While life on the flower farm has plenty of magical moments it's also balanced with many moments steeped in shit. Yes, we are darn good growers but sometimes you just have more mountains than you can climb, and the tail end of winter and beginnings of spring have carried a certain aroma.
If you follow along here, you know that our high tunnel number four has had a challenging bout, with losing its plastic and then having an extended stay uncovered. We nervously bit our fingernails as our favorite spring crop resided inside. The Ranunculus were planted here and only here for the 2024 season, surely they will be fine.
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Folks- they are not fine. Dead. Nothing. Not a single stem. While we are all crying on the farm and adjusting plans that are sans ranunculus we are trying to focus on the positives and AVOID tunnel 4, total shit in there.
It's easy to get hung up on these failures, we have to take them seriously there is a lot of cost and labor tied up into something that won't produce anything to help with the bottom line and it leaves a big hole on the design table.
BUT our team is pushing other alternative crops like our Anemone and Poppies as we prepare for substitutions to fulfill all our spring orders. We are falling in love with some of the "other" blooms that have to regularly compete with the ranunculus and we are tweaking growing processes (like forgoing the thick leaf topdressing) to learn all we can.
I know we will all be whining for a few weeks when our news feeds are filled with nothing but ranunculus and we are without. It will be a chance for us to shine the light on other flowers, AND other farmers who DO have ranunculus in abundance.
So while I'm crying the blues over the lack of ranunculus show some love to the specialty tulips and some of the "other" flowers for me....because you they say that misery loves company (although its hard to stay that way around the tulips!)
Let's hope the scent in the air starts leaning more towards the delightful smell of spring flowers!
XOXO, Jess
