Happy Friday y’all!

We sent our first flower boxes of 2026 out this Thursday, so they should be arriving at their new homes now! 7 Bundles of poppies and 2 bundles of anemones and a handful of sunset colored ranunculus as a little add on to our dear friend Kali, who as our former studio manager, had packed the last box of 2025 and is now the first customer to receive a box in 2026!

Some warmer weather is coming and that should start the crescendo of increasing yield for our flowers, so supplies will start to climb as the weeks pass. Slow at first, then overflowing with abundance, until the end of April, and off a cliff. It’s a glorious 12 week period of color and fragrance. The fragrance comes with the daffodils and from the veritable botanical garden in our landscape.

Speaking of fragrance, somehow the winter honeysuckle survived all the nights around 10 degrees. Our house’s pipes didn’t even survive. Not sure why they chose this week to bust after 15 years of survival, but I was just settling in to a Saturday evening beer and a relaxed disposition on a cold and beautiful snow filled evening, when I found the water was dead in the house. The pump was fine, the breaker didn’t trip, the other buildings had water, but I soon discovered that although there was no water flowing in the house…it was flowing just fine under the house. I’ll spare you the deets of that delightful evening and move on to the good news that the rest of the farm (aside from some other busted pipes) fared fantastically well. The snow melted off the heated tunnels without need of assistance and was easily brushed off the unheated tunnels in harmoniously cooperative fashion during daylight hours.

I’m not a snowboy, but I’ve never seen snow that light and dry. Mandy and I went for a walk deep in the state park as the snow started in earnest, and the flakes were huge and clearly defined in a way neither of us had ever seen. Strands of spider silk dangling from dormant twigs, gathered flakes in flowing lines that blew in the wind and looked like heavenly tassels.

A quick swipe at the carpet of snow on the ground would gather not only what you touched, but all snow within a radius around what was touched. It came clean off the ground like a piece of sod. It was attracted to itself. I mean…I get it. It was beautiful. But it truly behaved with a different set of physics than I’ve seen snow behave in before, and it was curious and delightful in its efforts to confuse and amuse us.

You win, Snow. We are enamored. Feel free to return at your leisure (pronounced lez-zure) And yes…as predicted, it made amazing cocktail ice. The mouth feel is that of the finest, gentlest, most soothing and refreshing sort you could imagine. We each had a White Russian to test the veracity of our memories…and it was divine. The only downside to snow so light was that it required an excessive amount to achieve the desired goal, because as soon as liquid was added, it vanished like cotton candy on an eager tongue.

So tree branch to tree branch I flitted like a frosty boozy butterfly, scooping ever more with my dedicated snow spoon, until the right ratio was eventually acquired. Perfection. Some sources say I may have even had a follow up to make sure the experience of nature’s silky palatability wasn’t imagined. Science is important. Repeatable results are critical to ensure systems are accurate. Nevertheless…..

All of this ice and snow has slowed what once were rapidly progressing plants and diminished potential floral yields for the fast approaching holiday de amor, but we’ve got some other plans for you womans and mans that want to express your cares with a gift of the botanical sort.

This year we’re launching our much anticipated hellebore sale early so those that love a gardener/farmer/grower (even if that person is your very own self) can get a Valentine/Galentines/Halentines (for those that love a dude named Hal) gift of the most amazing and newly developed Ice N' Roses series of hellebores to hit the market.  We got first dibs.  We got the connect.  We’re making them available to y’all.  In particular, those that are on our hellebore waitlist get first access starting today at 2pm EST!  You’ll have a 2 day head start, and then we open up purchases to the general public on Sunday, so don’t miss the kiss.  Style the moment.  Get the goods and give 'em away.  Even if away is your backyard.

As much fun as we’ve had, I’m looking forward to a weekend without frozen water.  We can get down to Comer Coffee and schmooze with the townsfolk and have an easy morning.  Can’t wait.  Hope you y’all find some smiles where you can.  Wishing you a great weekend!

Steve