The Cut Flower Garden.

When we started our farm a few years ago, I was consumed with the idea of flowers. I just wanted flowers everywhere—around the house, around the pond, around the trees—pretty much anywhere I could plant them. To be clear, I wasn’t thinking about cutting them; I just wanted to plant perennials that would come back year after year, take great care of the plants, and watch them grow.

Then one day, while I was waiting to check out at Costco with my weekly purchase of flowers in hand, I had an epiphany. Why was I buying flowers when I could grow them? Of course, I couldn’t grow them year-round, but I could grow them for a good part of the year. And I did have some growing that I could cut when I got home. So, I put my flowers back into the bucket in the store, checked out, and went home. I immediately filled a bucket with water, took out my cutters, and went outside to cut some flowers. As I stood there looking at my plant, I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t cut the flowers! I had no idea why. I was more than willing to deadhead the plants when needed, and I was more than willing to prune them. So, what was the reason I couldn’t cut the flowers?

I started to really mull this over and came to the conclusion that I wanted the plant to be in its glory, just as I had intended it to be. I didn’t want to alter that experience. Now, while that may seem crazy to some people, I know some of you will get it. I didn’t plant those particular flowers with the intention of cutting them. Clearly, I needed a new strategy.

Before I realized it, we were in the fall and I was in the garden planning phase. All I did was talk about flowers, chickens, and more flowers. I am sure my husband was sick of hearing me, but some of that chatter sank in. He bought me Cut Flower Garden by Erin Benzakein. It was probably the most thoughtful Christmas gift I had ever been given. I devoured the book in two days over Christmas. I couldn’t wait for spring to come! The best part was that she talked about this very subject—feeling OK with cutting the flowers because that’s what they were made to do. I had a whole new mindset, and I was off and running.

Here we are in the middle of the second year of having a flower garden specifically for cutting, and I couldn’t be happier. Sure, I still have challenges out there that I need to conquer. Weeds are a constant challenge, as I am still learning the difference between a weed and an intended flower when they are seedlings. But it’s OK! It’s all part of the process. A process that comes with intention and understanding the outcome. When you wrap your intention and your outcome together, and understand yourself in the process, you bloom.

Have a blessed day my friends…

Kim