Fields of Blue

Fields of Blue

California Flowers Flower farm flowers for delivery Iris flower Sun Valley Valentines Day flowers

Day 10 of Valentine's Day shipping...

Yesterday was a particularly beautiful day at the Arcata farm, so it seemed an ideal time to get out to the fields and hoophouses, which tend to be a bit muddy when it rains. I wanted to get a closer look at iris, since we're closing in on Spring - one of the strongest seasons for iris.


The sun drenches the fields of our Arcata farm



Perfect day for a bike ride through the fields and hoophouses



First stop: Iris hoophouses. (Yes, my coffee came along for the ride!)



Bulbs have just been planted. Wire grid and drip tape are in place



Iris starts to peek out from the soil. This crop will be ready to bloom around early Mother's Day shipping

 

Baby irises are starting to sprout. These babies will be full grown in time for late Mother's Day shipping

Telstar just starting to come up. This iris crop will be ready for harvest mid-April

Telstar mid-growth. Expect to see the full blooms mid-March

Iris crops nearing harvest time. Soon their blooms will start to show color at the tips



Iris buds close-up. We pick iris and ship it when it is closed like this to prolong the vase life



White iris popping up in the Telstar hoophouse. We call this a "fence jumper" 



Granted, I have small hands, but Telstar Iris blooms are about the size of them!

Gorgeous day, gorgeous tour.

While the iris harvest is in full swing for several areas of the farm (in Arcata and Oxnard), many of the hoops are currently quiet and serene. I suppose those iris crops are waiting patiently for upcoming holidays. Until then, they make for a very pleasant bike ride! 


To learn more about any of our flowers, it's always a good idea to check out Sun Valley's Resource Pages. CLICK HERE for the one on Iris.









Sunshining Valentine's Day

Sunshining Valentine's Day

CA Grown California Flowers flowers for delivery Flowers for Valentine's Day Valentines Day flowers

Day 8 of Valentine's Day shipping...

During this two-week-or-so period we at Sun Valley like to call "Valentine's Day," I've been getting my boots dirty while traipsing around the Arcata farm trying to get a bird's eye view of the heightened holiday floral production. Last week, we took a tour of Tulipville in Arcata, so it seemed like a great idea to kick this week off with a tour of the Oxnard farm! So, I asked Melina, one of my Oxnard counterparts, to give us her own personalized tour of the crops at our sunny So Cal farm. Boy, am I glad she did. Her photographs are simply gorgeous... as are her subjects!

See for yourself...

Brassica (Kale)



An open field of Brassica



Brassica has been simply stunning this season! It's been a real crowd pleaser in the shops, and it's breathtaking to see growing in these lush, beautiful rows!



Carmine Lavender brassica

 

Green brassica




Asters - think pink.. and purple!



Pink Sea Star asters growing in a hoophouse

A hoophouse full of purple and pink Sea Star asters



Close-up of Sea Star asters

 

A row of hot pink Serenade asters, nearly ready for harvest



Pink and hot pink Matsumotos, getting ready for Valentine's Day!

Freshly harvested hot pink Matsumoto asters in buckets of water, bound for the coolers



Freshly harvested pink Matsumoto asters

Dianthus (Green Trick and Green Ball)



Green dianthus is one crop that is harvested green... and stays green!


I don't know about you, but these photos helped bring the sunshine in despite the rain and snow we've been having throughout the country. Imagine what the flowers will do in person!

A special thanks to Melina for giving us this visual delight of a tour!

If you want more information about any of the flowers you see here, check out our Flower Resource Pages on the TSVG website by clicking HERE.

Tiptoe through the tulips

Tiptoe through the tulips

flowers for delivery Soil Grown Tulips Sun Valley tulip pictures Valentines Day flowers

Day 2 of Valentine's Day shipping...

If there's one thing I know already about the floral industry, it's that I never know what I'll be doing from one day to the next. One day I'm riding a bicycle through the iris fields, and the next day I'm sleeving bouquets in Oxnard. Yesterday, I found myself dodging tulip carts in the tulip greenhouse, where production is at one of its annual peaks (the other major peak being Mother's Day). I've been through the coolers, greenhouses and bunching rooms dozens of times by now, but these places are really something to see when operating at full capacity.

If you haven't witnessed this spectacle before, here's what it looks like (from my iPhone's point of view):



Ile de France red tuilps just peaking up through the soil



A row of tulips mid-growth



Rows of tulips nearing harvest time



When team members harvest the tulips, they put them on these hanging carts, which slide down rails as the team members move through the rows of tulips.



A freshly loaded cart of tulips



Tulips are harvested with the bulb still intact. This provides nutrients to the flower longer, thus lengthening its vase life.



Although this tulip is lovely, it won't make it past the greenhouse since we ship all product closed for maximum freshness.

Freshly harvested tulips go straight into coolers. As they are needed to fill orders, they are pulled into the tulip bunching room, where the bulbs are removed and the tulips are sorted and graded.



Several experienced team members work the tulip bunching lines this time of year. There are A LOT of tulips to grade!

 

The line leader ensures the tulips are graded correctly, then puts the completed order on carts designated for coolers in the warehouse



Freshly bunched white tulips in buckets on carts


French tulips have a similar story to standard and fancy tulips, but they are grown in hoophouses, and there is a special section of the tulip bunching room designated for Frenchies. It makes sense, when you consider their enormous size!



Maureen Frenchies just started to sprout up



A hoophouse full of French tulips, nearing harvest time



Like standard tulips, French tulips are placed in crates when harvested and whisked to the bunching room



French tulip bunching area. The tulips are graded and placed on those metal trays (which are extra long for those long stems!). They are sleeved in the area on the left side of this photo. 

Thanks for touring Sun Valley's Valentine tulip production with me today! Stay tuned on our Facebook page for videos of tulip bulb planting and grading!