This past summer in our Cut Your Own Bouquet Garden we tried something new. We created a space large enough to hold a small group for a picnic. We were approached about hosting a birthday party in the garden so the group could cut flowers and bring their own picnic. I thought it was a great idea. Maybe because I wanted to go to such a place myself. But what a fun time they had. Our garden was full of conversation and laughter all afternoon. It was only meant as a trial, but we could quickly see it brought smiles to everyone’s face so we are making a dedicated space with it’s very own private garden for 2022.
Day 22 in our 24 Days of Giveaways features a Cut Your Own Experience for six people in your own private garden. It makes me smile just thinking about it. A totally immersive flower experience with close friends or family with your own picnic. Oh, and did I mention we will take care of the picnic part too?
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share what you miss most about your pre-pandemic life, or what a picnic in the garden would mean to you, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Thursday night December 30th at Midnight PT.
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our Cutting Garden Experiences, please share!
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Let me explain. If you are trying to provide cut flower bouquets every week for yourself or others, it is important to have enough flowers in bloom to make that possible. One newbie frustration is having all your flowers come into bloom at the same time. This is a condition of something I will call “Spring Fever”. The inability to avoid running out and seeding all your treasured varieties on the first warm day in the season. When in fact, this is the time for patience and planning.
Succession planning or planting for that matter is the science of having continual blooms for the longest stretch of the season that you can. That sounds difficult but in reality a little planning goes a long way. Succession, as the name suggests, is learning to plant a portion of your variety at two or three consecutive intervals. This is usually accomplished with two or three weeks between planting times. For example, if you want a steady flush of zinnias, you could plant one third of your seeds after your last frost date, wait three weeks and plant one third and then wait another three weeks and plant the remainder. Not as challenging as it sounds, but an important step in managing your blooms for cutting.
This simple adjustment in your planting regime allows for a bundle of flowers to be available when you want and not all of them coming and going at once. Even if you’re not cutting bouquets, it keeps your garden looking fresh much longer during the growing season.
Day 23 in our 24 Days of Giveaways is a $250 Gift Certificate from Stems Flower Farm. You use this gift certificate to build your own special garden and with this new knowledge keep blooms in your garden all summer.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share your “aha” moment in gardening, or a tip that you wish you had learned early on in your gardening career, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Thursday night December 30th at Midnight PT.
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From a design perspective it's all about putting Mother Nature in the driver's seat and, here is the hard part, letting go! Rewilding is about NOT being in control. What that means is less focus on hardscaping and more about introducing spaces that would be naturally occurring, like planting a native hedge instead of a traditional wood or metal fence. Or creating a meadow simply for pollinators, that requires less attention from human touch and can be over-planted to help control weeds.
Until recently, rewilding was a term reserved for large scale conservation projects. Restoring ecosystems to a point of balance , where it can take care of itself, and being able to reconnect with a natural world.
Over time I intend to introduce new garden spaces to our Cut Your Own Flower Garden, and this is high on the list for 2022. So Day 21 in our 24 Days of Giveaways is an escape to Stems Flower Farm. You will enjoy a Cut Your Own Experience for two people and as an added highlight, we will provide lunch while you’re here.
This prize is best suited for August or September of 2022.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share your thoughts on rewilding or on reconnecting with nature, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Thursday night December 30th at Midnight PT.
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our Cutting Garden Experiences, please share!
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]]>Before jumping into a list of flowers, there are some important things to think about. As you are building these bouquets for you, you should ask yourself what elements of my bouquets will I enjoy the most? By that I mean, are there shapes you like and dislike? Are there colours you are most attracted to? Are you more drawn to symmetry or disharmony? After you make a list of these likes, you can start to build a recipe for your own bouquets.
For the novice grower and bouquet maker you should start by thinking about which focal flower you like the most. As the name suggests you want this one to be the star of your show so size and colour are important too. Big and bold is easy to do, like sunflowers, and dahlias, or less dominant flower size and more repetition can work too, as in the case of zinnias, and cosmos. Now your superstar needs a supporting cast. Flowers to help show off the main character in your story. These secondary flowers like strawflower or bachelor buttons for instance, use space well and won’t compete, especially in harmonious colours. And lastly, let’s make the flowers feel at home by giving your bouquets some volume with little competition. fillers like Cress and Bunny Tail Grass add spectacular depth and visual interest to your bouquet without wanting to take over.
Drum roll please…Here is a list of flowers to consider if you are wanting to try to grow from seed your own cut flower bouquets: Ammi - simple form great colour, Cress - great neutral filler, Amaranth - Spectacular colour and form, Bachelor Buttons - subdued colours that help show off your focal, Cosmos - airy and colourful, Snapdragons - incredible form and unique colours, Bunny Tail Grass - visual interest in a slender form, Strawflower - hardy neutral flower, Yarrow - simple form with neutral colours, Zinnias - pack a big punch in small forms, Sunflowers - multitude of sizes, shapes and colours to choose from, Basil - fills and provides room filling aromas.
This is a great list to start from, but in no way are these the only flowers for bouquet building. After you master the elements of design, you can experiment with dozens of others to truly make your garden and your bouquets unique. And have a ton of fun learning as you get there.
Day 20 in our 24 Days of Giveaways is a $150 Gift Certificate from Stems Flower Farm. You use this gift certificate to build your own special garden and learn to create bouquets for your own enjoyment.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share which flower you couldn’t do without in a bouquet , or your best advice for others starting to cut their own flowers, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Thursday night December 30th at Midnight PT.
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]]>“Imagine”, we said, “spending an hour, walking through an acre sized garden with over seventy five varieties of flowers in all colours of the rainbow to choose your own bouquet”.
People came from all over. Quebec, Ottawa, Sarnia, Timmins, a ton from Toronto. People brought their mom, their daughter, their kids, their grandmother, work friends, neighbours, sisters and more, all of whom share a love of flowers.
We got to meet folks from all walks of life who simply were looking for a way to escape for a few hours and enjoy beautiful flowers. It was exciting for us to see so many smiles and so many gardeners who came to ask questions to discover something they would like to grow themselves.
So Day 19 in our 24 Days of Giveaways is an escape to Stems Flower Farm. You will enjoy a Cut Your Own Experience for two people and as an added highlight, I will personally guide you through my garden and answer any questions you might have.
