watering. It keeps the stems about one third shorter and does not affect the blooms. Do not make it stronger – too much is toxic, but we knew that didn’t we? Isopropyl (Rubbing) alcohol will also work the same way as liquor.

We Have Bulbs and Forcing Kits!

For the first time, we are offering amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs and forcing kits locally. We have searched out larger bulbs and some more unusual varieties to bring to you here in Columbia.  You can order them from the website here: https://www.purpletuteur.com/winterbulbs

Best wishes for a love-filled holiday season,

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:

Zinnias

 1.       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.

Basil

2.       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.

Globe Amaranth

3.       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.

Sunflowers

4.       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.

Celosia

5.       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

Many Thanks - Ag+Art Tour 2019 Recap

Many thanks to all who participated in the first Ag+Art Tour for Richland county! We had a busy weekend at the farm, with 250+ people coming out to tour the farm, get help from the Richland County Master Gardeners and shop with our artists under the shade of the oaks. If you were there, we thank you for coming.

Many volunteers participated in this event and we could not have done it without each of them.  From the sponsors to the personal friends who came out to lend a hand, everyone was busy assisting our visitors in one way or another.

WTLX, The Independent Voice and The Country Chronicle helped to get the word out and I had the opportunity to meet many of our neighbors as a result.  The Lake Carolina Farmer’s Market also sent out announcements and we got to see some of our regular customers from the market at the farm.

If you were not able to get there, we are working on plans for the 2020 event. If you are a farm or an artist that would like to participate, feel free to contact me. We would like to include more farms and artists next year.

Linda

Photo - Linda Bradley

Photo - Karen Bickley

Photo - Country Chronicle

Volunteers Ted Williams, Kathy Olson and owner Rufus Bradley

Ag+Art Tour: Purple Tuteur Farm Open House on June 29 and 30th

Many of you have expressed interest in coming out to the farm and we are opening to the public on June 29th and 30th as part of the Richland County Ag+Art Tour!

A Little About Ag+Art

The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is a free, self-guided tour of farms and markets featuring local artisans at every stop. During the tour visitors have the opportunity to see first-hand where their food and flowers come from, watch artists in action, purchase their works and learn more about rural life. The tour is the largest free farm and art tour in the nation with over 35,000 visitors participating since 2012.

 This is the first year for the tour in Richland County. As a member of the planning committee, I am thrilled to finally see it happen.

 What is Happening at Purple Tuteur Farm during the Ag+Art Tour

Agriculture

Guided Tours

Guided Tour of the farm Saturday June 29 at 11 am and 3 pm

Guided Tour of the farm Sunday June 30 at 2:00 pm

Self-guided Tours all weekend

"Ask a Master Gardener" booth. 

Master Gardeners will be on site to answer basic gardening questions and they will have an activity for children – all weekend

Farm Store

We will have mixed bouquets from the garden available for sale along with a few plants and some pre-chilled lily bulbs that you can plant now for fall bloom!

Art

We have a wonderful group of artisans that will be sharing their talent with us including:

Abstract Alexandra, Painter, painting on site during the tour weekend

This Butter Be Good, Skincare, wellness, art & jewelry

CjStudios, Mixed media

Gallery West, Handmade jewelry, making jewelry on-site

Peace and Mud Pottery, Potter, pottery wheel demonstrations during the tour weekend

All artisans will have items available for sale.

Purple Tuteur Farm is located at 787 Langford Road in Blythewood, S.C.

We hope to see you there over the weekend!

Linda

For more detail on the full tour in Richland County follow this link https://agandarttour.com/richland/

For more on Ag+Art happenings around the state, go to https://agandarttour.com/

So Long Spring!

The recent weather shifts certainly have brought changes to the garden.  No rain for weeks including three days of 100 degree heat, followed by 5 days of rain. And it is only June!

The spring flowers die out as the heat comes on, so ours were quick to fade under these weather conditions. Each year we try something new and this year we tried one called Basket Flower.   

Basket flower (Centaurea americana), native to the United States, is an annual in the same family as Bachelor Buttons. Seeds were sown in the fall and overwintered in the garden.  The first bloom did not show until late May, much later than Bachelor Buttons.  The stems are 4 ft tall, and some growers had them even taller. They grow in full sun/partial shade. The flowers are 2-3” across. They make a lovely cut flower, with a 4 – 5 day vase life.  In the garden, they would do well at the back of the border. Bees love them, so planting them will also help the ecosystem.  Give it a try!

 We hope your summer is getting off to a good start,

Linda

Happy Mother's Day!

This is my mom and her mom. I took this picture with a Kodak Instamatic camera when color photos were something of a novelty. I still have the picture but the camera is long gone.

 Mom had picked me up from college for summer break. We then met my grandmother and went to visit her sister, my great aunt. I felt so privileged to be on this adventure, without my siblings or our father. Just me with these wise and caring women who influenced me greatly in positive ways.

My grandmother set a formal table and manners were de rigueur with her. She also loved to bake cookies and had me in the kitchen at an early age. Madeleines and pizzelles were two of her favorites. Baking suited her personality more than it does mine, patience and precision being two of her strengths.  She also had a master’s degree in French, unusual for her generation.

