The Flower Farmer, Revised and Expanded

A beautifully written and illustrated look at growing organic flowersãfor yourself or business.

Aster – Blue Autumn

Blue Asters All Fall! Aster Blue Autumn, Aster ‘Blue Autumn’ PPAF, is covered with hundreds of daisy-like deep blue flowers with bright yellow centers that put on a spectacular show late summer through fall. The healthy dark green foliage of ‘Blue Autumn’ PPAF has a 18 compact mounding habit and is very resistant to mildew. You can always count on your Asters to put on a delightful, refreshing show every autumn and attracts butterflies! Aster ‘Blue Autumn’ is a rather new hybrid touting resistance to mildew. Great for summer color in beds, borders or containers, it produces excellent cut flowers. To increase bloom time, deadhead after the first initial flowering. Asters will do best in a full sun area with morning shade and well-drained soil. It should not stay wet while in dormancy. Divide this aster every other year for best results. *Blizzard of Blue Flowers in the Fall *Attracts Butterflies *Compact Plant

Aster – Woods Purple

Fall Brings Profusion of Purple Blooms The Aster ‘Woods Purple’, Aster x demose, is a purple petaled daisy-like flower with a yellow center, It blooms August through October. With its perfectly clean, compact, dense and mounding, dark green, disease resistant and rust free foliage, this plant has a height: 12”-18 and a plant spread of 24”. ‘Woods Purple’ has emerged in the past few years with superb flowers and longer bloom times. Aster ‘Woods Purple’ does require full sun, but can take some afternoon shade, in a moderate soil range with good drainage that does not become extremely dry during the summer. Aster ‘Woods Purple’ makes an excellent container plant or front of the garden feature and looks great with ornamental grasses. ‘Woods Purple’ is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds and looks beautiful all season long. *Purple Blooms Through October *Full Sun Compact Plant *Attracts Butterflies, Birds, and Bees

Stokes Aster – Peachie’s Pick

Bright Blue Attracts Butterflies Stokes Aster Peachie’s Pick, Stokesia ‘Peachie’s Pick’ PPAF, is a newer variety that produces large blue flowers in mid to late summer. It has healthy dark green foliage. Peachie’s Pick is known to be the longest blooming stokesia on the market! Stokesia ‘Peachie’s Pick’ has a very compact upright habit, growing to just 18 tall and topped with dozens of blooms at a time! ‘Peachie’s Pick’ will do best in a full sun area with morning shade and well-drained soil. It should not stay wet while in dormancy. Great for summer color in beds, borders, or containers. It produces excellent cut flowers. To increase bloom time, deadhead after the initial flowering. Stokes Aster is not particular about soil types but they do need to be kept watered. Heavy, wet, always damp soils will cause the crowns to rot. Soils must be well-drained. Use this plant for summer color in beds, borders, or containers. It produces excellent cut flowers.  Plants can be cut back to basal foliage after they finish blooming. *Blue Flowers in Late Summer *Long Bloom Time *Rabbit Resistant

Aster – Purple Dome

Vivid Purple Flowers Until Frost The Aster ‘Purple Dome’, Aster novae-angliae, has vivid purple daisy-like flowers with yellow centers and blooms profusely. The flowers are 1-2” wide with a plant width of 18-24” and a height of 18”.  This aster is a definite showstopper! Purple Domes bloom in the early fall till frost and completely cover the plant.  It is a definite butterfly and bird attractor. Requiring full sun, ‘Purple Dome’ can take some afternoon shade, in a moderate soil range with good drainage.  It should not become extremely dry during the summer. Aster ‘Purple Dome’ makes an excellent container plant or front of the garden feature; looks especially great with ornamental grasses. This delightful, compact, mounded plant looks stunning in borders and mass plantings.  The effect is indescribable! *Blooms Late Summer Through Frost *Attracts Butterfiles *Sun Tolerant Compact Plant

Daylily – Inwood

Daylily Inwood, Hemerocallis ‘Inwood’, will add some pizzazz to your garden! ‘Inwood’ features lovely flowers of light creamy yellow with an apple green throat and bold purple eye zone. The flowers are also bordered by a dark purple picotee edge that is very striking. ‘Inwood’ has a white midrib that cuts through the purple eye on each of the petals for an added flare. Daylilies are some of the easiest plants to grow and are a good choice for any gardener. They will grow in almost any soil and handle drought to wet soil conditions. Use ‘Inwood’ for stand alone plantings, edging, in borders or in mixed containers and tubs. Planted together in large numbers, they quickly crowd out weeds and make a carefree and colorful ground cover. Daylilies can survive many harsh conditions that other plants cannot including: polluted city environments, slopes, poor and dry soils, near pavement that is salted in winter, and under Black Walnut trees (not affected by juglone). Liven up your landscape with a swath of these l striking flowers.  You will not regret it! * Easy to grow * Vibrant colors