This prize is best suited for August or September of 2022.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share which flower you would run to see first in our garden, or what topic you would pick my brain about, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Thursday night December 30th at Midnight PT.
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our Cutting Garden Experiences, please share!
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]]>In conversation with folks who visited our farm this summer, it became very clear there was a disturbance in the harmony we all knew before the pandemic. And it was most amplified by two common sentiments: The first, that people miss being around the ones they care for, like distant friends and relatives that can no longer travel or co-workers they haven’t seen in person. Clearly a case of the heart growing fonder in absence. The second, was that being cooped up in the same house as family was showing an equal amount of strain but in the opposite direction. The idea that a break in the pandemic would also mean a break from the ones you live with 24/7 would be a good thing for all those involved.
The second one obviously was said more tongue in cheek, but in every case it was genuine and relatable. Is there such a thing as loving your family too much?...asking for a friend. The constant drain of not being able to socialize with a more dynamic group of people is something that has a toll to pay for all of us. Kids who have been learning online and not seeing friends are paying a huge toll psychologically, and so are parents who have to try to mitigate this. Trying to come up with 1001 things to do in your own backyard should be made into a tv game show.
We’ve been lucky enough to be open and busy during the months of isolation. Having co-workers who can work outside and in the seed shop with us, and customers who my kids can engage with has saved us on many days. And in a lot of respects these people have become family. I don’t think I counted on my kids being able to carry on adult conversations with people they have just met as part of the learnings from the last 20 months. But I am proud to see my kids looking forward to “going to work” at the farm stand.
Day 18 in our 24 Days of Giveaways is a $100 Gift Certificate to Stems Flower Farm. And it’s just for you. Just for you to spend whatever way you like on something just for you. Cause we all know it’s been a long haul, and you’ve been so busy making sure everyone else is ok, now it’s your turn.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share what gift you would most like this holiday season, go ahead, anything, or leave me an idea to add to the 1001 things to do in the backyard, as I’m running out of ideas, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Thursday the 30th of December at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Linda H
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Sorry, I struggle to even type the phrase without conjuring Ross Geller moving a couch up the stairwell..but that’s for another time. Any business that had their plans blown of course with the pandemic is familiar with the term.
The part that astounds me, is that it gets flung around like the act of the pivot is as easy as hitting your turn signal to go left and then changing your mind to go right. It is not that way for 99% of businesses, especially small businesses which are 90% of the ones out there. If you have a favourite local business that seemed to excel because of a “pivot”, you are staring at a group of dedicated thinkers who have managed to turn leftovers into a scrumptious meal. And you should applaud them.
2020 at our farm saw the inclusion of a farmstand, where we sold flowers, vegetables, and fruit. Great produce, grown not only here at our farm, but by some of the most caring, generous farmers we know. And what a thrill it was to offer some of the freshest, tastiest locally grown food you can find. Our farmstand became the place where many locals and Pick Your Own Bouquet guests could take home great food. It is a different feeling for me when someone sees the value in an eggplant or onion at a farmstand. And if you haven’t tried it, next season you should make a day of travelling into the country to find your local farm produced food. You won’t be disappointed.
Day 17 in our 24 Days of Giveaways is a $75 Gift Certificate to Stems Flower Farm Farmstand. You will enjoy the best local vegetables, flowers, fruit, honey, and many other surprises. You should pivot to buying locally grown.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share your “pivot”, or mention one that you adore, for their ability to grow during these times. If you’re stuck for one, tell us about your favourite farmstand, and yes it could be yours, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Thursday night December 23rd at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Monika Z
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Sarah’s no stranger to writing books, in fact Sarah has even penned a veggie cookbook that afforded her the accolade of Cookery Book of the Year in 2008 by the Guild of the Food Writers. It made perfect sense to me that as a grower you would take the next steps and use your veg and herbs in recipes that you could share. I think of it like an ecosystem, where you plan your seeding based on the final food dishes you intend to make.
In Sarah’s newest book, Sarah Raven's A Year Full of Flowers: Gardening for all seasons, she shows once again why she is the go-to source for bringing life to your garden all year round. Sarah doles out advice and inspiration is giant heaps as she walks you down the path of what to look for and care for each month of the year. I have recommended books before that I think any gardener should have handy on the shelf, and this is one of the best. And with amazing photography from Jonathan Buckley, who has worked with Sarah on many projects you may want to leave this book out on the coffee table for all to enjoy.
If you’ve read Sarah’s work you’ll recognize her hallmark touch points of colour and scent as important attributes of her garden, and here she shows you again how to establish a beautiful living and breathing space. Her talents are large and seemingly endless.
This must have book is the giveaway on Day 16 of our 24 Days of Giveaways, Sarah Raven’s A Full Year of Flowers. And to give you the ambiance you need to soak it all in, a pair of flower dyed socks from Silk and Sumac, a Good Vibes Mug, and Tea from Clearview Tea Company. There, we just gave you the perfect excuse to escape and find your garden dream.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, tell us about the person that has inspired your journey, whether it’s gardening or other life pursuit, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 19th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Chantal U
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]]>Each of my children has their own copy of the book, Oh, The Places You Will Go.
It is full of Suess wisdom that my kids can understand. No boundaries, or limitations, to think about, just make room for a dream; any dream.
Every so often, we get an email from someone, or somebody who is at our farm cutting their own bouquet, will say, “I’ve always dreamt of growing flowers for bouquets to give to my friends and I wanted to come and see what it is like”.
Encouraging people to get into flowers is always on my list because I know what it can bring to your life. And sharing your own cut flowers on any scale will bring happiness to. It can sadden me when people can’t find a way to take that first step...So a part of me always blurts out, “why don’t you start today?”
For all the people out there dreaming of growing cut flowers to make bouquets to bring happiness to others, let this be the first day of the rest of your life. Starting today, give yourself permission to try. You already grow a few things right? You already love flowers right? So today’s giveaway for Day 15 of our 24 Days of Giveaways is a bundle to bring your dream a little closer to reality. Todays package is all the little things you need, beautiful linen apron, floral scissors for cutting your stems, floral wire to help hold that image you have in your head, floral tape and washi tape to make it look pretty, kraft paper to make sleeves, and a $25 Gift Certificate from Stems Flower Farm for any seeds you want.
