QUESTION: From Southern York County Pennsylvania zone 6-7ish. How do you protect your arrangements from the blasting heat of the summer sun and stabilize against the wind? Do you use 1-flower food. 2-Crowning Glory 3- Quick Dip. Thanks. I appreciate your generosity.
I do nothing to protect the flowers from the heat. I make sure they are well hydrated before cutting them and they go directly into water. Any flowers that grow in shade will not do well at my flower wagon, those that grow in direct sun and go back into direct sun can last. If they are stored in a cool place they will also not do well in direct heat. Basically, I cut everything I can in the morning and only flowers that tolerate heat well can get used the following day - like sunflowers - everything else must get used the day of cutting. By cutting every cuttable flower each day, it ensures that the flowers cut are at their best stage of life for the cut. I also think having very healthy soil helps - and when I mean super healthy, I mean I add a lot of closed loop compost to the soil - as that means the stems are super healthy and completely unstressed when cut. I will also water my dahlias, etc. a lot if it is super hot outside. My flower wagon has shade cloth on three sides to allow for good ventilation while still protecting from the sun on those sides, and the shade cloth is sliced to allow wind to travel through. I don't stake my flowers so that they are already used to moving in the wind. Hope that helps.
All advice is interesting but I live in such a funny version of 9b ...winter average high is 55 and summer is 65 with average lows ten degrees lower. So I have anemones now. And sweet peas all summer. We have a huge shallow bay that balances the heat.
Q: I have noticed that you make your own potting soil; Do you pasteurize your garden soil before using it? One time I bought potting soil from Costco and I ended up with fungus gnats for months. You don't seem to have a problem.
Q: What month during the growing season do you typically run out of flowers? For me it's around August - then it picks up when the cooler weather arrives.
Dahlias, Suns, cosmos, 2nd flush snaps. It's a time of bounty in my flower beds. This with your last question is going to be its own video I think. Thanks for the idea
I have a question! If you had to choose just 5 dahlias to make bouquets which ones woult they be? I know its hard lol i tried 30 different dahlias last summer and only liked one because the ones i had were too small....i think i like dinner plates.
QUESTION: From Southern York County Pennsylvania zone 6-7ish. How do you protect your arrangements from the blasting heat of the summer sun and stabilize against the wind? Do you use 1-flower food. 2-Crowning Glory 3- Quick Dip. Thanks. I appreciate your generosity.
I do nothing to protect the flowers from the heat. I make sure they are well hydrated before cutting them and they go directly into water. Any flowers that grow in shade will not do well at my flower wagon, those that grow in direct sun and go back into direct sun can last. If they are stored in a cool place they will also not do well in direct heat. Basically, I cut everything I can in the morning and only flowers that tolerate heat well can get used the following day - like sunflowers - everything else must get used the day of cutting.
By cutting every cuttable flower each day, it ensures that the flowers cut are at their best stage of life for the cut. I also think having very healthy soil helps - and when I mean super healthy, I mean I add a lot of closed loop compost to the soil - as that means the stems are super healthy and completely unstressed when cut. I will also water my dahlias, etc. a lot if it is super hot outside.
My flower wagon has shade cloth on three sides to allow for good ventilation while still protecting from the sun on those sides, and the shade cloth is sliced to allow wind to travel through. I don't stake my flowers so that they are already used to moving in the wind.
Hope that helps.
All advice is interesting but I live in such a funny version of 9b ...winter average high is 55 and summer is 65 with average lows ten degrees lower. So I have anemones now. And sweet peas all summer. We have a huge shallow bay that balances the heat.
Hi Karen.
I like your your winter temperature.
Not sure about the summer temperature though.
I have so many questions. Where approximately do you live? Do birds migrate? How does the bug population stay in check?
Q:
I have noticed that you make your own potting soil;
Do you pasteurize your garden soil before using it?
One time I bought potting soil from Costco and I ended up with fungus gnats for months. You don't seem to have a problem.
That is exactly why I won't buy potting soil from anywhere. Fungus gnats always comes with it. Will quickly go over how I make my soil on the Q&A
Q:
What month during the growing season do you typically run out of flowers?
For me it's around August - then it picks up when the cooler weather arrives.
I actually don't run out, I planned the flowers I grow to give me a continuous selection. Will go over in more detail in the Q&A.
Q:
What flowers do you plant for the end of August.
By then most of my flowers look tired or gone?
Dahlias, Suns, cosmos, 2nd flush snaps. It's a time of bounty in my flower beds. This with your last question is going to be its own video I think. Thanks for the idea
I have a question! If you had to choose just 5 dahlias to make bouquets which ones woult they be? I know its hard lol i tried 30 different dahlias last summer and only liked one because the ones i had were too small....i think i like dinner plates.
Good question, and one that will take some time to think about. I will answer that on Wednesday, January 29th on the Q&A🙂
@EvelynM-vlogs awesome thank you