Holiday Gift Ideas for Flower Lovers and Growers

Tis the time of year where I start to receive messages from folks asking what I’d recommend giving to gardeners and flower lovers, and I definitely have a full list of favorite things to share…so I’m doing it right here. Please know that I am affiliated with none of the companies mentioned: I just love what they make and everything listed is something I personally use and enjoy!

Gifts for Gardeners and Aspiring Flower Growers

Hori Hori Garden Knife: this is my go to garden tool that is wonderful for planting and cutting through weeds and roots. There are many out there, but this one is my personal favorite that has stood the test of time and abuse (losing tools in the field is one of my specialties, and this one hasn’t rusted one bit even after many a rain showers).

Seeds from my favorites Renees Garden, Rare Seeds, and Select Seeds (or gift cards to any of those companies!) are always a fun gift to give. Varieties of cosmos, zinnias, and sunflowers are wonderful for beginners and can be planted right after the last frost.

Gardening guides and inspo books have always been gifts I’ve found to be so thoughtful, and I always love when the giver has signed the book so I think of that person every time I reference it!

The Complete Gardener by Monty Don, The Land Gardeners Cut Flowers, Cut Flower Garden, Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life, and The Flower Yard are my current top 5 picks and ones I constantly read or simply browse through to enjoy the photos.

Barnes and Noble is linked below since I know they offer all 5, but please check in and support your local bookstores first if you can!

Gardening clothes are also a wonderful gift, and the two tried and true pieces of clothing I wear all through the season are Duluth Heirloom Gardening Bibs (spring/summer) and Carhartt Heavyweight Pocket Leggings (fall/winter). They’re water resistant, comfortable, and hold up well through many many washings. Plus they’re cute and well cut, which I think most can appreciate.

Lotions and gloves! Gardening and farming can be rough on the hands, and though there is no shame to have dirt under the fingernails, split fingertips hurt and can be a big distraction from the joy of growing. Giving a hand care package to a grower is a great gift idea! Nitrile gloves are my personal favorites to use (and you can find them in so many places), and the miracle lotion for me is from a favorite small company based out of Charleston, South Carolina called Old Whaling Company. Their lotion is magic and smells delicious (or not if you want to unscented type;), and it’s the reason that my hands stay smooth to the touch even if they are tattooed in dirt. Plus they really are the kindest people and always gift the cutest samples with your purchases : if you ever get a chance to shop with them in person, do it! But until then, here’s a link to their shop.

Gifts for Flower Arrangers

Tools to create a foam free flower arrangement, including flower frogs, vases, and floral snips, are wonderful for creating a gift bundle that can be enjoyed and utilized again and again.

If you’re searching for new items, these are some of my favorite companies to buy from:

If you’re hoping to gift vintage pieces, Etsy is always my favorite go to stop for flower frogs and vases, in addition to local antique shops and estate sales! I also have an offering of vintage vessels that ship within the US if you’re interested in taking a peek!

Last but not least, for all flower lovers, the gift of local flowers in the form of bouquet subscriptions is a wonderful idea! There are those that deliver (that’s me!), those that ship (3 Porch Farm in Georgia is a personal favorite for that route), and those who require pick up from their farm.

Whichever route you choose to go, gifting local flowers will always be the best because they’ll be the freshest, most unique, and most eco friendly bouquets you can give! Though it’s a gift that your recipient may need to wait for, the perk is that it will be such a wonderful weekly reminder of you in the spring.

Hope that guide was helpful, and please let me know if you have any other suggestions to add to the list!

Happy shopping and happy holidays!

Flower Garden Documentaries to Inspire

Over the past decade I’ve become a bit of a documentary nerd, and last winter - the one where it was cold and snowy and I could all stay inside without feeling guilty about missing out on nice weather - I binged on garden documentaries. 

None were nail biters or drama filled, but I walked away with new knowledge and inspiration after watching each one. There is a true art to telling someone’s story in a two hour or less span of time, and the four listed below (in no certain order) are ones that spoke to me the most:

PORTRAIT OF A GARDEN

This subtitled documentary follows one year in the life of a historic walled garden in the Netherlands. Not only does it speak to the patience and care it takes to bring a garden vision to life, but it also follows along the beautiful friendship between two men of different generations that are gardening alongside each other as mentor/mentee. The pace of this is the slowest on the list, but their peaceful and informative conversations were ones I couldn’t get enough of.

