Election Recovery and Royal Sunset Lilies

Election Recovery and Royal Sunset Lilies

Autumn flowers election season fall Flowers and Emotion royal sunset lilies soothing

Today, as the sun sets, our mailboxes breathe a sigh of relief as they are no longer forced to house piles of glossy proposition pamphlets... It's been a whopper of an election season, and I'm sure many of us are looking for a little bit of calm and tranquility right about now.  For a pretty pick-me-up, I, of course, look to flowers. What better way to celebrate the end of this year's election season with something pretty, soothing, and tranquil—the Royal Sunset Lily.

 The psychology of colors is well-documented with colors on the warm end of the spectrum—such as red, pink, orange, and yellow—shown to bring forth feelings of optimism and energy.  Our bi-color Royal Sunset lily offers that perfectly soothing color combination in addition to its  positive emotional affects as a flower.

The Royal Sunset lily is an LA Hybrid, which means it isn't your average garden lily—LA Hybrids are a crossbred, man-made flower species. We have been these lilies for years now and have branded our LA Hybrids as Royal Lilies to indicate their prestige and high-quality standing.  Their blooms are bigger than traditional Asiatics, their vase life is the longest of any lily to date, and they have an incredible range of warm colors.  They are also virtually scentless—perfect for those who have floral allergies.

 Besides their excellent breeding history, Royal Sunset lilies also need a quality growing environment to really shine.  We plant our bulbs directly into the ground, laying down drip tape and a wire grid as we go.  The drip tape provides a consistent, measured supply of water and fertilizer directly to the flowers' root systems, and as the lilies grow, the wire grid is raised with them to provide support and help them continue growing tall and straight.
 

Royal Sunset lilies respond best to warm days and cool nights, which is why Arcata's cool, coastal weather is the perfect place for them to grow.  During the colder months of winter, we switch to growing our Royal Lilies at our Southern California farm in Oxnard. The two locations allow us to produce a continuous supply of high-quality lilies all year. 

It takes about 12-16 weeks for the lilies to reach the perfect time to harvest.  This unrushed developmental period is enough time for all the energy and nutrients from the bulb to reach the buds, so their vase life is incredible and the colors really pop.


We are especially excited to offer the popular Royal Sunset Lilies as we dive head-first into November.  The demand for these particular lilies has increased over the last few years, so we have adjusted our growing schedule accordingly in order to have plenty of these warmed-hued babies throughout the season.

This autumn, let the gorgeous colors and soothing presence of Royal Sunset Lilies evoke feelings of optimism, creativity, and energy within you and everyone who enjoys them. 

I had some time, I had some seeds

I had some time, I had some seeds

fall vegetable gardening

I had some time, I had some seeds, so I decided to sow those seeds for a fall harvest in my vegetable garden. I put them all in one bed, the bed where squash plants met an early demise at the first sign of those awful squash bugs.

By putting them all together in one bed, I figured I could cover them easily enough if we had an early frost.

But we didn't have an early frost. In fact, we've

The simple joy of digging and planting

The simple joy of digging and planting

fall gardening

Cornus kousa 'Summer Fun'

I love digging in the garden.

With each shovelful of dirt, I feel like I'm entering a secret world of bacteria and fungi and worms and other critters than live amongst the roots and rocks that lie buried beneath the surface.

Did this secret underground world have any idea earlier today that it would be unearthed?

Today when I was digging, I found mostly roots

Camellias and Conversation

Camellias and Conversation

fall gardening

Camellia 'Snow Flurry'

I am convinced certain plants in my garden do all they can to avoid blooming on the 15th of the month when I host Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Perhaps they are shy? Don't like to be photographed and publicized? Or maybe they wanted a post of their own?

My camellia 'Snow Flurry' was in full bloom the day after bloom day. I had to show it in bud for bloom day. Then the

Garden Fairies Discuss What Happens When They Argue

Garden Fairies Discuss What Happens When They Argue

fairies fall Humor

Garden fairies here.

We are garden fairies and we were just discussing what happens when we argue amongst ourselves.  What happens is the toad paints the flowers of Tricyrtis to look like the spots on his back and so we end up with toad lilies.

