Firmly Rooted Flower Farm

Is mauve still a color or has someone come up with a cooler, more trendy name yet?

Pleaseeeee drop your suggestions for this gem in the comments below ⬇️

Sylvia Craig Hunter

She doesn’t bloom until late in the season and she is mostly stingy with her blooms overall, but when she does finally decide to start sharing…. she’s glorious!

Absolute MUSTS if you are growing zinnias:

#1 - Plant in successions. Zinnias are highly susceptible to powdery mildew so planting them in stages every few weeks will keep you in a constant supply.

#2 - Plant them a minimum of 12 inches apart. By spacing them farther apart you increase the airflow around the plant which helps ward of… you guessed it… powdery mildew.

#3 - Don’t limit yourself to one or two or even three varieties. Mix it up and plant as many different colors as you can. You’ll thank me later 😉

This is me investing in unicorn dahlias.

This is Askwith Minnie.

This is me again in awe of how perfect she is.

I left a large handful of sunflowers in the field for the pollinators, and then later, the chickens.

Despite my generosity, there was a bee who would not leave me alone yesterday. No matter how close I got to the new sunflowers, he would zoom at me and land on my back and in my hair. He just kept chasing me down. I’ve never been scared of bees, but I came close yesterday. 

Protector bee! If so, he clearly takes his job very seriously!

Have you ever been chased down by a rogue bee?

When I was 15, my parents sent me and my younger brothers to Montana to stay with our Aunt(s) and Uncle(s) for nearly two months while they made the permanent move from Florida to our family cabin in Georgia.

A summer with cousins who were all our same ages.

The summer I fell in love with Montana.

I’ve been back 4 times as an adult and I love it more and more each time.

So far this trip…huckleberry bear claws in Polebridge, a forever drive to an abandoned border of Canada, horseback riding in Glacier, Going to the Sun Road, and a 6-mile hike on Mt. Aeneas.

And we’re only getting started.

Everything has been planted.

The dahlias and peonies have been weeded and re-weeded.

We’ve watered and fertilized.

And although the zinnias and celosia are in full bloom, the dahlias are just beginning to bloom and the sunflowers will probably bloom while I’m gone, we’re headed out for a long week of respite. ✈️🏔️

Because regardless of what’s happening in the flower garden, vacation with my loves is one of my non-negotiables.

And shout out to my husband because all the heavy lifting (weeding the peonies, watering during this drought, grass mowing, and a plethora of other gardening tasks) would not have been completed without him. 😘

The dahlias are coming on slowwwww this season.

It’s partly my fault because I planted them a few weeks later than usual due to all the rainfall we had in the spring, but the oppressive heat and lack of rainfall in June and July certainly hasn’t helped.

Perhaps the delay has made the few blooms I have received all the more sweet. This is another new-to-me dahlia and the color has me swooning. So far it’s reading “warm salmon pink” to me but we’ll see what she looks like as the season progresses. I hope her color stays just like this because I really do love a warm pink dahlia.

I can always use your help, so let me know what you think her color looks like in the comments below ⬇️

I have to know…

Do you prefer zinnias in their traditional yellow, orange, hot pink, and red colors or do you prefer the trending muted colors of pastel pink, lavender, pale, tangerine, and creamy yellow?

There is no right or wrong answer here folks… I’m just curious to know!!

Be sure and comment below ⬇️

For those who need a fresh flower fix, the pick-up petal porch is OPEN!

She’s just a tease of what July will usher in here on the farm.

Our first official bloom of the 2024 dahlia season.

We are still several weeks away from buckets of blooms, but I had to document our first arrival.

KA’s Mocha Katie bred by Kristine Albrecht of is what dahlia dreams are made of and I can’t wait to share her with you.

I posted in Stories this weekend to remember to water your peonies but I think I’ve got a little more explaining to do.

It’s really easy to overlook peonies after they have bloomed, because, let’s face it, there are a host of other gardening tasks that need to be completed this time of year including the 1,698,435,000 weeds that need to be pulled. However, after a peony has bloomed in the spring, it still has an important job to do. All summer it needs to photosynthesize and store energy for next year's blooms and it is setting eyes for next year's growth.

Although peonies are very drought tolerant, they still appreciate regular watering. A good rule of thumb is to water deeply if they are not receiving at least an inch of rainfall every two weeks.

If you haven’t already deadheaded all your spent blooms, go ahead and do that now as well.

If you plan to fertilize, apply it in mid-June or very early July. Keep all fertilizer away from the crowns of the plants and spread it over the area where the roots grow, from six to eighteen inches from the crown and thoroughly incorporate it with the soil. In all honesty though, if you prefer to skip the fertilizer, a good organic compost spread evenly around your plants will do the best job for your peonies.

If you have any other peony questions, feel free to drop it in the comments below ⬇️

I have been remiss in posting content this week.

I have been remiss in the seemingly endless task of weeding this week.

Instead, I forage.

