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It's 'all go' at the Flower Farm nowadays – NOW is the time! The weather is as unpredictable as ever but the long range is looking good. Our annuals, perennials, veggies, herbs and MOST of our planters and hanging baskets are looking good and ready to go. A few plants still need a little more greenhouse heat to be at their peak, but they are catching up after a long and extremely cold winter. Do keep an eye on the weather though, and be prepared to move in / cover annuals if the temperature is forecast to drop below 5°C at night.
We had a fabulous Mothers Day weekend – the hot weather brought people out, then the storms on Sunday afternoon ensured that customers were trapped in the greenhouses and forced to buy more! Kids enjoyed planting Violas for their Moms and coffee, lemonade and cookies were popular. It was lovely to see many of our regular and loyal customers emerging after the winter! Thanks to Ken and Bonnie from Everett, Maria from Lisle, Sandi and Barb from Angus, The Alters from Toronto, Lynn and Nicole from Creemore, Carol and Stephanie from Ivy and many many more. You are who keep us in business and doing what we love!
The Creemore Farmers Market starts up this Saturday and we will be there with plants from 8.30am to 12.30pm. Our stall will be run by Chris and our two boys Daniel and Ben. I will be back at the farm. If you have never been to this fantastic market before, now is the time for a trip to Creemore. If you are a regular we look forward to seeing you. We will only be attending the market for 5 weeks this year, so don't wait to buy! Check out the market's website at www.creemorefarmersmarket.ca.
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We're open daily May 1 to June 14
9am to 5pm
Visa, Mastercard, Interac, Cash or Cheque accepted
Gift certificates available – great idea for your favourite gardener!
See us at the Creemore Farmers Market
Saturday mornings from May 16 to June 13
www.cutdriedflowerfarm.com |
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Spreading Zinnia Profusion
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Bright and easy!
We have grown spreading Zinnias for many years now and they are often passed by in the greenhouses as they are typically sold green or in bud and are just not as eye catching as the flowering plants. Do not pass this plant by again! Once planted and established in your garden, Profusion Zinnias will put on a show stopping performance!
Growing to about a height of 12" high and 18" wide, they will be covered in masses of bright and sturdy flowers all season long. Choose from a variety of bright colours – Orange, Cherry, Fire, Apricot and White. I love combining orange, apricot and white plants for a fun and cheery mix. Just plant in full sun and watch them grow!
Spreading Zinnia Profusion
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Katie’s Speaking Schedule
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 New and Nearly New Annuals for 2015
Next week, I will be speaking at two local Horticultural Societies about New and Nearly New Annuals for 2015. On Tuesday 19 May I will be in Shelburne at the Shelburne Agricultural Building, 337 William St. On Thursday 21 May, I will be with the Painswick Horticultural Society who meet at St Pauls Church on the corner of Mapleview Dr and Yonge St in Barrie.
Both talks will start at 7.30pm and will include a powerpoint presentation, information handouts and plants for sale. Both societies welcome new members. Great timing to learn about new annuals! |
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 Numerous uses and fun to grow!
This year, we decided to increase our herb selection by about 30%. This means that we have grown more of each variety as well as adding 6 new additional varieties that our customers have been requesting. All our herbs are grown in biodegradable jiffy pots, made of peat and newsprint. Choose from the following new herbs:
- Lemon Balm – Perennial. 24" high. Lovely lemon scented leaves are great to dry for tea or to add fresh to cold summer drinks. Attracts bees.
- German Chamomile – Annual. 12" high. Very prolific white daisy flowers. Use dried leaves and flowers for tea.
- Fennel – Annual. 2½ feet high. Large bulb at the base of the plant is used for salads or cooked as a veggie. Delicate anise flavour and crisp texture. Leaves lovely to throw in a salad.
- Spearmint – Perennial. 24" high. Very vigorous plant. Distinctive mint flavoured leaves. Use for garnishes, salads, teas and more.
- Borage – Annual. 20" high. Bright blue flowers look beautiful in salads and cold drinks. Vigorous plant which attracts bees.
- Stevia – Annual. 24" high. A herbal sugar substitute. Harvest leaves and dry to use in cooking or tea. Fresh leaves can also be used for garnish or drinks.
