A reflection I had yesterday. I think the feeling of “impostor syndrome” is really common, and most of you can probably relate. I don’t like the word “expert”, to be honest. I’ve been described as a “garden expert” or a “flower expert”, but the truth is that I’m not sure such a thing exists. The thing I love most about my decision to pursue a career in horticulture is that it was a commitment to lifelong learning, and to being humbled again and again and again. I grow cut flowers because I can’t seem to imagine not doing it. I love growing them, I love choosing and changing and refining the things I grow every season. I love curating colour stories and combining them into unique bundles that smell as lovely as they look. Floral design? It’s just not in my comfort zone. It’s one of many reasons I don’t offer wedding florals. BUT! (And it’s a big but) I really love walking through the garden with a special arrangement in mind. When someone asks for a date night bouquet, or a birthday arrangement, it’s my absolute JOY to wander and snip the blooms that I know will be JUST RIGHT for that person. I love choosing every single flower and then doing my best to arrange them in a way that brings out their unique beauty. I love making people happy. So. If I allowed myself to believe that I had to be an EXPERT to be able to do that… look at what we both would miss out on. I’m so glad I don’t care about experts.
Mornings are busy, but the view sure is lovely. Need some tulips? I still have available bouquets for this weekend, send a DM! 🌷
I did this to myself. 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷#krisgrowsplants #tulipmania #farmerflorist #tulipseason #workbeforework #bouquetsubscriptions #flowercsa #localflowers #localtulips #springbouquet #lindsayontario #kawarthlakes #kawarthalakesontario
On a day like this, where it’s warm and the soil is thawing and it smells HEAVENLY, it’s incredibly hard to resist the urge to get into the garden and start cleaning it up. But resist I do. 🌱 I keep garden practices pretty organic, and supporting insect diversity and a healthy ecosystem in my yard is important to me. Many of the beneficial insects that are overwintering in my gardens are burrowed into hollow stems, nestled into piles of leaf litter, or buried in the top few inches of mulch. Once the temperatures get steadily warm enough that most of those insects have emerged and started their work for the spring, that’s when I’ll get wild back there. Man… it’s really hard to wait! Trust me, though. It’s worth it. 🐝 #krisgrowsplants #gardentip #pollinatorgardening #lindsayontario #kawarthalakes #farmerflorist #ecofriendlygardening
Tomorrow morning is your chance to get in on the 2024 Spring Bouquet Subscription program! 4 weeks of gorgeous, large, luxury Spring bouquets this May… all the details are on the site now. 🌷 The online inventory reads “sold out” until 9am on Sunday, Feb 25th. We can’t wait to bring a whole season of blooms to you, Kawartha Lakes! https://www.krisgrowsplants.com/products/spring-bouquet-subscription
Why I Grow Flowers
Everyone has a story. If you have 3 minutes, I’ll tell you a little part of mine.
2024 will be my 7th year of growing cut flowers in the Kawartha Lakes, and my 22nd year of being a working professional in the horticulture industry. Life brings many challenges and changes as we move through it, and the beautiful, life-altering experiences over the last 7 years shook me, but also shaped me.
Finding myself again by going back to flowers has been both healing and transformative, and has connected me to a loving community that I needed. This is for anyone who has ever felt a little lost… I hope it helps.
