Grow Your Own Cutting Garden: 5 Cut Flowers for the Beginning Gardener

If you’re new to growing flowers for cutting I want to offer you 5 flowers that are fantastic for the beginning grower.

Master these and then you can move on to more difficult ones next year.

#1 Calendula is an easy and prolific flower.

Varieties I love are Orange Button and Ivory Princess. Orange Button is the classic bright orange calendula flower. Ivory Princess is a unique soft yellow.

Strip the petals off for a salad garnish or to dry and then add to salves or use as a natural dye.

You can start these directly in the garden or inside. I’m seeding mine in week 14 and week 17 in order to have 6 weeks of continuous blooms. I also leave the calendula patch clear in the garden because they readily self seed. You could plant these once and then simply let a few plants go to seed each fall. You will then not have to re-seed ever again!

Fun fact: some people feed calendula to their chickens to create a more orange yolk. I’m not sure it changes the nutritional value of the eggs but it does make the yolk beautiful.

Ivory Princess Calendula in the Turnstone Farm garden

#2 Bachelor Buttons are one of the earliest blooming flowers in the annual garden.

Blue Boy, Classic Magic and Black Button are fantastic varieties. I plant these once in week 14. You could definitely plan for at least two plantings for continuous blooms all season. I opt not to since cutting these small flowers is very time consuming on a large scale. They are valuable to me in the early season though, since they are one of the first to bloom in my garden.

Fun fact: Bachelor Button flowers are edible. They make for a great garnish.

Bachelor Buttons in the Turnstone Farm Garden

#3 Marigolds are one of my absolute favorite flowers.

Every year I grow Giant Orange. It is the best for cutting and produces loads of big, fragrant blooms.

I’m planting two successions: one in week 14 and one in week 16.

Make sure to pinch marigolds back when they are 4-6 inches tall. If you don’t pinch, you will only get 1 flower per plant. If you pinch, you will get many, many blooms.

Most cut flowers, including marigolds benefit from being supported by netting (shown below). This helps support them in a heavy rain or wind storm. It’s easy to lose an entire crop in one storm if you fail to do so.

Fun fact: Marigolds dry great hung upside down. They hold their vibrant color well and make for fantastic fall dried arrangements.

Giant Orange Marigolds

Be sure to net your flowers so you don’t lose them in a storm.

#4 Poppies are one of the most cheerful additions to the garden.

My favorite varieties include any Breadseed variety (they are the best for pod production) and any Shirley variety. They both come in many colors! Pick a few to start with and have fun.

Don’t forget to save your own seed as it is very easy to do so. I usually just let poppies self seed in the garden from the pods of the previous year. If I’m starting a new variety, I’ll start these indoors in week 20 and week 22.

The only way you’ll ever get poppies in an arrangement is if you grow your own or buy from a local farmer. Since they have a short vase life, they do not transport well. Even with the short vase life they are so worth the effort.

Harvest for the vase right when the bud is about to pop open and you can just start to see the color of the bloom.

Fun fact: poppy pods are fabulous dried and made into fall arrangements or popped into a bud vase.

Shirley poppy in the Turnstone Farm garden.

#5 Strawflowers are an easy and whimsical addition to your garden.

Copper Red, Purple Red and Apricot are my favorites. Although there are so many kinds, so you can’t go wrong.

Strawflowers benefit from pinching. If you don’t, you will get one flower on one very thick stem.

I’m seeding my strawflowers in week 14 and week 17.

Fun fact: harvest at different stages of bloom to get different looking elements in your arrangements: bud stage, just about to open, and fully open.

A dried Turnstone Farm arrangement with strawflowers.

Best of 2022: My Favorite Flowers from the Cutting Garden

Fall is time to dig out all the garden notes you’ve been taking and put that data to good use.

I’ve been reviewing my notes and I’m here to tell you what I absolutely LOVED in my cutting garden this year.

These are all annuals, grown specifically for my cutting garden.

I will follow this post with a blog on perennials. As they become a bigger part of my cutting garden, they deserve their very own article.

