Lots of Babies and a Fair Bit of Disquiet
May was a beautiful month here at the farm, day after day of cloudless skies and cool nights. There is new life everywhere–baby bluebirds, fawns, and, of course, new flowers are blooming. Most days I’m in awe of the beauty of it all. There’s magic when a fawn goes from wobbly-legged newborn to a frolicking deer in less than a week. I love watching the bluebirds progress from all mouths and no feathers, to tiny replicas of the full-grown variety, after being fed thousands of bugs by their parents. The plants are thriving, growing every day, and offering an increasing number of blossoms. This time of year, I’m especially enamored with the Nigella, with its intricate white or blue flowers, green highlights, and feathery foliage.
Nigella or “Love in a Mist”
One of my other jobs besides seed starting, transplanting, and weeding, is keeping the annuals watered. I have a drip irrigation system, so it is a relatively painless process of turning the water on and off at appropriate intervals. Soon I will be investing in a more sophisticated timer! I also planted a large perennial bed this year, full of natives and pollinator-friendly plants that will grow bigger by next year and provide a source of flowers that doesn’t have to be started and transplanted each season. This bed is at the back of my field and far from my water source. Eventually, once the plants are established, it won’t need watering, but in the rainless month of May, I have hauled a lot of water to that end of the field.
Baby bluebirds
Despite the beauty of it all, I feel an abiding sense of disquiet caused by the lack of rain. We experienced a long dry spell last year, but it was in July. This year’s lack of rain feels too early and too enduring. Yesterday, I put out another water trough, with only 2 inches of water, so that smaller wildlife that are looking for water can find it without falling into my too-deep horse water trough.
With the change in climate so increasingly obvious every year, I keep asking myself if I am doing enough. I guess the answer will always be no. If a house is burning down, is there ever enough that one person can do? I used to take solace in teaching children about the beauty and awesome power of nature and ways they could describe that, in the hopes of cultivating an appreciation for the natural world. That’s not my career anymore, so if I want to make an impact I have to pay a lot of attention to my personal choices. Cool Breeze Flowers is my attempt to make some contribution. I grow without the use of any chemicals (organic or otherwise). I am trying to increase the number of natives that I grow, and when choosing non-natives, I look for pollinator-friendly plants. Finally, I’m really trying to shop local whenever I can. It’s not always easy when you live in such a rural area, but I’m excited about the discovery of a new veggie farm where I can buy locally-grown produce, and some non-box store sources for soil and supplies.
End of May bouquet
I’m also proud to contribute to the “choose local” economy by offering my first trial subscription of sustainably-grown flowers. To mark the official start of summer, I will have a 4-week subscription available beginning June 22. I will deliver bouquets to the 08551 and 08525 zip codes, and pick up is available for anyone else who is interested. I’m offering a discounted price for this first trial run (while I figure this out), $100 for the month for delivery and $80 for pick up. I have a limited number of spots available, so send me an email or a text if you want to be included.
I’m looking forward to sharing flowers with many of you in June. And here is hoping it comes with a little rain.
