Spring is Coming!
If you’re anything like me, by the end of winter you begin to feel like spring will never come. The relentless cold temps, chilling winds with nonstop rains and gloomy weather as you glance out your window. Well, I’m here to take away those winter woes and lift your sprit up!
Here in North Georgia, we experienced some of the coldest temps the last few winters and I kept thinking to myself, “this feels like it’s getting worse!”, gone are the days of spending the holidays outside in mild, springlike temps. I can remember just a few years ago, we hosted family for Christmas Eve and ate outside!
Fast forward to March and the sights, sounds and scents quickly announce SPRING IS HERE! As I peek under the piles of leaves and pine straw, new life is bursting with rich green hues at every corner. The crocus are pushing their skinny little leaves, displaying a show of saturated purples, oranges and brightest whites. Hellebores are waking up from a long and peaceful nap, spreading their leaves wide as if they’re having a biiiiiiiig stretch like they just hopped out of bed (made you stretch too, didn’t I?)
With the dawn of a new season, I am introducing my first ever quarterly newsletter. If you’ve made it this far, thank you. I know life is busy and it can be hard to find the time to sit down and actually read through emails. The purpose of these quarterly updates is to give insight and a “behind the scenes” view into the goings on here at Bradford Blooms. It’s a way for me to show you the good, bad and the ugly, the hard work and often failures as I navigate this new chapter, growing the best, most beautiful flowers for you and your loved ones.
Hellebores are the first to show up for the party! They demand attention as they announce warmer weather is on the horizon.
Late Winter-Early Spring 2025
First off, I want to personally thank you for supporting my small and humble business. I’m very much still learning as I go and the fact that you are willing to sign up and follow along this crazy little journey I’m on means more than you’ll ever know. I’ve had overwhelming feelings of gratitude for those that allowed me to provide floral arrangements for Valentine’s Day! If I don’t say it enough, THANK YOU!
My “studio” aka, our kitchen table, where all the beautiful stems come together to create magical bouquets for our customers.
After the rush of prepping and executing Valentine’s Day, I realized I had overextended myself to the point of physical illness but after a few weeks of rest and reflection, I’m happy to say that I’m back and excited for the next big project - Spring Bouquet Subscriptions!
This is my first ever bi-weekly floral subscription so the offering will be small, make sure you head to the website to place your order today! Only a few short weeks until first pick-up!
…but looking ahead, I plan to offer a Fall Subscription as well, so if you miss out on our spring blooms, you’ll be the first to know when I open my pre-sale for fall! Did someone say DAHLIAS?
Spring florals will consist of a wide variety of tulips, daffodils, anemones, ranunculus and roses just to name a few! I’m trialing some new to me varieties so exact details are to be determined but I can say without a doubt, you and/or your loved ones will find each bouquet handpicked fresh from our plots and carefully curated to provide every bit of beauty spring has to offer! Timing will depend heavily on Mother Nature but I can tell you, once the blooms come, there’s no stopping them.
Anemones are having a moment - my beds are coloring up with a sea of unimaginable colors, from deep blues to perfectly pink-fuchsia, each stem boasting a display of perfectly crowned necks with dainty petals. These flowers are what we call, “cut & come again” meaning the more you cut, the more they send up new blooms. And with each flush, they become longer and stronger!
Tulips finally pushed through the soil and boy are they demanding attention. Because this is my first year growing tulips for production, harvesting at just the right stage proves to be a big challenge as they can be sneaky with the up and down temps of this time of year. They are harvested with the bulb on and stored dry in a cool dark place so they can be used at a later date for our subscriptions and market bouquets.
On “the farm” I’ve been a busy bee cover cropping & soil testing, seed sowing, transplanting and planning…
The #1 priority when growing in a new space (or to maintain existing spaces), is testing the soil. Without the right nutrients, PH, elements, all the time and effort into production is wasted. Getting a head start on feeding your soil is absolutely necessary in plant health.
Lots of seed starting happening - planning for summer and fall blooms.
…and more seed starting, bumping up seedlings…the list is never ending.
Now that warmer temps have arrived and the soil is warming, it’s time to check in on all the over-wintered crops. Most beds were tucked away under a light row cover, mostly to protect from wind and pest pressure but this also increases the temps by approx 5 degrees which can mean the difference in losing everything when temps drop in the 20s here.
Peeking under the frost cloth can be so terrifying…are they dead or alive? Do they hate me? Can they hang on just a little longer?
And to my surprise, all the little babies are thriving and ready to put on a big show for their main act!
Upcoming
Join me as I embark on my first ever local market. I will have a tent set up at the 2nd Annual Cumming City Center’s Spring Market offering fresh cuts and some seedlings to take home and grow in your very own yard! So make sure you swing by and say hello. The market is open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, April 12th. Click the link below for more details.
Looking ahead to summer and fall of this year, I’m throwing around an idea of offering small workshops for those interested. Some ideas I have come up with so far are bouquet building and seed starting this summer. And perhaps wreath making with fresh and dried ingredients in the fall. Let me know if this is something that interests you!
In conclusion, I’m excited you’re here and I hope my message excites you too. Lots of good stuff on the horizon so keep that chin up and know that SPRING IS COMING!
With so much love,
Anna