Mom was a teacher, through and through. She instilled a love of learning in me by example. She was always game to explore, to try something new. She studied things she was interested in and was always exposing me to things she thought I would like to learn about.  Mom loved fashion and read Women’s Wear Daily. She could sew and knit beautifully. I love fashion too, which is somewhat amusing since I spend most of my time now in camping shirts and garden boots.

Mom would be happy to know that I am still learning. The passion for growing beautiful flowers is only part of the equation. You also have to study diligently to learn what is required to get the conditions right for each type of flower. I remember my grandmother’s patience as I wait to harvest them at the optimal time.

I am so happy that they shared their gifts and talents with me, enabling me to apply their shared wisdom to my own life. The joy my grandmother shared when the cookies were done, or that my mother shared when she finished a sweater that she had knit for me were such great examples of life well lived. I experience that same joy when I harvest flowers that have come to their most beautiful point and share them with the community.

Hoping that you have warm memories of your mother or are planning to do something special with your mother to celebrate that special bond.

1 Corinthians 13:13 

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Wishing you all a Happy Mother’s Day!

This is Opening Week at the Farmers Markets

We love being part of the local farming community. The farmer's markets give us a chance to meet our clients and show the seasonal bouquets and bunches we have to offer. Prices typically range from $10- $20 depending on the varieties used and number of stems. Come and visit or grab and go! We would love to see you at the markets listed here. We take cash, debit and credit cards. Please follow us on Facebook to be sure we will be at market on a given day. Weather can affect our ability to participate. Hope to see you there!

Click on the blue text below for directions…

Lake Carolina Farmers Market - Every Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. April 25 through October 3rd, 2019 Opening night was April 25th! It was lots of fun and we welcomed several new vendors.

Clemson Sandhills Farmers Market - 2nd and 4th Tuesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. May 7 through August 6, 2019

And new this year:

Blythewood Farmers Market - 1st and 3rd Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. May 1 through October 30, 2019 I’ve had several requests to participate in this market, so this year we will be alternating weeks between Sandhills and Blythewood markets. This one opens today and I am looking forward to participating!

Richland County, it’s Time to Plant Your Spring Garden!

If you are a gardener in the Columbia SC area, this update is for you! The Master Gardeners of Richland County are holding their annual plant sale on Friday April 26th and Saturday April 27th. This is the only fundraiser each year, so save the date to take advantage of some great deals that will be available.  Here’s the scoop:

In addition to the great plant selection at excellent prices, this year there is a raffle for this gorgeous cotton quilt, made by one of our members. Cotton has been a key agricultural crop in South Carolina and this art reflects its heritage in our state. While you are at the plant sale, buy a raffle ticket for $1 to have a chance to take this beauty home! Or contact a master gardener to purchase tickets before the plant sale. The raffle will be held at the end of the sale and the winner will be contacted by phone. Best of luck! Even if you don’t win, you are helping a great cause in our county.

The Richland County Master Gardener Association (RCMGA) is a not-for-profit organization composed of volunteers whose goal is to promote and teach environmentally sound, research-based gardening practices to the citizens of Richland County, and to provide education to our members needed to accomplish our purpose.

We serve our Clemson and Richland County through such activities as assisting in the county extension office, giving educational programs to the public, and participating in community projects related to gardening.

If you want to learn more about gardening and participate in volunteer projects that enhance our county, consider becoming a Master Gardener. I am proud to be part of this organization.

For information about applying for the Master Gardener classes, contact 803.722.1196 ext. 127. To learn more about the program visit: Clemson Extension Master Gardeners

Hello Spring!

Spring arrived a couple of days ago but today really felt like spring. The cherry trees are blooming and the sky is thankfully clear. The temperatures are warming up and the day length is now longer than the night. These are excellent conditions for getting the fall-planted flowers out of dormancy. The covers are off the beds and we can begin feeding to further encourage growth. In another month to six weeks, we will be able to have blooms like these available on a consistent basis.

Wishing you a wonderful season!

Getting Ready for Spring

Larkspur

In warm climates like South Carolina’s, spring flower preparation starts in the fall. We plant ‘hardy annuals’ in the fall to provide them with enough cool weather to thrive. This group of flowers blooms profusely in the cooler spring and then they fade in our summer heat. This includes things like Bells of Ireland, Bachelor Buttons, Corn Cockle and Larkspur. Most are started from seed sown directly in the garden.

Here at the farm, we have been nurturing many of these varieties since last September. They have needed the heat of late summer to germinate and get established. Then, as the days got shorter and the temperatures dropped, they slowed down above ground but continue to develop strong roots. As the weather has warmed up, the plant growth has resumed. When we get the magic combination of longer days and consistently warmer temperatures they will burst forth, revealing the miracle that they are.

 Between now and then, the fluctuating temperatures call for some special attention. The plants are getting larger and the vegetation is more vulnerable to cold. Frost cloth is used to protect them when we get temperatures below freezing. A freeze is in the forecast for next week, so everything is being covered so that it is protected.  

Looking forward to the end of winter and the day when we can share the spring blooms with you! If you are considering a bouquet subscription, there is still time. You can sign up at www.purpletuteur.com

Dianthus under cover