flower_a_farm

I’m tucked away at the coast for work this week & using the time away from snipping; to organize my photo collection from this season.

I came across these rainy day shots & it made me warm. Even on the gloomiest of days dahlias will lift me up! They can’t help it - they are joy personified!!

I think it’s why we lose our minds a little this time of year particularly… but here’s hoping these photos tide us over. May your wish lists be filled & your flower beds double in size!

(This is an end of season NTAC Eileen) much more peachy!

Happy Saturday flower friends!

This gem (Blackjack) came across my dividing table & I’m ashamed to say I couldn’t recall her! But when I started pulling pictures I instantly recalled why she had the star on her tape. I fell head into these dark nights last couple years and added a half dozen different varieties to our line up.

We grow them out two seasons before offering to others - but they will certainly be kept in rotation! Cheers to The Bold & The Beautiful ♥️

When I need a break from dividing I’ve started adding varieties to the website! Our hope is to have it fully loaded by Christmas 🎄 but go check it out when you’ve got time!

After three days of eating drinking and so much merry it feels illegal .. we needed a day to recover!

But the sun’s shining & we’ve got a too do list three miles long - so back to the giddy up we go!

These forced bulb stations were first on my list .. I missed the window to finish planting & after the last couple nights we’ve had mid 20’s! I’ll wake them up this winter for some fun indoor blooms 💛 and beautiful gifts!

Happy Holidays flower friends!

Four has always been my number. It finds me in weird & freaky ways - it reminds me to wish upon stars and believe in magic. ✨

As we wrap our fourth year with these beautiful flowers - I count help but count the ways in which they have enriched our lives!

The new friends and family they have brought to our door.

The joy & generosity they have allowed us to share and bestow.

The prosperity & health they have provided in our lives.

The beauty & awe they sprinkle everywhere they go.

So thank you dahlias for the gifts you give and thank you flower friends-bank friends-new friends-old friends & of course our devoted family!

Thank you for sharing and supporting this incredible fourth season with us!

The tubers are looking amazing ❤️

Write a caption... I had a good laugh yesterday when someone asked if I was “kind of relieved the season was over?”
Summer is absolutely the best with the stunning blooms! It’s busy, bright, full & fun — but I had to laugh because truly every season is dahlia season and the works just getting started!

Today we started lifting (digging) our first row. It’s been misting all morning and we’re covered in mud & yuck 💛 and it’s just lovely!

We feel so lucky to be stewards of these gorgeous flowers. Thank you to each of you for your ongoing support & encouragement this summer.

Stay tuned in stories this weekend for the first glimpse of our 2024 tubers & varieties! 💛

I wish I had a snapped a shot of the six twigs of eucalyptus left at the end of todays event! It would have summed up the pure splendor and perfection of it all. People loving people - topped off with flowers for all. Such JOY ✨

I had a unexpected empty bed in late June .. so as an experiment I took a old dried bouquet that I had from two years prior & crinkled it all up in this bed!

Turns out I don’t need to be so fussy with seed saving - these might be my best producers the whole season. I do love a good experiment 💛

The little lollipop village was in full glory last night. We’ve had a busy week around these parts, staying ahead of the heat. Double duty watering & even with the heat slowing things down, the blooms are popping!

There will be lots of deadheading and catch up this weekend. You can already feel the temps coming back down into the tolerable range. Hang in there dahlia lovers - truly the best (September) is yet to come!

Crichton Honey 🍯

She’s one of the color changers and shift shifters in my patch & I always look forward to watching her moves.

I have three consistent first bloomers - Linda’s Baby - Crichton Honey & Jowey Winnie! They are a beautiful combo ✨

Some days you just want to remember ✨ and this stunning first bloom from Bloomquist Behold seemed like the perfect backdrop to mark this day.

I never expect much for the first few weeks of bloom. It might be a little over the top .. but I think of the plants like little babies. They just made their big push into the world and they usually look a little wrinkled and weathered from the trip. 😂 But not this girl - she came out fists pumping & ready to be a star.

If you’ve been around my page for any length of time - this probably doesn’t sound totally crazy. I do love a good ramble and absolutely admit talking to the flowers. 😬

So I told this one, I am ready too! For a fist pumping - take on the world kind of season! And so it’s happening ✨

Sunflowers are universally the happy flower. We have used them for years as our crop trap & pollinator booster.