So without further ado, here are my top 9 Cutting Annuals for 2022:

Hot Biscuits Amaranth

Amaranth is a beautiful grain that has gorgeous foliage and stunning inflorescence.

Hot biscuits consistently out-produced all the other Amaranth varieties I grew in height and size. It was such an amazing fall-colored addition to bouquets.

I looks full and interesting in the garden and does amazing in the vase. I consistently had it in the vase for 2 + weeks.

In addition, you can hang it to dry for an everlasting bouquet.

Campanula

These are fun and delicate blooms that look fabulous in the garden.

I also used them consistently in wedding work this year. See above bridal bouquets!

In the vase they also lasted a good 1-2 weeks in good condition.

This is an all round excellent flower.

Cut these for the vase when the first flower opens up as the other buds will continue to open in the vase.

Vintage Brown and Iron Varieties Stock

Stock is an early season bloomer and helps fill the gap between tulips and all the other garden varieties.

Its smell cannot be beat.

The flowers are edible.

It lasts for a solid week + in the vase.

It comes in a variety of colors: white, apricot, purple, light and bright pink and yellow.

While a more challenging flower to grow as it must be started earlier, dislikes dry conditions (spring 2022 anyone!), and dislikes heat, it is well worth the challenge.

Salmon Frosted Breadseed Poppy

This one was a show stopper this year.

These were like little explosions in the vase. I cut them just as they start opening up and then they poof out into big fluffy balls of color.

While all poppies have a short vase life, this one did a little better than most. I got a solid 3+ days of blooming time in the vase.

That’s good news y’all!

Some flowers are more ephemeral than others.

Giant Orange Marigold

This flower makes my favorites list every year.

Here’s why:

• It has a stunning and cheery color.

• It smells heavenly.

• It dries well.

• It can last up to 3 weeks in the vase.

• One plant pumps out blooms almost all summer long.

• It’s easy to grow.

Bronze Queen Nicotiana

I LOVED this flower. It is delicate and whimsical and was the perfect addition to most of my bouquets.

As a garden flower it adds interest and texture but is a little sparse. It is not big, showy or bright.

In the vase is really where it shines.

It has a long vase life and it is so fun to look at those delicate little trumpet flowers!

Godetia

While this one didn’t make my initial “best of” list I’m listing it here for the home gardener.

I have not decided if I’m growing it again next year for my cutting garden but I would highly recommend it as an addition to any flower gardeners repertoire.

The pros: it lasts forever in the garden and in the vase - florets just keep opening up. It is short and sturdy for garden beds. It does well in shorter vases.

The cons: it is too short to use in most bouquets. The petals are easily damaged by rain.

Try it and see if you like it!

Rubenza Cosmos

Cosmos is a staple of mine every year.

These flowers are delicate and ephemeral. They look stunning and full in the garden and marvelous in the vase.

Part of their joy is that they can’t be shipped since they are so delicate.

You can only have these in your vase if you grow them yourself or buy from a local farm.

Rubenza is a magical deep maroon color with a vibrant yellow center. I find myself marveling at it’s beauty EVERY time I see it.

Oxford Blue Scabiosa

This is a tall plant with long strong stems.

It looks gorgeous and lively in the garden or you can cut it just when the first florets begin to open. When cut at this time it will last a solid 1-2 weeks in the vase.

Scabiosa loves cooler temperatures so does better in our cooler Alaskan summers.

How to Grow Ranunculus

One of the most popular flowers right now in the modern florist and wedding flowers world has to be ranunculus.

And for good reason! These beauties are amazing. They have this multi-petaled rose-like quality and they last forever in the vase, especially when grown locally (like in your backyard).

Plus, as garden flowers, they are so bright and beautiful! I want to see these growing in more gardens around town.

I do consider these a more advanced flower to grow, mainly because the process of starting these is a bit different than other cut flowers.

But do not fear! I am here to walk you through the entire process. From ordering corms to harvesting blooms for the vase.

So let’s jump right in.

Where do I get ranunculus corms?

