April 2019 Newsletter
Now that Spring has officially begun, our flowers are beginning to awake and really start growing. The month of March was a month brimming with an abundance of activities, keeping us busy almost every day. The first major accomplishment of the month was the startup of our flower cooler. We continued to prepare our planting areas, focusing on our summer garden where we plan to grow our Dahlias and newly arrived Lisianthus. One of the steps in preparing the summer garden is laying out the drip tape which had a surprise challenge for us. A little critter and his buddies appeared to have feasted on the drip tape requiring many unforeseen repairs to be done. In this edition of our newsletter, you can learn more about the activities on our farm and see what we have in bloom for April.
~STILL WATERS FARM AND GARDENS
Flower Cooler Up and Running
During March we successfully completed the conversion of our old shed into a flower cooler. This was a time-sensitive project because the warm days of summer would soon be here and we need a place to keep our flowers fresh. The last piece to the cooler was running an underground power line to the shed. Wanting to save some money, we decided to hand dig the 50 foot long trench needed for the power line. We are very grateful to our boys for lending their time and strength to this effort. Power was officially turned on March 4th and the cooler became operational soon after. Even though this project took much longer than expected (most projects around here seem to turn out that way), it brings a sense of joy knowing that this run-down old shed has new life being repurposed into such a valuable asset for our farm.
Checklist
☑ Power Is On
☑ Lights operating
☑ AC running
☑ CoolBot connected
☑ Temperature set
New Arrivals – Lisianthus and Chrysanthemums
One attribute that every good farmer needs to develop is adaptability. When we began our flower farm, we initially grew everything from seed. As we visited other flower farms and attended workshops, we realized that we do not have to grow all our flowers from seed. There are certain types that make more sense (and cent$) to buy as plugs or seedlings. So for our 2019 growing season, we ordered Lisianthus plugs and Chrysanthemums. Both of these arrived in March.
The Lisianthus have been planted out in our garden under low tunnels. These slow growing flowers need a little extra protection and considerable time before producing their lovely rose-like flowers during the summer. Now we wait, water and watch for the first blooms to appear.
The Chrysanthemums have been potted up and will be planted out in the fields sometime in the next month. The Mums will show off their brilliant blooms in late summer and throughout the fall. One interesting fact is that Mums come in distinct classes according to the shape of their flowers. Some of the classes we are planting are called Incurve (Irregular and Intermediate), Pompom, Quill, Spider, Spoon, Thistle and Reflex. With names like this, mums sound like a tough gang of flowers!
Current Offerings – Seasonal Flowers and Arrangements, Floral Wearables and Bouquet 🌼 Subscriptions
For April, we will have the following flowers available for sale by the stem or in a garden style arrangement designed with seasonal foliage.
Anemones, Daffodils, Ranunculus, Hyacinth and Flowering Branches
Beginning this month, we will be offering custom designed Floral Wearables including Wrist Corsages, Floral Rings and Boutonnieres.
April also brings two of the most special times of the year with Passover and Resurrection Sunday. If you would like flowers to be a part of these celebrations or other events, please consider one of our seasonal arrangements or a bucket of blooms.
Before you know it, the month of May and Mother’s Day will be here. If you want to make your mother feel special for more than just that one day in May, then our Bouquet Subscription would make a wonderful gift. With the purchase of a subscription, your mother will receive a hand-crafted bouquet of the freshest flowers every week based on the length of the subscription you choose.
For more information about any of these items, please visit our online shop at www.stillwatersfarmandgardens.com.
Seasonal Arrangements
Coordinated Boutonniere and Wrist Corsage
Our Story
STILL WATERS FARM AND GARDENS is a family run flower farm and floral design studio situated in the Mountain View community of Catawba County. Our farm offers seasonal specialty cut flowers 🌼, foliages 🌾 and edibles 🌿 to florists, restaurants and supermarkets. We also offer lovely garden style bouquets and arrangements using flowers and greenery carefully selected and harvested fresh from our fields. Our products are available for purchase at our seasonal roadside Farm Stand and online* at www.stillwatersfarmandgardens.com. Though we are growing all year round, our flowers and arrangements are offered beginning in early Spring and ending in late Fall.
Whether you are looking for a custom arrangement or several buckets of flowers, we look forward to serving your floral needs.
* – Available for delivery in Hickory, NC and surrounding areas