Spend 3 minutes with me to see how we dig our Dalias! Here are a few more pro tips:
*If you are a slightly warmer area around Spokane and haven’t frosted your blooms yet, you can wait until you get cooler temps or start digging now. Just be sure to pull them before the ground freezes or before it gets too mucky. (We pushed that envelope a bit last year when we got a quick weather change to sudden snow! Makes for much more difficult digging!)
*When you cut off the foliage, leave a little stem nub sticking up about 3 inches. Don’t cut flush with ground level. This helps keep track of where the tubers are in the dirt and will make sure you don’t cut too close to the crown and damage future eye growth that will be needed for next seasons plants.
*If you want to divide to smaller pieces for storage but don’t have time that cut down to individual tubers the same day that’s ok! Just make sure you put them safe out of the weather and get to the tubers before they start getting too dry. It often takes us a few weeks to process our large collection.
*Keep a spray bottle with fresh clean water near by, to spritz dahlias, as needed in storage. Keep an eye to see if their wood shavings start feeling too dry. You want damp but not soggy!
*We recommend popping lids off boxes to inspect at least once each month during the winter to check if you have an issues. One bad tuber can ruin the whole lot, but diligent checking and removal of issues during storage can prevent rotting more than that one misfit!
*Your storage area should be somewhat climate controlled. It needs to stay warmer than 35 degrees but cooler than 50. Darkness is also ideal, but occasional light is ok. Perfect storage would be a root cellar if your home is old enough. More likely would be a cold basement, a well house, or maybe an insulated garage.
Are you storing in clumps or dividing to individual tubers? Did I leave you with unaddressed questions? Feel free to drop them below! Happy digging, fl
Who wants MORE events!? Paint night last week was soooo great! We plan to have awesomeness on the schedule in the next few weeks too. Here are two upcoming options for different events:
-August 22nd (Thursday) will be the perfect pairing with @shannonfayewinery for a “sip and snip” party from 6-8pm. Wine and flowers automatic win! (21+ only, for this event)
-August 25th (Sunday evening) we will have a repeat of this paint night fun! This will be 5:30-7:300m Let’s get creative!
Which do you plan to join us for next? Reserve your tickets now on our website!
Maybe you just want to u-pick? The garden is open today but will be closed (like every week) Tues-Thursday. Swing by until 8pm today to cut your own beautiful blooms! A few “grab and go” premade bouquets are staying fresh and waiting for you in the cooler too!
I’m not mad about it… but there are a LOT of growers that get very offended when their blooms are called “wildflowers” and I do get that frustration.
Each of the varieties we grow has been carefully selected for various reasons and then planted by hand. Very few things in our upick area come back year after year. Over 80% of our flower garden has to be replanted annually. The term “wildflower” implies that it grows all on it own. Don’t I wish!
When we are talking about style you can absolutely use the phrases like “I want to create a wildflower look” but just understand that there is a lot of work behind that lovely, naturally wild vibe your going for in your arrangements. 😉
Our open hours each week for public u-pick in the garden are:
Friday 10:30am-8pm
Saturday Sunday Monday 8am-8pm
It is $20 for a bucket of beautiful mixed garden blooms. We are set up to be self-serve, so just head into the garden and read the instructions under the big shady tree. Don’t forget to get water in your bucket so your flowers stay happy and hydrated.
Teachable Moment for your Tuesday! Here are some great tricks for helping your dahlias grow big and strong. Feel free to send to a friend that grows these blooms just their yard. What works well for you? We all have room to learn and grow!
FYI- We recorded a the clips a little while back but we needed to roll our sunflower info and this got back burnered. So dahlia plants are now bigger than what you see. We are getting closer to having blooms. But they are not here yet.
Do you have dahlias blooms yet? What other questions do you want us to talk about in future teachable moments?
The time has arrived and the fields are about to burst forth with sunshine! If you got our email you know we made our official announcement that booking will begin today 7/16/24 for two hour blocks. The first 24 hours of booking will ONLY be for photographers wanting to book a 2hour timeslot. (These are intended for running back to back multi family mini sessions or a perhaps a client that wants a longer time in the field.) Single sessions can be booked by ANYONE (you don’t even have to be a photographer) and will open the following day 7/17 at 7pm. If you want to see more details and have all your questions answered check out our website. That is where the link to booking calendar will be found, at the designated time bookings open. The actual sessions themselves will be conducted 7/19-7/29 each evening between the hours of 6-8:20pm but if you have questions please ask now! Our drawing for a F R E E single session (a couple post back) ends today! Go check it out quick!
💥 Heyo! We will be sending out an important 🌻 update tonight. Are you getting our emails/newsletter updates? Our email list is the first place we make big announcements. You should go sign up now- (Spokane flower farm .com 😜but without the spaces)
Here is a fun throwback to photos in our sunflower field from 2023 highlights on instagram. The time to scope out your favorite photographer and get in touch is now!
