What's Bloomin' Now?
We just made it through our first summer of flower farming and it was exciting! Our sunflowers & zinnias are finishing up and our fireworks gomphrena is still faithfully blooming. Three weeks ago we did a Hail Mary hoping to get one last harvest of sunflowers--about a month later than most calendars say--but did I tell you?...we're going rogue! It looks like they are going to make it just under the wire!
We are currently selling these bouquets of Stella Gold Sunflowers, Benary Wine and Aurora Zinnias with touches of Rosemary and Basil thrown in for fragrance and structure. at Dutch Donut Factory--check them out and pick up a donut while your there. They are truly the best in Mesa!
What's up Next?
Over the next few weeks and into October we will be planting Calendula, Snapdragons, Echinops, Feverfew, Bells of Ireland, Stock, Straw flower, and probably way too many Ranunculus for our short growing season . . . Over 2,000 plugs and corms...and I haven't even mentioned all the seeds. Whew! It's a good thing my neighbors took me up on my deal--or I would be in a Bloomin' HOT sitiation. (deliberate misspelling) I'll be posting so stay tuned!
Why buy local flowers?
When I was a kid growing up in Glendale, AZ, there were miles of orange groves, vineyards and flower farms to the west. To the south--in South Phoenix, there were flower farms. Those areas have almost completely been replaced by warehouses or residential homes. This loss of vegetation is a huge contributor to the heat island affect in the Phoenix area. More vegetation=cooler cities--especially trees. I am trying to do my part and help others to do the same.