Short on counter space?

Why not put those flowers in a wall sconce?

A sconce like this is available at Fred Meyer for the bargain price of $14.99! Super easy to install (even I can do it!) and makes for a great way to display your flowers without taking up counter or table space. Sconces work great in entryways, hallways, or bathrooms.

I have this one at my office and I love to bring in fresh flowers to fill it with each week.

"Sconce sized" arrangements will be available at my booth at Orting's Saturday market priced anywhere from $5.00 ~ $8.00. E-mail me ahead of time if you'd like me to have certain colors put together for you!

Lavender Terraces

Well, thanks to a wonderful husband, great friends, and a helpful neighbor I now have more planting room! I'm SO excited! It's so much fun when you can see your vision for an area becoming a reality. Last week, this area was one big, huge brush pile. This week, I have sculpted terraces. Awesome! I was able to get to work this weekend putting starts in the ground and starting some rows of seeds. The weather coming up this week is going to be just perfect for seed starting...it's not often that I hope for rain, but in this case...bring it on! :)

The photo above shows one of the slopes between two terraces. With the terrain I'm working in, I'm going to have A LOT of slopes to work with. So my plan is to turn them into usable space. To prevent the slopes from eroding I will be filling them with lavender. Even when the lavender gets cut back the root system will stay in place and help keep each slope in tact. Plus, lavender grows really well on a slope, as it prefers well drained areas. It's indigenous to the Mediterranean, so it's very drought tolerant.

I started about 15 lavender plants inside this spring, so I was able to get one slope started yesterday. But they only covered about 1/8 of the area!! In the next few days I will be spreading seed on the rest of the area and the other slopes. Unfortunately, we won't be able to enjoy the fruits of this labor until a few years down the road. It's not until about year three that lavender is truly established and ready for full harvest. I might get a few blooms when pruning next year, but probably not many. But that's what gardening is all about right? Planting seeds and believing in the future! In other news, "planting site #1" is coming right along! We've got snapdragons, stock, phlox, dahlias, hollyhock, celosia, lilies, gladiolas, hops, and roses starting to come to life in this area. It doesn't look like much now, but there's a lot happenin' in the soil!

As you can see I've put down straw for mulch and pretty soon I'll be spreading a top dressing of organic compost on the growing rows. Over time, this will help the soil composition. For now, it will provide the plants with nutrients, help to keep roots cool during hot summer days and improve water retention.

Lots of work still to do, but I'm so glad to be kicking off our first growing season! :)

Gearin' up!

Well, I think it's safe to say that spring if officially here to stay! Which means that it's time for us to get busy around here...we're gearing up for the coming season and can't wait to get growing!

Today was the first day that the baby starts got to go outside. Before planting them, I've gotta "harden them off" by keeping them in a sheltered area outside for a few days. This way, they don't go into shock by being planted right away without building up a tolerance for outdoor life.

After getting those guys settled on the porch, it was time to head out back to do some prep work on this year's planting site. I call this "planting site #1". Creative huh? ;)

This is where we will grow most of our annuals and bulbs. The area will be expanded in coming years, but as you can see in the lower left hand corner we have some brush piles to deal with first! Right now, those piles are in the process of breaking down, which is creating some really good dirt underneath 'em.
Another view of "planting site #1".
Tonight was mostly about getting fence posts set. You see, we have all kinds of wildlife in the area, which means that each planting site will be separately fenced in. We love our woodland creatures, but not in the flower beds!!I had a little extra time left so I started blazing a trail down to "planting site #2". This area will not be planted up for this growing season, but I still want to start working the area; amending the soil and clearing blackberries and other weeds. This way it will be all ready for us to plant it up this coming fall! The plan is to use this area for woody shrubs, such as forsythia, lilac, hydrangeas, viburnum, and all kinds of other flowering beauties!

Of course, the project manager had to survey my progress...I think he approves! :)

Stay tuned for more updates!

Thinkin' Spring!

I don't know about you all, but I am LOVING this early spring we've been having! Cherry trees and Forsythia are in full bloom, Tulips and Daffodils are waking up, birds are singing, and I've even heard a few Pacific Chorus Frogs starting to make some noise! There's nothing quite like springtime in Washington.

Around here, we've been slowly coming out of hibernation and lately have been busy, busy, busy! There's a lot to do to get ready for the growing season, but I think we're well on our way! We've got trays and trays of seedlings in windows, cuttings taking root in their beds and the compost pile is cookin'...those little worms are keeping busy making us some really good compost for amending our soil.

We hope to get a chance to meet some of you this year! We are planning to be at Orting's Saturday Market every other weekend in July and August. Aside from being at the market, we will be taking special orders starting in late May/early June (depending on how the weather is treating us - very dependent on Mother Nature around here!)

Also, don't forget about our subscription service! This is a great option for those who want the freshest flowers possible. Being committed to providing excellent quality, we will only be offering a limited number of subscriptions this first year while the farm is getting established. So if this sounds like something you'd be interested in, sign up early! Just download our subscription form (right hand side of page) and mail in with payment...we'll then contact you to let you know when you should expect your first delivery. Or, if you prefer, subscriptions can also be ordered via PayPal.

The countdown to spring is on! Please check back for updates as we get growin' for our first season!

For now, a little somethin' to look forward to... :)