How was everyone’s August? We had an array of seasons here in Ohio….some really hot days, finally some rain our flowers have been craving and then it even felt like chilly fall for a couple days towards the end of the month! You just never know what you’re going to get here so we hop around between iced new orleans coffee (yep, still obsessing over those this summer), traditional lattes with pretty milk art and sometimes a simple cup of hot tea with a drizzle of honey. Local of course to support our small businesses and our bees 😉 So grab the drink that matches today’s weather best and let’s get to it…
Summer Blooms
Our cosmos and zinnias are continuing to flourish and are rapid producers of vibrant colors. We certainly want to expand on these next season with more varieties (we have a small mix of zinnias this year and our cosmos are all ‘sea shell cosmos’! And speaking of cosmos, most of ours are now even taller than us! Granted, we’re only 5’1 but it’s still pretty impressive for flowers!
Our other favorite summer blooms in the garden are the sunflowers and gladiolous. The gladiolous were a variety of bulbs so we’ve been surprised by the color of each new bloom and have narrowed it down to a solid top five 🙂 The tall, gorgeous flowers are the best part; the challenge is keeping these stems upright especially after a thunderstorm. Finding simple solutions is added to our list for next year! Our local bees are loving these beauties too so we’ll be planting a few extra just for that reason next season 😉
The interesting thing about our sunflowers is how they grew at different heights and flower sizes even though they all originated from the same seed type. And then one day while managing our Instagram account, we came across a video of a fellow flower farmer explaining the reason for this exact scenario! Apparently it’s all in the way you plant and the spacing of the seeds. The seeds planted further apart will result in bigger and taller sunflowers; the closer the seeds, the shorter and smaller the flower. So maybe next year we’ll be a little more consistent, but in the meantime we’ll play it off like we meant to do that so we’d have a nice variety of sunflowers for different bouquet uses haha Also, the little baby sunflowers are so cute!!
Summer Planting
We have had two troublesome flower beds this season. We have attempted to plant seeds in both beds on more than one occasion and have not seen results. Last month we talked about the seeds we planted in July (lots of stock flowers, round two for Persian cress and asters). We blamed the mulch for our lack of sprouts in the Spring and this time we can only imagine perhaps our seeds didn’t get enough water during the critical couple weeks after planting. We recently found out about taking soil samples to have custom fertilizer made for your ground specifically. This came up in conversation about vegetable gardens, but seems like it could be a good idea for our flower garden as well! Added to the list of things to research for a better season in year two.
Bouquet Making
The most fun thing we did in August was practice wrapping flower bouquets! In that same flower farming community, we found the best video tutorial for wrapping bouquets using Kraft paper. You take a square piece of Kraft paper and fold it over once to make a triangle. Then you fold both sides inward, place the flower bouquet over top and wrap each side in to secure with a staple. It makes more sense when you have a visual; we’re planning to make a video to share soon! But remember last month when we said cosmos are best used as a filler flower rather than the main focus of a bouquet? We were so wrong about that, y’all! Just look at this beautiful bouquet of cosmos! It was our absolute favorite from the day! We added some baptisia and a couple sprigs of lavender for proper fillers 🙂
Coffee
Our main focus from a coffee perspective this month was finalizing our logo so we can design coffee bean bags with our business name and bean information displayed on them. And then fill them with our beans from Backroom Coffee, slowly but surely. J We’ve decided on this pretty font and next have to submit the file to USPTO and wait for approval.
But we can’t call this section ‘Coffee’ with just that so we’re also sharing what Kryn’s husband might tell you is the best way to brew your morning coffee! Have y’all seen the Chemex? This contraption is efficient and easy to use! Grinding your favorite coffee bean as fine as possible will provide the best results. Once that is completed, drop a few scoops in the filter, pour hot water in a zig zag pattern over the coffee and watch the brew come to life! Once the water has completely filtered through, you can take the filter out and voila! Your perfectly brewed coffee is ready!
Random Chit Chat
And the little things in life that add up and make the month wonderful…
- Sara’s stepdaughter turned sweet sixteen!
- We had a bonfire with our little group of friends who attempt to get together on a monthly basis which usually turns into every other or every three months! Scheduling is a challenge in the adult world!
- The best apples started popping up at our favorite market (Lynd Fruit Farm) and if you’re interested, they do U-pick apples all through September and also sell the yummiest apple cider!
- We talked about visiting the New Albany farmer’s market on a Thursday (it’s held every Thursday from 4 – 7 PM) but have yet to actually make it over #keepinitrealforyall
- We got to try Johnson’s Real Ice Cream thanks to our generous employer treating us to this delicious dessert for free one day this month and it.is.so.good!! They only have locations in Central Ohio and apparently one in Chicago, but if you’re ever in either of those spots do yourself a favor and stop in for a cone or milkshake!
Talk to y’all next month!!
Bloom where you are planted
