Greetings from the farm! Most of January was unusually cold and the fields were covered with snow or ice, so not as much got done outside as I would have liked. February is typically the grayest and coldest month on the farm so we’ll see what this month brings - realllyyyy hoping that the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow! Thankfully I am able to stay toasty warm while still getting healthy doses of Vitamin D inside the greenhouse - Starting seeds and dividing endless crates of dahlias.

In 2021 I had a talented local photographer out to the farm to make photos for some classes he was taking — He shared some of his shots with me and gave me permission to share them here, too - So what you see in this post is (almost all) his work. His name is Alton Marsh and his website is 100% worth a look, especially if you love nature / landscape photography. I have to say it was delightful to share the farm in this way and to have some visits last year, mostly by our CSA customers. It is really fun to see the farm through someone else’s eyes (or, in Alton’s case, lens) and I have been thinking about ways to open the gates on occasion this coming season - Perhaps a photography contest, or a farm tour if I can get over my hope that this will be “the” season the farm looks perfect — haha!!

On the dahlia tuber front - Still dividing over here, it is a process especially when there are so many other tasks to be completed. I am aiming for the very end of February to launch my store. Excited to share some of our stock with dahlia lovers in the US! Please note that a password won’t be available until the store opens, or, perhaps at all - Still working on those details and how to make sure that past customers + newsletter subscribers get first dibs.

Apple Blossom dahlia up close - Photo by Alton Marsh

I’ve finally written a blog post about how I grow delphinium and you can find it here! It is one of the trickier flowers I grow, as it is slow to germinate and slow to grow on, but it is 100% worth it! Would love to hear from you if you try, or if you have more tips for us!

YOU ARE LOVED (photo by Morgan Patterson/Design by Arney Walker)

Let’s talk about Valentine’s Day for a second, shall we? Some people love it, some people love to hate it. Obviously every day is a good day to say I love you! Locally grown flowers are quite hard to come by in February which means (most of us) miss out on this flower-centric holiday, while imported flowers with a huge footprint make their way here (in many cases, from Columbia - very interesting article). I sure do wish I could grow enough to offer - Maybe someday! But since that is not currently an option, you might consider a CSA subscription — It makes a wonderful “gift that keeps on giving” and I would be happy to send a PDF gift certificate for you to gift to your beloved (or to yourself!) In the meantime, know that you are loved and that soooo many flowers are just around the corner!

Thanks, as always, for reading!