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Check your lilies for Red Lily Beetle
I was poking around in my own gardens last week and was dismayed to see my Fritillaria lilies being attacked by adult Red Lily Beetles and some eggs already laid. The early extreme warm weather last week had caused them to become active. My Asiatic lilies are just poking through the ground and they were being attacked too. I spent a good hour squashing them!
The Red Lily Beetle is a garden insect pest that has been introduced from Europe. Like all other introduced pests it has no natural predator. Although rare when it was first discovered in Ontario in 1993, it has since become much more common and is now a serious garden pest, feasting upon any type of true garden Lily, including Asiatic and Oriental Lilies. (Daylilies may be slightly affected, but the real damage is usually to the bulbous true Lilies.)
The bright red beetle is slightly larger than a Ladybug, but is spotless. Adult beetles overwinter in the soil, emerge in early spring and spend the rest of the season defoliating Lilies while laying eggs. The eggs, laid in rows are bright orange in colour and are found on the underside of leaves. They hatch in 1 week and larvae quickly begin feeding. The larvae camouflage themselves in their own waste and are easily mistaken for bird droppings. Within 14 days, they drop to the ground, where they pupate and emerge as adults 2 or 3 weeks later. The best way to control this nasty pest is to continually scout for the adults, larvae and eggs. Wipe the eggs off with a soapy cloth and drop adults and larvae into a bowl of soapy water. If you keep up with the scouting then you should be able to eliminate the pest. If your Lilies are afflicted, don't share plants with fellow gardeners as this will contribute to the spread of the pest.
Red Lily Beetle
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Easy and showy Cushion Spurge
Euphorbia is a showy and easy to grow mounding perennial that looks stunning in the spring and retains interest through the summer and fall. I have Euphorbia planted in my own gardens and am asked by customers numerous times in May what it is! Cushion like, mounded foliage is topped with extremely bright yellow showy bracts in the spring. After the spring colour is finished, plants remain well behaved and mounded for the rest of the season. Mounds will grow to 12 – 18" in height so great for the front or middle of beds.
This year we are growing two types of Euphorbia – the polychroma type which has light green leaves that turn red in the fall and Bonfire which has purplish / reddish / orangeish leaves that turn rich red in the fall. Bonfire is not quite as hardy as polychroma, which is a zone 5, but the dark leaf colour is stunning. Both have the typical bright yellow cheery spring colour. Check them out soon, as I'm sure we will sell out! Photo courtsey Walters Gardens.
Euphorbia
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Ready to sell you some plants!
We have always been fortunate to have dedicated and loyal staff who care deeply about both our plants and taking care of customers. This year Angie had to reduce her hours, due to juggling two jobs and Linda has sadly had to move on, so we set out to search for a couple of newbies. In the depths of a very cold and snowy winter, we were very happy to find and welcome 2 new recruits – Kelly French and Cathy Cook into the Flower Farm family.
They started work in March and under the guidance of our experienced grower Kieron have quickly learnt about growing and caring for our crop. Kelly is a keen home gardener and busy Mom with a young family. Cathy and her husband Tom are busy at home with a large veggie garden. Be sure to ask Cathy for some of her veggie growing tips! After spending 2 months growing and nurturing our babies, Cathy and Kelly are now both eager to meet all our regular customers and send our plants off to new homes! Please introduce yourselves to them! Meet Kelly and Cathy
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Orange Banana or Red Pear anyone? |
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Our Heritage Tomato selection
I am continually playing around with our selection of Heritage Tomatoes to freshen up the choices each year. For this season we have added three new varieties. San Marzano is a productive red paste tomato with good crack resistance. It is best used for sauces, canning or drying and is a favourite of Italian gardeners.
Orange Banana is also a paste tomato and is quite unique. Orange, 4" long banana shaped fruit bursts with a citrusy, fruity sweetness. Perfect fresh, canned or dried. Red Pear is a pear shaped cherry tomato which is flavouful and productive. Great for variety in a tomato salad! Check out our other 2015 varieties.
Our 2015 Heritage Tomato Selection
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See you at the flower farm
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