Open House

 

Glorious Fall has officially arrived at The Farm!   

Come on over for Open House on October 2nd, 10am-5pm & October 3rd, 1 to 4 pm. See you then!

More Vining

Morning glories shading impatients on the mailbox.

 

And pumpkins!

Don't forget Harvest Fest in Petersburg this weekend!

Late Summer/Early Fall Vines

People have been asking about the malabar spinach that's growing on the head board out back.   It is edible, although we grew it cause it's pretty.  It was a little slow to start, but once the heat came on, it really took off.  Beautiful deep green leaves, shiny red stems, and now  little pink/white blooms.  Put this one on  your plant-one-of-these-next-year list.  
















And here's cypress vine, one of our favorites, with the little red trumpet blooms that the hummingbirds (and the bluebirds) love.  Lots of other vining going on in the garden too--snail vine, morning glories, sweet autumn . . .

We found malabar spinach thanks to Peggy's recommendation.     What's your favorite vine?   Let us know, cause we'll want to put it on our plant-one-of-these-next-year list  too!

More Mascots

  

This little guy has been "traveling"  the garden this summer.  And Miss Rose, below, greets visitors at the front door.

Did you get your note from Spot last week?   If you didn't, send us a note at farmmail@dishmail.net and we'll make sure to add you to our mailing list!

Happy Birthday!

Margie, Chis, and Suzanne

The Farm is honored to have visitors who come out to celebrate their birthdays with us.  A drive through the country, lunch at Morningstar, then shopping and a walk through the garden at The Farm makes a special time for special friends.  And we have to admit, it's fun for us too--we love it when people pop through the door and say "the party's here!"

A View From the Window

Here's what a smart cat does on the dog days of summer!  Our Spot has grown into a long-legged-full-grown cat; but as you can see, he hasn't lost his spots that gave him his name.  These may be long lazy days of August, but inside we're gearing up for the fall season.  See  ya soon! 

How to Design with Frog Pins -- One Last Look

 A couple more ideas for designing with your flower arrangers that have the frog pins:


--Go Low.  Using a bigger flower at the base of the arrangement is an easy way to create a focal point.   The rest of the arrangement rises up from that point.



--or Spice it up.  Tuck in some herbs for their fresh color and fragrance.  Here the celosia is joined by some basil and rosemary.  And if you've got an umbrella palm that's you've been watering all season, throw one of those stems in too!


We hope you're enjoying your flower arranger this summer.    Send us pictures--we'd love to see your designs too!  If you don't  have an arranger  yet, come on in sometime.  We get new supplies from Rich on a regular basis.  And don't forget to pick up an extra one--they make great gifts too!

Part Three: Flower Arrangers

--It only takes one.  A single large flower such  as a  peony, zinnia, or this blue hydrangea, is beautiful by itself.

  --Far & Wide.  Here's another way to add grasses to your designs.  These blades of lily turf grass are bound with raffia and draped off to the side.

We'd love to see how you're using your flower arranger,  so send us a picture!

Tips for Using Your Flower Arranger

 As promised, here's the second of this week's series of ideas for the flower arranger.

--Take it up a notch.  Use grasses or  even a stick (we love sticks!)  to give your design some height.
--Smaller stems like a grass are a little trickier.  Add them last, using the larger stems to provide support.   Or you can bind a bunch of them together  as with the lily-of-the-valley shown below.  We've used wire here, but you can use ribbon or raffia too.
--Don't forget flower food.  It helps to prolong the vase life of your flowers by providing nutrients for the flowers and  reducing the growth of bacteria.   Flower food comes in little packets and can be found where ever flowers are sold.

Okay, we've got more ideas so stay tuned for part three!

Flower Arrangers

One of our best-sellers here at The Farm--the flower arranger by local potter Rich Zimmerman--makes arranging  flowers easy.   The secret  is the frog pin in the bottom--similar to the antique frogs that our grandmothers used.  Just add a few garden blooms and you've got a beautiful little arrangement to brighten up your kitchen counter, the bedside table, bathroom sink,  maybe  your desk at the office. . .

If you're cutting flowers from your garden, be sure to cut them early in the morning, when they are the most hydrated of the day,  to minimize wilting.  And don't be afraid to use different foliages along with your flowers--the pictured designs here feature lamb's ear, sedum, and sweet autumn clematis vine.

Watch for more tips  on making your own designs in the flower arrangers all week here on the blog.