No favorite yet? We have many guests that return to our sunflower field every year because it’s such an awesome experience for both the photographer and their clients. Go take a look at our highlights or the tagged images to see for yourself!
We don’t open booking for those elusive sunflower photos sessions slots until we know with some degree of confidence that we are close to blooms. Typically that is just a few days prior to our first photo session slots. We know this makes it hard for the photographers and families hoping to coordinate. We understand the frustration but want to give you the best possible field experience which means waiting till we know the timeline. Here is a tiny hint, we will definitely be starting in July. 😉
Photographers, you are welcome to establish “interest lists” with clients names but we won’t be confirming availability for specific dates yet.
Everyone: Feel free to go back one post and enter for a free timeslot by tagging someone you want to do photos with in the sunnies. 🌻 Photographers you may indicate if you would like to do photos here in the comments so potential clients can start getting in touch with you now! Booking time will be here soon!
Whoops you messed up! That’s the theme song that plays in my head every time I am tidying the work bench and I find an open and discarded flower food packet.
These powdered packets are for at HOME, flower friends. Please do NOT put it in your bucket because you are not going to leave your blooms in the bucket.
Save the food for your vase and mix weaker than the packet says. Too strong of mixture can damage some of our sensitive flowers, like zinnias.
We recommend 1/3 of the packet with 1 quart of water. A flower food packet is included as gift with your purchase and we request you just take one per bucket!
Our flowers are so fresh you don’t really need to feed them but the powder does help in reducing the rate that the water gets funky. The best thing you can do for the lifespan of your blooms is mix a tiny bit of flower food with fresh water EVERY other day! Changing for fresh water is the most important part of that process.
Pop quiz: when do you open the flower food packet? 😉
Take a two minute tour of what’s blooming in the garden and peep what we have in the grab and go cooler. We will be open today and early on Friday 7/5 as well! Any questions?
Happy 4th to all our flower friends, stay safe out there as you have fun today! What are you doing to enjoy the holiday weekend?
I can’t be alone! Reaching out to ask those that remember when the original of this bop was popular, what have you chosen as your millennial side quest of the summer? 🤣
🍞 Sourdough starting
🌱 Garden growing
✨ DIY crafting
💵Small biz bossing
💪🏼 Workout rocking
🚐 Kids’ chauffeuring
🤪 All of the above.
Share yours and see our answer in the comments.
Ps peonies are done but upick is coming soon!
Have you put your order in? We have peonies ready to go now, in lush precut bunches. If you want us to hold one or two for you (and a neighbor, and a teacher, and a graduate and…) pop over to our website and submit your order. You can also just swing by! But we recommend if you plan to just drop in, doing so soon before all availability is reserved or picked up! Regular pick up hours this round are Wednesday 6/12 and Thursday 6/13 from 9am-6pm and Friday 6/14, 9am-3pm. But if you can’t make it then, please just give a call or message to coordinate a specific time that works for you! Ps- if you go back one post you will find a giveaway to enter! Don’t miss it.
Still plenty of peonies! Swing by and pick out your favorite bunch or a few! We will be available till 3pm and works for us and we coordinate suppertime to make sure you get your blooms this week!
It’s marshmallow day! No, not for s’mores it’s peony marshmallow time!
We try to harvest all of our peonies at the marshmallow stage to help our customers be able to enjoy them for as long as possible.
Typically harvesting at marshmallow stage is away growers maintain their peonies cooler shelf-life over an extended time. We don’t have the need to dry store or keep them in our cooler for weeks because usually our amazing flower fans come and scoop them all up in a matter of days. But harvesting in marshmallow stage means YOU get to enjoy them becoming fully open over a few days, in your home!
We hope to see you soon! Our peony presale is going on now on our website Spokaneflowerfarm.com and pick up is today from 10 AM till 1 PM or you can just swing by and see if we’re sold out during that time.
Have you claimed your bundle of beautiful blooms!? Let us know how excited you are for peony season!
Ps-if that time doesn’t work for you be sure to message us to coordinate a different pick up.
How are your spring gardening endeavors going, flower friends? I’ve had getting this how to video on my to-do list for at least two weeks….because, LIFE! But here we are at last! And we are so excited to have finished up our dahlia planting! Any guesses on how many total dahlias we put in the dirt for 2024?
Also a PS to this video: if your tuber “eye” isn’t growing as much as the little sprout on this clip, that’s ok! The eye starts as just a tiny nub and will thrive just fine. These tubers were just REALLY beyond ready to get planted out!
Tuber day happening now!
10am to 1pm
If not sold out first, Saturday also from 9-2
Curated collections of pre-selected colors $40 for 12 tubers. Custom collections you pick your favorites 12 tubers for $50. Or gamble on a mystery pack of unknown colors or styles but all beautiful $20 for 12 tubers. Five dollars for each individual tuber except for premium tubers which are priced Specific to their type.
