Winter Solstice & 2022 Season Recap

First off: Thank you! Thank you a million times over. I am completely humbled and filled with gratitude by everyone who supports my teeny tiny business in any way.

Now for the 2022 Season Recap

It has been a year…

That’s life though. And mother nature can sure knock you down a few rungs and remind you who’s in charge.

The season started out with some very sad and unexpected news from a dear friend. I soothed my soul a bit by getting my hands back into the cold soil as I planted out my beautiful ranunculus corms.

Anemones overwintered and were tucked in and peaking out as the weather warmed. Their pristine faces some of the earliest and most welcome of spring.

As spring rolled on, the heirloom narcissus began to bloom, tulips budded up, and peonies too were ready to explode! And explode they did. The temperatures rose very quickly making the flowers literally burst open more quickly than usual. It was our first year fully harvesting the peony field and it was absolutely incredible! Thousands of stems!

We offered our Cut Flower Garden Collection for the first time! I’m currently in the process of revamping the line up to remove those I think can be replaced by even better varieties! This is for those garden enthusiasts interested in cutting flowers from the comfort of their own garden, raised beds, or container garden! Stay tuned.

The ranunculus and anemones were gorgeous as well along with the background singers of spring: nigella, cress, campanula, feverfew, spriea, larkspur, sweet William, and on and on!

My soulmate of a dog, Dougie, suddenly became very ill the first of May and after a week in and out of the vet hospital and ER vet without improvement or answers, we made the choice to take him to Cornell University. He spent 10 days with their team of experts but unfortunately even they could not figure out the cause and we brought him home. To this day, they do not know what’s going on and he has not fully recovered. But he is still with us and we take it day by day. He remains under the amazing care of the Cornell vets along with our home vets as we trial various treatments.

Within a month of Doug getting sick, I took another punch with the death of my sweet horse, Aspen. An old gal but the timing really rocked me. Thankfully my day job was ending for the summer but I was so overwhelmed with sadness and hurt. I needed a break from more of what was on my plate so we opted to stop all IVF treatments as the flower show had to go on. I knew I was not in the right frame of mind and something had to give.

Spring turned to summer and with it, the flowers began to change as well. But Mother Nature had plans other than an abundance of flowers and the rain opted for a strike.

Our summer CSA started the first week of July and put me in a mild but perpetual panic as to whether or not we’d have enough flowers. The combination of no rain and scorching temperatures was truly brutal.

One of the weeks was only possible thanks to the generosity and fresh flowers from my friend and fellow farmer at Pretty Bird Farm. The rain only started up again at the end of our CSA run. Thankfully, we were able to provide the big beautiful bouquets we promised but not without fret!

With the rain and break from the high temperatures, the dahlias started to turn around. A little late but better than never. They were no where close to what they were last year but try try try again is the name of the game! We’ll reach our full-dahlia-potential again!

 The seasons kept moving and again the flowers changed right along side. Fall brought on some gorgeous blooms. Some of my favorite bouquets and arrangements to date. Fall CSA anyone?!

Autumn brought not only beautiful flowers but also some amazing sunrises, sunsets, and my very favorite part: our new dog Dahlia! She came up from Tennessee and was fostered locally by an amazing women. Of course, I wasn’t looking to add a 4th dog but when I saw her little face she just had to come home to the farm. She fits like a glove with our whole family and we can’t imagine how we got along without her.

Later in the fall, we held our first Peony Planting Workshops which everyone loved! We were worried that a more educational-focused and less hands-on workshop might not appeal to people but I’m happy to say we were wrong!

We planted 800 of our own peony roots as well! What an undertaking but I’m so thrilled that we pushed through and got it done!

Wreath workshops and handmade wreaths rounded out our season and brought us right up to last week. I have now been semi-hibernating for a solid week now (work sort of gets in the way of full-time hibernating!) and it’s been a welcome break from the mad rush of wreath and holiday season.

Today is one of my favorite days of the year, the Winter Solstice. It’s my favorite because while it’s the shortest day of the year, it also means every day after will be longer and longer, lighter and lighter. Upon moving to the farm and working more with nature, I started to see that I was the only one here going a thousand miles per hour. The rest of the farm, the animals, the plants, even time itself it seemed, slowed down. It’s natural to slow down, though I need that reminder ever year. I’ll leave you with something I share every year and I hope it touches you the way it does me.

“The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year. It is a turning point, signifying the rebirth of the sun and the return of light. It is from darkness that inspiration, strength, and life eventually emerge. It is in darkness that our inner light is lit. Let go of what is not needed anymore. Celebrate the power of faith, that your dreams and affirmations will come into manifestation. On this day make a conscious effort to increase the amount of light, positive thoughts, and love in and around you.” -unknown

Slow down, take a semi-hibernation to the best of your ability, and embrace the dark until the light returns. It always does.

If you made it this far, you’re awesome.

Again, my sincerest, from the depths of my heart THANK YOU for continuing to support me and my business and my dreams.

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and a Wonderful New Year in 2023. We’ll see you in the 2023 season!