I have many homesteading resolutions for 2018. Some are as small as growing a new variety of vegetable. Some are as large as planting a new forest! But, for the wonderful and ongoing #homesteadingchallenge run by @kiaraantonoviche, I decided to talk a little about one resolution BRAND NEW to me, and that's GROWING FLOWERS.

A New Challenge

I have grown vegetables for many years. And ornamental garden plants for even longer. I've kept birds and raised chickens for over a decade, and I started keeping quail a couple of years ago. I've butchered, and dressed, sown and grown, and turned my hand to many homesteading activities. But one thing I've never done is grown blooms for the sole purpose of having them a cut flowers.

WHY CUT FLOWERS?

I'll be honest; I'm not a very 'flowery' person. That said, there is something special about receiving a bouquet from a loved one or having sweet fragrance wafting through the house. I've been very low lately (mentally and physically). There was a knock at the front door today and I opened it still in my dressing gown at midday to discover a beautiful bunch of flowers sent my husband as a pick-me-up (left). It reminded me just how important flowers can be, not only in their own aesthetics, but in conveying care between friends and loved ones. And I think that's pretty special.

GROWING TO SHARE THE LOVE

This year, in 2018, I'm not only going to grow cut flowers for my own house, but to share a little love too. Of course, if it really takes off, selling a few bouquets will be a welcome homesteading addition. However, I'd like to really concentrating on creating something I can give to people. I'm not crafter....my decoupage looks like a 3 year old's art work and the one time I tried crochet....well let's just say there were more holes than yarn. But...growing...now that's one thing I can do.

ADDING FLOWERS TO MY PRODUCE GARDEN

As I've mentioned, I've grown garden plants for many years, but it was only last year that I half-heartedly threw in a few flowers especially for cut flowers. I ended up leaving the majority of the sunflowers in place and harvesting the seeds, and I used the zinnias in my conservatory. THIS year, I want to sow a lot more flowers purely for the role of bouquets. These will include larkspur, zinnias, sunflowers, dahlias (right), lupins, cornflowers and more.

I'm excited to see how this new garden works out. I'm keenly aware at the lack of full-sun aspect in my garden, so I'll have to move a few shrubs around to make space. In addition, I'm planning on growing some flowers that will tolerate a little shade - such as lupins and rudbekia. I've never tried it before and now the year has started and the growing season's not far away, I'm excited to begin!

Thanks for reading,

Geoff

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