Tulips aren’t a short-term relationship.In fact, when you’re a flower farmer, it takes an entire year to plan, plant, and produce a crop. 😳 They’re a heavy up-front investment in dollars, time, and labour. They’re demanding, and expensive, and usually a cold & miserable experience to plant. BUT JUST LOOK AT THEM. There’s just nothing like em, especially in early Spring when we’ve endured months of bleakness and they just SING with life, texture & colour. It’s almost their time again. Every day brings us closer to this feeling! 🌷#krisgrowsplants #farmerflorist #specialtycutflowers #specialtytulips #backyardflowerfarm #springtulips #springbouquet #bouquetsubscription #flowercsa
For me, there’s nothing like the beautiful madness of tulip season in May. After planting and waiting 7 months to see them, thousands of blooms push up from the ground, and when they’re ready, they’re ready NOW. Tulips wait for no one, which is why pre-selling them by subscription works so well for me… I have the assurance that the insane scramble of harvesting these gorgeous stems is worth the effort, and YOU get the guarantee of 4 weeks of the freshest, most gloriously gorgeous bouquets. It’s a win-win! 🌷🌷🌷Kris Grows Plants spring bouquet subscriptions go on sale this month. Want to drop a hint to someone? Tag them here!#krisgrowsplants #krisgrowsflowers #lindsayontario #backyardflowerfarm #specialtycutflowers #specialtytulips #springbouquet #bouquetsubscription #flowercsa #farmerflorist #kawarthalakes #kawarthaflowers
…not that I’m counting, or anything. 🌷
I know you love dahlias, so don’t come for me without hearing me out. Every year, as a grower, you have to make choices and decisions about how to use your limited resources. In my garden, my most valuable (and limited) resources are:🌷space🌷my TIME. As I continue to evolve my production plans year after year, dahlias are becoming less and less important to me. Losing 90% of my potential summer blooms in this August’s hail storm helped to further solidify a thought I’d already been rolling around in my head. For me, for now, dahlias are simply NOT WORTH the space and time that they take in my gardens. 😳 Sorry. It’s just true. So… for 2024, I’ll be making a very careful and deliberate selection of 3-4 dahlia varieties that are PERFECT for my mix and highly productive, and I’ll be confining them to a single raised bed. That’s it. And the ones I had this year simply didn’t make the cut, so they get the literal boot. Byeeeeeee! Are you mad about it? Tell me what you think. #krisgrowsplants #krisgrowsflowers #gardenrage #rageagainstbigdahlia #dahlias #dahliastorage #dahliatips #farmerflorist #lindsayon #lindsayontario #kawarthalakes
There’s just really something about Lisianthus that gets people excited. It makes sense. These flowers are so dreamy and romantic, and every season, I can hardly believe I grew them myself as I hold armfuls of their ruffly gorgeousness. They’re the easy stars of the summer programs, for sure. Want some? Summer subscriptions are now available, with first deliveries starting Thursday, August 10th. ❤️
It’s been a busy weekend! With the last of the tulips out of the beds and into the cooler, there’s no time for rest. The most important thing about growing in a small space is making the most of your resources… so when something comes out, something else goes right back in! The soil gets amended with a good dose of organic flower food, a fresh top-up of triple mix, and then the summer crops are ready to plant. Hundreds of snapdragons and Lisianthus are now in and growing… and my focus turns to all of the border beds and the vast task of planting dahlias, zinnias, cosmos, glads, and a small army of new roses. SPRING, amiright? What did you plant this weekend? #krisgrowsplants #krisgrowsflowers #backyardfarmer #farmerflorist #backyardflowerfarm #backyardflowers #lisianthus #gardenflip #womenwhofarm #suburbanfarming #cutflowerfarm #cutflowerfarmer #lindsayontario #kawarthalakes #kawarthaflowers #kawarthagrown #kawarthas
Summer-loving me is thrilled that is feels like summer.Spring-loving tulips, less so. Hey man, slow down. #krisgrowsplants #krisgrowsflowers #bouquetsubscription #specialtytulips #specialtycutflowers #springbouquet #backyardfarmer #lindsayon #lindsayontario #kawarthalakes #kawarthaflo
It’s happening! 🌷Tonight (Friday, Feb 24th) at 6pm, our 4-week Spring Bouquet Subscriptions go on sale to the public. The demand was so great last year that we decided to take the plunge this Fall and increase our specialty tulip planting by what might be an insane degree. I really don’t like disappointing people… so it’s my hope that everyone who wants a subscription will be able to get one this Spring. What is the subscription and how does it work? All of the info is at the link in my bio now, and that “sold out” status will vanish at 6pm. I hope you’re as excited as we are. 💝 #krisgrowsplants #krisgrowsflowers #lindsayontario #kawarthalakes #kawarthaflowers #specialtytulips #tulipbouquet #specialtycutflowers #bouquetsubscription #springbouquet #flowercsa #flowersubscription #unicornblooms
It’s up-potting season in my world. I love it when these babies grow up!
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I transplanted this Ficus lyrata in November, into a lightweight, wheeled pot. She instantly perked up and hydrated so much easier with the new soil volume and little boost from the dose of earthworm castings. BUT... because she’s a diva, she did subsequently drop a few lower leaves when I shifted her location, for the sake of drama. Hard relate, babe. Change is tough. 😉
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#repotting #uppotting #ficuslyrata #houseplantcare #houseplantcaretips #happyplants #lindsayontario #kawarthalakes #kawarthaflowers
