Winter on the Flower Farm

The weather is cooling off and the flowers are winding down but we are still busy here on the farm.  At the end of a busy season there are still plenty of jobs to do, and although you might think we take the winter off, there is definitely still lots going on.  
Usually trying to create some kind of order out of the chaos is one of the first jobs.  Late summer and autumn are one of the busiest times, with harvesting in full swing and seed sowing for the next season already begun, it's hard to know whether you are coming or going sometimes.  Bulb orders start to arrive, making you dream of spring flowers during the heat of summer, and the mad rush of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day creep up on you before you know it and there is hardly time to take a breather.  There is certainly no time to tidy up after yourself!  Hence one of the first jobs in the 'quieter moments' of the cooler weather.
I like to think of it as 'putting the garden to bed' and this usually consists of me throwing a lot of things on the compost pile.  Older dahlia tubers that never made it into beds, paper packaging from bulbs and corms and copious amounts of weeds from all the summer beds that I spend hours clearing.  
A fresh dumping of compost has arrived, a truck and trailer load, two massive piles of soil improver that need wheelbarrowing and shovelling onto beds to freshen them up, as well as being used to create new no-dig garden beds.  My children are often bemused at my squirrelling away of cardboard boxes to create said beds...although they are often embarrassed when I approach every shop assistant in sight and ask if I can pinch their boxes as they are unpacking stock.  "Mum!  You and your cardboard boxes!!"  It's becoming a familiar catch cry.
I pruned some roses early the other day, those that unfortunately got hit with some weed killer, but thankfully they seemed to have survived.  Hold off on your rose pruning until about July, I will be doing the rest of mine then.
The seeds I started in late summer are tucked away in their new beds and will now over winter nicely, giving me a quicker start to spring flowers.  The beauty of hardy annuals, plants that don't mind the cold, can handle a bit of frost, and they will establish their roots well enough through the winter to really give you a good jump on spring.  It does, however, seem like we are in for a milder winter...I already have autumn sown stock flowering and some of my sweet peas that I planted in February.  Looks like another odd season on the way.  
I have been diligent with my succession sowing this time around so next season (which will be Blooms on the Hill's 5th season!!) we will have flush after flush of beautiful spring flowers and later on waves of summer blooms.  I've put in lots of bulbs too....about 1500 tulip bulbs for spring (eek!!) and there will be ranunculus, anemones and lots of gorgeous heirloom daffodils, with plenty of ruffles and double blooms.  There is plenty to look forward to.
Trays of seeds have gone into the greenhoue....it's finally cool enough outside to move them in, and not roasting in there to fry everything.  Summer is definitely a no-go zone in the greenhouse, especially after this summer where some of my plastic seed try lids actually melted while in there.
Autumn is also the time to plant new perennials.  I've been putting in a new collection of Bearded Iris, a highly underrated flower.  There are so amazing, their colours and the way some sparkle is divine.  They also have the most crazy names!  Love the creativity.  I have put in some new hydrangea as the foliage is fabulous in bouquets and florists are always looking for some blue in late summer. I am also collecting more perennials specifically for foliage because as a flower farmer/florist....you can never have enough foliage!!
The other massive job for winter is digging and dividing the dahlia tubers.  This job I can hardly write about ....I'm dreading it that much!  The tubers will get divided however, despite my reluctance, and tubers will be available to purchase come spring.
Despite the flowers slowing down we are still selling bunches at the Yinnar Bakery, so pop on down and buy some colour for your kitchen.  Bouquets for special occasions are still available to order via the website and we are open for any winter weddings.  We actually have one booked for July at the Budgeree Hall and can't wait to share the beautiful woodland theme that the bride has requested.  Flowers throughout the cooler months will be sourced through Melbourne Suburbs Wholesale Florist although some will still come from the farm as there is always something in flower. 
Feel free to drop a comment on this post and share your gardening journey!