Since ranunculus is started by corms (root matter saved from the previous year’s growth), you must first source and order these.

I sell a mixed bag of 20 corms each spring. Be sure to hop on my email list HERE in order to get first dibs on all my sales. For 2023 I am selling Picotee varieties in purple, orange, and pink. I order hundreds of corms each fall and save my own varieties from year to year, so I end up with plenty to share.

If you’re looking for other varieties check out Ferna Farms. They are another small farm offering these awesome corms to home growers.

When do I start ranunculus corms?

I start all my ranunculus about 2 weeks before planting out.

My plant-out date will be early May, so I’m starting all my corms the 3rd week of April.

Once sprouted, these guys grow fast! Plus, they do well in cooler temps, so if covered, they can weather a few touches of frost.

How do I start them?

First, you’ll need to soak your corms.

What the heck does this mean? It simply means, popping your corms in a bucket, adding cool water, and letting them sit for about 4 hours.

Some farmers recommend gently agitating the water while they are soaking (using a fish tank bubbler or leaving a stream of water running). I’m here to say, I’ve done it without any agitation and everything turns out OK.

Once properly soaked, they will look relatively plump. Now you’re ready to pre-sprout.

Pre-sprouting consists of layering a grow flat with potting mix. I use ProMix seed starting mix (ideally organic if I can find it locally).

Once a layer of the mix is in the flat, place your corms root-side down in the tray. If you think of your corms as little octopuses, the “tentacles” go down.

You can place them pretty close - I do about 2 finger-widths apart. Then, cover them with soil.

Lightly water (err on the side of too dry than too wet otherwise your precious corms may rot) and place somewhere dark at room temp.

Check these daily. Once they have started to grow green shoots out of the soil, it’s time to place them under lights at about 16 hours/day or if your garden beds are ready for them, it’s time to plant.

Planting soaked corms in seed starting mix for pre-sprouting.

Ranunculus beginning to sprout and grow under lights.

How do I plant ranunculus in the garden?

After pre-sprouting your ranunculus, they are ready to plant in the garden. Gently loosen each corm from the potting mix, dig a shallow hole, and place them in your garden bed. I plant mine about 9'“ apart.

They will benefit from a general-purpose organic fertilizer and bone meal application at planting time.

How do I tend my ranunculus plants?

Ranunculus care is similar to other cut flower care. As they can grow taller, they will be susceptible to wind and heavy rain. I suggest staking or netting them in your garden. Or at least, planting them in a sheltered location, out of any spring or summer winds.

How do I cut my ranunculus for the vase?

Ranunculus is cut as soon as the flowers reach the “soft marshmallow” stage. If harvested too soon, they will not open. You can wait until they are fully open to harvest but their vase life will be diminished slightly.

Please know that you don’t have to cut for the vase. Ranunculus looks gorgeous in the garden! And they bloom prolifically until the heat of the summer comes on strong.

SPECIAL NOTE ON GROWING A FALL RANUNCULUS CROP:

I learned this technique from a farming friend in Norther Alberta who has similar summers to where I grow.

Since the first planting of ranunculus will most likely peter out in late July, I loved the thought of a second planting. Last year I tried it for the first time.

Here’s what I did:

I saved about half my corms (you can just hold them at room temperature in a paper bag).

Go through the same steps of soaking and pre-sprouting starting in mid-June.

Plant in the garden once they have pre-sprouted and tend normally.

If you live in an area with cooler summers, you will be blessed with a late crop that will bloom until the first frost!

Tried & True Garden Varieties

Giant Orange Marigolds.

In order to get you growing an amazing and fail-proof garden, I want to get you started with some of my tried and true varieties.

Since I’m a flower LOVER and flower grower this list will be flower heavy. BUT I also want you to have some of my favorite varieties for your veggie garden.

Over the years I’ve rubbed shoulders with vegetable farmers (quite literally - my husband managed a large vegetable CSA at the same time I started my flower farm) and tested different varieties myself.

Often just choosing the right varieties will set you up for success in the garden. And with SO many fun and beautiful varieties out there - how do you know what to choose?

