Yarrow is a must-have perennial. It is deer and drought resistant, pollinator friendly, and naturalizes easily (which means it can grow on it’s own and produce a new generation without human assistance).

At Sweet Earth Co. farm it is an early summer workhorse we count on to bring filler blooms to our bouquets and its medicinal herb properties to our teas. For our landscape clients, it’s ideal for cottage, pollinator, meadow, and low-maintenance xeriscape gardens.

On the surface it might seem that flower farming is sweet and glorious. Many imagine us flower farmers spending our days surrounded by fields of beautiful flowers. Yes, there is a lot of beauty in flower farming, but there is also a lot of risk.

Anyone planning a wedding has either considered eloping, or heard from a friend that they should. We’re all for stunning, lavish events -- but we can definitely understand why more and more couples are ditching the pomp-and-circumstance of big weddings for simpler, smaller, more stress-free weddings!

Our most ambitious collaboration to date, the fashion show was truly a community effort. Organized and supported by the local business association, the event was intended to showcase local and environmentally-conscious businesses in the Pound Ridge area. The event included a fashion show and a farm-to-table dinner followed by dancing.

Snip a few stems from your landscape, responsibly-forage for others, and bring some of that beauty indoors. Give your creative senses some free reign and create some spring-inspired floral arrangements. If you’re not sure where to start, utilize one of these design principles when pulling together your own grown and gathered bouquet.

One of the last big fall tasks on a flower farm is getting the bulbs in the ground so we can share them as soon as the winter wanes and warmer temperatures return. Amidst all the covid-19 anxiety, it’s a small comfort to watch the winter give way to spring. The allium (Allium acuminatum), daffodils (Narcissus), and tulips (Tulipa) are all on their way up through the earth. Perhaps even a little earlier than usual, given our mild winter.

A floral designer can help you navigate this path and fine tune your vision. They also do a lot more. Working with clients to educate and inform on what flowers are in season, and how best to accomplish a particular look within varying budgets is what they’re there for!

You need a plan for what you are going to grow. A plan for where on your property you are going to grow it (and more specifically where in your garden beds you are going to locate everything you want to grow.) Lastly, you need a plan for when you are going to plant everything. This What-Where-When Plan is what will keep you from getting overwhelmed.

Dicentra spectabilis, commonly known as Bleeding Heart, has quickly become one of my favorite spring perennials. Its arching stems laden with dangling heart-shaped blooms may make this plant seem dainty and ephemeral, but it is actually a hardy garden workhorse.

For many people, winter is a bleak time of year. The chilly weather, barren trees, and short days often get the best of us. During this season, it can become increasingly difficult to find inspiration in day-to-day life. For this reason, it is even more important to actively stay connected with the earth. It’s during winter that nature reveals the bones of her landscape; offering up a beautiful foundation upon which to find insight, imagination and inspiration.

When I started growing cut flowers no perennial plant in my garden was safe from my shears. I took cuttings from all of my flowering perennials to see which had good vase life. My Geum stems lasted 5-7 days in fresh water with no preservative. They were a great addition to my spring bouquets, adding bounce, movement and whimsy. For the longest lasting cut flowers, pick when the blooms are half open. Geum will bloom from May through July, and if you cut or deadhead, they will reward you with a second flush of blooms in early fall.

They are both dainty flowering plants, more commonly blue, but they are also available in pink and white shades. For many, it conjures up nostalgic childhood memories and images of cottage gardens. While these two plants look very similar, they have different growing conditions and different uses. I grow them both, one in the cutting garden, the other in the landscape.

Weddings can be stressful and overwhelming. There are lots of choices to make and several elements to organize; opinions can clash, and at times it can be difficult to compromise. But it’s important to remember the significance of this momentous event. You and your fiancé have made a conscious choice to unite in love and life, and your wedding should be a celebration of that choice.

How do we do it? How do we strengthen our gratitude muscle? There are some evidence-based practices, such as journal writing, that can help cultivate a grateful mindset, but the best way is to start is by setting the intention — making a choice — to be open to and notice opportunities that you can be thankful for. In this way, the practice of gratitude can be integrated into everyday life and become a disposition rather than a response.

You may know all about the great spring-blooming bulbs you can plant in the fall, but did you know that there are annuals you can grow from seed that will survive over-winter? You can put them in the ground in September and they'll bloom in the spring.

When I started Sweet Earth Co, creating opportunities for other’s to learn was a foundational pillar of the company from day one. Mentoring and partnering with clients and the community to understand and practice the basic tenets of sustainable gardening and design is of mission importance to me and my team.

Workshops are taught by Xenia, Sweet Earth’s owner and lead designer, and class size is kept small so that Xenia can give participants lots of one-on-one instruction and so that everyone has enough time to socialize. For those of you who joined us last year, we look forward to having you join us again — 2019 workshops cover new topics, new materials and new centerpieces.

Most of us have no idea where the flowers in our vases come from. In fact, the US imports almost 80 percent of flowers sold. The vast majority comes from Colombia, driven by the suspension of US import duties on Colombian flowers in 1991. According to Smithsonian, in an effort to solve one problem—the import of cocaine— the US government created a new one—the demise of our flower industry.

In designing with vegetables you are mixing edibles with ornamentals and combining function and beauty. Consider the bright splashes of color squash blossoms, hyacinth beans or rainbow chard can add to the garden. Or the texture and dramatic accent added with the feathery foliage of asparagus, the silvery, deep-lobed leaves of an artichoke plant or the large, puckered leaves of Toscano kale. The feathery stalks or perennial seed heads can provide winter interest in the garden, as well as food and habitat for birds and pollinators.