Before the Blooms & Early Summer Happenings

If you stepped into our garden, you might be surprised.

You wouldn't see armfuls of flowers ready for bouquets or rows bursting with color just yet. Instead, you'd find lots of green plants, plenty of weeds trying to sneak in, sprinklers running, and me moving from one row to the next weeding.

This stage of flower farming isn't the prettiest, but it may be one of the most important.

With the July heat settling in, the last week of June became a race to get as much of the garden work finished as possible before temperatures started feeling like the surface of the sun.

For the past few months, I've intentionally taken a step back from growing late spring and early summer flowers so I could focus on our main-season blooms. That has meant spending countless hours planting, weeding, watering, and feeding hundreds of plants that won't be ready to harvest until later this month.

The good news? They're doing amazing. The garden is growing faster every day, and soon it will begin to bloom.

Right now, the work is hard, but there isn't much to show for it. By the time I've finished weeding every row, it's already time to start all over again. Thankfully, June gave us quite a few cooler days, which made those longer hours outside much more enjoyable.

While the flowers have kept me busy, June wasn't only about them. We’ve been traveling a bit, and earlier in June I turned 35. It's funny how time changes as we get older. I swear I just turned 25 yesterday. Ever since Keith and I had our girls, the years seem to move a little faster.

We were talking recently about how, as kids, summer break felt like it lasted forever. Looking back, I think it's because we weren't constantly thinking about what was next. We simply lived in the moment.

That's something I try to carry with me every summer.

While July will be busy with harvesting flowers, I'm grateful that I chose not to do farmers markets or pop-up events this season. It gives me the chance to spend slower days at home with my girls while still doing the work I love.

In many ways, the garden and I are in the same season. We’ve both been growing.

The months of planning, seed starting, transplanting, and caring for each plant are finally beginning to pay off. Soon the garden will be overflowing with blooms, and I'll get to share them with all of you through subscriptions, weddings, bucket of blooms orders, and the flower stand.

If you've been patiently waiting for locally grown flowers, I promise they're almost here.

Sometimes the most beautiful seasons begin with work that no one sees.