By putting your ear to the ground and being committed to experimenting!

Wiser growers than I have told me to commit 20% of my farm to new varieties. I’m recommending this to you now too.

Don’t go overboard with new stuff - then you risk wasting too much valuable garden space to varieties that you’re not actually sure will produce well. Stick to tried and true varieties and dip your metaphorical toe into fun and exciting new ones each year.

So now on to my tried and true varieties that I know, you’ll love.

First, for the flower garden:

Ammobiom

Ammobium aka Winged Everlasting.

Centaurea - Classic Magic, Blue Boy OR Black Button

Calendula - Orange Button

Cosmos - any Double Click Variety

Cynoglossum - Chinese Forget-me-not OR Firmament

Dill - Bouquet

Ornamental Grass - Frosted Explosion

Marigold - Giant Orange

Nasturtium - Trailing

Nigella - Albion Black Pod

Poppy - Breadseed OR Shirley

Shirley Poppy.

Rudbeckia - Cherokee Sunset

Saponaria - Pink Beauty

Scabiosa - Black Knight

Snapdragon - Potomoc varieties OR Madame Butterfly varieties

Bunches of Potomac Snapdragons.

Strawflowers - Copper Red OR Purple Red

Sunflowers - Procut varieties OR Sunrich varieties

Now for the veggie patch:

Beets - Touchstone Gold & Chiogga

Broccoli - Belstar

Belstar Broccoli just starting to grow crowns.

Carrot - Yaya

Cilantro - Calypso OR Cruiser

Cucumber - Diva OR Socrates

Kale - Red Russian OR Lacinato (also called Dinosaur or Black)

Red Russian Kale co-housed with Dahlias.

Peas - Sugar Ann OR Sugar Snap

Pumpkin - Cinnamon Girl

Spinach - Corvair

Tomato - Sun Gold

Zucchini - Dunja OR Blck Beauty

There you have it! This is by no means a comprehensive list but it’s meant to get you on the right track to a highly productive garden this season. 

So now on to ordering seeds! GO HERE to read all about my favorite places to place your order.

My House is a Mess

Recently my husband and I took the “Working Genius” quiz, formulated by Pat Lencioni. Which I highly recommend and sort of blew our minds.

It was of little surprise that we both do not thrive in the genius of “Tenacity”. Finishing tasks to the end brings neither of us any joy. Paying bills? Freaking boring. Making the kitchen sparkle? It’s fun to start, but seriously? Not interested.

I thrive on imagining and starting things and figuring out how to make things better.

He thrives on decision making and galvanizing (or bringing people together).

Unfortunately this means our house is a disaster area most of the time. I still struggle with feeling like a complete failure when I sit back and take in my messy house. Shouldn’t any remotely responsible adult be able to keep a house clean?

To make things worse a neighbor girl and her mom popped by one day and neighbor girl exclaimed: “why is your house so messy?” Major shame trigger.

I curtly (hopefully not TOO curtly) told her that I don’t clean my house on the weekend. Which is mostly true - It’s not that I don’t clean. It’s that the cleaning is never finished and I just give up. Or I just don’t do - especially on the weekends. Because really - why waste your time when you could be out playing or gardening or doing ANYTHING else?

So you’re probably wondering what this has to do with flowers?

Yeah, I was too until I heard someone say the reason they love flowers in their home is because it makes their house feel clean even when it’s not.

When I heard that I perked up! First off - there’s someone else without a clean home?!

And second - they’re SO RIGHT. Although I hadn’t put my finger on it - I too feel a sense of peace amidst the clutter, toys, crayons and laundry when a vase of flowers are in the room.

Isn’t that amazing?!

Do you feel this?

How do you feel when you have a vase of flowers in your home?

If you now know you NEED flowers CLICK HERE to learn all about our summer bouquet subscription!