There...now you can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, tell us about sharing your flowers, or tell us about the time you took that first courageous step to try something new and never looked back, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 19th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Deb L
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One of the first florists to stop by our new farm five years ago was Serena. She started working for a florist when she was only seventeen, and after completing her degree in interior design decided that flowers were her passion. Serena’s Philia Flora was born the same time we moved to our new farm. With the pandemic pulling the rug out from under the weddings and corporate events she was known for, Serena decided to exercise a new talent. Perfecting her calling for pottery at the Toronto Pottery Studio, Serena is now making the most beautiful handcrafted pottery. She is uniquely qualified to design and craft pieces incorporating her floral background.
Studio Mondine is a floral design studio in San Francisco. They boast some of the industry's finest designers, producers, and educators who create floral art. Luckily for us Amanda Luu and Ivanka Matsuba of Mondine have recently penned one of the most attractive floral guides that gives insight to the world of Ikebana, which is the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging. Ikebana, for the uninitiated, is centered in four themes, Naturalness, Movement, Balance and Simplicity. Ikebana Unbound A Modern Approach to the Ancient Art of Flower Arranging allows even the beginner to embrace, understand and enjoy the form. This step by step guide with excellent pictures allows you to comprehend the idea behind complicated structures and movements in easy to understand language. If you are looking for a way to express yourself with flowers this is a great place to start.
When we combine these two makers we have creatives who deal in flowers, but on a whole new level. Chasing their passion for art that we can all enjoy.
Day 14 of our 24 Days of Giveaways is this spectacular pottery piece from Philia Flora and a copy of Luu and Matsuba’s book Ikebana Unbound.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share something you have done that drew inspiration from flowers, or any tips on flower arranging, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 19th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Vanessa L
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]]>December 14th already means we are moving into the second half of our 24 Days of Giveaways, and that means it's time to announce the winners for Day 5 through Day 10.
Where does the month of December go?
Remember the comments on each giveaway stay open for almost a week so you have lots of time to share your thoughts. And what a sharing group we have, with over another 1000 comments to read through this week. Some made us giggle, others made us think, and while some were emotional many brought back great memories too. It’s so hard to pick just a few to post here. The comments live for a long time, so have a read when you have a few minutes. You have all been so generous with your thoughts and good wishes. So let’s keep it going!
CONGRATULATIONS to the following winners:
The Day 5 Perfectly Relaxing Package: Amanda G
The Day 6 Grow and Gather: Sarah K
The Day 7 Capturing Moments Package: Melissa O
The Day 8 Winter Respite Package: Shelly S
The Day 9 Instant Garden: Kelsey G
The Day 10 Growing Flowers Bundle: Lee Ann L
You have really put smiles on our faces so far and we can’t wait for the next ten days!
]]>What do you see in a garden? Isn’t it amazing that we all see different elements when we walk through a garden. Like when you go specifically looking for pollinators on your flowers and you find your garden is full of life; bees, butterflies and hummingbirds appear out of nowhere. And I am always amazed when people say things like, “my favourite part was the lemon balm”, when I know I planted it as an afterthought to add more filler to the fold. People see different things.
When I first saw Samantha’s Wild Jewelry, it was easy to see that she sees something different when she looks at flowers. Her creations are absolutely stunning. To walk through a garden and already know what a flower or leaf is going to look like in her gorgeous resin, teardrop pendant is astounding. Looking at her work is like looking at a miniature garden, preserved at just the right moment, to last an eternity.
Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. Well, behold! If you like spending time in your garden, you are sure to love the vision and originality of Samantha’s Wild Jewelry.
Our day 13 giveaway, in our 24 Days of Giveaways, is a necklace, a hair clip, and a pair of earrings from Wild Jewelry.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share something beautiful that you have seen created with flowers, or something you’ve seen in other gardens that maybe others miss, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 19th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Elaine D
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our selection of giftables, please share!
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]]>Flowers and bees have been a friendly duo for millions of years. And why not? They have found a way to live together and even prosper from their unique relationship. It is as simple as, the flower needing to be pollinated to reproduce, and the pollinator or bee in this case, being provided with nectar which is the source of the energy they need to live. A truly symbiotic relationship. In fact it is important to understand that this ecosystem extends to humans as well. Agriculturalists will tell you more than one third of all food production worldwide depends on pollinators like bees. Where would we find ourselves with a shortfall of one third of our food supply?
Flowers have evolved over time to attract more bees. Flowers will change their colour, odour, size and shape, even timing in order to attract bees. For example, bees will prioritize sweeter and minty scented flowers over others, so, flowers have evolved to smell a certain way just for bees.
Now, most flower farms won’t keep honey bees on the property. They do this to protect their crop. That’s right protection; you see after a flower has been pollinated it begins to pick up speed on its final journey. The process of aging rapidly advances, and the cell’s of the flower begin to lose the power of division and growth. It’s getting ready to make seeds. Here at Stems Flower Farm we have made a commitment to the overall health of our land and not just to some of our flowers. The pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to keeping bees around.
After investigating several local apiary providers and hive lenders, only one was interested enough to explain all the details and provide such flexible arrangements as Belicious Products.
Chris, who is a third generation beekeeper, and a member of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, really knows his stuff. And he is a raw honey enthusiast. He has even been known to give impromptu tours if we have guests while he is here checking on things. Chris has also found a kindred spirit in Caiden, our youngest, who Chris outfitted with his own bee suit this summer so he could be his official assistant on the farm. Caiden now feels it is his responsibility to conduct tours in Chris’ absence, much to the delight of many of our guests this past summer.
Belicious products are available at their own website beliciousproducts.com and include not only some of the best honey you will ever try, but bath and body products made with honey and beeswax candles as well. If you have only ever bought commercially processed honey you should try local raw honey and experience the extra nutrients and taste.
Day 12 of our 24 Days of Giveaways is a selection of honey products from our Beekeepers, Belicious Products. An assortment of Iced Honey, raw honey, and honey mustard which is sure to make you consider buying direct from a beekeeper for all your future honey needs.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share how you help pollinators in your garden, or tell us what role raw honey plays in your life, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 19th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Stephanie F
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our selection of giftables, please share!
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]]>Sure people have always had hobbies and things to do, but the isolation of the last two years has rocketed home based side hustles. Some created web based companies or simply learned to use the web. Still, others took an existing hobby and were able to invest in it. More time, more creativity, leads to more things being created. I know this because my brother is one such person.