They are easy, beautiful & make so much seed we just keep planting more and more.
Can’t wait for the sea of Sunnies coming our way this summer! 🌻

I have never met a Zinnia I don’t love. They remind me of fairy gardens, poofy clouds, sunsets & flowergirls.

Their sheer variation makes them quite possibly the second best flower I’ve ever grown 😉 This may be the first year I have successfully stayed up on my succession planting. Which means I should have these beauties all the way to the fall!

Lucky 🍀 in love!

This mornings buckets were giving me all my childhood most favorite color vibes - pastel anything and I was in love!

Our custom orders are dictated greatly by Mother Nature, but I’m thankful for my winter self who thought to plant this palette combo. 💛✨💗

Not pictured *the beautiful Earth Angel roses that went out with this order!

Breathing in the rainy day & wishing I had buckets of dahlias to play with. Sometimes the lull between mid June and late July can feel very long - while waiting for the dahlias.

But while we wait , we’ll be pinching, w**ding and starting fertilizer & pest prevention weekly.

It’s been a great start to the 2023 season with very minimal loss (compared to last years torrential rains & rot!). The crows seem to be our biggest threat, the w**d cloth & living pathways are working beautifully and all in all it’s been an incredibly promising start.

It’s done! With over 5000 bend overs in the past 5 days .. I could cry from the excitement (and relief) when I put the last one in the ground.

I’ve had a few questions this week on planting and apologize I haven’t had time to get back to you all. In hopes of answering everyone’s questions in one here is our how & why.

1. Doing the work just the two of us (besides my sweet mom who always shows up & helps us immensely!!) the planting process from field prep to the finish can take us about a month depending on weather!
2. This means we’ve had rows that have been in for a month and ones just getting done. From our previous experience they will all catch up by July!
3. We plant about 50% of our field with cuttings so they are rooted and almost ready for their first ‘pinch’. Sine we have a mix of cuttings and tubers we hand water for the first two weeks.
4. The dahlias are planted by type and height this year. I’ve always planted by color so this will be a big change.
5. We also changed the layout of the field this year to incorporate: w**d barrier, living 4’ clover walk ways & three wide diamond rows with 12” spacing. Lots to come on these choices.
6. I hold back a tray of cuttings to fill holes when rot happens (because rot always happens) & I’ve found the plants are better supported and healthier when they have their neighbor to lean on.

Picture is Bloomquist Alan - it was the beauty I ‘bet on’ last year & paid off! I planted an entire row of BQ Alan & my husband thought I’d lost it. Can you guess who got the entire row bet this year?

Sometimes I feel guilty for the lack of time I spend in the ‘real’ world. But then it’s moments like this I might miss if I wasn’t just here.

Fully immersed in the summer like spring we are having here in Oregon. Everything is just exploding into the light & the green is … so green!!

Looking forward to the true spring weather we have coming but so thankful for this years boost. On the heals of last years 40 days and 40 nights of rain .. it is truly beautiful to see! ✨

I thought the heat may take these ladies out for the season, but they weathered the hot hot May beautifully! Ranunculus are much hardier than they appear & if you haven’t tried adding a few forms to your line up you should!

I went for a full leave them in the ground and see what happens - and although I do have some bare patches (rot) for the most part they do seem stronger, longer and bigger blooms than last year! I will do it again and add in a few more in the fall.

This is one of my favorite little nooks on the farm right now. The sweet woodruff is filling out and casts the most magical vibrant green with its little white blooms.

It was one of the first areas we cleared out when we got here & it’s really coming into it’s own this year. So many little gems tucked in and around all finding their place. It is the view from my kitchen window & it just keeps better and better!

We are planning on putting our first row of seedlings in the ground this weekend. Gambling on Mother Nature just a bit but if I listen real close to everything it’s saying .. we’re ready!

We had a presenter ask what our favorite season is this morning and I think for ever it has always been Fall. With out a doubt Fall is like a deep breath after the hot summer & it just feels so good!