Field Notes: Week 10

March 8-14

I started my first round of seeds on March 9th. Everything this early goes into 3/4” soil blocks. Here’s a list of what I seeded with corresponding quantities:

• Monarda-Panorama Red (40)

• Oregano (40). 3-5 seeds per block

• Sage (40)

• Rosemary (40). Would have seeded thyme but realized I didn’t have thyme seeds. Ugh, something like this happens every year!

• Eucalyptus-Lemon Bush (60). There was a seed shortage/failure of 3 other eucalyptus vareiteis so I am only able to grow Lemon Bush this year. Hope it’s awesome as I’m in love with eucalyptus.

• Verbascum-Rosetta (20). NEW VARIETY. Trialing this!

• Snapdragons-Potomac Cherry, Potomac Appleblossom, Potomac Ivory, Potomac Royal (40 each)

• Gomphrena-QIS Carmine (10), Audray White (60). Looking forward to growing these again after a few years off.

• Dahlias-a whole buch of varieties (75)

Aside from dahlias, all plants are on a heat mat and under a light. Dahlias are in either a gallon pot or a 4” pot depending on tuber size.

Seed starting set up on the left. I have one shelf with lights so far! On the right, seeds have germinated! Ones in front are looking a bit leggy: need to lower my lights.

5 of my Favorite Edibles!

Flowers are not just food for the soul! They can also be REAL food. In fact, my two kiddos DELIGHT in plucking a flower and munching.

I want to share 5 easy flowers that you can grow AND eat!

Flower petals can be used fresh or dried for garnish during the cold, dark winter months.

Aside from nasturtiums, which are completely edible (leaves and stems), be sure to eat only the petals of these flowers.

Calendula

Tangy and slightly bitter, you can add these petals to sweet or savory dishes.

An easy to grow and prolific bloomer. They also readily self-seed in the garden for years after your first planting.

Direct seed in the garden after last frost OR start indoors 4-5 weeks before last frost (which in my neighborhood is around May 15th).

Plant in the garden or in planters giving about 6-9” of space between each plant.

Bachelor Buttons

These flowers are delicate and whimsical and are always one of the first to bloom! They are mild and sweet.

Direct seed as soon as soil can be worked or start indoors 3-4 weeks before last frost.

Plant out about 6-9” apart in the garden or in planters. Be sure to stake as these grow tall and can easily topple in a wind storm.

Calendula comes in colors ranging from pale yellow to rich orange.

Bachelor Buttons are one of the first annual flowers to bloom in the garden.

Snapdragons

Snapdragons are a workhorse in my flower garden. They come in many colors, last a long time in the vase, are cold hardy AND you can eat them. They taste a bit bitter and floral :) Add a few as garnish to salads, deserts or drinks.

I would say these are for the intermediate grower. They can be tricky to germinate so plant a few seeds per cell or pot. Press the seed gently into soil but don’t cover as this seed needs light to germinate.

Start these early! I’m planting my first succession (a succession is simply anytime you seed a specific variety) the 3rd week in March. I’ll do two successions about 3-4 weeks apart.

Space about 6-12” apart in the garden. Be sure to pinch when plants are 4” high - this will give you a branching plant with lots of blooms!

Nasturtiums

These guys are the classic edible. They taste a bit spicy and both the flowers and the leaves look amazing on a salad.

Plant directly in a pot or in the ground 2 weeks before last frost OR start indoors 3-4 weeks before the last frost.

Cover seeds, as they require dark to germinate.

These look amazing anywhere in the garden, in planters or hanging pots. Plant about 3 plants per 10” pot or space 8-12” apart in the garden.

Nasturtiums: a bright and cheery addition to your salad.

Snapdragons come in tons of colors!

Sunflowers

Not only can you eat the seeds, you can eat the petals! They are bittersweet and will brighten up any salad or dessert.

One of the easiest flowers to grow. They do great in pots (but will be shorter and smaller), or in the garden. Folks tend to think these need to grow super tall! I personally love these to be more manageable for the vase so grow them closer together (6” apart).

Direct sow in the garden after last frost. You can also start indoors 2-3 weeks before planting outdoors. They grow fast, so don’t start too soon!