As a front line worker, his affinity for woodworking comes from engaging a different part of his brain to destress from a busy day, let alone a pandemic. We can all relate to the need to do that, as most of us have increased the size of our gardens, or number of plants to escape our new routine.
Having a creative outlet is important for people. My brother is also the DIY type who finished his own basement and did all the carpentry and drywall by himself. But something was still missing. Until he turned his attention to charcuterie and cutting boards. All of a sudden, friends and co-workers are lining up for his side hustle. We have been selling his creations at the farmstand all summer. He has responded with new designs and shapes and my favourite, by artistically weaving epoxy through walnut to produce the most talked about item in the kitchen.
Day 11 of our 24 days of giveaways is one of JZN Woodworx finest walnut charcuterie boards. It is 30cm wide and almost 50 cm long. And can be used for display or serving. Sure it’s conditioned for cutting but who would do such a thing…
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share your side hustle, even a website if you have one, or someone else’s side hustle that you think is an amazing creation, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 19th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Ashley M
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our selection of giftables, please share!
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]]>Pretty philosophical for a bridge, but the Heraclitus paraphrase rings very true; you really can not step in the same river twice.
I feel the same way about my garden. No, not the part about stepping in it, but the idea that my garden is always changing, flowing or becoming. My photos are the only real slice of still life my garden knows. It is never the same garden twice. Minute to minute or even second to second its life above and below the soil creates an ever in motion piece of art.
Learning to grow flowers and vegetables then means understanding this motion and always striving to understand the flux and how to champion the seeds that grow there. It stands to reason then why there are so many gardening books in bookstores. The human mind is so thirsty for knowledge about growing; we are all guilty of wanting more and more understanding. This is why we want to share an author that we think has something spectacular for everyone.
Our Day 10 of 24 Days of Giveaways is a package combining a great new book, a cool pair of socks and the best Gardener’s Soap.
Growing Flowers, Everything You Need to Know About Planting, Tending, Harvesting and Arranging Beautiful Blooms by Niki Irving, is one of our new favourites. Nicki runs Flourish Flower Farm in Asheville North Carolina and has taken the time to detail all the steps you would need to know to become a flower farmer. And this advice is even more valuable for dedicated gardeners who are looking for a how-to book from someone who has been there and done that. From knowing your climate to preparing and planning what to plant all the way to harvesting and arranging. A straight forward read with plenty of photos to help you visualize especially the arranging part.
A pair of whimsical Pick Flowers, Not Fights socks. And a bar of Gardener’s Soap from Mud & Otis. A combination of natural elements and oils to get the dirt off and yet leave you fresh. We will add a $30 Gift Certificate for Stems Flower Farm as well so you can put your new knowledge to use.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share that one tidbit of knowledge that you wished you would have known earlier in your gardening adventure. Or the one thing you always pass on to other growers, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 12th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Lee Ann L
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our selection of giftables, please share!
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]]>The old axiom of having a green thumb barely holds up in today's gardening world. What you really should look for are dirty knees to find a dedicated gardener. Oh, and someone who can invest the time needed to overindulge in the world's most rewarding hobby.
It was very encouraging to see so many people take up the craft during the last two seasons. Being stuck at home certainly had a hint of a few silver linings. But as we emerge next spring from what feels like the missing chapters in Gulliver’s Travels, will some people look for help in keeping up their garden.
One extremely satisfying option is Stems Flower Farm “Instant Garden”. These ready to plant gardens consist of flower or vegetable babies ready to easily plunk down in your garden. And it is accompanied by a few seeds that need only to be sprinkled to be successful.
Imagine, a curated selection of cut flowers in varieties that you won’t find in your everyday garden centre, started from seed alongside our own stock, ready and healthy for planting in only a few hours. How easy is that? You even have the option of having it hand delivered in the Toronto area or you can swing by our farm and make a day of it.
You will have a magnificent looking garden and can enjoy it all summer.
Seema P of Toronto wrote, “My garden is “where I find my Zen,” and “now I look like a pro!”
Day 9 of our 24 Days of Giveaways is an Abundant Cutting Garden Voucher from Stems Flower Farm. What a great gift for the person who enjoys gardening but now doesn’t have the time to create a masterpiece.
Oh and we won’t tell anyone if you want to rub some dirt on your knees….
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share what it would mean to have a full lush garden in your backyard, or tell everyone how you create your masterpiece, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 12th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Kelsey G
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by checking out our Instant Gardens!
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Don’t get me wrong, the soft fallen white blanket on our thousands of trees this time of year paints a serene Hallmark picture that puts us in holiday mode. But it also adds fifteen minutes to the pre-bus routine when kids haven't worn boots in three days. My husband, Kevin, always refers to this as “Canadian Too Weather”; you know, too hot, too wet, too windy...I can’t imagine growing up in an area that didn’t have seasons. We all complain some days, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Winter for me is respite. Time for planning, scheduling, or even just thinking and dreaming. I am full of pent up desire by spring thaw to get digging and planting, like most of us, even though it’s a happy place I find little time for thinking and dreaming. Bring on winter.
So to help get you through the winter, Day 8 of our 24 Days of Giveaways features a Winter Respite Box. You will receive a Ceramic Life is Good Mug from Good Vibes on Main, an 80 g package of Creemore Market Blend Tea from Clearview Tea Company, a Floral Bouquet Soy wax candle from Cork & Bottle, and a $75 Gift Certificate from Stems Flower Farm.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share your favourite season and why, or where or how you find respite, or tell us about your favourite season and why, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 12th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Shelly S
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our selection of flower and vegetable seeds, please share!
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Photography as an art form is different than just recording a moment. Really good photographers have a way of capturing an essence. Using composition not to merely frame the physical but to bring it to a new level. To view their work is as much emotion as visual. There are a number of great photographers across this country. We are fortunate enough to have many right around us, including one special person, Paige, who we work with on our farm.
Your first glimpse of Slow On Sundays Instagram posts gives great insight into the person behind the camera. Shots of her own two littles, mostly in wild, natural settings being playful or just investigating what lies before them. Paige’s bio says she believes in finding the meaning in all moments, big or small. And it shows in her work. Oh, and you have been staring at her work for the last week. Paige took all the product shots for us for the 24 Days of Giveaways.
