Autumn’s Harvest

Cheers to warm days, crisp nights and frost on the pumpkin! 

Autumn for a gardener is a time to relish in all your hard work and to enjoy the harvest of your crops.  It is a time of bountiful returns and vibrant colors. For a gardener it is also a sad reminder that your growing season is rapidly coming to an end. And that means you need to quickly winterize your perennials beds. You can either cutback perennials in the Spring or Fall. I am a Fall pruner. I like to cut back shrubs and perennials before the Winter so the garden is tidy.  

Tip: Gather seasonal blooms while you trim back shrubs and perennials to feature in indoor and outdoor arrangements.

The arrangements above highlight a Fall favorite…Hydrangea! Hydrangea bloom blue or white in the Summer and transition to pink and burgundy colors in the Fall. I like to pair these with ornamental grass seed heads, seasonal Kale leaves and Sweet Alyssum.

Fill your outdoor planters with fresh Hydrangea and ornamental grass cuttings too! Throw in a pumpkin or ornamental kale and you will have a seasonal planter that will look great for weeks!

PS – Remember that not all Hydrangea should be pruned/ cutback. Traditional Hydrangea shrubs bloom off their old wood. If you cut them back in the Fall, you will be eliminating any blooms for the next Summer. Generally speaking Hydrangea macrophylla should only be selectively cutback, while Hydrangea arborescens and Hydrangea paniculata can withstand heavier pruning.

Happy Gardening!

Fun n’ Frilly Cosmos

Cosmos soft texture provide a fun and colorful addition to any bouquet. This cut flower grows well in any soil and is easily started from seeds. They perfectly pair with the structured texture of many other summer favorites such as Rudbeckia and Zinnias. Not only will you enjoy this addition to your garden, birds and butterflies will thank you too!

Happy Gardening!

What’s In This Bouquet: 

  • Handful of Rudbeckia, Zinnias and Cosmos. 
  • Loosely place in favorite vase. 
  • Tip: Cosmos are a loose and free flower with somewhat floppy stems, don’t fight this; allow them to  fall naturally.

Opposites Attract!

I love hydrangea! I love how they come in blues, purples, pinks and white. And I love that they are relatively easy to grow. But I hate that they don’t have a fragrance!  
Purple Basil has a fresh aroma and beautiful deep purple leaves. But it lacks showy flowers. However, the Basil’s dark purple foliage provides a strikingly perfect contrast to the blue/purple hydrangea blooms! They are complete opposites, but they make a perfect match! 

Pairing aromatic herbs with flowers that lack a strong scent can liven up any summer room! And your centerpiece can come in handy at dinnertime! Try Thyme or Rosemary with Zinnias, Daisys or Rudbeckia! 

Happy Gardening!

Hosta! Hosta! Who’s got some Hosta?!

Hosta?! You probably have it growing in your yard. It’s that large mound of leaves that keeps coming back despite severe neglect. Yup! That’s Hosta! Hostas are available in many varieties. Colors range from blue to lime green. Sun tolerance varies from shade to sun. And leaves can vary from smooth and lancelate to wide and coarse.
No matter what kind you have, Hosta’s simple green leaves provide necessary contrast to colorful bouquets.

Happy Spring!
What’s in this bouquet: 

  • A handful of spring tulips. 
  • 5 green hosta leaves. 
  • Cut flowers to desired length. Place in vase. 
  • Cut Hosta leaves to equal length and place randomly throughout arrangment.

No time, no problem!

Do you want to enjoy fresh and colorful cut flowers, but you don’t have a green thumb? Or maybe you just don’t have the time or space to garden? Well here are two great alternatives to purchasing traditional arrangements from your local florist…. “Pick-Your-Own” flowers at a local farm and roadside farm stands. 

The benefits of these programs are numerous. Not only are you supporting local farms with your purchase, you are supporting your surrounding eco-system. How you ask? According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a diverse variety of flowers provide significant nutritional and health benefits for bees and other pollinators when compared to monoculture.

Furthermore, you benefit as the buyer. Whether the arrangements are just for your kitchen table or perhaps an event you are hosting, this is an inexpensive way to get bold, colorful and local flowers at a fraction of the cost when compared to a store bought bouquet. 

More so this method allows you to get out and immerse yourself in nature. Call up your friends, grab your pruners and head to a local farm to have a flower cutting party. Bring your fresh flower cuttings back and have a fun, relaxing time, making arrangements with friends over wine and music!

Or if you are really in a rush, there are many local farms that offer pre-cut and arranged flowers at their roadside stand! So grab some cash and go support that local farmer’s roadside stand!

Below is a list of just a few places that I have personally used. Please share your local Pick-Your-Own flower farms and roadside stands in the comment box! 

Special thanks to my friend who supplied this picture of her own Pick-Your-Own flower arrangement that she made for her daughter’s birthday party.

Local Pick-Your-Own Flowers or Roadside Stands

Scott’s Farm and Greenhouses, Essex, CT

Scott’s Farm

Rosedale Farm and Vineyards, Weatogue, CT

Rosedale Farm and Vineyards

The Ryan Family Flower Farm, Simsbury, CT

Pack in the Pachysandra

Many gardeners find Pachysandra to be an encroaching nusiance. But I love this evergreen groundcover not only as a plant bed groundcover, but as a bouquet filler! The large, glossy and grass green lobed leaves help accentuate your bouquet’s colors and textures. The simplicity of the leaves provide the perfect backdrop to make your summer or winter arrangements pop! Cut Pachysandra as low as possible; just above the last bud. This plant has a long life as a cut flower; I can usually use the same cuttings in 2 or 3 consecutive arrangements. 

Happy Gardening!

What’s In This Bouquet: 

  • 3 sprigs of Pachysandra
  • 7-9 Daisys in bloom and bud form (Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’)
  • 3 Cone Flower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Merlot’)
  • 3 grouped blossoms of Veronica (Veronica longifolia ‘Eveline’)

Pure Perfection with Peonies

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In my mind Peonies mark the official start of summer for gardeners as they tend to bloom around Memorial Day. Although their bloom is brief, it is worth savoring every fragrant moment. Even after the ruffled and fragrant flowers finish blooming, Peonies dark green, round, and shrubby form provide a tidy and structured element for one’s garden. Most gardener’s make use of flower ring supports because the luscious and abundent flowers have stems that cannot fully support the 3-4″ ruffled blooms. Peonies come in a variety of colors ranging from white, pink to deep raspberry. Peonies are best fully appreciated when cut and brought inside.

Happy Gardening!

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What’s In This Bouquet: Fill vase with as many Peonies as you can fit. Mix fully opened blossoms and ones still in bud form. A large or short vase will do. These Peonies are a light pink variety called Raspberry Sundae. Special thanks to my friend who let me cut these beautiful flowers from her garden as my Peony plant is too young to yield an abundance of flowers.