The Last Pansies and Sweet Peas – Cut Flower Garden Arrangement

In continuing our theme of closing out the hardy annual season, we are now faced with the last of the pansies and sweet peas. In making an arrangement, I can't help but feel that this combination turned out so well. These adorable, ruffled pansies are from the Victorian Posy pansy mix from Renee's Garden. Even…

Kitchen Sink Flower Arrangements

I absolutely love flowers, but wouldn't consider flower arranging to be my strong point. In fact, that's the main reason I post so many arrangements. In order to truly get better at something, I believe that you have to keep practicing. Today, we'll be arranging what I like to call a "Kitchen Sink" vase. This…

Sweet Peas and Sweet Fillers – A Cut Flower Arrangement from the Garden

Sometimes, the colors of the season just naturally work well with each other. Even though summer is most commonly associated with "hot" colors, the cool shades of purple and blue are currently blooming in profusion. Let's take a quick look at today's cut flower arrangement. Like so many others, this arrangement starts with these very…

Feeling Blue? Canterbury Bells Flower Arrangement

One of my favorite aspects of having my own cut flower garden is arranging a vase on a bad day. I mean, let's face it - we all have them. As it would turn out, going into the garden and picking this pretty (though moody looking) arrangement, was exactly what I needed. To begin this…

Peonies, Sweet Peas, and More! This Week’s Flower Arrangements

I've been working on taking better photos lately. Apparently, I still have a lot to learn. On the internet, it feels so overwhelming to try competing with the perfect people. Oh well, here are so pictures. Those big, fluffy Sarah Bernhardt peonies never disappoint me.  For this vase, I just added some sweet peas and…

November Hoop House Update – Hardy Annual Cut Flowers

To say that the weather over this past month has been wacky would be an understatement. It was less than three weeks ago that I was complaining about temperatures in the 90s - and now, it's snowing and in the teens! With such a wide fluctuation in temperature, I've  not done a very good job…

Direct Sowing Flower Seeds in Fall for the Spring Cut Flower Garden

One of the most common questions that I get about sowing hardy annuals in the fall directly relates to figuring our which plants should be started by direct sowing and which ones should be started in seed trays and then transplanted into the hoop house or into the ground. If I'm being honest, I don't…

Direct Sowing Sweet Peas into the Fall Garden

When I first starting growing flowers, sweet peas were high up on the list of things that I wanted to grow. I couldn't help it really, there was so much hype surrounding them. I had heard that they had an enchanting fragrance, and of course, the actual blooms looked so feminine and delicate - two…

Seed Starting Tips: Soaking and Stratification for Better Flower Seed Germination

It's nearly October, and that means one very important thing - it's time to begin preparing for the spring garden. While I know it seems somewhat odd to start preparations this soon, it's actual crucial in terms of creating the best garden possible. After all, now is the time to start planting fall flowering bulbs,…