Our Day 7 giveaway is a really fun one. The Cut Your Own Garden at Stems is a great place to have pictures taken. An acre in size, displaying dozens and dozens of varieties of flowers in a rainbow of colours. Paige will showcase her considerable talents here at Stems Flower Farm where we will host a photo session in our Cut Your Own Garden. Imagine the memories you can capture with Paige’s keen eye and thousands of gorgeous blooms as your backdrop. Day 7 of our 24 Days of Giveaways is a Photo Shoot from Slow On Sundays in our very own field of dreams. And yes, in 2022 we will take photographer bookings.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share your favourite memory caught on film, or that time you wished you had a camera but didn’t, favorite piece of camera equipment or tip, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 12th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Melissa O
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]]>Gardening is an inherently paradoxical activity. It means existing at the point of tension between being and doing - Grace Alexander
Grace Alexander has been growing flowers for ten years now. And she has poured herself into her latest work of art, Grow and Gather, a Gardener’s Guide to a Year of Cut Flowers. Grace admits gardening is a compulsion and “a way of distilling my essence”. What a wonderfully romantic way of describing how soulful growing can be.
Grow and Gather even turns gardening mistakes into celebrations of sorts. A full list of what not to do, shows Grace’s humility and encouragement all in the same breath. You’ll find yourself flipping back and forth just to catch the amazing photography too!
Reading Grace’s book is like being entranced in a documentary, peering over her shoulder for a full season, collecting tips, and how-to’s, listening intently to the explanations and figuring out how to replicate her wisdom. And then all too quickly, the 200 pages come to an end. You knew it would, but imagined that if you just wished hard enough maybe it would continue...
If you or the gardener in your life wants a companion for the field this is it. Our giveaway on Day 6 of Stems Flower Farm 24 Days of Giveaways is Grace Alexander’s Grow and Gather. And because we know how well it will capture your desires, we will include a pair of ARS snips, plant tags, a Pentel permanent marker and six carefully selected seed packs from Stems Flower Farm. Who knows, maybe we will give away YOUR book next year!
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share an author who makes you want to keep reading long after it’s over, or a good book recommendation for our off-season reading, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 12th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Sarah K
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]]>Wow, we’ve read over 1100 comments in the first four days alone. With 20 more days of creative artisans and some surprises you’ll surely want to keep visiting the blog right up to December 24th. And it’s a good thing we settled on a random formula, because there are so many great comments it would be impossible to choose just one. Remember the comments on each giveaway stay open for almost a week so you have lots of time to share your thoughts.
Here are a few of our favourites from the first five days:
I agree that the ARS Snips are the best. I'm never without them. I'm amazed how easily they cut through just about anything! Would be great to have one in the car in case of a roadside foraging emergency.- Christine on our Day 4 Tools of the Trade
Simply finding ways to continue adding beauty to the world.- Ashley M Day 3 Big Dreams
Definitely tomatoes! Nothing tastes like a tomato picked fresh from your own garden :). And there are so many varieties to discover – it makes me smile to think about starting new seedlings for spring! - Lois on Day 2 Vegetable Garden Package
Dahlias of all shapes and sizes make this girl smile! Nothing quite like them. I always feel like I’m walking through a field only dreams can make - Emma on Day 1 Dahlia Package
Once again I know I will find myself rereading these blogs when I am looking for a smile. You have all been so generous with your thoughts and good wishes. So let’s keep it going!
CONGRATULATIONS to the following winners:
Barb S for being selected as our winner of the Day 1 Giveaway which included Connie’s Dahlias - A Beginner’s Guide and a $50 Gift Card to the Stems Flower Farm Dahlia store which opens in March 2022.
HIlary, our winner of Day 2 which was the Veggie Gift Pack including garden totes From Good Vibes on Main, Gardener’s Soap from Mud and Otis and a $50 Gift Certificate from Stems Flower Farm.
Alex for winning Day 3 which featured our Big Dreams bundle of dyed socks from Silk and Sumac, 80g of tea from Clearview Tea Company and a $25 Gift Certificate.
Our Day 4 winner, Amanda U will receive our Tools of the Trade pack. A bundle which includes a sunhat, tool belt, ARS snips, Pentel marker, plant tags and a $50 Gift Certificate for Stems Flower Farm.
You have really put smiles on our faces so far and we can’t wait for the next twenty days!
]]>The second thing I am sure I could get everyone to agree to is that we value our downtime. And that, like many, we have learned over the last two seasons, is that you must look after your own mind and body with the same diligence and care as we do our “other” beautiful space.
Much has been written and said about physical and mental health over the course of the last two years and we all need to heed this poignant advice. Learning to detach from your job, business, social media or whatever might bring stress is a serious issue.
So, here is how we can set you up for success in the down department. Day 5 of our 24 Days of Giveaways is a Relaxing Lavender Gift Pack.
I never really gave my candles a second thought. Until I read about how paraffin is derived from petroleum and the oils used are mostly chemically based fragrances, and that’s what was going into the air we breathe.
Then I came across a local company, Cork and Bottle, that uses 100% natural SOY wax to create their candles and they use only high quality essential oils that release the perfect scent when I burn them. It hardly seems fair that this natural soy wax burns longer too. Oh and they come in polished, cut off wine bottles, what a terrific way to recycle even the holder! Follow Cork & Bottle here
Living with flowers makes me appreciate that the fragrance of a room plays an important part in the balance and beauty found there, so having the right mood with an eco-friendly candle is such an easy way to finish my house for the holidays. And did you know there are scientific studies that show Lavender can allow you to sleep better?
This giveaway includes a Wild Lavender candle filling your room with the scent of Lavender. And an amazing Lavender Heat Wrap, that’s right a Lavender microwavable wrap for those tired and aching muscles. Also a $50 dollar Gift Certificate to Stems Flower Farm, which you can use for a Cut Your Bouquet Own Experience in 2022 or anything in the shop. The ultimate in relaxation.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share your thoughts on the importance of self care, or how gardening gives you the break you need from all the crazy in your life, or the best way to relax, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 12th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Amanda G
On a serious note many things can affect your health, for more resources and tips visit these qualified, knowledgeable sites:
CAMH offers provincially run services and support.
Canada.ca is a service that connects you to health professionals
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]]>Natalie Goldberg has spent a lifetime inspiring people to write. She has written over fifteen books and millions of copies in many languages. Natalie spends most of her time doing workshops now, especially on Writing as Zen. One of her most profound statements is, “choose your tools carefully, but not so carefully that you get uptight or spend more time at the stationery store than at your writing table”. It hit me as I often search for the “perfect” tools for my garden.
