Geraniums

In the month of October is when the season is coming to an end,

but this is a time when I begin prepping for winter.

The first job of the season is getting the pots ready to come inside which has begun by the time October has come around.  This is actually a job I will begin in mid-September so I will

have it done by our frost date of October 20th, but is officially October clean up work.

 

The clean up of the pots begins by taking the geraniums out of the pots and trimming them by a third and rinsing the roots off.

 

 

One of the good reasons for doing this is to be rid of any insects that I don't want inside. 

The next step is to remove the old potting soil and set aside for another purpose.

Then, you will put the trimmed geranium in a new clay pot that you have cleaned, and according to its size of the new plant.

 

 Adding new potting soil is the last step before bringing your new plant inside for the winter.

Making homemade potting soil is something I like because I decide what goes into it.

 

I use this method for both types of geraniums, which are your flowering kinds that most of us know and love.

 

The second type is the scented geraniums or Pelargoniums. Now the difference between the two is one is known for its flowers and the other is grown for its leaves as they are scented. The Pelargoniums do flower but not as large and the common Geranium

Now it is time for them to come into their new home on the window sill indoors.

Don't let the warm weather of the fall fool you into not getting this task done.

The weather can change so drastically fast and then you could lose your plants.

Now, you can sit back and congratulate yourself for getting the job done before the frost date.

Enjoy a little rest.

 

The Dahlia Blooms

Every season has its own flower that comes into bloom.

At the end of summer I am always trying to figure what we can 

have blooming. 

 So, I plant dahlia tubers late so I can have something 

beautiful to look at.  Plant your tubers in June and

in the fall enjoy the presence of The Dahlia.

I know it is a long wait, but you will not be sorry.

The Dahlia is a perennial grown from a tuber that you plant 

like a bulb.   It can grow 3 feet tall and will bloom until frost.

The one draw back is you will need to dig your tuber up and

store it over the winter.

Dinner Plate Dahlia(which is in the photo)

I think that is my goal in growing flowers, to grow

a flower that has beauty.

The other part of growing flowers is to share with other people

who may want to have beauty in their own yards or on their

kitchen counter as cut flowers.

Have you ever looked at gardening as a way to express art?

Claude Monet was an Impressionist painter, he was one of those people I always admired.

He painted some of the most amazing pictures, but he also had an 

amazing garden.

Dahlia Painting by Claude Monet

Gladiolus

Gladiolus

This year I took the plunge and bought
500 bulbs, which was a lot for me.   I wasn't sure I would get them planted but I had always wanted to try growing them in succession with my flowers.  The glads got special attention this year, as the one of the most beautiful summer flowers.
So far, I have had peach, white, purple, and red.  I did leave some of last years glads in the ground but that did not go over very well as they are not flowering.  It could mean they are in too heavy of soil to their liking.  That is one of the struggles of growing bulbs in Kentucky as the soil needs amending.  but I will be digging them up as the weather cools.
I also had bought some in small quantities last year and they were planted at the beginning of the season.  The orange and yellow flowers are from that bunch.

I did cut some of the purple ones for showing florist in the city. It was because of a florist in Lexington that encouraged me to grow more flowers over 3 years ago when I had started this cutting garden by the house. This season made it our 4th growing season in this garden and the beds are starting to have some good health to them. I never thought then that I would plant 500 bulbs since I have always just planted flowers for pure enjoyment.  I always thought about sharing my love of cut flowers that my grandmother and mother passed on to me.
 So that is what I am doing.
I would like to be part of the community of growers in the US, and encourage people to buy from the local market.

Go out today and put some beauty in your house, bring the outdoors inside with some local cut flowers..

The Hot Summer

We are walking through the hot summer days.  

You know the sunflower will never fail you in the hot heat.

This year due to growing many other flowers that required my 

attention the sunflower seemed to fair on its own, very nicely.

Although, this was my first time growing them in succession, 

direct seeded.  

Following the advice of Johnny Seeds and planting them on a

schedule has worked out quite nicely.
  Of course, having the heat has been a plus.
We sell them by the stem if you want some to adorn your table,
come and get some.

The Iris

 The arrival of the Iris.

Early Season Flowers

It so early in the season when there really not much going on in the plant growers 

world. Tulips have got to be one of my favorite flowers that come in the early season.

 I have this love relationship with watching beautiful flowers grow.

 

Early Flowers

Sweet Peas

These climbing vines are a great flower for the cutting garden in the spring.
Learning to be a flower grower is always a challenge, but it is what gets me out
side early in the morning. 

This is a fairly new flower for me as I just started growing these last year.
Last year I grew a small amount of these, but my soil was not quite where it needed to be.
Working with the Kentucky soil has been a challenge but not nothing I can't handle.
 This year I am hoping for a larger amount of these stunning beauties.
 I have a couple of years working the soil. 
Some of the things that I have done to lighten up my soil is putting sand, peat moss,
manure, and straw consecutively for 3 years now.  
  Some of the books I have read about this cut flower is that it needs lots of organic matter and light soil is necessary.

When you get close to flower your first instinct is to smell the flower.
It is always a let down when the flowers are beautiful but have no scent.
 On this little piece of land we will strive to grow flowers that have a scent.

 These are supposed to be good choice of the early season cut flowers.  

The one thing that is going to give you a good root growth before
 you plant them outside is starting them inside weeks ahead of time.
You will want to soak the seeds overnight in a small amount of water.

 Of course don't forget to label the different kinds, you will not remember the next day.

Happy Growing!