Two of my favorite varieties for the vase are ProCut Orange and ProCut Gold and Sonja. If you’re looking to grow seeds, go with Standfast from Fruition Seeds.

Sunflowers (edible) & zinnias (not edible) harvested off our old farm in WI.

Sunflowers on our old farm in WI.

Best of 2020 - Part 2: My Absolute Favorite Flowers of 2020

Every year I grow new varieties to test and then report back on what I absolutely loved. Since I also have a small growing space I have to ruthlessly cut anything that doesn’t preform well.

I’ve looked over what I grew in 2020 and am pleased to say the below flowers made my “Best of 2020” list.

Saponaria - Pink Beauty. A nice early bloomer to fill vases early in the summer. Harvest when the first buds are open. The remaining buds on the plant will slowly open in the vase which gives you a nice long lasting cut flower. Needs staking in the garden or wind and rain might topple it.

Saponaria is the pink airy flower with the green buds that is arranged horizontally.

Strawflowers - Copper Red, Purple Red, Vintage White. These are so magical! How can I pick just one?!

These are 3 that I LOVED. A long lasting, magical and whimsical cut flower. Blooms dry great but they need to be wired as stems become weak with drying. Best of all they are super easy to grow! So if you’re new to growing flowers, start with these.

Copper Red Strawflower

Eucalyptus - Silver Drop & Silver Dollar. I first tried these last year and fell in love. Adds texture and interest to any flower garden.

I am also pleased to say that they looked amazing in pots! Plus they are relatively frost hardy, so mine looked great through October.

Be sure to start these guys early under lights as they are slow to grow!

Statice - QIS Apricot. The designers who bought from me this year absolutely LOVED these. The color is one-of-a-kind. And the tiny whorls of blooms create a nice textural element. Plus they pretty much last forever once dried!

Scabiosa - Black Knight. Every year I grow these. And every year I LOVE them more.

Unfortunately germination can be spotty, so I didn’t have a lot of blooms this year. Planting way more next year. They are true magic.

Grass - Frosted Explosion. Oh wow! Such an ethereal addition to the garden. An airy-fairy grass that looks awesome in the vase and dries amazing.

Scabiosa - Black Knight

Eryngium - Blue Glitter.

Eryngium - Blue Glitter. This gets a 10+ for cool looks! It has attractive thistle-like blooms with a metallic shine. Eryngium is a hardy perennial with long, sturdy stems.

Does well in hot, sunny locations. But also tolerates a wide variety of conditions. Expect flowers during the second year of growth and in subsequent years (although mine bloomed the first year!). Great for bees, beneficial flies and wasps. Also known as plains eryngo and flat sea holly.

Excellent long lasting cut flower and dries well!

Ben Huston Dahlia in a bouquet.

Dream Catcher Dahlia.

Dahlias - Ben Huston. A juicy orange color on showy decorative petals. Just makes my heart pound every time I see this bloom.

Dahlias - Golden Sceptor. First year growing this dainty and cheerful beauty. True yellow flowers are only 2-3 inches. Such a happy-maker! Your garden will seriously sing with these little beauties.

Dahlias - Dream Catcher. This is a stunning cut flower. Perfect petals that meld pink to yellow to green on strong and upright stems.

Rebecca Lynn Dahlia

Dahlias - Rebecca Lynn. Here’s what I said about Rebecca Lynn last year:

“Rebecca Lynn Dahlia is not just pink, it’s power pink. It’s get-things-done pink. It’s an Elizabeth-Warren-suit-jacket pink. A “nevertheless-she-persists” pink. A woman-with-a-plan pink. Grow this dahlia and you’ll want to do things! Go places! And get er done!”

Looks amazing in the garden and in pots.

There it is friends!

My Best Flowers of 2020.

Now go grow some amazing flowers.

Preserving the harvest part 1: pressing flowers

We all know that summer won’t last forever. That’s why I’m all for figuring out how to preserve the harvest. Not only for food but for flowers too!

I’ve dried flowers in the past but am just now re-discovering the process of pressing them. This is the first season I’m really trying to press a lot of blooms, so I’m a relative newbie. But you can follow me along here as I discover what methods and varieties work best.

