I am often asked how I can grow flowers in such a cold environment, especially as all my flowers are field grown while we wait to build our high tunnel. 

But there are so many amazing cold loving flowers, you don’t have to be in a tropical climate to enjoy an abundant flower garden. 

So I wanted to share with you some of my favorite annual cold loving flowers.

We are more than halfway through winter now and if you’re anything like me, you might be getting a little antsy for the growing season to start! The weather has been vacillating from wet to dry, and freezing, and thawing temperatures. And maybe you’ve noticed the sun is up a little earlier it seems these days. Oh how eager I am for the farm to warm up!

There are so many amazing resources out there on flower farming that are full of amazing tips, guides, photos, and inspiration. But it can be a little hard to know where to start.

So I wanted to share with you some of my favorite books that have helped me as a flower farmer. Not every book is specifically about flower farming, but they are books that have helped me develop a more sustainable farm. So let’s get right to it.

Mother’s Day is approaching and I can’t help but be reminded of something I heard once at a farming conference. I heard someone say that a farm is like a child and the farmer a parent. That it is our job as the farmer/parent to help the farm/child to become their best selves. Not a version of us, though that may happen, but their best selves. 

One of the seeds I planted yesterday was saponaria, a small branching flower that I trialed last year. I love its movement and its airy nature. It is a flower that makes me think of children dancing.

I can’t wait to see it again this year, to see those soft pink and white petals dance in the bouquets. 

The first day of spring has finally arrived. It may not look like it on my farm that still has easily a foot of snow. But it has. 

The snow is melting quickly and the robins have returned. The sandhill cranes have also announced themselves with their call echoing off the mountains.

It is a shared commitment to creating a sustainable and fair agricultural environment.