THE WELL PLACED WEED: THE BOUNTIFUL LIFE OF RYAN GAINEY

The title grabbed me immediately, because as someone who has a tolerance for weeds and even intertwines them in floral designs from time to time, I love to know I’m not alone in my slight affection for some of them.

But really the weeds take a backstage to Ryan Gainey in the film, a larger than life character that is an opinionated, unapologetic, creative, gifted, unique plant genius. Not to give any spoilers, but if you don’t know who Ryan is, the film has an ending you may not see coming.

BEATRIX FARRAND’S AMERICAN LANDSCAPES

This documentary follows the life of America’s first female landscape architect and her incredible work. Told by Lynden B. Miller, a present day renowned garden designer, you’re given a look into how Beatrix led the way for so many professional female plant experts and landscape designers today. In the film you’ll also get to tour many beautiful gardens in different locations around the country. Overall it’s a beautiful reminder of how much gardens and landscape design can become part of someone’s legacy and live on to tell their life story while benefitting the earth + society even after they’re gone. 

THE GARDENER

Hear the incredible story and tour the beautiful garden of Frank Cabot, a self taught horticulturalist who created one of the world’s most adored and respected gardens - spanning almost 20 acres - from scratch. There are several people interviewed throughout the film, but it’s Frank who so eloquently describes how gardening has impacted his life that makes you want to reach for a pen and start writing down his quotes.

Valentine's Day

“Whatever you do, please don’t get me red roses.” 

Do you ever have moments where a memory from long ago hits you, and you realize that perhaps the life path you’re on that seems like it came out of nowhere actually might have begun way before you ended up where you are?

That red roses comment is one I made to my new love at the time/now husband around the year 2000. We had met the previous December and I was feeling brave enough to give him the huge hint that I’d love a little something for Valentine’s Day…I just didn’t want the most common and popular gift.

At the time, it had nothing to do with he fact that red roses were completely out of season or flown thousands of miles to get here and sprayed with lots of chemicals and bred to look like stick straight flower statues that looked nothing like how roses grow in nature. 

No, no. 17 year old Lindsey had no clue about any of that.

I just really didn’t like them, and it had to do with the fact that  - me, the girl who was never a trend setter but also never a trend follower - was craving to get something others around me weren’t. Something different and unique, making it seemingly more special. 

Plus, if I’m being honest and yet now a little embarrassed to tell you…I may have been giving him a little bit of a challenge to see just how well he listened.

He passed the challenge then and continued to do so. 

That first year there were gorgeous lilies. 

The next, hydrangeas.

Then, there were tulips. Oh how those tulips stole my heart. So much so that they became the thing for years to come. Pink ones, red ones, yellow ones. It didn’t matter, I always loved them.

But perhaps the best tulip story comes from the one time they were almost a flop. 

It was my second year in college, his third. He and I went to schools two hours apart and February 14 falling on a weekday meant that we wouldn’t be spending the day together. 

A knock came at the door of my apartment mid day, just as the girls downstairs had come up to hang out with me and my roommates. A man handed over a long box addressed to me and a half mocking/half sweet “awwwww” resounded amongst the group.

I opened the box so excited to see what he’d delivered to me this year, gently pulled back the paper, and picked up a bouquet of 24 tulips that immediately flopped over in my hands. 

Those awwwwww turned to oh noooooooos.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him and didn’t feel like being the person calling to complain to a flower company on what was their craziest day of the year, so I put them in a vase and we jokingly put them in the middle of the table.  “It’ll be a Valentine’s Day centerpiece we’ll never forget” we said.

And it was. 

Then, the next morning, to my astonishment, I awoke to find that the tulips were standing up straight and beautiful!  Turns out tulips can do well living out of water but will go limp as they wait for rehydration. So just giving them a few hours in water brings them back to life! 

That ended up being my first lesson in flower conditioning, and another big lesson for both of us : if you want to have flowers delivered that wow immediately upon presentation, it’s best to go the local route.