The truth is, tools should be good quality. They should be a part of your life for a long time. But your search shouldn't be a quest on it’s own.
Here at Stems Flower Farm we use good tools but very few of them are over the top expensive. Unless you count the hundreds or maybe thousands of dollars we spent using tools that couldn’t measure up to some of our tasks. It is funny that the questions of basic tools don't come up as often as they should.
Day 4 of our 24 Days of Giveaways is a bundle of everyday tools that make gardening easier. And you won’t have to think about where to shop or where to find these items. Soon you’ll be able to buy them right in our shop.
We are giving away the best parts of our “uniform” here at Stems. The tools that we wear and use everyday. From top to bottom, we have a sun hat, a tool belt, snips, plant tags and a marker.
The most used tool in the kit is our ARS Snips. These 300L-BP Needle Nose snips are a perfect example of finding a tool that fits my hands, is durable and simply does the job it was designed to do. And the most underrated tool has to be our Pentel N50 Pen. We have used many markers that claim to be permanent on our plant tags, but the Pentel has proven it’s worth a hundred fold when you can still read it at the end of the season.
The rest of the kit is a light weight UV resistant sun hat that washes up and still looks good season after season. These work hats sure can save you on a hot day. And last but not least, our everyday tool belt. Everyone in the field wears this tool belt to carry hand tools and elastics and, well you name it. And so you have a head start on something to tend, we have included a $50 Stems Gift Card. Now you’re all set to grow and outfitted to be a successful Cut Flower Grower.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share what garden tool makes your life easier, or what garden tool you’ve had your eye on but just haven’t found the right one yet, favorite tool tip or something you would recommend to all our readers, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 5th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Amanda U
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our seed selection ahead of our 2022 launch date of December 8th, please share!
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]]>Today’s giveaway has more than one common thread; all three components of our giveaway are from creators who have chosen to chase their passion and...dried flowers. You’re probably thinking dried flowers aren’t that exciting. Well just wait till you see this!
When I first caught a glimpse of Grace Wittig’s silk scarf, I knew I had to find out the story behind it. And then I met Grace. Grace is the owner of Silk and Sumac and self admittedly she has many loves; she is a dyer, a maker, a gardener and a naturalist. Her passion is botanically dyed textiles. And if you have ever wondered what to get for that hard to buy for, person who loves nature and gardening this may be it.
Each and every one of Grace’s inspirations is hand dyed one-of-a-kind creation. She regularly works with silk, cotton and linen. In fact her latest creations are “eco-dyed” pieces which involve placing the plant material directly onto the fabric Grace leaving unique “plant prints”, like the socks in the picture. Check out Grace’s website to see the many beautiful and unique creations she has for sale, and she is more than helpful if you want to discuss a custom piece like the ribbons Grace makes for floral and bridal arrangements just for you!
And what goes better with a cool pair of socks than putting your feet up with a warm cup of tea. And I mean really good tea. Our friends, Rebecca and Maggie at Clearview Tea Company have been making some of the best blends you will find for almost ten years now. They love tea and that passion filters through in every cup. Flowers and herbs dried perfectly and robustly joined, to give you a soothing healthy break whenever you need it.
Ever thought of experimenting with dried flowers? Perfect, let's round out today's giveaway with some of the best flowers to enjoy in the garden and dried. What if Globe Amaranth, or Asters, or maybe Celosia, will inspire your next career change?
Day 3 of our 24 Days of Giveaways shares the passion. We are giving away a pair of plant print socks from Silk and Sumac, an 80g package of Ivory Cable Knit Sweater Tea from Clearview Tea Company and a $25 Gift Certificate from Stems Flower Farm for anything in the shop.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share your passion, or what fulfills you, or dare to dream big and tell the world what you REALLY want to do full time, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 5th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Alex
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our selection of flowers for drying, please share!
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Growing your own food has a ton of rewards. We all know it tastes better. And how much more local than your own backyard get? So why does buying local taste better? Well, for starters, if your carrots have to come from 3000 kms away, that farmer needs to grow a variety that will withstand the 4 or 5 days of transport and still be fresh. Sometimes, that variety isn’t as sweet or crunchy to eat as ones that you can grow yourself.
And, remember you control the environment in your own garden, so you can water when needed, fertilize when required, and you can manage the health of your soil at the micro level to produce the best veggies ever! And imagine, even a small bed full of what you and your family likes, will get eaten more often because it is always available. And don’t discount the fun you will have watching your tomatoes and pumpkins grow all season.
So why not dig in? To help you get started with fresh veggies, Day 2 of our 24 Days of Giveaways, is a Vegetable Gift Pack. This gift consists of two mesh produce bags, and one market Simplify tote from Good Vibes On Main, found on Main Street in Newmarket, Ontario (my old stomping grounds). If you’re ever in the area, Vickie’s Life is Good store is chock full of inspirational goods and gifts. More importantly, smiles. Plenty of smiles, and a positive attitude that is simply contagious.
Also included is a bar of Gardener’s Soap, a Stems Flower Farm collaboration with Mud + Otis, our local, natural, skin care wonder person. This bar contains all natural ingredients, but is tough enough to work on clay soiled hands.
And a $50 Gift Certificate for veggie seeds from Stems Flower Farm. You will be able to choose from over 300 varieties of vegetable seeds that are easy to start and grow in any area of Canada. You will look like a seasoned grower by the end of 2022.
And that is what the 24 Days of Giveaways is all about. Finding the positivity in people and in books, and in creations from makers who obviously love what they do.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share which veggie is your favourite, or which one you like to grow, or your best local place for veggies, favourite veggies recipe, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 5th at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Hilary G
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our selection of Veggie Seeds, please share!
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Finding authoritative flower growing resources in the Canadian market can be a tough go, but every once in a while one of the premier growers in our country offers a peek into their experience and wisdom. Connie Thompson has been growing Dahlias since 1989. And has been trained as a judge by the American Dahlia Society, and although Connie no longer shows her Dahlias she is one of the most influential dahlia growers in Canada.
This past summer Connie released her book, Connie’s Dahlias - A Beginner’s Guide. A wealth of knowledge in an easy to follow 60 pages of well illustrated Dahlia growing.
