Author Archives: carolee
Top Ten Performers: #9 Daffodils
In evaluating the Top Ten Performers of the 2022’s bouquet project, we’ve focused on those flowers that have a very long bloom period, provide a lot of bulk & visual interest in bouquets, play well with others, and are versatile. … Continue reading
And February just flew by!
I intended to do a February monthly review in a timely fashion, but here it is March 9th already! It’s always perplexed me how a month that’s only two days shorter than most of the others SEEMS so very much … Continue reading
Top Ten Performers: #8 Sweet Peas
I wish I could grow luscious sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) with 10″ or more stems and huge flowers like they do in the Pacific Northwest or in high tunnels in cooler climates. I can’t (or at least I haven’t yet!) … Continue reading
Six on Saturday: Feb 25
Today I am counting my blessings. Many others in Zone 5 are under a heavy blanket of snow, dealing with ice and power outages, and other weather-related problems. We have a lovely, although chilly but sunny day. With tea and … Continue reading
Top Ten Performer #7: Annual Phlox
I might not have chosen Annual Phlox as #7 even though I love its wide range of color and romantic clusters of small flowers, but numbers don’t lie. When I checked the records and found that the bouquets delivered for … Continue reading
Belated Valentine’s Greetings!
Hope that on Valentine’s Day you had some sweetness of one kind or another, or of many kinds! I have enjoyed my many amaryllis bulbs coming into flower over the past weeks, but these bright orange “Nanjara” really outdid themselves … Continue reading
Top Ten Performers: #6 China Asters
Admittedly, I knew very little about asters when I began researching flowers for cutting. I was very familiar with perennial asters, those often bushy plants with tiny 1″ or less flowers with narrow ray-like petals often sold in pots in … Continue reading
Minding the Gap
In many growing areas, including my Zone 5 gardens, there is a “gap” in cut flower production in May. Depending upon the area, the weather, and when seeds were sown that gap can be one to three weeks. That’s not … Continue reading
Top 10 Performer #5: Rudbeckia
It was a close call between #5 and #6 because both are essential, but rudbeckia finally won the debate because it is SO much easier to grow. Here in my Zone 5 gardens, rudbeckia is usually a perennial, sometimes a … Continue reading
Fighting the Winter Blues
It’s late January and we’ve had over a week without sunshine. The past two days we’ve had snow. Yesterday everything was shut down for a “Big Winter Storm” with 6-10″ predicted. Schools, businesses and roads were closed….. We got 1 … Continue reading
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