That’s a wrap on the summer flowers of 2021!

I cut thousands of stems over the season—despite making so many mistakes along the way. My 2021 flower season actually began back in January, when I seeded my first lisianthus. I waited nearly a month for them to germinate, then eventually gave up, convinced I had killed every last one, and set the tray aside. Of course, they finally decided to sprout sometime in March. That single seed tray of pink lisianthus went on to produce several hundred beautiful blooms. Mid-August marked the final harvest, with those pink lisianthus filling the bottom bucket in the photo below.

We also planted several successions of sunflowers, mowing them down when they were finished and planting again. The sweet, earthy smell of freshly cut sunflowers has become one of my favorite things on the farm. I already can’t wait to plant even more next year.

I planted three rounds of zinnias. The first crop was taken out by strong winds in May, so I regrouped and started over with these beauties—Benary’s Giants. They were spectacular all summer and well into September, and apparently also the favorite snack of local grasshoppers.

By mid-September, I was already furiously seeding cool-hardy annuals to get into the fields before our November frost date. If winter doesn’t take them out, they’ll spend the colder months quietly establishing roots and be among the very first blooms when warmer days arrive in early spring. Along the way, I’ve been learning from local flower farmers, reading every flower-farming book I can get my hands on, and—of course—spending plenty of time on YouTube.

Below are a few photos from the 2021 summer flower season… and I’m already looking ahead to 2022.