I've tried to not take my gardening lifestyle for granted, but I think it has happened. Reading and hearing the struggles of others trying to grow a flower garden, I’m realizing that I have just been assuming that everyone lives with a garden like I do. I was wrong. I...
Glad you decided to join me in the garden for one of my first harvests from our Cool Flowers garden. As you will see, with the craziness of this season, I didn't get all of our flowers netted with floral support netting as we normally do, lesson already learned....
Our 3-by-10 foot cutting garden seed collection is split in half to frame the front of our sweet farm building. How are you feeling looking at this photo? Warm and fuzzy? You can have it right outside your backdoor. “Why plant flowers?” is a question I hear often....
Think you have no space for a cutting garden or it's to late to plant? Think again. I’m sharing some facts about the home cutting garden. It is smaller than you think at 3’ x 10’ or smaller and depending on where you garden, you can plant a warm-season cutting garden...
Did you know that you control the size of the flower heads on the sunflowers you grow? Interested in growing a gigantic sunflower for the birds to feast on or the perfect smaller head for a bouquet? You can and it is easy to boot. First, a quick lesson on the...
The first cuts of the season for the Benary's Giants. Growing great zinnias is easy. Hands down zinnias are the favorite garden flower for many. As a flower farmer, it is in our top 5 best selling cut flowers and as a retailer we sell more zinnia seeds than any other...
We are known on the local cut-flower scene for our near-perfect blossoms and how long they last in the vase. While this may have happened by chance at the beginning of my flower farming career--- nowadays I work pretty hard at making my flowers as gorgeous and long...
Some of the very first dahlias I grew. After growing lots of dahlias over the past few years I’ve come to the conclusion that it is much easier than I ever dreamed. They are the beauties of fall for sure. They can become quite addictive if you aren't careful--you've...
Sweet Peas Royal Mix Fragrant sweet peas are undoubtedly the one flower I have grown over the years that creates a stir in folks like no other. Memories come to the surface with just a lift to the nose, ah, the sweet scent of days gone by. Perhaps it was grandma or...
Most of us have dreamed of the beautiful cut flowers a backyard garden can provide for our home, but the secret that lingers in that garden is known only by a few. My sister Suzanne and I discovered this secret when we started making gift bouquets. We took the extra...
