Frost whispers her arrival and winter is upon us.
- Liesa Bellairs
- May 13
- 3 min read
I am a little stuck for words now that my first commercial season with My Petal Project swiftly coming to an end. The first feeling I can describe is one of FOMO(Fear Of Missing Out). I don't want it to end - I want to continue tending and cutting flowers every week. I have loved having fresh flowers all over my home every week. It's mid-May, where looming frosts and a definite winter chill, has halted most growth in their tracks. My dahlias are definitely close to being completely dormant, the last Zinnias are turning the most amazingly rich colours and a few other flowers are clinging to the last of our summer warmth. Lots of seedlings are in the works for overwintering and I have so many grand ideas for next season, literally exploding in my head.
How am I to endure a few months of the quiet chill that winter brings? Nature has taught me so many lessons, and as such "patience and perseverance" is central. Its' time for the soil to rest, regenerate and the many other farm-related maintenance tasks, preparation, testing and new seed-starting to take center stage. I am planning to double my growing space in Spring - no small task, but one, I am motoring toward with enormous enthusiasm at the risk of sensibility. To quote Anatole, "I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom." This is definitely part of my character in general. I yearn for the
Reflections of my first commercial flower season. |
Whilst I have always considered myself a keen gardener, and seem to have reasonable success(lots of failures ,too) with germinating different flower seeds, this project has all been a completely different ball-game. Once the flower reaches its peak, its cut and it begins its journey - perhaps to someones home, a hotel, or a wedding - which is a very different experience from growing flowers purely for your own enjoyment. It's purposeful, creative, immensely satisfying and heartwarming. The joy and appreciation that people have showed me over the past 6 or 7 months has been deeply motivating. My mission to succeed simply grows and grows. My family and friends have held me up in times of crisis(think: hail storms, gail force winds, snow and black frost) and, for me, there is an automatic drive to fix, and move on. Through all the hard work and trials, I have learnt that Mother Nature certainly is my biggest teacher. She has reminded me more than once that her might is greater than mine at times but also that Nature is incredibly resilient and forgiving. I will continue to farm, with as much respect for her organic wellbeing as I can.
My flower arranging skills have absolutely no formality or proper training and whilst I have been overwhelmed with compliments on the unique look and feel that I seem to be able to bring together, this is a skill set whichI am working on. Even wrapping a bouquet was brand new to me. All in all, I am getting better at it and my vision of what a particular end look should be is becoming much clearer. My core principles in my bouquets are that of, generosity, a little 'wild' and a personal touch with each and every one. It's my name on you table and I want to feel proud when I see them in your hands, but I also want to make sure that the end product is as joyful as possible for each of my clients.
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Thanking you all.... |
For some reason, I am continually reminded how lucky I am to have the space and support to drive my quest. I am not very good at taking no for an answer and it turns out this is quite an asset, since this farming game is full of hard graft, challenges, curveballs and sometimes outright destruction. One has to have the resilience to simply clean up, fix up or re-plant and move on...ie, as the good old South African saying goes, this "ain't for sissies"! I have lots of plans in my head, an expansion to prepare for and some of the not so glamorous tasks that go with growing the most beautiful blooms you've ever seen. Until Spring, its cheers from me. My Love always, Liesa P.S. The AI-generated pic below, is overly generous on the elegance of flower farming but is a brilliant impression of my darling Labrador Major!
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