He did this while we garden fairies were arguing about whether the flowers should be white or purple.  We at first were just a bit miffed that the

Top Five Stylish Halloween Flowers

Top Five Stylish Halloween Flowers

autumn Autumn Colors burgundy Cotinus fall Halloween Hypericum orange art tango lilies Rosehips Sunflowers z-callas zantedeschia

I love Halloween.  Not only is it full of mischief and fun, it has a style all its own.  As one of the first "events" of the 2016 fall season, Halloween is full of changing color, mystery, and delight.  Today, we're talking flowers with a focus on FIVE of the best seasonal blooms for all your spooky arrangements.

Orange Art Tango Lily

Orange Art Tango Lily bouquet featured in Flowers& Magazine

1. Orange Art Tango Lily

One of my favorite fall flowers is the unique Orange Art Tango Lily, a wonderfully bold Latvian Asiatic hybrid featuring saturated orange petals with thick brushstrokes of dark burgundy in the throat. It's a stunning flower by itself, and its dramatic color scheme can work in all styles of autumn-themed bouquets.

2. Sunflowers

The best Halloween colors are warm, saturated, and full of contrast. Sunflowers, of course, are solidly autumn. Their fiery yellow, red, and orange petals paired with giant black, green, and taupe eyes provide a distinctive textural juxtaposition. They're gorgeous, fun, singular, and perfect for Halloween.

3. Celosia

Other things to look for in Halloween flowers are texture, unusual shapes, and vibrancy. A perfect example is our line of Bombay Celosia, which comes in electric hues of orange, red, hot pink, yellow, and lime green. Their brain-like appearance is perfect for Halloween decor, but they can also lend an  elegant, inspired feel.  According to AIFD designer Walter Fedyshyn, its "velvety texture makes any arrangement look like a work of art."

Bombay Celosia

 4. Fall Berries: Rosehips & Hypericum

Continuing on the theme of texture, some excellent autumn berries which provide pops of colors and depth are rosehips and hypericum.   These focal points are tried-and-true fall favorites and come in a variety of colors to add just the seasonal touch you need.

Sunflowers with Pumpkin Hypericum and Red Rosehips (L-R)

5. Dark Purple Accents

Dark purple hues, such as burgundy and maroon, resonate with the naturally changing autumnal ambiance.  A great example is royal purple cotinus, whose dark, earthy leaves have a bright red, iridescent edging--it provides a great backdrop to warmer autumnal shades.   

Royal Purple Cotinus paired with Royal Sunset Lilies

Zantedeschia, or z-callas, also offer a great range of dark maroon and burgundy blooms.  They have an incredible vase life, look stunning on their own and also when paired with other autumn favorites such as brassica and bells of Ireland.

Burgundy Zantedeschia, on its own and paired with Bells of Ireland and Crane Red Brassica

Sun Valley's division of hand-crafted bouquet design, Sun Pacific Bouquet (aka Sun Pac), is answering the call of autumn with the use of some of these fall favorites.  Their 2016 Fall Bouquet Collection features flowers such as warm-hued lilies and sunflowers, backed by seasonal greens and burgundy hypericum and cotinus.

Wild Fall Bouquet and Black Spider Bouquet by SunPac

When creating your fall arrangements this year try your hand with some of these five autumnal elements; and of course, do not forget the best part of Halloween bouquets--spooky fun.

The Connection Between Fall Equinox and Farmers

The Connection Between Fall Equinox and Farmers

Autumnal equinox fall Fall Colors fall equinox 2016 fall flower farming Fall Flowers farming Harvest Moon

The Fall Equinox of 2016 is this Thursday, September 22nd, and is one of the most significant days of the year for the farmer.  Everything about the Fall Equinox revolves around farmers and their bounty.  It makes sense doesn't it? Our ancestors' survival absolutely depended upon their crops, and their winter survival was determined by their fall-season harvest. 

