Summer News & Blooms: July
In Summer, this little native flower farm is a buzz with pollinators and bursting in flowers! Here’s what is happening in July—
Despite last week’s heat wave, we’ve been having a GREAT Summer for gardening here in Central New York. Whether you’ve been on a Nature hike or in the garden, the plants seem to grow right in front of your eyes these past 2 weeks!
Why? Warm temps with a dash of humidity and a rain shower or two make for really happy plants!
And here at the farm we have HAPPY PLANTS!
Oswego Tea (Monarda didyma) and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) are putting on an incredible show in the front gardens.
This is a favorite stop of hummingbirds to grab a sip of nectar (or an insect or two) right now.
By August, the Goldfinches will be popping into the patch to feast on the seeds to feed their chicks!
Over on the potting bench...
I’ve been seed sowing next year’s plants and refilling wood trays with rookies.
What’s a rookie you ask? A ‘rookie’ is a native perennial in its first year of life. The rookie has been growing strong all season but has not yet experienced dormancy. Planted now thru late September, they quickly establish strong roots for Winter dormancy and waking up next Spring!
A rookie Anise Hyssop growing up strong in our Wool Pots!
Warm soils, cooler days, and soft rains make for GREAT root development. No biting bugs either in September!
That’s why smart gardeners get sooo excited about September!! (and they think it’s all about the ‘pumpkin spice’ LOL!)
Wait a bee minute…
what happened to JULY?!?
Opps got a little distracted by the thought of gardening in September without deerflies! hahahaha!
Ahem .. BACK TO SUMMER!
and what a Summer it is!
This Summer, I’ll have the help of 2 fabulous farm assistants! Watch for an introduction coming next week…
Together we’ll be working on
Expanding the Meadow Walk with a huge 30’ x 100’ foot pollinator garden. A small wildlife pond is on the goal sheet.
Planting out hundreds of new native plant rookies
Preparing for our annual Native Shrub Sale
Harvesting flowers for custom arrangements & local florists
We’ll also be celebrating MONARDA!
In July, Monarda is in bloom everywhere at Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm! Much to the delight of hummingbirds, long tongued bees and of course hummingbird moths!
I always plant Monardas around or near any plants that deer and rabbits tend to nibble on too much. While they still may nibble on plants like the patches of Sky Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense) the deer & bunnies don’t seem to eat it right down to the roots! See they don’t like the smell of Monardas~ a bit too spicy!
Walking in our gardens & meadow, you’ll see LOTS of Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and Oswego Tea (Monarda didyma) in bloom in July and early August. By late August their seeds will begin ripening providing a vital food source for American Goldfinch chicks!
Come celebrate Monarda with me this Summer!
Our patches of Oswego Tea are in full bloom! Wild Bergamot is budding up to bloom in just another week or two.
To celebrate this year, I invite you to join me here at the farm for our first Marvelous Monarda Series!
In this series, you’ll learn how to grow Monarda and why pollinators love them. We’ll harvest Monarda together and then create wonderful things for your home with Monarda! Oh yes we’ll be sipping tea too!
Three workshops to choose from:
Oswego Tea & Oxymel Thursday July 16 at 6:00pm
Monarda Floral Centerpiece Saturday July 18th at 9:30 am
Wild Bergamot Salve Make & Take Saturday July 25 at 9:30am
All the Marvelous Monarda workshops are held outdoors and in our 200+ year old barn. As you know~ our farm is ‘bug friendly’ even to the bugs who aren’t so friendly to us. Deerflies and mosquitos I’m looking at you!
A dash of garden & farm reality
Here on the farm, you won’t find me wearing frilly dresses gliding through the field picking flowers or potting up plants at the potting bench.
Most often, I’m often found looking like what a sweet friend calls my “mad scientist look” – long sleeve white cotton baggy shirts, big hat and sometimes gloves all covered in soil, paint and worse from all the gardening fun.
I’m a mad scientist who picks and gazes affectionately at Wild Bergamot! ha-ha-ha!
If you are attending the workshops, please dress appropriately! There’s nothing quite like stepping on a slug in your pretty new sandals!
Especially for the poor slug!
For the safety of any wild creatures including yourself:
PLEASE wear closed toed shoes & ‘play clothes’ in light colors
A hat also in light colors as deerflies love to BLUE! Speaking of un-friendly insects…
Don’t forget a favorite bug-repellent like Sallyander’s Bug No Bite Me
But don’t panic about the insects, friends! Most of our time will be spent in the old barn creating beautiful things with Monarda for your home!
Want to join the Marvelous Monarda fun but can’t attend on these dates? Contact me HERE for a private workshop for you and some friends! I’d also be delighted to host a child friendly workshop too!
What else is coming up at the farm?
Annual NATIVE SHRUB PRE- SALE kicks off starts July 15! Every Summer, we reserve native shrubs for you to plant in September plus host a fabulous Autumn party on the pick-up day! Pre-order forms will be available online July 15 for September pickup!
Cottage Bouquets & more
Custom flower arrangements featuring native & locally grown flowers are in FULL swing!
From swags to posies, all flower creations are 100% eco-friendly made from natural materials for easy drying and composting!
Coming up in August…
NEW GARDENING CLASS on August 13, Make a Autumn Planting Plan for Next Year’s Pollinators. Learn how planning now helps you save time, money and pollinators this Autumn and into the coming year! You’ll tour the farm, meet the plants, and get help planning your garden. You’ll be ready with a plant list to take to all the Autumn perennial plant sales!
Join us the2nd weekend in August for a BEE WALK with Dr. Margarita Orlova Assistant Professor of Biology at SUNY Polytechnic Institute! Dr. Orlova specialize in Entomology, Animal Communications and Evolutionary Biology. Join us for this very special event to learn about native bee behavior, communication and how they use native plants to survive.