Funny that it took about 15 years for those lessons to be used for more than just purchasing flowers, but here I am today, a farmer florist who still loves tulips and am so very proud to be offering a local Valentine’s Day delivery option that will ensure your flowers won’t be gifted as a sad flop that’s awaiting a hydration miracle.  

True to form, I’m still not into red roses and won’t be providing those, but this year there is the offering of gorgeous white and pink, American grown tulips mixed in with dried Larkspur grown at the farm and saved since last spring.  

In short, it’s a fresh and dried bouquet in one, of which half can be saved and enjoyed for months to come as a reminder of your Valentine’s Day! Whether it’s being gifted to yourself or someone else, the promise is that it will be delivered in a fresh state ready to be enjoyed immediately.

Also, it’s worth noting that proceeds from Valentine’s Day orders are going directly into planting more pollinator fields at the farm. It’s my way of offsetting the carbon emissions from having flowers shipped cross county, and it’s also a way to improve the ecosystem in which my flowers are grown.  The more pollinators come to the property the happier the flowers are, which means the quality of what I can provide continues to improve. 

If you’re interested in purchasing a bouquet or a bouquet + flower subscription bundle, head on to the link below - and thank you as always for your love and support of local/American grown flowers. 

Thoughts on Weddings

Before becoming a flower grower and floral designer, my professional life was that of a photographer! For seven years I had the privilege of documenting all the details and moments of numerous weddings, and now I get to create pieces that will forever be frozen in time by other photographers. Regardless of the role I’ve played, a sense of humble gratitude has always accompanied the reality that I have the honor of playing a role in the exciting day where two people begin a new chapter in their lives!

Turns out that the couples who were drawn to my photojournalistic style of photography have much in common with those who are drawn to my fresh-from-the-fields garden style designs: they’re kind hearted people who value authenticity over having to adhere to a certain image, they want the day to reflect who they are without giving much thought to what’s on trend, and they have an effortless style and grace.

For visual proof, below are snippets from weddings both large and small I had the honor to be a part of in 2021. Only booking a handful of events each season allows for real connection with the beautiful souls who will always be vivid in my memory!

Thank you to those who invited me into your special day last year, and I look forward to designing for new flower loving souls in 2022.

contributing photographers: Hannah Malloy Photography, Amative Creative, Erin Edgerton

2021 Recap

What a year it was for Liliharp Flowers, moving to a new farm site in February and having the opportunity to transform 2 acres of never-before farmed land into a flower oasis!

Though starting anew wasn’t without its challenges - drought, deer, and bringing electricity to the farm were at the top of the list for 2021 - the highs most certainly outweighed the lows.

We witnessed pollinators appear and multiply before our eyes, hard red clay become lush soil full of earthworms topped with fields of flowers, brides and other visitors walk through the fields admiring the blooms, and workshop attendees create masterpieces amidst the shade trees. All this proving my favorite sentiment to be true: you have to believe it before you can see it, and how beautifully a vision that began in my mind became a reality with a lot of blind faith and, in this case, a lot of sweat equity too. Okay, and maybe a few round of tears thrown in as well.

As much as was accomplished in 2021, there’s still so much more of the vision left to achieve. So this winter is being spent not only on planning the fields for 2022 but also dreaming up fun ways to bring flower lovers to the farm at certain points throughout the year! We’re also completing an on-site design studio that will house lovely vintage vases and be a cozy spot for creating weekly bouquets and custom floral commissions. Small weddings, elopements, and parties are starting to make the year look exciting, and I’m so grateful to be able to create special floral pieces to enhance the feel a space by using seasonal garden style design - bringing my flower fields to you!

At the end of the day, the mission of Liliharp Flowers is to provide beauty in the form of flowers whilst helping preserve pollinators and nature as it’s intended to be, so thank you times a million for your love and support along this journey. You’ve proven that flowers create connection and connection brings joy - and joy is contagious. So cheers to ringing in a new year with a happy heart and a head full of dreams for the next growing season. Can’t wait to show you what the new year brings…

Growing Ranunculus

Ranunculus are the roses of spring, producing beautiful blooms that are whimsical and soft and colorful and everything else that makes flowers special.

