Ordinary Flower Farm

Ordinary Flower Farm Growing through restorative gardening methods with a purpose of sharing the joy of flowers

Today's project was agricultural insect netting over the asters! I've always had a few asters but went in deep this yea...
05/30/2026

Today's project was agricultural insect netting over the asters! I've always had a few asters but went in deep this year with a big row. Asters can contribute to "asters yellow", a virus carried by insects which can cause plants to grow deformed. With just a few asters I didn't worry about it, but with hundreds I'm taking precautions. Earlier this year I scored a huge pallet of cheap conduit. The conduit, combined with rebar, stretchy cord and tent stakes, turned into a pretty good row cover. It's a knock off cheap version of a Low Cat Tunnel system. It needs a bit of tweaking, and I need to invest in or build a pipe bender to get more uniform hoops. This same setup would work well for frost cloth too.
Blooms are really starting to pop, I'm super excited for all the color that is coming!

Finally moved the last of the cattle panels into the garden. These will be great to have this year as support for the t...
05/28/2026

Finally moved the last of the cattle panels into the garden. These will be great to have this year as support for the taller flower varieties that tend to get too heavy and flop. They're kind of a pain to bend but not terribly difficult, it's definitely a multiple person job though. I cut the 16 foot on panels in half, 8 feet is much more manageable. These are all sourced secondhand, if you watch marketplace closely they'll come up for sale occasionally and tend to be cheaper than buying new. I'm still struggling with finding a way to suspend the shorter hog panels without bending them into an arch. I feel like they would be handy for shorter and taller varieties, just need to figure out some way to use them.

Also looking for tips on growing stock. I fail every year to get decent blooms and height. But the divine clove-like smell, I'll plant it every year just so I can pluck and smell it, even knowing that it'll be 5" tall and wimpy blooms.

I'm pretty excited to have an opportunity to partner with Aune Ranches Farm to Market Farmstand this summer, who has gra...
05/27/2026

I'm pretty excited to have an opportunity to partner with Aune Ranches Farm to Market Farmstand this summer, who has graciously offered up space in their shop for bouquets! Today's stock of 5 simple bouquets is just a "teaser" until the flowers really get going, and these 5 little arrangements are free today for Aune Ranches customers. There is an incredible inventory of beef products as well as beautiful bread and bakery goods in the shop today. 🌻

Not going to lie, the past two days and planting out were ROUGH! The unusually warm temps combined with the massive amo...
05/26/2026

Not going to lie, the past two days and planting out were ROUGH! The unusually warm temps combined with the massive amount of things to go in made a heck of a project. I'm not great with sun and heat, it took a lot of ice, water and migraine meds to get through it. Going back to "work" tomorrow will feel like a break! 😅
Everything got a couple days dousing with mycorrhizal fungi in their water to ease the planting shock and help stimulate roots and then it all got roughly plunked in. The dahlias are all in and adjusting under two huge shade cloths for a couple of days, and I'm fretting about this week's predicted hail so they'll be safer under there. I ended up with a couple extra trays of dahlia plants if anyone is still desperate for some more.
The long holiday weekend that I usually dedicate to planting was shortened by a side quest (at our house we love a good side quest) and when your teenager.still wants to spend time with you, grab the opportunity! We ran over to Wenatchee to see the Olympic gold figure skating team which was wonderful and a lovely break. (Alysa Liu, Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn!!!!! 😍) Wenatchee was in bloom with roses and lush green orchards, and we hit the market before heading home. I think it's important to find a balance with gardening, as much time ( LOTS ) as I devote to mine, I still want to enjoy all the other things in life and be able to put the garden on the back burner when needed.

Reminder the sweet potato/yam project from months ago? They've done well with lots of slips (sprouts) that have been pu...
05/22/2026

Reminder the sweet potato/yam project from months ago? They've done well with lots of slips (sprouts) that have been pulled off/rooted/planted. These will be trailing vines for planter pots and hanging baskets. It's too late in the year to start these now, but keep it in your thoughts for next year, about January. This is a great way to create a lot of inexpensive filler from just a few store bought yams/sweet potatoes. More info is in the photo captions.
And yes, they do grow into a harvestable crop by fall. Mine are contained in pots so it's a small crop of tiny potatoes. But still kind of fun. 😊

The annemones are starting! Slowly slowly, but their little heads are starting to peak out. The fancy pansies started f...
05/17/2026

The annemones are starting! Slowly slowly, but their little heads are starting to peak out.
The fancy pansies started from seed ages ago are also throwing out an occasional bloom, cute but I'm not sure if they are worthy of the months they've been ever so slowly growing.
I was a victim of the clearance rack at Lowe's last week and came home with a few new plants. Then the sadness of digging holes hit, followed by a lightbulb moment that we have a tractor and post hole auger! Hundreds and hundreds of holes dug over the years before the tractor and I just got used to doing them by hand. It was pretty fantastic to not have to fight our hard soil and rocks to dig holes, it definitely opens a world of possibilities......I may be checking out the Lowe's clearance rack a lot more often!
Cover your sensitive plants tonight and batten down the hatches, it's going to be a cold night. ❄️

I don't usually work on Fridays but I needed to be here today, and then this pops up in my email box - now I REALLY want...
05/15/2026

I don't usually work on Fridays but I needed to be here today, and then this pops up in my email box - now I REALLY want to go home! One last order from Willow Rock Acres with a few more gorgeous dahlia varieties. I am ridiculously excited to grow these! There's something about the form and color of dahlias that is just so joyous.

