Winter on the flower farm in Louisiana - Part 2

It's incredible to think I'm working outdoors in December wearing sleeveless tops. Oh, how I adore Louisiana winters. 

​This has been an exciting week on the farm.  Philip (the husband) finished building the flower stand for my self serve, road side flower offerings.  And boy was it put to the test!  The first night out we had horrific rain and wind from the frontal system Margaret Orr warned us about.  The flowers were a wee bit wet, which they don't mind, but nothing was knocked over and all looked fab. 

Roadside, Self Serve Flower Stand. Designed by Karin and built by her loving husband, Philip. Can we all say "way to go" to Philip for all of his help? Sometimes I get so busy I don't think I thank him enough for helping my visions come to life.

The husband doesn't know it yet, but a few little tweaks are needed.  I'd like circles cut out to lower the buckets in for the flowers. (I wonder if he reads my blogs? ) All in all, I am in love with the stand, it is everything I dreamed of. 

​We are having a bit of a lull between the last of the Mums and the beginning of the Ranunculus, Anemones, Tulips and Daffodils.  So, my beautiful stand is currently empty and awaiting their arrival.  I will be sure to let y'all know when it is stocked again.  If all goes as planned the stand will be continuously stocked until the end of November 2019, once we are passed this little lull. 

Baby ranunculus starting to sprout.

My daily walks around the farm checking for sprouts has been a real highlight.  It is so satisfying to see the babies I tucked in this fall suddenly awake and waving back at me.  Sweet peas, ranunculus, chocolate daisies, lisianthus and anemones are waking up.  I am not 100% sure, but I think I saw a few lavender peaking at me with one eye! Time will fly and it'll seem like tomorrow I am typing a post and sharing photos of the farm bursting in blooms.  I truly love my work at the farm, there wasn't any other time in life I could say "there isn't anything I'd rather be doing."  Life is good. 

Tucking in the Dahlias for a long winter's nap. Covington, Louisiana.

It seems funny to roll from 'life is good' to a photo of dormant dahlia's topped with horse manure. But, only when I stop to think about it from the outside looking in.  To me, this means progress. 

There are some jobs on the farm that are more difficult than others.  Fighting weeds and grass growing up in my dahlia beds tops the list.  You see, Dahlias really don't care to have landscape fabric covering their roots.  They prefer cool feet, if you will. My grandchildren can attest to the amount of weeding needed to keep the dahlias feet cool and bellies full (big shout out to the grands for all the great work). 

Not only are the weeds painful to look at, they also rob the soil of valuable nutrients the dahlias need to remain healthy and producing. I use this time in the winter for the final weeding and mulching. With manure, no less (thank you Tucker and Mocha). 

Until next week, stay dry with all the rivers rising.  As one of my favorite musicians used to say, "Peace, Love and Empathy," Y'all.