Since I only have a small commercially made flower press, I’m putting to use my cherished library of flower and farming texts (and some of Jason’s old college texts) to press in a very no-fuss way.

Pressing whole poppies with a small commercial press.

Here’s a few tips to follow when pressing your blooms:

1) Press flowers before they expire. This is a great way to extend the life of your bouquet subscription or market bouquet. But don’t wait till the blooms are wilted. Press while there’s still a little life still in them.

2) Press individual petals and whole blooms. Play with pressing both! Larger blooms with a thick center may not work so well but smaller flowers like forget-me-nots, poppies and cosmos (to name a few) press lovely whole. I love leaving on the stems too!

3) Use a semi absorbent blotting paper on both sides of the bloom. You can purchase a blotting paper, use water color paper or even a few sheets of newspaper.

4) Press flowers by layering between blotting paper and press either using books as a weight or a commercial flower press.

5) Change blotting paper as needed while flowers dry. If you don’t, you may get some molding.

6) Make sure flowers are completely dry before removing them from the press. Store for later use (think winter art-making) or start creating something of beauty now!

Pressing whole poppies using tissue paper as a blotting medium and books as the press. These pressed beautifully. I love pressing with the stem attached!

Garden Picture Escape

I just want to share some beauty with you! Here goes…

A few of my early dahlia varieties! Can I just say, I am loving these :)

Ready for bouquet making! My backyard gets transformed into a floral studio at least once per week.

Poppies! These are some of my favorite blooms this summer. They are bringing me SO MUCH JOY!!

A quick afternoon harvest. During the peak blooming months I’m harvesting 3 times per week.

A seasonal bridal bouquet using stock, ranunculus, peonies and ladies mantle.

5 Easy Tips for a Longer Lasting Bouquet

I want to make sure you get the most out of your flowers this summer!

Here are 5 easy tips to make your bouquet last as long as possible.

1. BUY LOCAL - When you buy our Summer Bouquet Subscription, you’ve checked this one off the list! Local flowers are often picked day of sale which means they are the freshest you can find anywhere.

2. RE-CUT STEMS - When you get your flowers home, snip the end of each stem with clean, sharp scissors then place in water. Re-cut stems every few days.

3. FRESH WATER - Place your bouquet in cool tap water. Keep vase nice and full, since flowers can really suck up the water. Replace water every 2-3 days, or daily if you can!

4. PLACEMENT - Place your flowers in a cool part of the house, out of direct sunlight and away from appliances that give off heat. Heat significantly decreases vase life. If you’re really hard-core about extending the vase life of your flowers, you can even place your flower arrangement in the fridge overnight. Take it out in the morning and enjoy!

5. REMOVE FADED BLOOMS - Not all flowers have the same vase life. Some are fleeting and ephemeral and may only last 3-4 days, others will last a solid 7-10 days! As your bouquet ages, remove tired-looking flowers but leave good looking ones in place. Re-arrange as needed!

4 Ways to Enjoy Your Bouquet Subscription

Thank you so much to all my awesome bouquet subscribers. I couldn’t do this without you!

As a farmer, I have a lot of expenses up front: seeds, soil amendments (organic of course), labor, seed starting supplies, marketing material, etc. A lot of money goes out the door before I have even one flower blooming in the garden. EEK!

Farmers around the nation have embraced this “community supported agriculture” or “CSA” model to give them a vital cash boost when they most need it - the early spring/summer. In return the farmer gives back produce or flowers ALL SUMMER LONG or as agreed upon.

It’s a big ask for customers - to come up with a bulk payment up front and I AM SO GRATEFUL TO YOU!!

So when your much anticipated bouquet subscription starts I wanted to give you a few fun ideas for how to enjoy your flowers :)

1) Display in a classic tall vase.

If you just want a no-fuss way to display our flowers, this is for you! Get your bouquet home, fill a vase with water, re-cut the stems and place in water. Enjoy :)

Cut stems and place in a tall vase.