This cool weather is the perfect time to get your "cool flowers" into the ground if you haven't already done so. They a...
05/15/2026

This cool weather is the perfect time to get your "cool flowers" into the ground if you haven't already done so. They adjust so much better when the sun isn't blazing down on them right after the transition from pot to ground. These little veronica got tucked in today and should do great with cooler temps and the moisture retaining wool mulch.
Don't forget to get your cool loving veggies like brassicas, peas and greens in too.
If you jumped the gun on your frost sensitive plants, tomatoes/peppers/squash/dahlias/zinnias/etc, plan to cover them this weekend with the expected lows coming our way.
The rest of the month is predicted to have higher than normal temps and we're in the homestretch but not quite there yet to safely plant everything out. If my schedule and temps allow, I'm aiming to pull everything out everything left in the greenhouses to harden off on the 20th with a goal of planting out on memorial day. That could of course change based on the forecast. But I'm hopeful, 10-ish days and everything could be in the ground!

2026 seed starting has gone out with very little fanfare but a lot of relief. I should really be succession sowing, but...
05/13/2026

2026 seed starting has gone out with very little fanfare but a lot of relief. I should really be succession sowing, but I just can't ponder it after all the work the last few months. Maybe by July I'll be ready to sow seeds for fall planting. For now I'm just looking forward to getting all the plants in the ground and being done.
Temps in the bitterroot are looking a bit chilly over the weekend. I'm hoping by next week things will warm up enough to harden off all the dahlias. An early planting in late May would be fantastic.
Speaking of dahlias - if you purchase tubers with a sprout, and that sprout gets snapped off in the bag, no worries, it'll be fine and another sprout (or two) will grow back.
This last little flat is a mix of some summer squash and green beans. I've always planted seychelle beans, but switched to Fortex this year. If you don't already follow Susan's In The Garden (YouTube and FB), I'd highly recommend it. She's over in Spokane Washington, not too different from out Montana zone, she's an incredibly knowledgeable gardener. She raved about Fortex enough to convince me. The germination isn't great but that could be due to my apathy right now and haphazard watering. Hopefully enough will grow to get a good crop this summer.

Happy mother's day! 💐♥️I watched two last Quiet Splendor tubers yesterday and when they were overlooked for a couple of ...
05/10/2026

Happy mother's day! 💐♥️
I watched two last Quiet Splendor tubers yesterday and when they were overlooked for a couple of hours I felt relieved and grabbed them back out of the sale. Because clearly I didn't already keep enough, hoarder that I am. 🤦
For those of you who want to track your varieties, these quickly became my favorite tags last year and the only ones I'm using this year. They transition easily from pots to being clipped on the plant stalks and branches. If you are keeping your tubers this fall, clip them to the base of the clump before you cut back/dig/wash and then toss them into the storage container for that variety.
The Artline Garden marker is also great, it doesn't fade even after years of use.
Some of you may have gotten these green tags in your potted plants, that probably indicates a tuber instead of a cutting.
If you have a white tag, here's the inside info on those - I try to avoid single use plastics, those are actually cut up window blinds that I get discarded from a local window blind company. It's a great way to have a lot of plant tags while still being environmentally conscious.

Well that was crazy, awesome, wonderful and an absolute whirlwind! I'm so incredibly grateful to all of you who took th...
05/10/2026

Well that was crazy, awesome, wonderful and an absolute whirlwind! I'm so incredibly grateful to all of you who took the time to drive all the way out and support the sale! It went so much better than I could have ever imagined, and by 3pm the tables were pretty bare in comparison to how the morning started.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has suggestions for change next year based on today, but I'm also pretty easily crushed so PM me if it's an unhappy comment! ,😅 We might try a more central location next year, although I would DREAD hauling all those plants anywhere. I'll definitely have WAY more snapdragons available next year! Those flew out of the sale. You all did so great with parking and I'm thankful for my husband throwing up the last minute flagging. Internet access was a pain, I'm so sorry about that (and on that note.....if you're the person who bought 40+ dahlias pls check your Venmo.... payment never did come through, but again, not your fault for our lousy connection in the ravine!).

Notes on what you bought in case you missed the signs-
Not cold hardy -
Amaranth
Celosia
Tomatoes
Basil
Asters
Hibiscus
Zinnias
Dahlias
Grape vines
I think that's all 🤔. Those things will die if hit with frost/freeze. Keep them well watered, pot them up if needed, harden them off for at least a few days and then plant out after danger of frost.

Dahlia tubers - those should be fine to plant out now, or pot them up inside to really get them warmed up and jump started. Tubers are finicky until they root/leaf out, too dry and they die, too wet and they rot. Keep the soil just slightly moist.

Punch the center of the dahlias after they get 5 or 6 sets of leaves and use a stake for support - they'll get big!

All the other seedlings - plant them out, they are decently cold tolerant and they've been outside 24/7 for at least a month now. Be sure to keep them watered well the first few weeks until they get well established, especially on these unusually warm days. Planting on a cloudy day or cool evening is ideal.

Monitor your cups/pots until you get things planted out - it's easy to under/over water or to cook your plants in pots if left out in direct sun.

Johnny's Seeds is a great resource for information on the plants, and where most of the seeds came from. Your seedlings are tiny right now but they'll get big quickly with good growing conditions, read up on details of spacing and support for the plants.

Lastly, it was pretty fantastic to meet so many FB friends in person. I'm so sorry things were hectic in the morning! I'd love to ponder a September evening open invite to come pick a bouquet and see all the new varieties of dahlias added this year, just to aim for a slower pace for everyone to visit and talk about how our gardens did through the summer. And I vote for Pockets of Thyme Flower Farm to do a bouquet making demo for us! 😊
Anyways, THANK YOU for making the day incredible.

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