Happy Friday y’all!

Rinsed fresh with a day and night of steady rain, the last drops just fell and the birds are singing with full throats this morning. A perfect pre-soaking for all the warm days we’ve got coming. In the 10 day forecast, we’ve got 5 days in the high 70s, so poppies will be popping.

I saw some brilliant quince blossoms outside the studio and the snowball viburnums are just starting to leaf out. The daffodils are blinking their way into existence throughout the landscape and the field grown varieties are soon to follow. The baby lunaria is making its way up through the mulch. It’s a lovely, albeit squishy, time to be outside.

In the tunnels, the poppies are really coming to life and will be even more abundant with all these warm days heading our way.  We’ll need to switch from 2-a-day harvests to 3-a-day, just to keep up.

We’re getting some anemone, ranunculus, and even the first niblets of our butterfly ranunculus harvests too. All just in time for the first week of subscriptions, which will go out next week.

If you are getting one, put a reminder on your calendar. If you bought one as a gift, remind your recipient of their upcoming delivery and encourage them to get those flowers off the doorstep and into a vase in a timely fashion. Surprise flower gifts are not a good idea. They’ll potentially be left in a box for hours or days, to cook in the sun, or freeze entirely. As sweet as the sentiment is, it’s always better to alert them that a beautiful, yet perishable gift is arriving so they can receive them promptly and enjoy them fully. Fortunately, our long time customers know this well and it rarely occurs these days, but a little PSA for our new friends feels appropriate at the beginning of a new season.

I know folks are chomping at the bit to get to the Farm Store, and I promise it's coming soon.  Mandy is gracefully handling being pulled in 10 different directions this time of year and is just beginning the process of visualizing the new set up for the store this weekend.  If you’ve been there before, you have a sense of what that might take.  My head can’t wrap itself around how she turns that little room into the dynamic art piece it becomes each year.  Especially while being in charge of literally everything and everyone else out here during an immensely busy time. But, she truly is a dynamo who’ll spend most every evening and weekend in there from now til then to make sure it is a delight to visit and shop in.

So, thank you for your patience and do know that the opening will be upon us shortly.  The Farm Store officially opens March 19th.  If you’re eager to get some open flowers in the meantime, I’m excited to announce that you now have an option as we’ll be selling bundles of open poppies at Comer Coffee Co. on Saturday mornings until that time!

Speaking of CoCoCo…after raving about their Sunday morning music, I ended up having to work all day, so missed it last week, but I am hoping to schedule harvests around it and get there for this last event.

As for other farm stuff, our hellebore sale is live, we’ve got some great seeds available for your spring garden, our mum starts are looking incredible, and ordering for our local Plant Sale starts March 28th.  And and and….. Poppies bring Joy and Cheer! If you need to share some love in tangible form with a friend who needs a pick me up, a congratulations,  or a reminder that they’re loved and appreciated, poppies are perfect for that!  We’ve got 8 short weeks with these beauties and the poppy clock just started ticking, so enjoy ‘em while we got ’em :).

Oh!!!  Flower lovers…registration for Floret’s Flower Arranging Workshop will be open 3/2-3/6.  She’s the queen of the flower universe for good reason.  About as good an instructor as you can find, who has an excellent style and natural aesthetic that is super fun and inspiring to emulate.  Highly recommended!

Have a great weekend!

Steve