These agricultural aspects of the Autumnal Equinox are celebrated in one way or another by almost every culture on earth:

•  In China, they celebrate the equinox with the Moon Festival, a traditional celebration that dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) which is dedicated to celebrating the abundance of summer's harvest.  
• In Korea, they have Chuseok, a major harvest festival and three-day holiday in which people travel to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors, to whom successful harvest crops are attributed.  
• In Europe and elsewhere, there are traditional harvest festivals around the September full moon, celebrations of Pomona (goddess of fruits and growing things), and neo-pagans celebrate Mabon, a harvest celebration encouraging people to reflect on the year and "reap what they sow."

This fall, we are reaping heaps of autumn-hued Royal Lilies

In the same week of the Autumnal Equinox comes the full moon of September, called the Harvest Moon (and also, the Full Corn Moon).  Again, in the theme of changing seasons, the Harvest Moon is named for late-summer harvest, and was believed to be the brightest full moons of all (by the way, it's not)--so bright, in fact, that farmers could work by the light of it.
 

Harvest Moon

Regardless of location, culture, and semantics, what all these Autumnal Equinox festivals have in common is the celebration of the end-of-summer harvest, reflection of what crops, projects, or ideas did or did not come to fruition, as well as preparation for the coming winter.  It is a time to give thanks for the sunlight of summer as well as respect the shift to the darkness of winter. 

In the flower world, the Autumnal Equinox is a time for us to express gratitude and honor a moment of balance as night and day stand in mostly equal duration.  So what crops are we celebrating here at Sun Valley? What are we currently reaping which we sowed weeks and weeks ago?

Fall French Tulips

Clearwater Tulip

Well, we are forever thankful for our fresh Fall French tulips, made possible only through our bulb connections with our Southern Hemisphere partners (who are about to go through their Spring Equinox, a whole other seasonal celebration).  One French Tulip that we are really celebrating is our pristine, white Clearwater Tulips, which look like little full harvest moons atop strong, green stems.
 

In Oxnard, the heat and light of the dry Southern California summer has given us our second flush of lovely, layered Lisianthus.  We planted the original plugs about a year ago, and it's wonderful to see this beautiful crop come full circle.

And of course, our Royal Lilies (LA Hybrids) are perfect for fall, coming in the warm oranges, yellow and reds that everyone loves for their autumnal bouquets.  We have been picking these for several weeks and will continue through the end of the year! 

After the Autumnal Equinox, the days will get shorter until the winter solstice in December, and the light will begin its slow journey back to spring and summer days.  And while we flower farmers don't work by the light of the Harvest Moon, we will be doing our planting and picking by the light of the greenhouse while the Autumn Moon shines on. Happy Fall!

Fall Tulips are Here

Fall Tulips are Here

#americangrown fall Fall Tulips Netherlands New Zealand northern hemisphere tulips southern hemisphere tulips spring tulips

In celebration of the arrival of our Fall Tulips, please enjoy this short, educational photo show about how we grow tulips all year long.

Guide to Antique Hydrangeas

Guide to Antique Hydrangeas

#mophead antique hydrangeas autumn Autumn Colors Autumn flowers fall heirloom marbled

I know you don't want to talk about it, but it's happening.  Summer is ending. It's as unavoidable as the, uh... passage of time.  Late August has arrived, foreshadowing cooler weather, vacation finales, and back-to-school advertisements. As we slowly and reluctantly start replacing our swimsuits with sweaters, let's focus on the positives of early fall: autumn ales, caramel apples, roasted things, antique hydrangeas....yes, while you can't eat antique hydrangeas, they are definitely as American and Autumn-themed as apple pie; plus, their kaleidoscopic palette is a great reason to look forward to fall.  Here you’ll find your guide to Antique Hydrangeas—the journey they take to become antique and the resulting kaleidoscope of colors and textures that are produced. 

The Process of Antiquing

First, antique hydrangeas are not a separate species from fresh Hydrangea macrophylla; in fact, they come from the same shrubs.   The only requirements for transforming fresh hydrangeas into antiques are time, proper care, and suitable atmospheric conditions.  Also critical is having the proper variety, as not all hydrangea antique as well as others...luckily, we have this dialed in!

So, as the days get shorter, the nights get cooler, and the air becomes drier, our hydrangea blooms start their metamorphic journey to become antiques.

