Lilies and lavender

Summer is here!

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:00:30 -0500

It's felt like summer since mid May. This hot sticky weather makes me sluggish and wondering what August will feel like. The summer flowers don't seem to mind. We'll soon have sunflowers, black eyed susans and zinnias if the bunnies leave me enough to harvest. The cool loving spring flowers didn't like the early heat and many were stunted. We pulled out rows of short larkspur, poppies and nigella which were immediately replaced with ornamental peppers, cosmos and zinnia. No time to waste on low productivity. Right now the delphinium in the cold frame looks fantastic and the snap dragons are about to bloom. We'll also have amazon dianthus in a few weeks and hopefully some nice foxglove. I'm trying new varieties of Oriental Trumpet lilies which will be blooming for the next two to three weeks. There is a bright red and yellow called "Sophie", a medium pink called "Donato", "Bon Bini " which is a really cool white with a pink diamond pattern inside the petals, you just have to see it... "Time Zone" which is a bright pink and white and my old favorite soft yellow "Conca D'or. These are very large lilies with lots of big puffy buds and a great scent.

We've been spending a lot of time getting ready to plant all the new shrubs which were delivered just before Mother's day. After tilling, amending the soil and putting down landscape fabric for weed control we'll finally be planting them this week. I'm especially excited about the new varieties of hydrangea and a reblooming lilac called "Bloomerang". The hydrangea will probably put out some saleable stems next season but it will take a few years for the lilac to produce.

This week is graduation week for Central Bucks school district. I will have lots of bouquets for sale with shasta daisies, babies breath, heliopsis and Gaillardia and campanula along with the last of the larkspur and calla lilies. To special order graduation bouquets send me an email: kate@liliesand lavender.com or call the office and leave a message. 215-345-7282. The stand will be stocked with fresh bouquets Wed. Thurs. and Friday for those of you who want to stop by.

For summer weddings and parties we offer full floral design services or flowers by the bunch for those creative types who enjoy the art of floral arranging. A five gallon bucket of field fresh, seasonal flowers is $50.00, our choice of blooms. I promise they will all be beautiful and fresher then anything you can get online or a the local market. If you would like to select from what's available I'll be happy to send a price list.

Here's what's available this week

Campanula medium: pink, purple, lavender

shasta daisy: white with a yellow center

heliopsis: double yellow daisy

gaillarda: red and yellow daisy

sweet peas: red, lavender, pink, very few

calla lilies: deep pink, white, dark maroon, only a few left

delphinium: white, purple, lavender, very tall and full

Oriental trumpet lily "Sophie": Red and yellow

Oriental trumpet lily " Bon Bini": White and pink

Oriental trumpet lily "Donato" : pink

Oriental trumpet lily "conca D'or": yellow

snap dragons: white, maybe a few other colors

baby's breath: white

eryngium: sea holly, metallic blue

hydrangea: "Nikko blue"

Calla lilies and roses

Wed, 26 May 2010 10:09:04 -0500

This week the calla lilies look great! I have dark red, deep pink, cream, white with a pink edge and a golden yellow with a red edge. Fresh calla lilies will last a minimum of two weeks. I've had a bouquet of callas in my kitchen for four weeks and they look as though I just picked them. This week I'll be bringing them to market in bouquets with blue and white cloud larkspur and baptisia for $15.00. I'll also be selling them in three, five and ten stem bunches for $9.00, $14.00 and $25.00.
After a very cold winter I'm excited to tell you my Kordes roses are healthy and just beginning to bloom. All I can say is WOW! they look gorgeous and smell wonderful. I'll be bringing a few to market next week just to tease you. These roses are nothing like the roses from your local grocery store or florist. I've only sprayed them with horticulutral oil for aphid and plant shield and compost tea as a preventative for fungal diseases such as black spot. There are lots of beneficial insects flying around because of the herbs I've planting under and around them. This is only their second growing season so the quantity of flowers will still be small. I've been told year three is when they really start to produce.
We've gotten a little behind on the herb garden. This week we'll finally be putting in the beds. With good weather next week we'll finally get the herbs in the ground. I'll be posting photos of our progress in the next few weeks.

Warrington Farmers' Market at Valley Square

Thu, 20 May 2010 22:20:04 -0500

Warrington Farmers' Market at Valley Square is open from May 14 through Thanksgiving every Friday from 3:00 - 6:00 pm

The farmers' market is located in Warrington on route 611 at Street rd. and sets up along Main St. in the Valley Square shopping center.

Lilies and Lavender will be there with beautiful flowers and herbs from May 22 through Thanksgiving.