If you are a member of a Facebook site in Canada that involves Dahlias you are probably familiar with Connie, who is always willing to share her thoughts and experience to newbies and long time growers in search of an answer.
If you are new to Dahlias or, like me, and always want to have a trusted companion at my fingertips that describes in easy detail all the steps you need to be successful from start to finish. Connie succinctly walks you through everything from bed prep, buying the right tubers, and planting them. Of course, for the advanced grower she even shows you how to take cuttings, and how to properly divide your tubers.
Connie’s Dahlias - A Beginner’s Guide should be on all your shelves if you are serious about growing Dahlias. Our first day of giveaways for 2021 is a copy of Connie’s book and a $50 Gift Card to the Stems Flower Farm Dahlia store which opens in March 2022.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share which special Dahlia makes you smile the most as you walk through your garden, or how growing dahlias makes you feel, anything really, as long as it puts a smile on everybody’s face. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. This Giveaway is open until Sunday night December 5th, 2021 at Midnight PT.
UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Barb S
Of course, if you know someone who would be inspired by browsing our selection of Dahlias, please share!
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]]>The Iris is one of the easiest to grow perennials. They really require little of your time and give so much back to your garden. They are hypnotic, as you investigate every fold and fall to see how they blend colour in front of your eyes like a Picasso painting. Sometimes even their form seems like an illusion, that there must be more flowers behind it all contributing to a glorious waterfall that attracts eyes as easy as pollinators. Which is why the name Iris, which is Greek for Rainbow, was chosen to represent this genus.
If you are not an Iris grower you have been missing some of the most fragrant members of the garden too. Some are so sweet-smelling, the fragrance will leave you as spellbound as their intricate patterns. We also adore the ability to place a single stem in a vase. Imagine turning heads with blooms like this.
Schreiner’s Iris Gardens is synonymous with amazing Tall Bearded Iris, with over 100 acres under cultivation, and is widely accepted as the premier grower. Schreiner’s has numerous nationally recognized awards to their credit, including more than a half dozen from the Florence International Iris Competition, and eleven Dykes Memorial Medals.
It has been a thrill to work with the 4th generation of the family to bring some of the best of Schreiner’s Tall Bearded Iris’ to the Canadian market. Like our seed selection we pride ourselves on only dealing with the best breeders, so you can grow the best Tall Bearded Iris we can find. We even have a few that Floret herself, Erin Benzakein, calls her favourites and grows in Mount Vernon.
They do however seem to get labelled as “underappreciated”, as even Erin Benzekein says, and yet they are without equal in terms of impact. We love Irises for their ability to grow strong in our Canadian climate and the production of more rhizomes makes this perennial easy to divide and expand in your garden without a great deal of technical knowledge. They don’t require much for upkeep other than giving them a competition free home, so careful weeding and some space is all they need.
Our Iris Collection is available starting Wednesday, September 15 at 6pm Eastern and start shipping immediately. Your fall planting will never be any easier than our Iris Collection.
]]>I have read online that you should carry a pail of soapy water and pluck off the Japanese Beetles and drown them and to never squish them. What if I don’t have one handy? What can I do with these massively destructive creatures eating my beautiful blooms.
While always a hot topic this time of year, it seems like the bug population is having a really great year in most gardens. Let’s take a look at the questions above and see if the internet is right?
The following are responses from Dr. Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University Professor Specialist in Entomology and Dr. Dan Potter, University of Kentucky Professor of Entomology that can also be found on the internet. This specific conversation was on the Colorado State extension website.
I have copied the parts that should be of interest here:
“Should one squash Japanese beetles when dispatching them? The concern is that by squashing them it will result in release of chemicals that may attract other Japanese beetles.
I have been trying to check out whether there is any basis for this and the bottom line is that squashing them will not increase attraction. Females do produce a sex attractant that males respond to, but it is no longer produced after mating.
Aggregations of Japanese beetles are commonly observed. However, the attractants that produce these aggregations are chemicals that are released by the plants in response to Japanese beetle feeding - not attractants produced by the beetles. (Therefore, if you reduce the amount of feeding you reduce the recruitment of other beetles to the plants.)
Dan Potter of the University of Kentucky has long worked on this insect and what follows are some of his comments on this subject:
As far as is known, JB adults do not produce an aggregation pheromone. Their typical aggregation on host plants is mediated by feeding-induced plant volatiles, mostly floral or fruit-like compounds, which the beetles exploit as kairomones for locating suitable host plants.
With >300 host plants, JB is exposed to many different types of plant secondary chemicals. We found no consistent differences in constitutive volatile bouquets emitted by resistant or susceptible plants. Acceptance/rejection is based on the balance of positive (e.g., sugars) and negative (deterrent nasty stuff) stimuli encountered at the leaf surface, typically after a “test bite”. JB will land on and bite resistant plants (e.g., silver maple, redbud) but then fly off, as opposed to staying and feeding on a linden, purple leaf plum, or other palatable plant. Once the plant is “tasted” and found to be acceptable, progressively more feeding damage (probably interacting with enzymes in the beetles’ saliva) induces a rich blend of floral and fruity volatiles that draws in more JB “like sharks to a blood trail”. This phenomenon is also involved in the typical “top-down” feeding pattern within plant canopies.
Female JB cease production of the sex pheromone after the first mating which inevitably occurs when they first emerge from the ground as virgins. Later matings occur on plants in the aggregations mediated by plant volatiles....Baiting a trap with already-mated females will attract few or no male beetles, whereas baiting with a virgin female will attract hordes. “
The full document can be found here
So perhaps contrary to wisdom found on flower growing pages on the internet squashing female beetles will not attract more beetles.
Go ahead and squash them.
Plants are generally classified by the number of growing seasons required to complete their life cycle. The life cycle of course refers to the plant growing, flowering and setting seed, and then dying. The groups are commonly referred to as: annuals, biennials, and perennials. I use “generally” and “commonly” as they do have some noteworthy exceptions, but we will discuss this later. In terms of bloom times, annuals will provide continuous blooms throughout the growing season, while biennials provide blooms during their second year of growth. Perennials bloom for 2 to 8 weeks or sometimes longer, however, bloom time will vary and depending on species can occur during the beginning, middle, or end of the growing season.
