February seeds are being sown
Hello, February! I’m both excited for this month and eager for it to pass so Spring can begin. February is kind of like the kick-off to the year for me, after spending all of January planning, February is when the action starts to happen. This year, my area’s last frost date is projected to be April 7, which is earlier than the last two years. This means that I’ll be starting more seeds than usual this month as some flowers do best when started early inside, 8-10 weeks before the last frost. This month I’ll be starting Delphinium, Sweet Peas, and Snapdragons. All of these flowers do best when they are hardened off, meaning they are exposed to colder temperatures to help them transition to the often harsh and fluctuating conditions that is Spring weather, once they are moved outside. So, let’s talk about these three beautiful flowers!
I’ve already started the Delphinium seeds as these actually need to be sown a minimum of 10 weeks before the last frost. This is my first year growing these beauties, so I’ll only be sowing one variety. The first year growing something new is always a bit of a learning process for me so I like to start small. The variety I’m growing this season is “Magic Fountains Sky Blue White Bee”, which you can see in this arrangement from last year. Blue flowers are so rare which makes them all the more beautiful and I’m excited to add these to my field.
I’ve used Delphinium a lot in my work, particularly the light blue varieties like this, and have always had to source it from other farmers or wholesalers. As a Micro Farmer-Florist, my goal is to eventually source the majority of my flowers from my own field for my design work. So, I’m giving Delphinium a try in hopes that I can begin to use them in all of my future work! If anyone has any tips, please let me know!
The big flower that is started every February is Sweet Pea. One great thing about Sweet Peas is they produce more seeds than you can imagine at the end of their season. You can collect the seed pods once they are fully browned on the vine and save them for the following season (more on that later). I purposefully stocked up on Sweet Pea seeds because this season I’ve moved to a bigger field, which means I can dedicate much more space to my Sweet Peas. I’m already imagining the plethora of seeds I’m going to have, stay tuned for that process.
There are many things I love about Sweet Peas, the first being they bloom early! Typically, you’ll start to see the first blooms in June and once the first petals appear, the plant begins to produce like crazy! Every day there is noticeable growth and, somehow, more blooms until the plant has reached its limit and begins to go to seed. These flowers are soft and delicate, and they smell incredible. Put a vase of Sweet Peas on your kitchen table and your whole home will smell like fresh flowers. Even just walking by them on the farm my nose is filled with the freshest, most delightful scent. Not all Sweet Peas have a scent, but the ones that do are heavenly.
With expanding the amount of Sweet Peas that I am growing, there is some extra preparation to be done. These are viny flowers so they need good support, something they can latch onto and climb up. The better support they have the healthier and stronger the plant will be. I’ll be installing posts and netting down the middle of the row where I plan to put the starts once they are strong enough to go into the ground. I’ll then line both sides of the net with Sweet Pea plants to utilize the space as much as I can.
The final seeds that I will be sowing in this first round are Snapdragons. Last year was my first year growing these and I fell in love. This year I will be growing three different varieties of Snapdragons: Orange Wonder, Chantilly Light Salmon, and Madame Butterfly. I love working with warm palettes, so these will be some of my favorite colors to work with. The Madame Butterfly mix is an assortment of colors, so I don’t really know what I’m going to get once they start blooming, which makes me even more eager to see what colors come to life in July and incorporate them into my work this Summer.
Snapdragons come in an abundance of colors and are so beautiful. Like Delphinium, they are long and tall with several blooms on one stem, offering a unique shape and more volume to each floral piece that they are used in. This is important in floral design, as you want to have different lines, shapes, and textures in your work to make it that much more interesting to look at. On top of that, they also work hard all season. If well taken care of, Snapdragons will bloom July through September here in zone 8b. Snapdragons do not stop producing and are worth every inch of real estate, in my opinion. Plus, they typically have strong stems and a long vase life, making them great for bouquets and other more fragile pieces that may get bumped or have to travel. Overall, Snapdragons are worth the investment and a great flower to have as a farmer-florist. They are beautiful, interesting, and reliable to grow and work with. The unsung hero of cut flowers, if you will. I plan to grow Snapdragons for a long time!
Let me know if you have a favorite Snapdragon variety that I should try next season!
The last week of February I’ll be starting Craspedia and Celosia as well. These are both new for me, but two flowers that I’m really excited about. They both are so unique, so colorful, and provide great texture to any arrangement or bouquet. I’ve used them a lot in both fresh flower and dried flower work so I will be monitoring these two closely this season and learning as much as I can. I’ll be sure to share it all with you here!
The other major event that happens in February is Valentine’s Day! For many florists, this means setting up pre-order bouquets or arrangements and marketing, marketing, marketing! This is the first big project of the year for me, it feels like I’m coming out of hibernation. As a farmer-florist, the year ebbs and flows so when I am given time to rest through the Winter, I take it. Come February though, I am always eager to get back to work and it feels so good to be working with flowers after a few quiet months. Being around fresh flowers again brings me so much joy and being able to express my creative side and design these bouquets re-awakens my inspiration for what I do. It’s magical to me and I’m excited to share that Beverly Blooms' Valentine’s Day Pre-Order is now available! You can choose from two styles this year:
The Romantic: A classically beautiful bouquet of reds, dark pinks, and roses for your Valentine
The Sweetheart: A blush, white, dreamy bouquet for the sweetheart in your life
Each bouquet will be filled with beautiful flowers that are properly cared for through the whole design process. Since it’s the middle of the Winter, there are (sadly) no flowers in bloom. Which means I will source my product from the Washington wholesalers. My wholesaler of choice this year is Washington Floral Service in Tacoma. There are some amazing wholesalers in Seattle as well, it all just depends on what you need. I always prefer to work with seasonal flowers so I opt for as many Spring flowers and early Summer blooms because that’s as close as we can get this time of year. This means ranunculus, gerbera daisies, stock, tulips, and scabiosa, to name a few! Since it’s Valentine’s Day, of course I’ll also be incorporate some beautiful roses. Be sure to place your order by February 9, 2024 and spread some love!
Lastly, there are still a few 2024 CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscriptions available! Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a seasonal subscription for community members to support their local farmers. Beverly Blooms offers three seasonal flower CSA options; Summer, Autumn, or Full Season. By investing in your local farmer, you provide the funds up front to help cover overhead expenses. This includes everything from bulbs, seeds, irrigation supplies, soil preparation, and anything else needed for growing these beautiful flowers. In exchange for your initial investment, you receive a bouquet of locally grown flowers every week, or every other week! There are also payment installment options available at checkout. Check out all of the options and get your subscription before they run out, I have a limited number left. CSA Subscriptions are only available to Kitsap County at the moment.
Ok I think that’s enough information for this month! The season is quickly approaching as you can see, next month the rest of the seeds will be sown and Spring Equinox is here!
Chase
