May was more of a whirlwind than ever and I am looking forward to a bit of R + R this June (I say this cheekily!). I am beyond behind in planting but it will all get done - Still over 1000 dahlias to get in the ground (I promise to do a tutorial this coming week!) and lots of summer annuals to sow and to plant. The spring crops were amazing this year - The ranunculus churned out so many more stems than I expected, anemones (a trial for me in 2021) were SO GOOD and will 100% be added to the rotation for next year in larger quantities (vase life was amazing!!!), and the “backup singers” who actually we couldn’t do without - Poppies and Stock in particular - were amazing too. We had a very dry spring and I think that is why we had such great crops. I’m excited to up my game in 2022 to have more blooms earlier in the spring when everyone is hungry for color after a long winter.

I always try to grow as much foxglove as possible because if I was forced to pick one, it is my absolute favorite flower. This year’s crop was my best yet and I have been pleasantly surprised by the different varieties blooming over different weeks depending on when it was planted so that I wasn’t inundated all at once. Biennial “Pink Gin” is a total winner in my book - the color, the height - it’s really special! Already starting more seed for 2022!

Biennial Foxglove “Pink Gin” in its golden hour glory

While it’s sad to see some of these spring “specials” end their run (they really are SO special!), it is also exciting to begin to welcome back some of our favorites to the field - zinnias, cosmos, celosia, echinacea and even some overwintered dahlias will be blooming before you know it!

May was especially fun as I started a new monthly subscription and welcomed my first members with fragrant peony bouquets. I am so excited to offer a way for some of you to join me during the growing season! There’s still time to jump on board with options for delivery or on-farm pickup!

Wishing you an easy transition from the strangest spring (it’s May 29 with a high of 52* today…!!!) to what will hopefully be a lovely, flower-filled and (not to blazing hot - a girl can dream…) June!