Growing Flowers: Spring Lessons Learned
PART 1
Spring is over (cue a week of 90+ degree weather!)—and what a spring it’s been! I’ve learned so much this season and want to share a few of those lessons with you.
Honestly, every year I feel like I get worse at growing flowers, not better. Pretty sure that’s not how it’s supposed to go 🙃. I really tried this fall and early spring—seeded on time, succession sowed, imported soil/compost, fertilized, watered… and still ended up with a pretty disappointing crop.
The silver lining? I grew a lot, so even though most things weren’t up to my usual standards, I still managed to scrape together enough for bouquet subscriptions and orders. Mostly. I did have to cheat a few times and buy from my more talented farmer friends—thank goodness for them!
One thing I do continue to grow very well is weeds! LOL.
SPRING LESSON 1- Protect crops from frost and freezes.
Winter was rough. We had deep freezes and I didn’t do a great job with frost cloth…
Frost cloth (also called frost blanket, row cover, or garden fabric) is a lightweight, breathable fabric used to protect plants from cold temperatures, wind, and light frost. While it will not allow you to grow tropical plants in a sub-zero climate, it does provide enough insulation (anywhere from 4 up to 10 degree differential) to allow you to grow some things that might not otherwise make it through your winters.
I attempted to use it, but didn’t secure it properly and/or used the incorrect weight. So, it did not provide the protection my delicate seedlings needed this winter and many of them perished. I also just straight up crushed some of my plants to death because I didn’t take the time to use it with hoops. Whoops 😬😬😬!
Some did survive, but then came late frosts—AFTER our usual last frost date of April 13. So more of my fall-sown plants died even after I thought all threats of frost had passed. Double Whoops.
My raised beds got hit the hardest since they’re more exposed to the elements. I lost all of my new heirloom mum varieties. So sad. 😞
Lesson 1A: Don’t plant “cusp plants” in raised beds. (Cusp plants—a term I just made up—are those that are borderline hardy in our zone). Examples:
- Dahlias
- Chrysanthemums
- Gladiolas
- Sweet William
- Lisianthus
- Eucalyptus
- Snapdragons
SPRING LESSON 2- Use high-quality soil mix or mushroom compost. Do your research!
Despite my frost cloth snafu, many of the plants did survive winter, and of course I planted a ton of stuff in the spring too. However, some rows flourished while others struggled, producing tiny, sickly plants. A wise garden friend suggested the culprit might be soil quality—or compaction (more on that later).
I have AWFUL heavy clay soil in my plot, which is not great for growing flowers, so I’m constantly amending it. If you are wondering, the best type of soil to grow in is LOAM.
Anyway, this fall, I had to bring in more soil and debated between a 50/50 compost/topsoil mix and 100% mushroom compost. Ultimately, I chose the 50/50 because I was worried the compost might “burn” the plants. Bad call. The blend was rocky, not very fertile, and disappointing overall—but I was stuck with 15 Cubic Yards of it, so what is a girl to do?
If I could go back in time, I would have re-ordered mushroom compost and figured out another use for the 50/50 blend. Mountain bike track for the kids? Soil quality dictates everything, from plant nutrient uptake, to drainage, to disease prevention, and much more.
As a flower farmer, I KNOW BETTER, so I’m kicking myself. My plants truly suffered this year because of my poor choice and I ended up paying the price in the spring with a lot of sickly, unusable crop.
SPRING LESSON 3-Timing is Everything
The 3rd lesson for today comes courtesy of my two problem children: Ranunculus and Stock (Matthiola incana). I adore these flowers and want so badly to grow them well, but after three years, I still haven’t cracked the code.
Timing is the key for both. Ranunculus should be planted in fall or very early spring (late Feb/early March). Stock doesn’t usually survive our winters, but needs a cold period and is photosensitive—so it also must be planted early. Both do best under tunnels.
This year, I planted ranunculus on time but skipped the tunnel. Then something—vole? A squirrel?—ate half my fancy corms. UGH!
Without the tunnel, the ranunculus bloomed later in the season (Early May), but then once temps hit the 70s, it was game over. I got maybe one good week of blooms before they quit. 😩
As for stock—I planted it too late (probably late March). It requires a long cold period (vernalization) and is long-day flowering. Once the daylength gets to be about 14-16 hours, it triggers blooming. Talk about Finicky!
If you plant late, it doesn’t have time to grow long stems. Mine were short short short!
LESSON 4: Never tamp down your soil.
This year I fully committed to the no-till method of flower farming and to accommodate more flowers, I also built several new rows. For the new rows, I dumped the imported soil directly on top of existing ground and tamped it down to keep it tidy. Huge mistake. Compacted soil is tough for seedlings—their roots struggle to break through.
The difference between plants in my compacted no-till rows and those in traditional raised beds is dramatic. I had hundreds of seedlings in those rows that never took off. Just look at my sad little larkspur in tamped down soil (Image Left) vs. the Larkspur planted in traditional raised beds with no compaction (Image Right).
In the future I will use landscape fabric to prevent the newly imported soil from spilling over into the aisles!
So, was this spring a success? Not really. But was it valuable? Absolutely. Every season in the field teaches me something new—usually the hard way—and this one was no exception. I’m learning (slowly) that flower farming isn’t about getting it perfect; it’s about adapting, observing, and showing up again and again, even when things flop.
If you had a tough spring too, you’re not alone. Here’s to better soil, stronger seedlings, and smarter choices next season. I’ll be back soon with Part 2—because, yes, there are more lessons to share. 😅
That's a Wrap! Thanks for Reading! ~Melissa
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