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December 10th 2013

Settling In

Written by
Floret

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The usual busy hustle and bustle that is normally our world has finally died down to a much quieter, more peaceful pace. Sigh…. No longer in the fields harvesting flowers from sun up to sunset, and then packing orders on into the night, we now only need to pop into the greenhouses each morning and then again in the evening to cover and uncover all of the baby plants that are snuggled under their protective frost blankets for the winter.

frost cloth

Ranunculus, anemones, icelandic poppies, sweet peas, foxglove and old fashioned pinks are planted in such abundance that I feel a little anxious imagining just how many flowers we will be swimming in come Spring. It is certainly going to be the most beautiful and abundant ones we’ve had so far!

But for now it’s time to rest up and recharge in preparation for the floral insanity looming just out on the horizon. This is the one and only window of the year that we truly get to kick back and take it easy for a bit. I of course am terrible at chilling out, so I’m keeping nice and busy inside with all of the projects and plans that have been sitting dormant through the long growing months of the year.

sweet pea seedlings

It has been bitterly cold here this past week. Thankfully we got the last of the dahlia patch dug and tucked into storage just in time! Temps have been hovering in the teens at night and hanging in the 20’s during the day. Super cold for us here in the temperate pacific northwest.

The kids have been bundled up in their winter gear, making sure the chickens have plenty of thawed water, hunting for icicles, skating on frozen puddles, crafting and playing christmas CD’s from the library on repeat all day long. Perfect weather for getting in the holiday spirit.

chicken

While we try and avoid the commercial craziness of the holidays, it is always such a joy to have a fresh tree in the house. Just a mile down the road from our house is a u-cut tree farm and the kids wait in anticipation all year long for the day we get to finally stop in and chose our treasure.

Christmas tree

Jasper spotted this years tree less than 5 minutes after our arrival and is finally big enough to saw it down, all on his own.

Jasper sawing down tree

Later this week we’re making up a ton of bouquets for a holiday party in Seattle. I’ve been hunting high and low for fun ingredients to include in the mix and so far have rosehips, pinecones, a dozen types of evergreens, birch and filbert catkins, dusty miller and more.

foraged ingredients

In addition we have ranunculus and anemones coming up from a grower in California, tulips from just over the border and a big ole batch of garden roses coming in from Peterkort in Oregon. While it may be nearly winter, we’re trying to source the flowers as close to home as possible. I can’t wait to get my hands in all of the crazy flowery goodness!

pinecones

In anticipation of the holidays, we’re doing a killer giveaway on the blog later this week. I don’t want to spoil the surprise but I will say this, it would be the number one thing I would gift to everyone I know.

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So, be sure to keep your eyes peeled late Thursday/early Friday for the details and a chance to win something super, super awesome!!!

12 Comments

  1. Jane on

    Great post! All your decorations look fantastic. Happy Holidays!

    Reply
  2. Heather M on

    I’m so excited to have you do the flowers for our party, my head might explode! See you Saturday!

    Reply
  3. Leslie Gesner on

    Winter relaxation and LOVE to all.
    BUT…. is there heat in your hoop houses or no heat???

    Reply
  4. Corina on

    Ha! I see your daughter stole your hat! Do I need to make you another one?

    Reply
  5. Hedgerow Rose on

    The wreaths look lovely! And now you have me super excited for spring to see the abundance of flowers popping up in your greenhouses and on my IG feed. :)

    Reply
  6. Frances on

    Lovely! I hope you and your family enjoy every minute of your quiet season. Isn’t this such a fabulous time of year?

    Reply
  7. grizelda o'connor on

    Good work Erin. And great good fortune to have flowers from California for your bouquets. Its a wee bit milder here on Vancouver Island this morning and the woods hedges, and fields are accessible once again, I have used up everything, except the salal and huckleberry twig and need more balsam, cedar and birch twigs for my winterhearts. Still have lots of rosehips and cones and wish I had some pheasant feathers. Not about to pluck the towees who live in my garden though.Enjoy this lovely darkness and coziness with your sweet family. Happy Christmas. By the way, thanks for the heads up and Miss Pickering Blog.

    Reply
  8. Trish on

    You inspire me to dig deeper and plant more!

    Reply
  9. Nata on

    Can’t wait to read about the giveaway! I am hoping it is the BEAUTIFUL wreath shown above.

    Reply
  10. Val Schirmer on

    Can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait!!

    Reply

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