What's In Season?

February 2012

January always seems to fly right by and here we are a week into February.  The cymbidium crop has been keeping us busy, but this is also the time of year we prep our summer crops.  If you are looking to add to your succulent garden be sure to stop by our stand at the Farmers' Market and see the return of our 3" and 6" succulent plants. 

We have two-spray potted phalaenopsis plants that are perfect for your valentine and will bloom for at least six weeks (and many customers tell me they continue blooming for six months).  If you want to stick with cut flowers for your valentine, our fresh cut cymbidium stems are guaranteed to impress, cost half as much as roses and stay fresh for two weeks.

Towards the end of this month our Oncidium Isaaku Nigata will begin to open.  These graceful plants often have two or more stems of blooms that can stand three feet tall.  They smell very subtly of honeysuckle, a lovely and light fragrance that does not over power.  Because they often have multiple stems these plants can be in bloom for two to three months.  We love them because they bloom reliably twice per year, once in the Spring and again in the Fall.

January 2012

We have been enjoying an unseasonably warm start to the year, which we love because it helps to open the cymbidium flowers!  Our cut production has been steadily increasing over the past two weeks.  But still, be sure to check out our stand at the Farmers’ Markets early because we have been selling out quickly. 

Speaking of the unseasonably warm weather, we have had the opportunity to speak with many of you at the Farmers’ Markets and we have heard over and over again, that your reliably blooming orchid is a little off schedule.  I want to assure you that many growers are experiencing this as well.  The past few years, summer hasn’t quite had the same punch and the winters have been a little warmer.  Continue to offer your plant the same care as in years past it should bloom.  Also, cymbidium season starts now, but lasts well into June.  If you have a late blooming cymbidium you shouldn’t expect to see buds just yet.

The warmth is also bringing our phalaenopsis crop right along.  We will be offering 4” and 6” potted phalaenopsis plants soon, many with multiple or branching flower stalks.  For anyone who loves orchids but has been too afraid to try growing one themselves we call this the “perfect orchid for beginners.”  It is so easy to care for you can confidently give it as a gift to people with not-so-green thumbs and, like all of our plants, come with printed care instructions.  (If you misplace your printed instructions you can always refer to the Orchid Care section on our website.) We want you to succeed!

December 2011

Well it's definitely started to cool down and the cymbidiums are coming!  We have prepped several hundred plants for our cut flower crop and have even cut a few early blooming reds and yellows. Our long-time customers look forward to cymbidium season every year because these long-stem blooms can last cut for more than two weeks when kept from extreme heat and cold.  We cut our cymbidiums from the plant hours before they are offered for sale at the Farmers' Market ensuring a fresh quality product for our customers.

Looking for a unique and stunning holiday gift?  Try our Bc. Maikai, this cattleya hybrid blooms effusively each winter with heads of delicately spotted pale purple flower.  We are currently offering 4" and 6" potted plants at each market, but come early they have been going fast!

Our succulent dish gardens also make lovely holiday gifts.  We prefer them as hostess gifts (they last longer than cut flowers and your host wont need to search for a vase when you show up), teacher appreciation gifts (they thrive with weeks between waterings - perfect for winter break) and office gift exchanges (add a bit of color and life to your co-worker's desk without taking up too much space or requiring intensive care).

We hope to see you at any one of the Farmers' Markets we attend before the end of the year.  We will be at the Pacific Beach and the Vista Farmers' Markets on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, come see us to pick-up any last minute gifts or festive flowers for your celebration!  Cheers!

November 2011

It's been a bountiful fall thus far!  Our cattleyas are continuing to bloom in vibrant greens, yellows, reds, salmon pinks and pale purples, available as cut flowers and potted plants.  We currently have a lovely selection of dendrobiums, including a large crop of Dendrobium Valdina, a rich purple flower that blooms reliably from verdant green canes with purple pin striping. Our oncidium crop continues to impress us!  We have plants available with flowers in rust, yellows and deep red, and also whites and purples blooming with multiple stems.  

We have planted out our succulent dish gardens for the holiday season and they will be mature and ready for sale in mid November.  These planted gardens make lovely host/hostess gifts or gifts of appreciation as they require very little care and add a welcome bit of the outdoors to any home or office.

Our African violets are blooming and we have some of the nicest Boston ferns we have been able to offer in years.  We are at the tail end of fragrant cut ginger season.  We hope to continue to cut as long as the weather remains mild. 

Please come visit us at any one of the Farmers' Markets we attend to check out our selection in person!!

We are heading into cymbidium season and it looks like it's going to be a good one!  We expect to start cutting these long lasting flowers at the end of December