Farmers' market season

Thu, 20 May 2010 22:17:34 -0500

Farmers' market season is here! Look for Lilies and Lavender's flowers and herbs at these local farmers' markets:

Doylestown Farmers' Market

Clinton st. Doylestown, behind the municipal parking lot

Saturday from 7:00 - 12:00

April 17 - November 13

Wrightstown Farmers' Market

2203 Second St. Pike, adjacent to the municipal township offices

Saturday from 9:00 - 12:00

May 1 - November 13

Rittenhouse Square Farmers' Market

1800 Walnut St. Philadelphia, at Rittenhouse Square

Saturday from 9:30 - 3:00

May 1 - November 13

Warrington Farmers' Market at Valley Square

Route 611 at Street Rd. in the Valley square parking lot at Main St.

Friday from 3:00 - 6:00 pm

May 14 - October

Rittenhouse Square Farmers' Market

Wed, 19 May 2010 06:44:39 -0500

The Rittenhouse Square Farmers' Market is open year round every Saturday from 9:30 - 3:00

it is located at the 1800 block of Walnut St. in Philadelphia right in front of Rittenhouse Square Park.

Lilies and Lavender will be there with beautiful flowers and herbs from Mother's day through Thanksgiving.

You will also find other great vendors selling produce, wild caught fish, pastured meat, goat and cow dairy products, chocolates, bread and bakery goods, sedum and other plants for green roofs and bedding plants.

New Product Graph: potted and cut herbs

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:29:37 -0600

Click here to view the graph.

Interns needed, new gardens planned

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:35:24 -0600

I've decided to put in two new gardens early this spring. One will be a small culinary and ornamental herb garden and the other will be a demonstration cutting garden. I'll be using the gardens as outdoor classrooms and plan to have demonstrations on floral and garden design. I'll be documenting everything with photos so be sure to look for future blogs on how the new gardens are progressing. If things go well I'll be adding a butterfly garden and perhaps a medicinal herb garden too.

The pergola garden is almost complete. All that is needed are two vines, one more hydrangea and a nice place to sit on the patio. I just orderd 150 hellebores from Barry Glick, the hellebore King, so I'll probably try to squeeze a few of these beauties in too. I'll be planting most of them in a boring row somewhere in the shade out back. For anyone interested in Hellebores visit Barry's website www.sunfarm.com. He has some beautiful plants and hellebores are his favorites. I'll be selling a few in gallon pots early in the spring at the farmers' market.

I've started my annual hunt for interns. Anyone interested in spending the spring and summer learning how to grow cut flowers please contact me. The only requirements are that you are 18 or over, willing to work hard in all kinds of weather, be ready to work by 6:00 am ( I'll supply the coffee) and can commit to 20 hours a week for a minimum of ten weeks. The season starts the first week of April and ends in November. I'm also looking for a full time field and greenhouse manager. This position requires some education and experience in floriculture. If you are interested in applying for either position contact me by email: kate@liliesandlavender.com or phone 215-345-7282

Sustainability Movie Series

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:36:38 -0600

For anyone interested in Sustainability

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and the Pennypack Farm and Education Center are hosting a sustainablilty movie series at the Ambler theatre. Each movie delves into a different aspect of sustainability-fishing, water and farming. Learn how your small changes can make a big difference to the world.

All showtimes 7:30pm Tickets: $10 per movie or $24 for the series. Tickets Available at the Ambler Theater Box Office or www.amblertheater.org/pennypack

Ambler Theater 108 E. Butler Ave. Ambler, PA 19002 215-345-7855

End of the Line

Jan 12th 7:30pm - THE END OF THE LINE reveals the impact of overfishing on our oceans. Scientists predict that at the current rate of fishing most seafood will be gone by 2048. The movie points to solutions that are simple and doable and will ensure a supply of seafood for future generations.
More information at www.endoftheline.com

Tapped

Feb 9th 7:30pm - Looks at the environmental damage and health risks created by bottled water. Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right or a commodity to be bought and sold? Just two startling facts - 40% of bottled water is just tap water (so why pay for it?) and two million tons of plastic garbage created by bottled water is in landfills, or worse, in the ocean. This movie will make you think twice before you purchase another plastic water bottle.
More information at www.tappedthemovie.com

Fresh

Mar 9th 7:30pm - A positive look at how farmers, thinkers and business people across America are re-inventing our food system to forge healthier, sustainable alternatives to agri-business.This movie will get you enthused about your food again and get you itching to be in the garden.
More information at www.freshthemovie.com

Interns needed, demonstration gardens planned

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:13:12 -0600

The arbor garden is almost complete. All that is needed are two vines, one more hydrangea and a nice place to sit on the patio. I just orderd 150 hellebores from Barry Glick, the hellebore King, so I'll probably try to squeeze a few of these beauties in too. I'll be planting most of them in a boring row somewhere in the shade out back. For anyone interested in Hellebores visit Barry's website www.sunfarm.com. He has some beautiful plants and hellebores are his favorites. I'll be selling a few in gallon pots early in the spring at the farmers' market.

New Product Graph: cut flower availability

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:05:51 -0600

Click here to view the graph.