Buttttttt this morning I hesitated, Spring is just so freaking fresh! The smell of sunshine after sooooooooo many months of cold & wet .. it just feels alive! So that’s it - that’s the moral to my Wednesday story … Fall is awesome but Spring .. Spring is totally Rad. 😎

With a quick trip to the sea to clear the mind — we are back & hitting the ground for planting prep!

Since we bring our tubers inside in February/March to wake up them up, by the time we are ready to plant these girls are raring to go.

Last years rows were color coordinated and while I will always plant by color - I am also planting by type this year.

It’s exciting to see the row trays coming together. The planting is my 2nd favorite part, it’s so full of hope and promise!

The break away, the sunshine to come; it all helps to rejuvenate & remind me of the beauty we have to look forward too!

Dan the flower man 🤩 also known around here as Danny or Daniel to his family!

I met this dreamboat on a Thursday night for dinner and before we *did not* kiss goodbye in the parking lot .. he climbed up in the back of his pickup and pulled fresh caught fish out of his cooler for me to take home. So I married him on a Thursday with 20 of our closest friends and family. Those little Thursday’s pretty much sum this guy up in a nut shell. He is thoughtful, full of acts of service & truly my best friend & partner!!!

We get to celebrate a decade of marriage today and it’s not lost on me how much of a treasure that is. Here’s hoping he’ll put up with me for another 10 💛✨

Shipping the last of the cutting orders (and tuber) tomorrow! It has been an honor to grow & share these soon to be flowers!!!! The dahlia craze is alive and well - we are thrilled to have had another season of growth!!

So cheers to your undeniable kindness & support this past season & clink clink to allllllllll the fun to come! Happy 2023 season 🎉 to you all!

And just like that .. it’s Easter Sunday & spring has sprung! What a gift ✨

It’s. Been. A. Week!

I have no idea how it is Friday evening at 8pm; but here we are 🤪

I know spring can be a blur for so many of us & just can’t help but to keep expressing my gratitude for the support, patience & my goodness the kindness!! It’s so good.

With all that said - we will be opening the site at 9am tomorrow with the last of the tuber restock and rooted tuber cuttings!!! We are SO excited to share these beautiful cuttings with you all & cant wait to see how the sales go! It’s a direction we hope to go more into in the future & I’m excited to see if you all are excited too!

Last but not least we were hoping to have the site posted with the line up prior to opening - but I did too much work that I would have to undo - so it will be live for all @ 9am PST tomorrow! I will not be posting anywhere but here until after local pick ups are done & you all have had a chance to shop!

Here is a short list of the most asked about….




Alan


Happy Spring!

** Rooted Cutting Sale & Tuber Restock to be Delayed**

Apologies and thank you(s) to you patient souls! We are having some website coding issues and despite our best farmer skills - we have not been successful in getting the new listings to take! We will be engaging some help to get us back up and running - but we are having to delay the Rooted Cutting Sale & Restock until we can do it properly!

Appreciate your kindness (and check ins!) we are only delayed and not derailed so stay tuned for updates!

I can confirm we will have a handful of these beauties (BJ’s Dusty Rose) in the coming restock!

Cheers to flower farmers trying to be techy 🍻and Happy Friday!

I know I know .. daffodils, tulips, ranunculus oh my … and they are all coming! But as we are stuck here in our season of Oregon SpringWinterSummerFall … we are still stuck on the promise these pictures from last summer hold!

As we thought it might be - the market has been on fire for anything Collarette this year! We grew all we could and still found these beauties flying off the shelf during sales. We are excited to be able to offer one more chance to add these bee loving babies to your garden. Our Rooted Cutting Sale will go live on Saturday April 1st!!!

The website will be update on Friday with the varieties we will be offerings as well our last restock of tubers.

We are excited & proud to see the success of three years of trialing our cuttings — to now be able to offer than to all of you!

Spring! It’s happening friends ✨

It’s been light ✨ enough after the workday .. for a proper walk with the dogs every night this week and that makes my heart and my bones so happy. It’s happening friends! Spring is coming ✨ and with it our fourth season of growing dahlias!!!

We wrapped our individual tuber sales yesterday and we are truly just blown away by the continued love for these flowers!!

Dan & I grew over 240 varieties last summer; we had quality and quantity enough to offer 110 different varieties in our sale - despite a awful year for dahlias! Or maybe IN spite of the awful year for growing dahlias!

