This is the first year we have had a market booth just for flowers, as the flowers were set up along with produce before.  At the Deerfield Twp. market, flowers get their own stand! Now you can visit That Guy's Family Farm and That Girl's Flowers right next to one another. 

Green gold it plentiful right now! You can see how it is all coming in at once next to the larkspur patch.  

I love green gold because it provides an excellent filler for arrangements. It adds structure, height, and and elegance with its tiny yellow flowers. I always find the width and branch habit of green gold to be helpful in the process of bouqueting. It is the first flower I pick up, and I work in all the other flowers around it. 

Green gold can be planted in the fall. It overwinters along with other flowers such as bachelor's buttons, larkspur, and nigella. It is great to have green gold as one of the first flowers to bouquet with in the spring.  And don't forget- it also dries well! 

For the past four or five years we have grown a crop of zinnias in a hoop house. We plant in April, allowing the plants to get a head start.  I planted three rows of sunbows, which is a miniature zinnia (on right) and three rows of Johnny's giant dahlias (on left). The zinnias are starting to take off! 

The key to picking zinnias is making sure they a have strong stem, otherwise they will bend if you are not careful with handling. Before I pick a zinnia, I always wiggle the stem close to the flower head. If it is sturdy I pick it, if not, I wait a few more days. 

I have the best company when I pick flowers! Bodie loves hanging out and finding a nice place to lay down (he also enjoys eating flowers...) 

On the right, you can see Red Husker Penstemon is blooming, showcasing off its tall burgundy spikes. You can also tell the paprika yarrow is just about ready to explode on the left. It is amazing the difference one year can make for the establishment of perennials. Last year both of these were planted, and they have come back in beautiful, tall bushes this spring.