Antique hydrangeas require that very weather change which comes with the end of summer.  It is this cool transition which allows them to establish their marbled coloring. No two antiques are the same, each change and morph in their own unique way.

Even as the temperature changes and the colors diversify, they aren't quite ready to be cut. We continue watering and feeding the shrubs, and by leaving the blooms on the plant, the passage of time and cool weather allows the flowers to harden, mature, and marble gracefully.  The shrub continues to provide nutrients to the flowers as they age. 

 
We have 2 gorgeous acres of these antiquing hydrangeas right now, and we will be continually offering Antique Hydrangeas for the entirety of the fall season, from now through November.

Blushing Autumn Tones and Textures

The colors of antique hydrangeas are like a dusky fairy tale—bewitching, prismatic, and a little psychedelic.  Their colors develop naturally alongside autumn, its blossoms changing from their bright summer colors into mingled layers of  muted greens, smokey burgundies, variegated hazels, shimmering blues,  and soft lavenders.


While the changing colors gives us some indication of when to pick, we really know they're ready by their texture—the hydrangea florets feels slightly rigid and resist a little when touched.  When the blooms become crisp to the touch, we are good to go. A nice firm bloom head means the hydrangea is ready to harvest, and at this point, an antique hydrangea will last virtually forever—its flowers will never wilt, droop, or die.

And, of course it wouldn't be antique season if we didn't roll out the legendary specter of "Hydrangea Jack" Some know him as a sales representative, to others he is a myth, perhaps waiting in the next row of antiques.

    

Antique Seascape

So, while the languid days of summer seem to be getting shorter, take heart! Technically, we still have a few more weeks of summer, and even with the seasonal change comes plenty of loveliness to look forward to. Enjoy yourself.

An Updated Gardener's Guide to Thanksgiving Day Conversation

An Updated Gardener's Guide to Thanksgiving Day Conversation

fall holidays

Yes,  I am taking time from my busy schedule and long to do list, which includes "mow the lawn one last time" to pause and provide advice for gardeners who are wondering what they will talk about during their Thanksgiving Day dinner.

In past years, I suggested topics such as composting, including worm composting, the difference between sweet potatoes and potatoes, and fall bulb bragging. I

Gardening on the Edge

Gardening on the Edge

fall

Where are the thrills of gardening?

Where are the chills? The excitement?

Where can you walk the tightrope of the garden, where one ill-timed freeze could cause a bloom to fall off and become compost?

Where can you get all this in gardening?

You can get all this in my Garden of Southern Follies and Delights, where right now one of the three camellias I planted last spring has buds starting

Frost tickles, freeze slaps

Frost tickles, freeze slaps

fall

Frost tickled the garden yesterday morning and from what I could tell, very little seemed to be affected other than maybe the pepper plants in the vegetable garden, which were calling it quits anyway.

Then this morning the first freeze of the fall season slapped the garden upside nearly every plant that it could and the garden went down for the count and will not come back until next spring.

Five questions to ask about your garden this fall

Five questions to ask about your garden this fall

fall gardening

A bit of floral flotsam

As I stand in the garden, leaning on a hoe, surveying the remains of summer, I turn introspective, as most gardeners do this time of year.

Here are five questions I ask myself.

Did I like all the vegetables I grew in the garden?

In the fall, I make a list of the vegetable varieties I want to grow again and tuck the list somewhere inside where I am sure to find it

Party 'til frost

Party 'til frost

fall gardening

I was all set to fill up this post with picture after picture after picture of asters blooming in my garden.

But I can't find the files on my computer.  Maybe they are still just on the camera? Who knows?

Because I can't find the pictures,  I am sparing you, lovely readers, from having to scroll down through countless images that to you might all look the same but to me are part of a vast

We are a tiny bit behind...

We are a tiny bit behind...

fall Humor

We are a tiny bit behind here at May Dreams Gardens.

There are houseplants shivering on the back patio. I hope they didn't mind temps in the high 40s, though I think I heard some talk amongst them. It was a mixture of complaints, angry statements, and a few fearful laments.  They might even have cussed a little.