There are just not enough thank you’s or exclamation points in the world to properly express our gratitude. From family, friends, friends of friends, flower friends, and of course our lovely Instagram friends who’ve followed us on this journey… we are honored & grateful beyond measure for all of you 💛

Enjoy the light friends!

It’s hard to trust your gut(s) when it comes to farming .. or truly maybe anything. There are so many opinions, options, directions, old ways, new ways - hard ways and easy ways!

It can be a bit much wading thru it all & in the end .. trusting your gut to make the right call. Sometimes it’s something little & sometimes it feels small & then you realize .. it BIG.
This isn’t a puzzle or an allusive exclusive hidden message post. Just a flower farming lady musing at the end of the longest Tuesday in history .. trying to decide .. cover’m or not? 😂

Happy Friday flower fiends 😉

We just came out of a whirlwind week and I’m getting caught up on messages & emails. Between the sale launch, my sweet husbands birthday & other family events - we have been busy little 🐝

I’ve also found some time to start some seeds! All cool weather lovers so hopefully not getting too crazy.

We’ve got a full weekend of communications coming up for those who placed orders. If you are a local pick up or early send out - you should have details in your inbox Saturday.

We will close out our inventory on the 1st of March & open again in April for local cuttings. There are still a few of these beauties Platinum Blonde left in the shop ✨ link in bio will connect you to the online shop!

A love story 💕

Four years ago I was on what we call in my family a “YaYa” trip. Dan and I were about to close on our ‘forever home’ and I posed the question to my girls - “what are we going to do with five acres?!” To which my cousin excitedly says “A Flower Farm!”

Dan and I both grew up ‘in farming’ - my parents were dairy farmers when we were babies & we just grew up always and around farming. Dan grew up in the horse world and worked in farming until he became a mechanic.

We knew we wanted something that would bring us the pride of hard work & the reward of working your own land. Ultimately a place we could share our roots (we didn’t know it would be actual roots!) with others.

I am proud of our dedication to learning & the the hard work and resources we have put into making this successful. I can see the changes we’ve been able to make for this land. The increase in both flower and fauna- birds - bees and even hummingbird moths.

Above all else I’m thrilled we are truly getting to share it with so many. I love looking through everyone’s orders after the big launches.
Picturing your color palettes & patchwork gardens, rows and additions!

Thank you ALL so much for showing up for us and in support of us! Sharing us with your friends & family - and cheering us on! You are the unexpected twist in this love story. The part I didn’t anticipate loving. So thank you 😊 It was an incredible weekend full of joy & we are eternally grateful for you.

Dahlia seeds ✨ they are like magic beans! Ok i know I know .. for most of us all seeds are like magic beans. But truly the adventure & mystical power of what this little seed will become … is magical.
We had a really rough tuber season (as so many did) BUT we had a really tremendous seed season! Which means after sorting - sifting - separating and most importantly running germination trials! We are thrilled to be able to offer Dahlia Seeds in our Sale on Saturday ✨✨
We have a true mixed field (ball,waterlily , collarette,dinner plate) we plant by color so everything sits next to everything. These are all open pollinated & have been hand sorted! We have had over 80% germination on all trials & are proud to see these healthy happy seedlings 🌱
Sale starts early 8am Saturday February 11th! The site will be down starting at 8pm Friday night while we load inventory. Happy dahlias 💚

While folding cloths this weekend my husband suddenly says “they’ll be back before you know it” - I was truly confused - and must have looked it - because he then says “your flowers, they’ll be back soon” 😭😢😂 .. I just love this guy.

Also. The store is open 😎🤩🥳 but only until 10am tomorrow (Tuesday 1/31) & only partial inventory. So have fun & play nice & I can’t wait to wake up and see what you all have found that will make your hearts sing!! Happy Monday flower friends ✨

Facebook has created an amazing platform for the gathering dahlia enthusiasts! If you'd like to learn more about us & our little farm please head over to Instagram to get the full scoop!

We are so excited to open for our third year in offering both dahlia tubers and dahlia seed! We have lovingly grown our stock to now be able to offer over 100+ varieties - truly something for everyone! Come check out our website www.flowerafarm.com & make your list. Tuber sales will go live on Saturday February 11th @ 8am PST!

Happy Dahlia-love!