📋 Video Summary

🎯 Overview

This video by Blossom & Branch Farm discusses 10 flower seeds that the host, Abra, no longer orders. She shares her personal reasons for removing these flowers from her seed-ordering list, focusing on factors like invasiveness, difficulty, and practicality for her cut flower farm. The video offers valuable insights for other flower farmers and home gardeners.

📌 Main Topic

Flowers that the host, Abra, will no longer order seeds for, and why.

🔑 Key Points

• 1. Lavender [0:52]:

- Difficult to start from seed.

- Prefers hybrid varieties which must be purchased as plants or propagated by cuttings. - Slow to start from seed.

• 2. Dara (Chocolate Lace Flower) [3:07]:

- Is actually Queen Anne's Lace (invasive).

- Makes many seeds and spreads easily. - Discourages ordering invasive plants.

• 3. Asters [4:19]:

- Prone to aster yellows disease, which spreads to Echinacea.

- Don't flower well in the host's zone. - Too much work for too little return.

• 4. Amaranth [5:27]:

- Gets too large for bouquets.

- Produces thousands of seeds per head, leading to unwanted spread.

• 5. Calendula [7:28]:

- Stems are sticky and difficult to harvest.

- Requires constant deadheading. - Once grown, you'll always have it due to self-seeding.

• 6. Bachelor's Buttons [9:11]:

- Non-native and invasive in North America.

- Heavy re-seeder.

• 7. Cosmos [9:46]:

- Requires constant cutting to keep blooming (cut and come again).

- Heavy re-seeder. - Can be tricky to harvest at the right time. - Poor vase life.

• 8. Gernia [11:48]:

- Harvesting is time-intensive (small flowers).

- Limited storage for dried flowers.

• 9. Statice [12:47]:

- Difficult and time-consuming to harvest.

- Spiky flowers can be irritating. - No longer focuses on dried flower sales.

• 10.Poppies [13:47]:

- Early spring bloomers, coinciding with a warm spring trend.

- Too short of a bloom window. - Customers are unwilling to pay for them. - Require special harvesting techniques and vase life is short.

💡 Important Insights

• • Invasiveness: The importance of avoiding invasive plants to prevent spread and protect the environment [3:12].
• • Disease Prevention: The need to consider disease susceptibility when choosing plants, especially if growing related species [4:35].
• • Practicality for Cut Flowers: The need to consider the suitability of a flower for bouquets and the time investment required for harvesting and maintenance [5:59].
• • Climate Trends: The importance of understanding local climate trends and how they affect planting decisions [14:10].

📖 Notable Examples & Stories

• • Dara Example: Abra planted Dara (chocolate lace flower) years ago and it continues to grow on her property due to its prolific seed production [3:43].
• • Amaranth Example: Abra had amaranth growing everywhere, including in her ditch and side gardens, due to its spreading nature [6:55].
• • Poppy Example: Abra's poppies bloom before she has other flowers to sell with them, and their short vase life makes them less appealing to customers [14:48].

🎓 Key Takeaways

• 1. Consider your specific needs (cut flower farming, medicinal use, etc.) when choosing seeds.
• 2. Be mindful of invasive plants and their potential impact on your garden and the environment.
• 3. Evaluate the time and effort required for harvesting and maintaining different flower varieties.
• 4.Understand your local climate trends and how they may impact your ability to grow certain flowers.

✅ Action Items (if applicable)

□ Research and avoid invasive plants in your area. □ Assess the practicality of growing flowers based on your needs and resources. □ Observe the success of certain flowers in your area before investing in them.

🔍 Conclusion

The video provides valuable insights into the realities of flower farming, emphasizing the importance of making informed decisions about seed choices based on factors like invasiveness, practicality, and personal preferences. It encourages viewers to consider their own situations and make choices that align with their goals and resources.