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!