Behind the Scenes at Drift Sand Blooms
- narosca0
- Sep 22, 2024
- 3 min read
September marks the arrival of spring, and with it, the exciting start of another flower season at Drift Sand Blooms. The paddock where we grow our flowers is starting to once again evolve into a flower patch.
From prepping the ground to nurturing delicate seedlings, we've been busy behind the scenes. In this blog, I'll introduce you to our little crew and will take you on a tour of what we’ve been up to.
It’s a team effort
First and foremost, none of this would be possible without the dedicated team behind Drift Sand Blooms. At the core are:
My parents: Retired poultry and grain farmers with a lifelong passion for gardening.
My husband: Who brings nearly 30 years of expert horticultural experience, specializing in growing onion seed crops that are exported worldwide.
My girls and their people: When the busy season hits its peak, you might spot my two wonderful daughters helping. While their enthusiasm isn’t always as bright as our blooms, they will pitch in when needed. There’s been times when we’ve recruited their friends too. I've even enlisted my eldest daughter’s boyfriend as our impromptu delivery guy.
Soil Preparation – Healthy flowers start with healthy soil
Last weekend, we had a pleasant surprise when our neighbour showed up with a load of horse manure – you can imagine my excitement!
This 'black gold' contains a powerhouse of nutrients for our soil, packed with organic matter that improves soil structure and fertility.
(I think our generous neighbour can look forward to a never-ending supply of fresh flowers this season – it's only fair!)
Planting Schedule
Our planting is right on schedule. Here's of snapshot of what’s been going on:
· Gladdies: We've just planted our second succession of gladdies. These beauties are timed to bloom for the Christmas season.
· Dahlias: Our dahlia tubers are now snug in the ground, nestled in their beds of nutrient-rich soil. We're eagerly awaiting the first signs of growth. For me, there's nothing more exciting than coming home from work each evening to check which dahlias have broken through the soil.
· Liliums: Our lilium bulbs, planted earlier, are already showing promising growth.
· Chrysanthemums: Following the overwhelming demand during Mother's Day this year, we've exciting news - we've expanded our growing area with an additional bay! Our new chrysanthemum cuttings are taking root, preparing for their autumn showcase.
Mum’s Seedling Nursery
Mum's green thumb is working its magic in her seedling nursery. Her eyes light up every morning as she checks on the zinnia seedlings. These future blooms are being tenderly nurtured under her watchful care.
We're planning to transplant these zinnias into our flower beds between late spring and early summer, depending on the weather conditions. This timing allows them to establish strong roots before bursting into a display of colours in the height of summer.
Pest and Disease Prevention
Let me take off my rose-coloured glasses for a moment and talk about the pest situation. You may have seen on our social pages that we’ve had some unwanted visitors…Guinea Fowl. While they did ‘help’ with the weeding, they also ripped out several expensive bulbs, which was upsetting. We seem to have this situation under control.
What to expect from Drift Sand Blooms this spring?
We’ll hopefully have our tubers listed up on the website site ready for purchase soon. We like to see visible eyes on our tubers before we sell them to you. So, watch this space.
As we nurture our bulbs, tubers, and tiny seeds, we're also cultivating something equally precious - our connection with you, our flower-loving community. Every bloom that pushes through the soil reminds us of the joy we'll soon be sharing.
Whether you're eagerly waiting for our tubers to be ready for purchase to start your own dahlia adventure or looking forward to that first bunch of the season, please know that we're working hard behind the scenes.