Growing them can seem intimidating, but I’ve learned that it seems scarier in print than it actually is. Not that you’re not going to make mistakes to perfect the process - that’s inevitable no matter how much of a green thumb you have - but if you can just get them to make a little sprout indoors and have a cool but frost-free environment for them to rest in over the winter, you’re set up for a spring of beautiful blooms that continually shoot up for at least a couple of months.

Here are the five steps to planting:

• pre-soak the corms

• pre-sprout the corms*

• plant soaked or sprouted corms in container/raised bed/well draining spot of ground, 8-9 inches apart

• cover with frost cloth

• fertilize at the beginning of spring, keep watered, and enjoy your weekly harvests!

Now to break down those steps a little further (and please note these steps are for those living in growing zones 6 - 7):

Pre-Soaking Corms

When you receive your corms, they will appear to be shriveled up little aliens. Have no fear! Healthy corms will actually look slightly unhealthy, though please note that mold/discoloration/lot of missing “legs” would be a sign of poor corms.

To encourage the corms to start growing, you’ll want to soak them in clean water for 3-4 hours.

Some suggest that you leave a small bit of water running into the container as they soak to help keep the water oxygenated, but truthfully I don’t have the time or means to do that for my many corms and have still had success! I would just say that if you don’t keep the water running, then taking them out at the 3 hour mark is best.

Pre-Sprouting Corms

*Though soaking is a step not to be missed, pre-sprouting is optional. However, by doing so you’ll know for sure your corm has a fighting chance at growing and you’ll get blooms a few weeks earlier than it you don’t.

If you DO opt to pre-sprout:

As the corms soak, cover the bottom of a 2-3 inch tray with fluffy, moist potting soil (Southern States has seed trays for under $2 a piece or aluminum foil pans from the grocery store work great for this step, too!). Moist isn’t my favorite word but it’s truly the best one to describe how you want the soil to be: not so wet that you could make a mud pie with it but wet enough that the water within it is evident when you touch it.

After the corms have soaked, place them in the tray spaced close together (approximately 2 inches apart) with their tiny legs facing down. Then, cover with another layer of moist potting soil.

Place the tray in a cool, out-of-direct-sunlight spot (55-70 degrees) and check in a couple of days. If soil feels dried out, spritz with water but again, be careful not to add too much (can you tell rotted/drowned more than my fair share of corms and am hoping you learn from my mistakes?;)

Corms take 10-14 days to sprout, so continue to check every couple of days to maintain consistent moisture. If you do spot any moldy corms (it’s totally fine to pull one up to check!) remove that one, discard it in the trash (not compost pile) and gently loosen the dirt in the tray to make sure there’s consistency with the wetness.

Plant Sprouted Corms

You’ll know your corms are ready for planting when they have one or a few tiny nubs showing out of the top (I compare it to new baby teeth poking out!) and many white, dangly roots coming out around those tiny little legs. This is the time you could plant them, but can wait to plant them until they have an inch or two or stems/leaves shooting up if you want a boost on growing earlier in spring. I plant some at the earliest stage (lots of roots and just a nub of a stem) and others at the later one (tiny leaves have appeared) to stagger the start and end bloom times.

Plant the corms in your preferred outdoor spot, 8-9 inches apart and 2-3 inches deep, roots down/shoots up!

Whether planting in beds, pots, or ground, adding organic compost is great for ranunculus, and a new favorite of mine is Leafgro, which can be found at Lowe’s. It’s made in Maryland, has a wonderful texture, low odor, and I do believe has contributed to healthy plants for me!

If planting in the ground, just be sure you’re choosing a spot that isn’t prone to standing water and definitely amend with compost. Heavy clay isn’t always a friend to ranunculus, especially if Virginia decides to have as snowy winter.

If planting in pots, you’ll want to move them outside so they don’t continue to grow via the spring like temps in your home. The idea is for them to remain dormant yet maintain strong roots throughout the winter.

Cover with Frost Cloth

After tucked into the soil, cover the plants with a frost cloth that hovers slightly over the shoots.

Pots do well to overwinter on porches, but still cover them just to be sure they’re not kissed by frost.

Fertilize and Enjoy

After the last frost of the season, remove the frost cloth, fertilize the plants (I love Plantone or Dr. Earth Flower Girl), and begin to water every few days. Once the blooms start to show, harvest them at the marshmallow stage of flowering, i.e. blooms are slightly opened and a little squishy but not fully spread, cutting at the base of the stem. Harvesting frequently encourages more blooming so cutting frequently is encouraged.