2) Arrange in a low vase or urn.

This will be a fun, creative process for those wanting to play a little more with arranging.

If you’re doing some extra arranging, feel free to snip a few additional stems from your yard or garden. I love adding a bit of spruce (this also adds some nice structure for the other flowers in a low vessel) or a snip of aspen. If you have other perennial foliage or flowers in your garden, don’t be afraid to cut a few! Not everything does amazing in the vase, but you don’t know until you try.

I like to start with some sturdy foliage (why I love spruce), then add some flowers (be sure to cut as short as desired). Then just keep adding flower by flower, adding foliage here and there. Don’t look for perfect! Just look for done :)

3) Disassemble and place stems into individual bud vases. It’s as easy as that.

I love putting these all over the house: in the bathroom to freshen things up, on the kitchen windowsill (although keep out of direct sun), on your bedside table (if you really want to pamper yourself), etc.

Make sure to check daily for adequate water - flowers really drink big and tiny vases can go dry in no time.

Take apart your bouquet apart and place individual stems in bud vases.

4) Float larger blooms in a shallow bowl or jar.

Cut the stems short and float large and/or double bloomed flowers in water. Flowers that do well floating include peonies, dahlias, ranunculus, roses, and large double zinnias. This is by no means an exhaustive list! Experiment :)

Larger blooms float beautifully!

There you have it!

Now I want to hear from you! How do you love to display your flowers? Comment below OR send me an email at turnstonefarm@gmail.com! Include photos :) You can also tag me on facebook or instagram @turnstonefarm.

Are Flowers Essential?

All sorts of new phrases have entered our collective vocabularies in the past couple months: social distancing, hunkering down, essential business, etc.

As I write this non-essential business is back in business but I’ve been pondering this question lately: are flowers essential?! Hmm… guess it totally depends who you ask! But I’m here to convince you that YES, THEY ARE!

They deserve a place in your precious garden and a place on your table.

Here’s why:

You and I know we feel better when we have flowers to view in the garden. I’m always soothed when I look out my kitchen window and see flowers. In fact, I’m designing my gardens so I see MORE flowers out my window.

We also know there’s something almost magical about having flowers on our dining room table. But why?

Is it really beneficial to our health and well being? It seems like it is but I wanted to dive into the research to see what science has to say about all this.

In one study office workers were put in a room to view pink roses for 4 minutes each.

After the study workers that had viewed the flowers “resulted in significantly increased parasympathetic nervous activity”. And remember the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the “rest and digest” part of our nervous system. It helps us feel calm and relaxed, it is the opposite of our sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our “fight or flight” response.

So viewing flowers was demonstrated to significantly reduce the stress response. Even after only 4 minutes! And we all know decreasing stress increases our bodies natural abilities to fight disease and keep us healthy.

In addition, “ 'comfortable,’ 'relaxed’ and 'natural’ feelings were more common in subjects exposed to roses.”

Note, that the study used roses, but in fact, any flower could be substituted in here. Think Turnstone bouquet :)

In this study by researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey, flowers were demonstrated to have “immediate impact on happiness”.

In addition, “study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers”.

Flowers were also shown to connect people. “The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.

So what to do?

I know most of us have plenty of time outdoors to bask in nature’s beauty. But if you’re heading back into the office anytime soon (or toiling away in the spare bedroom), take along some flowers. Gift to your friend, boss, spouse, or yourself! Fill your indoor space with flowers :)

If you’re still hunkering down at home, make a place in your garden for flowers - and remember, these are for you! You need to be able to see them regularly out your window - while washing dishes, folding laundry, lounging on the couch, etc. And make sure you regularly cut them and bring them inside for the dining room table :)

If you don’t have enough to cut: 1) make a note to plan a bigger flower garden next year and 2) buy fresh flowers from the farm! We’ve got you covered.

Bouquet subscriptions are for sale until July 3rd. So reserve yours here if you haven’t.

Here’s to health! Here’s to peace!

And yes, flowers are essential.

Flowers are scientifically proven to reduce stress and make us feel better!