What’s Growing on in the Garden: April 2024

Can you believe it’s officially May? Is it just me, or does it seem like spring is moving along quickly? Perhaps it seems that way because spring is one of the busiest times on the farm. I’ve been harvesting spring blooms several times a day, as fickle spring temperatures can cause the flowers to open before I get a chance to harvest them fully. Farmers pick flowers such as tulips and daffodils before they are fully open to give our customers the most extended vase life. So, when temperatures rise (like last week!), it is a race to get those flowers picked and tucked away in the cooler before they are fully open. Phew, quite the marathon! Perhaps I should have taken track in school! But, despite the marathon-like days, I still wanted to take a moment and share what we had growing on the farm in April.

April belonged to the specialty tulips and heirloom narcissus, no doubt! Armloads of these beautiful blooms came out of the field the past few weeks. I had concerns about a mild winter reducing the chill hours required for the bulbs to bloom and worries about short stem length. But, well-timed rain and some cooler days put those fears to rest and made the tulips dazzling this season. I never was a fan of tulips until I discovered how many unique specialty varieties there are. Parrot tulips are uniquely beautiful and unlike any other tulip form. They are known for their large, colorful, ruffled petals, often serrated or fringed. These captivating flowers will eventually open so broad that they flatten out, adding extra extravagance and drama. I can’t imagine a season without loads of parrot tulip varieties. And the double-petaled peony types also steal my heart each season.

Not to be outdone, the narcissus was equally impressive. Over the past few seasons, we have added hundreds of bulbs from several incredible varieties, and they did not disappoint! It was a joy to be reunited with the intoxicating scent of farm-favorite Sir Winston Churchill and the double-petaled bliss of Gay Tabor. Art Design, Pink Charm, and Yosemite Valley were new varieties that impressed us.

Other April blooms included Bleeding Heart in white and pink, Gravetye Giant, hyacinth Gipsy Queen, and the incredible Iceland Hummingbird poppies, all new to the farm this season. While we loved them all, we were utterly smitten with the papery blooms of the poppies, and they have quickly become farm favorites.

Spring is also the time to sow most seeds for the upcoming season. So, besides harvesting and making bouquets, my days are filled with seed sowing, tending to seedlings, and, of course, pulling the many weeds that insist they want to be a cut flower. Yes, the 2024 growing season is in full swing!

I’ve been thrilled to work with the spring flowers and share them with our CSA members and community. It feels lovely to be surrounded by fresh flowers on the farm again. Each day offers a new discovery, as a unique variety blooms for the first time, or I notice the flush of newly emerged leaves on a beloved perennial. The grass is green, the birds are singing, the bees are buzzing (and whistling!), and the flowers are blooming. Spring, how I love thee!  

As we bid farewell to the specialty tulips and heirloom narcissus in the field, now all harvested and tucked away into our cooler, a sense of nostalgia sets in. It’s a bittersweet moment, no longer seeing them standing tall in their beds, greeting me each morning. Yet, the excitement for what’s to come in May and beyond is palpable. I eagerly await the arrival of other spring blooms, such as lilacs, ranunculus, anemones, and peonies, promising to paint the farm in a new, vibrant palette.

Until next month’s recap, that’s what’s been growing on in our garden; what’s been growing on in yours?