Late Fall Blooms

This season I decided to  try to push our growing season into December. I ordered mum plugs  from Kings Mums in Oregon. They specialize in chrysanthemums that are above and beyond what you normally see, for cut flowers and designs. Once  the plugs  arrived in April, we potted them up until we had greenhouse space for them.  Once they were in the ground, they grew in proliferate. They began blooming a few weeks ago.

We also planted lilies in the greenhouse to expand beyond the season we have for them out on the farm. Here is this week’s bouquets that went out to City Market in Burlington.

 A mixed bucket of our specialty mums: some look more like dahlias then the traditional mums, while others have spoon-shaped petals.

These will have spilling  petals that will look like curly quills when they are fully developed

As you will see around Vermont, not much is left in the fields at this time of year.  In our fields the only thing still growing is ornamental cutting kale, which thrive in cool temperatures. Ornamental kale is grown for its open form and long stems.  They take the place of different types of greenery we’d usually incorporate in floral bouquets and are a strong complement to mums of all types.

Customers love them at late fall markets as they are unusual and long lasting.