Mother Nature

For years, it seems, we’ve been living with drought conditions here in California. With that, we learn different methods of saving and conserving water, ditching crops that require too much of this precious resource and learning to work in the early morning and late evening. Then 2023 happened. More rain than I can remember, snowpack so high you can touch the snow with the tip of your pole while riding the chairlift, weeds and grasses growing literally everywhere and the hose collecting dust. Initially, I was thrilled. We were desperate for rain, it felt great to wear rainboots again. But now, I’m singing a different song. I’ve given up trying to keep the weeds in check, I’m hoping my flowers find their way toward the sun and outgrow the weeds in no time. Fingers are double crossed. But here’s the real dilema, my field is at least a month behind and I’m not quite sure I’ll even catch up. I’m usually swimming in roses by Mother’s Day in May and here we are in June and I’m getting the first flush. I’m a huge proponent of the slow flower movement and prefer to harvest from my farm for any event work or customer orders but this year, I’ve been to the SF flower market on numerous occasions to fill orders I need. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a fieldtrip I absolutely adore but there’s something about locally grown flowers freshly harvested that you just can’t get at the flower market. Farming, as I’ve been known to say, is not for the faint of heart. The ebbs and flows are just that. We have to ride them like a painfully slow roller coaster. I did, however, harvest for a pride month arrangement which, to my great surprise, provided me with a beautiful rainbow of color. Not enough florals for event work but plenty for this beauty, I hope you can see the rainbow.

For everyone living their authentic selves. Happy Pride