Some of the flowers we grow do not like prolonged periods of cold, but they do like some cold to develop robust root systems. These are plants that we start from seed in January and let grow in the greenhouse for a little bit before planting in the fields. Once planted, we use a row cover (agribon 19) to help them survive the typically cold February weather.
Right now we are seeding Statice, Strawflower, Snapdragons, Lisianthus, Stock, Eucalyptus, and we'll be planting our poppy plugs in a few short weeks.
Towards the middle of February, we'll start many of our summer annuals from seeds, giving them a 4-6 week head start in seed trays before planting out after our last frost (typically March 15th).
Additionally, we seeded some extra Bupleurum in seed trays as a backup to our direct seeding. Some years are better than others regarding how many seeds sprout in the field, it depends on the combination of temperatures and rain, and this year not many of our Bupleurum sprouted. Though they prefer to be directly sown into the soil, they'll tolerate being transplanted, so I'm thankful I have some extra plants in our seedling trays. We'll be transplanting them out in the next week after it cools down slightly.
All of these little steps we take through-out the year culminate in beautiful spring bouquets. We're steadily planning, seeding, and planting. As the days grow longer our anticipation grows too!
Happy Growing!
Sarah Jo