Lisianthus is starting to bloom this week and its beautiful!

Where Did the Summer Go?

How is it already August? I can’t believe we’re entering the end of summer already. July seemed to fly by — maybe it was all the chaos with our tractors that made time feel like a blur.

But here’s the good news: despite the setbacks, we were able to till, prep, and plant everything we needed for a fall harvest. It was a push, but it’s done. I’m hopeful we’ll see blooms before the frost hits. Planting this late is always a risk — the tractor breakdown threw us off schedule — but what is farming without a few gambles?

We’ve got gomphrena, amaranth, celosia, and our ongoing sunflower successions in the ground. And if you’ve been thinking about planting some late sunflowers, it’s not too late — ProCut sunflowers only take about 60 days to bloom. In my opinion, you can never have too many sunflowers.

A Small Upgrade, A Big Difference

It just feels right again now that we have a working tractor. I didn’t think upgrading from 33hp to 35hp would make that much of a difference — but it really did.

The new machine handles our attachments more easily and manages the slope of our fields better. It feels so good to be checking things off the list again and moving forward with fieldwork after such a frustrating downtime.

Lisianthus Season Is Here

This week, lisianthus is taking the spotlight on the farm. It’s one of our favorite summer annuals — beautiful like a rose, but with no scent and an incredible vase life (up to three weeks!).

We grow a lot of lisianthus each year, and I always find myself wanting to grow more. Over time, our color palette has shifted — we started with creamy whites and soft pastels, but now we’re leaning into bolder shades: purples, pinks, and yellows. These colors really shine in our mixed bouquets, especially for our grocery store accounts.

What Else Is Blooming

The farm is bursting right now with summer color. Alongside lisianthus, we have:

Zinnias
Sunflowers
Strawflower
Cosmos
Scabiosa
Mountain mint
…and a few other seasonal favorites.

The bouquets this week truly look like summer in full swing.

On the Ground: Crops, Mums, and Momentum

We’ve been hustling to keep up with everything. The team has been working hard removing old crops, flipping beds, and prepping for the next plantings.

We’re still trying to get all of our heirloom mums in the ground — fingers crossed we’ll finish by next week. (Better late than never, right?)

We also welcomed a new team member, and I’m amazed at the difference one person can make. We’re accomplishing so much more, and I’m finally starting to feel the stress of the farm lifting — even if just a little. For that, I’m truly grateful.

The Deer Dilemma

The deer saga continues. This time, I think they’re eating my dahlias — something that’s never happened before.

We’re already facing challenges with our dahlia crop this season, so this is just one more hurdle to overcome. Farming isn’t always flowers and sunshine, but we keep going.

Good morning, the sun rising over the farm.

A Big Thank You

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Open House! It was such a joy to share the farm with so many of you.

If you’d like to see more from the event, you can read about it here.

And as always — thank you for reading, for following along, and for supporting this flower-filled farming journey. We’re so glad to have you with us.

"Blooming Into August: Tractors, Sunflowers & Summer Hustle"