I should have brought them inside already, but this week's forecast is along

The Enchanting Palette of Antique Hydrangeas

The Enchanting Palette of Antique Hydrangeas

#CAGrown antique Antiqued Hydrangea fall Lady Aster september

The beginning of summer brought us hydrangea season, mid-summer brought us our new everlasting varieties of hydrangea, and now, as summertime slowly ebbs into fall and the weather cools down, get ready for Antique Hydrangeas!

Antique Hydrangeas in one of our hoop houses

 What are Antique Hydrangeas anyways?   And how do they attain their kaleidoscopic appearance? After all, antique hydrangeas are not a separate species from our fresh Hydrangea macrophylla; they are the same shrubs we had earlier in the season.  The simple fact is that the majority of hydrangea blooms will naturally reach this unique, antiqued look given enough time and, of course, proper care and atmospheric conditions.  Antique hydrangeas are a season marker, and the change in weather helps make them what they are, which is why we have such success with them here in Northern Coastal California.  After years of cultivation, we have found that the best antiquing varieties are Hamburg, Emerald, Opal, Diamond, and Revolution.

An iridescent antique hydrangea

Towards the end of summer, as the nights get cooler, the air becomes drier, and the days get shorter, hydrangea blooms start their metamorphic journey to become antique hydrangeas.  The blossoms transition from their bright summer colors into mingled layers of mellow greens, smoky burgundies, shimmering blues, amethyst, hazel, and others.  No two antiques are the same, each change and morph in their own unique way.  

Note the variety of hues on one hydrangea plant!

As we witness the blooms begin to evolve, we continuing watering and feeding them until it's time to pick.  The plant is still giving nutrients to the blossoms; the colors are simply maturing and marbling due to time and cooler weather.

While the changing coloration gives us some indication of when to pick, we really know they're ready when the blooms are firm--the hydrangea feels slightly rigid and resists a little when touched.  This firmly-set hydrangea head screams, "Pick me! Pick me!"  At this point they are practically bulletproof-- the petals will never wilt or die, and they will be beautiful for months to come.
 

Hydrangea Dave showing off some antique Hamburg blooms

The colors and ambiance of antique hydrangeas are like a fairy tale--all at once they are bewitching, elegant, and provincial.  Why don't you treat yourself to something magical; enter the Season of Enchantment with our Antique Hydrangeas!

Look forward to darker-hued antique hydrangeas later on in the season!

The Society for the Promotion of Mums as the Quintessential Fall Flower

The Society for the Promotion of Mums as the Quintessential Fall Flower

fall flowers Humor

Who will buy these?

The Society for the Promotion of Mums as the Quintessential Fall Flower* would like to lodge an official protest regarding the disfiguration of poinsettias to modify their colors to allow them to be sold in the fall as an alternative to mums, which are the quintessential fall flower.

The Society is concerned that allowing this practice of coloring poinsettias in shades of

A hole in my garden - autumn-flowering snowdrops

A hole in my garden - autumn-flowering snowdrops

bulbs fall

Spring flowering snowdrops.  

Yesterday, I found out there are autumn-flowering snowdrops.

Autumn-flowering.  As in blooming in October.

And now I want some.   I never knew they existed until yesterday and now there is a hole in my garden without them.

I believe the botanical name is Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp reginae-olgae.

Every source I've checked so far is sold out, but that's okay

There are Messes in My Garden

There are Messes in My Garden

fall gardening

There are messes in my garden and someone needs to clean them up.

The corn stalks are still standing, though barely.  I would like to plant some garlic and shallots tomorrow where the corn was growing, but someone needs to clean up that mess first.

Corn is a heavy feeder so before I replant, I think I'll mix a little organic fertilizer in the soil in that bed, just to be sure the poor garlic

The Halloween Hare: Do you believe?

The Halloween Hare: Do you believe?

fall holidays Humor

This year I feel certain the Halloween Hare is going to visit my garden and create havoc if I don't take preventative measures.

What? You don't know about the Halloween Hare? You must be new here.  Put down your leaf rake, pull up a chair and I'll tell you all about him.

According to ancient gardening legend, the Halloween Hare hops from garden to garden on Halloween night looking for Easter