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How to plant dahlia tubers
I’ve sold dahlia tubers the past couple of years as a way to supplement my winter income, as well as to share these amazing flowers with fellow dahlia lovers! It took me a while to figure out the best way to store them (and in fact, it’s a work in progress!) but as my stock of tubers has grown and I’ve gotten better at propagating them, I’ve found that sharing the love is the best way to go! Some people are old hands at growing dahlias, but for those of you who might be new to them, here’s a short guide to planting: Plant at the right time of year.…
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Seasonal summer flowers for a New England summer wedding
I’ve flowered a couple of weddings at Fruitlands so far, and each seems to be at the peak of summer. The warmest days, the peak of summer flower harvest, and always, always, that beautiful view of the hills of central Massachusetts from the ceremony spot in the meadow. Summer wedding flowers are the most varied and offer so many possibilities! As mentioned, the location of this wedding is the grounds of Fruitlands Museum, Harvard, Massachusetts. All photos are by Fergie Medar Photography. Colleen’s bouquet was pinks and light purples and whites – really perfect for peak-summer flowers. You can see a few roses in her bouquet, but I also used…
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Warm fall colors at a warm fall wedding – The Boylston Rooms, Easthampton
Dallas and Jessee were all about the terracotta colors at their warm fall wedding at The Boylston Rooms in Easthampton. I’d describe their warm-toned, seasonal wedding florals as cozy, seasonal, and elegant. All photos are by Bug and June Photo. Location:Â The Boylston Rooms, Easthampton. Flowers by me! I used several different dahlias in Dallas’s bouquet, including a couple of my favorite soft orange blooms, Labyrinth and Jowey Linda, Added some nice orange roses, some beautiful peach and cream lisianthus I got from Old Friends Farm, a few heirloom chrysanthemums and some soft blue-green eucalyptus and ta da! Proof that an all-orange wedding bouquet is anything but uniform. The couple’s…
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Summer color, summer joy: a Gedney Farm wedding
Julia and Adam were not afraid of lots of colorful blooms for their late summer Gedney Farm wedding, and that was a good thing because September is peak flower season in New England! When people think of “fall flowers” I think they think of orange and red tones, but the reality is our fall flowers – especially dahlias – come in all tones! And since I plant about 50 different varieties of dahlias every year, there’s lots of color to choose from. The wedding location is Gedney Farm, in New Marlborough, Massachusetts, northern Berkshires. The photographer for this happy couple is Chelsea Proulx. Flowers by me! Julia’s instructions for me…
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Bright and sunny summer wedding at the Boylston Rooms
When I was setting up the arch installation for Caitlyn and Justin’s Boylston Rooms wedding, someone – probably photographer Trish Kemp – said it was pretty and sunny, just like the bride’s personality. I thought this was so sweet! And since I already knew Caitlyn (as did Trish) before she hired me to do her wedding flowers, I agree! All photos of Caitlyn, Justin, and their friends are by Trish Kemp Photography. Location: the ever beautiful The Boylston Rooms, Easthampton. Flowers by me! Summer flowers give us all the variety we could ask for in a wedding bouquet, and Caitlyn’s bouquet was no exception. I used sunflowers, light blue tweedia…
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All the flowers are blooming – a spring wedding at Gedney Farm!
Frannie and Colby’s early spring wedding at the beautiful Gedney Farm in the Berkshires was a family-centered, DIY affair. For this wedding I just did the personal flowers, meaning those that the couple and their wedding party held personally, as well as a larger arrangement for the stairwell, and the family created the rest of the designs, including the ceremony piece, using buckets of flowers they got from me a few days before the wedding. You can read more about DIY weddings here. Frannie comes from a farming family in eastern Massachusetts, and it was important to them to have local, seasonal blooms, and since it was early spring, that…
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Springtime wedding in the Berkshires: Eisner Camp, Great Barrington
Amira and Nathan’s wedding at URJ Eiener Camp at Great Barrington was long-awaited! My 2nd to last reschedule of the covid years, it was so wonderful to see all their friends and family convene on the spacious and historical grounds of this Berkshire summer camp. A few notes: Photos (except noted) taken by Danielle of Salty Raven Studio. Location: UJR Eisner Camp, Great Barrington, MA. Planner: Aligned Events Flowers: me! The couple’s flowers were largely in shades of light purples, and almost entirely farm-grown and seasonal. Lavender was a special request of the bride, so I put it in everything – the bouquet, the boutonniere, and even in plant form…
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In springtime, love is in the air at Valley View Farm!
If you think pastels are the only choice for a spring wedding, Liz and Corey (and I) have a bone to pick with you! Spring weddings can be ALL the colors! That’s what Liz and Corey wanted, and that’s what they got. Hot pinks, corals, fuschias – and in amazing seasonal spring flowers to boot. All photos of this bright and beautiful wedding are by West on Jade. Location: Valley View Farm, Haydenville, MA. Flowers are by me, of course, and feature locally grown tulips, American-grown peonies, and other bright-bright springtime flowers! I like this close-up of Liz’s bouquet because it features some nice fat tulips, front and center. I…
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What is a Flower Share?
A Flower Share, also known as a Flower Subscription, also known as a Flower CSA (CSA=Community Supported Agriculture), benefits both consumers and growers. A Flower Share is a weekly or monthly “share” of locally grown flowers, paid for ahead of time, provided (either through pickup or delivery) on a set schedule. The consumer gets the freshest of seasonal flowers delivered to his/her/their door and knowledge that what they are receiving was grown locally, using sustainable practices, on a small farm. Most flowers sold in the US are imports from countries with dubious employment practices, lower standards for safety, including a heavy use of pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides to meet…
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Winter wreath workshops at Passalongs Farm
I started hosting wreath making workshops about 4 winters ago and they are now one of the things I look forward to the most all year! It’s so fun to see folks take my simple instructions and make amazing, truly one-of-a-kind evergreen wreaths. Here’s how it works: I provide: a grapevine wreath, clippers, wire, and a wide assortment of seasonal evergreens, berries, sticks, dried flowers, foliages and grasses, as well as other ephemera I might find in my travels (mushrooms? lichen? acorns? and of course, pinecones!) as well as a simple lesson in hand wiring a wreath, and then you use your imagination and creativity to create your own special…
