We’re so excited to share that the third episode of The Floret Farm Journal is now available to watch! After months of preparation and planting, we dive into a new phase of work that’s more methodical, more focused, utterly consuming, and also really hot!
In this episode, we focus on our breeding program as we work on growing, selecting, and documenting the Floret Originals. What started as a simple curiosity with one unusual zinnia 8 years ago has exploded into the most labor-intensive part of the farm. We spend time in the breeding hoops, making selections, and observing how different flowers develop.
You’ll also learn about our new color matrix project—an experiment where we crossed more than 600 different zinnias to better understand how genetic traits are passed on.
Finally, we explore the practical side of breeding work, including the not-so-glamorous reality of working with blue bottle flies, which we use as pollinators in our small hoop houses and “flysolations.”
This is all happening as the farm shows all the signs of peak summer—early seed pods forming, roses shattering to make way for the promise of hips, fruit ripening on trees, and the magical world of pollinators in the garden.
EPISODE RESOURCES
Floret Shire Breeding Hoop Houses
Farmer’s Friend Gothic Caterpillar Tunnel
Breeding Resources
Forked Tree Ranch: Blue bottle fly pupae
Johnny’s Selected Seeds: 4-ft hoop bender used to make the “flysolations”
Orchard Valley Supply: Bee netting used for “flysolations”
Tyvek Shipping Tags: “Flysolation” labels
Labels & Printer
Macore 1-1/4 x 12 in Field Stakes (Heavy Duty 60 mil.)
Irrigation Resources
Garden Supplies
Featured Plants:
- Asian plum ‘Early Golden’
- Raspberry ‘Tulameen’
- Raspberry ‘Anne’
- Clematis ‘Prince Charles’
- Floret Original zinnia ‘Golden Hour’
- Color matrix project featured zinnia varieties: Zinnia ‘Queen Lime’, Zinnia ‘Sungod’, Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Bright Pink’, Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Deep Red’
DIG DEEPER
Floret Originals Seed Pre-Order: We’ll be offering the Floret Originals this September as part of a special pre-order! The Floret Shop will be open for a short time from September 9–19, and all of our existing varieties, including zinnias, celosia, and dahlia seed, will be available. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss any important details regarding the sale. You can find answers to common questions about the pre-order here.
Floret’s breeding program: Dive deeper into our journey to develop new flower varieties. Read about our dahlia breeding adventures, get an overview of our breeding program, meet the Floret Originals themselves, and catch up with the latest on our 2024 year-in-review and breeding update. You can also learn how to cross-pollinate zinnias here and take a tour of last year’s breeding zinnias over on our YouTube channel.
Attracting Pollinators into the Garden: When it comes to pollinators, honeybees usually get all of the credit, but there are so many other hard-working creatures that aid in the important task of pollination, including bumblebees, native bees, wasps, hornets, flies, moths, butterflies, and even birds. Learn how we created pollinator strips to attract as many pollinators as possible to help with seed production and increase the biodiversity here on the farm. At the end of the post, you can also download our favorite pollinator strip planting plan and plant list.
Planting Hedges & Hedgerows to Invite Wildlife: Learn the story of how we added hedges and hedgerows throughout the property to help create a sense of place and permanence and encourage more wildlife to make the farm their home. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to download a printable planting plan and plant list for my favorite ornamental hedgerow combination.
Favorite Bulb & Plants Sources: Over the years, I have ordered plants and bulbs from hundreds of different sources across the country, and these are the ones that I love and highly recommend. You can find more information about each one of them in this post.
Floret’s Favorite Specialty Seed Sources: In this post, you will find my favorite sources for specialty seeds, including flowers, vegetables, perennials, wildflowers, cover crops, and even dye plants.
Floret Library: Explore the plant collections we’ve documented here on the farm, and discover special treasures to add to your garden.
Workwear for Women: Read my review of the best brands I’ve discovered when it comes to quality workwear for women, including favorites for the heat, things I like about each company, and also a few criticisms.
Floret Online Workshops: Learn more about our upcoming Flower Farming Workshop and new Flower Arranging Workshop, and sign up for the waitlist to be notified when registration opens.
I’d love to hear what resonated with you in this episode as we explore this monthly journey together. For a chance to win one of ten Floret Original seed collections, please leave a comment below telling us what you liked, what could be better, and what you’d like to see more of in the future. Your feedback is so important to us as we film this new series.
Please note: This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents. Be sure to include where you’re located for a chance to be selected. Winners will be announced in this post on August 19.
A big congratulations to our winners: Kat, Lisa, Caroline, Shelby, Lisa, Maialisa Vanyo, Sarah Roosa, Cynthia Konicke, Lynn Trew Kirkbride and Alexis.
If you haven’t already, you can join our newsletter to stay connected with all the exciting happenings here on the farm, including future seed sale announcements. And if these monthly glimpses into life at Floret speak to you, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel.
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Floret only lists companies and products that we love, use, and recommend. All opinions expressed here are our own, and Floret does not offer sponsored content or accept money for editorial reviews. If you buy something using the retail links in this post, Floret may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
Molly on
Your breeding program and color matrix program are absolutely fascinating and I look forward to watching it unfold. I would love to hear more about your transition from growing flowers to sell to growing flowers for seed and breeding/education. Do you miss selling flowers? How quickly did you make that change?