Annuals take a single year or complete season to complete a full life cycle. You are most likely very familiar with planting these in the spring, enjoying blooms in the summer, and then they die in the fall. A few, known as hardy annuals, will germinate in the later summer and autumn, then lie dormant during the winter, and grow again during the next spring and summer. Many plants treated as annuals in northern climates like most of Canada can actually be classified as perennials when grown in southern climates. These plants are not cold hardy and are not able to withstand winter temperatures in most Canadian hardiness zones. Except for those that reseed themselves, annuals will not grow a second year unless they are replanted.
Annuals are frequently placed in one of three groups: "hardy," "half-hardy," or "tender."
This classification gives you an idea as to the plants ability to withstand cold weather and freezing temperatures. This in turn reflects on when or at what temperatures the seed can be sown outdoors. And herein lies the most confusing part; as the categorization of a plant has more to do with the growing zone you live in than the plant itself. A plant you see listed as a half-hardy annual in zone 5 may be classified as tender in zone 3.
Tender Annuals, as the name suggests, cannot withstand freezing temperatures, so they must not be sown in your garden until the threat of frost has passed. Often, tender annuals will be started inside or in a greenhouse and when they reach a certain stage of maturity can be transplanted into your garden when the soil temperature is more agreeable. These tender annuals do fairly well and bloom throughout the heat of the summer.
On the opposite side of the spectrum we find Hardy Annuals. These plants are able to withstand winter temperatures, cold soil and frost. Although some who are considered hardy may not survive extreme cold or repeated swings of warm and cold temperatures. You may notice they may decline in the heat of the summer and then come back to life as cooler temperatures of the fall move in.
Half-hardy annuals, speak to the space in between tender and hardy. As you can imagine, they can live through some frost and limited amounts of cold temperatures.
It is important to understand that much of the research on varieties that will overwinter is being done in zone 6 or higher, as it has the greatest potential for results. So as a small scale grower or gardener, don’t be discouraged at not finding a definitive answer on what to plant for your zone. This is your chance to be creative, experiment and be successful with hardy plants. You have the opportunity to have a unique growing experience by planting a few seeds or plants, and recording your results. Here in zone 5 for example, we have had great luck with Amaranth, Bachelor Buttons, Larkspur, and Poppies growing in the spring from directly seeded beds after frost. Each year we try a couple of new things to see how far we can stretch the envelope, and we have been rewarded each time.
Biennials take two growing seasons to complete a full life cycle. They require a period of dormancy, that comes with cold temperatures, between plant growth and blooming. Biennials are usually sown in the spring, grow stems and leaf out during the summer, lie dormant that fall, live in this inactive state through the winter, and then flower the second summer, set seed, and die during the following fall. If biennials are grown in zones where winter temperatures are colder than the plants hardiness, it’s a good idea to provide some form of extra shelter for the plants (more on that in another blog)
Fun Fact: Some biennials, experienced gardeners treat as annuals by sowing seed in the summer or fall, that will germinate and be exposed to chilling temperatures to induce flowering in the fall and then as the plant overwinters, it will resume growth and flower the next spring. Technically less than it’s natural two year cycle, and it provides blooms earlier in the 2nd cycle than it would if you planted them in the spring.
Perennials are cold hardy enough to survive winter temperatures, hence they live longer than both annuals and biennials. Perennials are classified as either herbaceous or woody. The key difference being that “woody” plants have strong wood-like stems that usually remain and don’t die back in the winter, and herbaceous perennials are the soft stems type whose stems die back to the ground during winter. Most perennials produce flowers for between 2 and 8 years before slowing down, and the plants can be divided at the roots for further propagation.
Knowing the life cycle of the flower allows you to determine the optimal sowing time, whether starting indoors, or direct seeding.
]]>Day Twenty Four. Today marks the end of our Twenty Four Days of Giveaways.
We started more than three weeks ago because I felt like we all needed a distraction, something to focus on other than shopping during a pandemic, other than watching Covid press conferences, other than the usual 2020 a year in review stuff.
For twenty four days, I have asked you to write a few lines, anything really, as long as it's meant to pick people up. EASY. Right? Well who knew you guys would pour your heart and soul into this little project. By day three I thought, we have to publish this as a real thing, like a book not just a blog page. Reading the comments made me laugh, ponder new ideas, realize I’m far from alone in how growing makes me feel, and I'll be honest, maybe a tear or two here and there. You guys really made this little giveaway idea something BIG!
THANK YOU!
If you ever need a little pick me up, return to any of the December blogs and listen to what others wrote. You’ll be so glad you did. A collection of Canadian gardeners from coast to coast leaving wisdom, musings, advice and anecdotes...gives me goosebumps just saying it.
So in honour of YOU, today I am asking that you write ANYTHING. That’s right ANYTHING, as long as it's meant to pick people up. EASY.
I will select TWO random comments and give each a $100 Stems Gift Card. Day 24 of our Twenty Four Days of Giveaways is all about you. So leave a comment below and know that you have touched many people with your words so far, and I have appreciated every single one of them. The contest is open for December 24th, and will close at midnight December 24th PT.
If you know anyone who would enjoy this connection, please share.
Please note: If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don't fret; we have a spam filter that requires we approve comments before they are published.
]]>The spring of 2021 will bring a magnificent new feature to the farm. More than one acre of Cut Your Own Flowers. A chance to walk through row upon row of blooms that we have carefully constructed just for you. There will be “production” style rows like we have on the farm and also a more informal English garden inspired area, where simply spending time has its own reward.
Over one hundred different varieties and colours of blooms available for your own personal bouquet.
This unique flower experience awaits as we emerge from the winter of 20/21. We will let Mother Nature choose our opening date sometime in late spring. Your only concern will be to wear appropriate footwear and you can leave the rest up to us. We will provide everything else you need. Fair warning though, time moves more slowly when you are in the garden, and you will be overcome with feelings of calm, and serenity. You’ll even get to meet our ducks!
What better way to celebrate the spring of 2021 than to invite three of your besties to join you at the farm for an afternoon of cutting flowers. Our giveaway for Day 23 of our Twenty Four Days of Giveaways is a Voucher for Four to our Cut Your Own Garden. This giveaway has a value of $120.
For a chance to win leave a comment below. In your message, share what your escape is, anything really, as long as it's meant to pick people up. EASY. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Canadian shipping address. Contest is open December 23rd for 24 hours. Closes December 23rd at midnight PT.
Of course, if you know the three people you would invite, please share!
Please note: If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don't fret; we have a spam filter that requires we approve comments before they are published.
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