Ranunculus have a long vase life, especially if you change the water every few days and give the stems a fresh snip!

Early Spring Planting In Virginia

Happy first day of spring! I know this is a crazy time of life for most of us, full of uncertainties and fears, but I personally believe there’s nothing like spending time in nature to regain a sense of calm and remind yourself that there is still beauty and wonder to behold even in the dark times. And if we want to get really deep, I’ve also always loved the comparison of seeds needing the darkness to reveal the strength they have to claw their way up to the light and bloom anew.

SO if you’re looking for a way to get your hands in the dirt and meditate on some goodness, below I’m sharing three hardy annuals that can be directly put into the ground today* and will start growing quickly, giving you something to cheer about and look forward to!

All three can be purchased via my favorite Virginia seed company Southern Exposure Seed Exchange : their seeds have always been top quality that I can rely on germinating well AND they mail them so adorably packaged that opening the box will give you an endorphin boost before even planting the seeds.

I’ll also add that these flowers are kid friendly to plant meaning that you can’t really mess them up (aside from forgetting to water) AND extracting seeds from them to use in the future is really easy, so they’ll be witnessing and experiencing the cycle of a plant life first hand!

Alrighty, starting with my favorite…

Nigella

Nigella damascena, also known as Love in a Mist, is a flower I knew nothing about a year ago and is now a forever favorite. It has a delicate and wispy appearance that gives it an almost etherial presence when in bloom, and if left in the field, the blooms fall away to reveal unique pods that resemble a beautiful sea creature. The meaning of the Nigella flower is equally as beautiful, as it’s said to represent harmony + love and is a symbol of the love that bonds people together.

Planting Nigella couldn’t be easier because it resents transplanting and therefore requires no indoor or greenhouse germination. All you have to do is plant the tiny seeds by covering them very lightly (they do need light to germinate but some dirt keeps them from being washed away or eaten). Keep the area moist and do attempt to weed regularly as they grow. (Side story: Trust me on this one, as last year I thought my Nigella seeds hadn’t germinated and almost just haphazardly pulled up the entire row that I thought were weeds. But thankfully before I destroyed everything, I happened to notice a unique looking leaf popping up through the overgrowth and then discovered that there were seedlings there trying to grow but were being smothered by the faster growing weeds. So I quickly pulled up the weeds and within 5 days the plants took off and my love affair with the plant began. )

Please note that Nigella isn’t a cut and come again flower like zinnias and cosmos, so if you want a continual harvest, be sure to save seeds to plant again a couple more times between now and June.

Bachelor Buttons

Another hardy annual that can be preserved through drying is Centaurea, also known as Bachelor Button or cornflower. It really is as cute as a button and equally easy to grow as Nigella. Symbolically Bachelor Buttons are known to represent purity and feelings of good fortune.

The seeds should be sown directly in the garden in as early spring as possible (or can also be successfully overwintered). Once they emerge, be sure to thin out the seedlings to give them adequate space to grow. They become quite bushy at the base before revealing the delicate stems of the flowers! I’ve also learned that deer do find them to be tasty, so if you don’t have a fence, tucking them amidst some marigolds or using an all natural deer repellent around the space should help keep them safe.

Also note that these are also not cut and come again, but I’ve found that Bachelor Buttons don’t prefer extreme heat, so you may only want to do one planting of these.

Dill

I’ve loved dill as a spice my entire life, but sadly had never seen it in bloom until last year when I decided to grow it. Its firework appearance and tiny little dots of yellow left me in awe, and the fun part about this herb is that it works just as well as a cut flower as it does a garnish. Just as with Nigella and Bachelor Buttons, dill dries beautifully, so I’d recommend saving a few for fall arrangements or do gather seeds for next year’s harvest!

Hope these three suggestions give you an excuse to get your hands dirty, and I’d love for you to share progress pics if you do decide to plant! Just tag me via Instagram @liliharpflowers so I can re-share the joy of all the growing that’s happening around us!

*please note that I’m in central Virginia and am offering suggestions based on my zone, so please be sure to check the recommendations for when to plant these in your area if you’re not close by!