It’s the only thing that calms me.

The best thing about tulips?

NO WEEDS!!

They’ve really been kicking my butt lately. I’ll pull them from a row leaving it all nice and tidy and 3 days later, they’re back 🙄

Does this just happen in the South or are these monsters everywhere?!?

It’s hereeeeeee!! My favorite little cutie filler flower is here just in time for…. nothing 😂

Yep. It arrived too late to pair with the peonies and it arrived too soon to pair with the dahlias.

Am I upset and do I care? Not really because this cutie can stand alone.

✅ she makes the cutest farmhouse-esque bouquets
✅ she lasts FOR-EV-ERRR in a vase
✅ she dries fabulously
✅ she makes a great pressed flower

I’ll have long-stemmed wrapped bunches on the petal porch here and there over the next few weeks or you can also message me to reserve a bundle.

These won’t last forever so don’t delay because you will totally miss out!

Looks like we have a new baby in the house!!

Magica found her home! 🥰

I was completely blown away with this yellow peony this season.

I planted a group of them last Fall, so this was only the first season, and I did not anticipate having any blooms. (In case you are unaware, it is ill-advised to let them bloom the first year). But alas, a few buds missed my detection and it ended up being the perfect happy accident.

The smell is unlike any other peony I’ve ever smelled. I was never able to fully put my finger on it, but it was almost fruity. Not quite lemon, but definitely tropical.

Thankfully, I planted a large group of them so I should have more to sniff-test again next year.

In the meantime, I’d like to know your thoughts on yellow peonies. Are you a fan?

Snapdragons 😍

Wrapped sleeves of these long-stemmed stunners are on the petal porch this week. 💐

Imagine them in your home in a tall vase or pitcher 😍

You will not be disappointed in their beauty or longevity. I promise! 😉

Grab yours today!!

It’s the time of year when I consider skipping the tulips and instead usher in the start of fresh flower season with peonies.

I don’t know why the orange ranunculus speak to me like they do.

My son remembers that orange flowers were my moms’s favorites.

Maybe it’s hereditary. 🧡

Do you ever wish you could catch a glimpse of the future?

I personally am not interested in what the future may hold for me because the world is a scary place right now, so instead I keep my head buried in flowers. Which is ironic actually, because to grow certain flowers, you have to plan ahead. Sometimes even three or four years ahead.

So let me introduce you to the future on our farm.

Isn’t she lovely?

I purchased her from and this one, lone bloom has me feeling all giddy about the future. Fingers and toes crossed this beauty grows big and strong and pumps out more blooms than we can shake a stick at.

I’m growing three types of Allium this season. This one is Purple Sensation and it’s been the first to bloom.

I’ll keep you posted on the other two varieties as they pop up but I’m definitely adding more and more varieties to the lineup every year.

I mean, how much more fun and whimsical can a flower get?

I think a tall vase with a bunch of these scattered about would be an attention getter. What do you think?

I also think I’ll try my hand at pressing this flower this year 💡

So many ideas are running through my brain. Do you have any other suggestions? I’d love to hear them!

DM me if you want a handful to play with! As an aside, they last forever in a vase too!

Did you know there are early season, mid-season, and late season blooming tulips? I try to plan my varieties so I have some of each type to stretch out the season, but honestly, other than a few varieties, they all bloom within a few week’s time.

But what I noticed this year, more than any other year, is that the colors of tulips seemed to bloom at the same time.

My first batches of blooms were oranges. Singles, doubles and parrots… didn’t matter. All orange. Then we had pinks and whites and now we are firmly in the purples.

I love being firmly in purple.

I am grateful I serve a risen Savior today and everyday ✝️

Happy Easter, friends 💛

”He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.“
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

My Personal Favorites:

This is a list of my personal favorite dahlias. One or two may have appeared on a different list as well, but this is the list of dahlias I truly love.

Not all of them make the best tubers, some of them are finicky growers, some of them only produce a few flowers per plant per season, but some of them are prolific, some of them make gobs of baby tubers and some of them grow like gangbusters.

This is the list that is just me.

In order (picture order not in order of my favorites because I cannot pick an absolute first place favorite): Lavender Perfection, All That Jazz, Bracken Palomino, Rock Run Ashley, Sweet Nathalie, White Aster, Peaches ‘N’ Cream, Coralie, Small World and Sierra Glow.

Which one is your favorite?

Sale starts TODAY at 1:00 p.m. EST. Until that time the shop will be down or will still show “sold out”. Be sure and refresh your browser at 1:00 pm. and shop til you drop!

When your tulip bouquets scream springtime 🐣 AND Easter ✝️

Make plans to grab your fresh, locally grown tulips for Easter weekend!

You can pick yours up today at the Petal Porch at 245 N Church Street in Clayton. The porch is self-serve and will be restocked all weekend.

You can also grab a bouquet White Birch Provisions in downtown Clayton or at Cupboard Cafe in Dillard!