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Continue ShoppingA couple of days ago I looked at the what to grow question. Which I get a lot, but today's blog on when to grow is of equal importance, maybe even more important.
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.
Learn more and connect with Stems Flower Farm
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Betty Boeve
Feb 02, 2023
I’ve been gardening for years by trial and error. I’m now getting into cut flowers specifically and learning about pinching flowers and seeing it actually work has been one of my ahas this past summer!
Carin Moolman
Feb 02, 2023
I feel like a kid I’m so excited! I knew nothing about gardening but have discovered how therapeutic and lovely it all is. A tip is to read and learn about instructions for each specific flower you decide to grow to understand the big picture and get results! Another tip is to record/label everything and of course plan. Grateful for having discovered a Canadian seed company like Stems. Thank you!
Amanda Johnson
Dec 31, 2021
Mulch mulch mulch! I don’t mean red dyed wood chips, though they will work. Shredded leaves are my go to. I didn’t fully understand the importance and value of mulch. Weed suppression, keeping in the moisture, and as a result keeping a crust from forming which can cause water run off, and of course when that mulch breaks down it adds organic matter to the soil. I used to think it was all for aesthetics but it’s so much more than that.
ILENE HALES
Dec 31, 2021
The moment I realized in my zone I have to start some seeds sooner than what the packaging says.