Daylily – Siloam Peony Display

Petal Packed Imposter Hemerocallis Siloam Peony Display, Hemerocallis ‘Siloam Peony Display’, looks like a peony but lasts much longer than one.  The plants are so packed with petals that they look like peonies that bloom in the summer! The peach colored fragrant blooms measure up to 6 inches across and have a rose blush band near the center of the flower.   These huge fully double, ruffled, peach colored blooms flower in midsummer and then again later in the season. ‘Siloam Peony Display’ will bloom up to 16 hours for a full day, and being an extended bloomer, it produces a continuous big show in your garden with its wonderfully fragrant double flowers. Use this exciting daylily for color in shrub borders and in perennial beds.   Once established, it can also be an excellent groundcover on slopes because it has roots that hold soil against erosion. It also attracts butterflies.  ‘Siloam Peony Display’ makes a beautiful “peony looking” floral arrangement. Divide this daylily every 3-5 years, or when the number of flower buds and the size of bloom begin to decline.    Deadheading spent buds and removing old scapes will improve overall look, but not improve plant performance.    Individual flowers last only one day, but since each plant produces many buds, the total blooming time of a well-established clump may last more than a month.   ‘Siloam Peony Display’ produces exotic blooms one after another for several weeks! *6 Fragrant Peach Colored Peony-like Blooms *Blooms up to 16 Hours *Rebloomer

Phlox – Emerald Blue

Dark Blue Bloom on Sunny Groundcover The Phlox ‘Emerald Blue’, Phlox subulata, is an ideal ground cover with dark blue flowers and a thick mat of semi-evergreen foliage. Emerald Blue may also be called creeping phlox or moss phlox. Blooming from April to May, it has a plant height of 4-6” and a spread of 18-24”. It is a definite addition to any perennial garden. ‘Emerald Blue’ needs to be planted in a full sun area in well-drained soil. Use ‘Emerald Blue’ in rock gardens, as a spread over curbs and short retaining walls, or in difficult edges of dry streambeds. Emerald Blue is deer resistant and it attracts butterflies. This plant can be described as dense, low-growing, mat forming and it spreads. Positively striking in the spring! Blue flowers with a dark blue-purple eye! *Masses of Tiny Blue Flowers on 6 Groundcover *Dark Purple Eye in Each Flower *Full Sun to Part Shade

Phlox – Hardy Tall – David

Showy White Flower Doesn’t Fade The Hardy Tall Phlox David, ‘Phlox paniculata’, is the 2002 Perennial of the Year! It displays huge, pure white, mildew resistant flowers. This phlox is one of the finest Hybrid Phlox varieties available. Garden n Phlox or Flame Flowers, bloom in profusion with huge 5-6 flower heads all summer. The flowers are fragrant and showy, with brilliant non-fading colors. Growing 2-3′ tall, they are excellent for perennial borders, corners and for cut flowers. The foliage is dense and compact with deep green, lance-shaped leaves with prominent veins. Plant about 18-20 apart in rich, well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Butterflies love them! *White 6 Flower Heads *Fragrant *36 High Plant

Phlox – Bright Eyes

Pink Eyes Attract Butterflies The Phlox Bright Eyes, ‘Phlox paniculata ‘Bright Eyes’, produces large heads of beautiful, bright, light pink flowers with dark red eyes. The Bright Eyes Phlox grow to 36 in full sun and moist soil and bloom all summer. They are great performers for borders, rock gardens, flowerbeds and cut flowers. Cut back old flower stems to prolong their blooming period. This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds. *Bright Pink Flowers with Red Eyes *Profusion of Blooms All Summer *Attracts Butterflies and Hummingbirds

Aster – Elf Stoke’s

Heavy Blooming Compact Aster The Elf Stokesia, (Stokesia laevis ‘Elf’), is a prolific-blooming, compact aster. It would look lovely as a foundation planting or used in a butterfly or cutting garden. Your Elf will begin to bloom in June and continue on into August. The two inch lavdender flowers create a striking picture with their fluffy appearance and coloration that varies from rich lavender at the outer edges fading inward to a white center. The dark green, lance-leaf foliage provides a dramatic backdrop for the lavender and white blooms, setting the plant off to perfection in any garden setting. These small asters’ compact nature makes it perfect for those hot sunny places where you’d like some color but don’t have much room. The Elf Stokesia has strong, erect stems that won’t easily break or bend, so you don’t have to worry about strong winds or weather spoiling its perfection. For abundant blooming in a compact, durable plant, look no further than the Elf Stokesia L. *Long Bloom Time*Compact Plant*Heat Tolerant

Anemone – Pretty Lady Diana

Late-Blooming, Compact Perennial with Outstanding Flowers The Pretty Lady Diana is a late-blooming perennial with outstanding floral color. These anemone plants would look great as a border at the front of your flower garden or as container plantings on your patio. For late season color in your yard, the Pretty Lady Diana can’t be beat! The green foliage brightens up the spring landscape long before the flowers appear.Two-inch flowers bloom profusely from mid-summer to fall, creating a perfect complement to your other fall bloomers with their vibrant, deep pink intensity. You’ll marvel at how the bright yellow stamens of each flower highlight the salmon hues, creating an effect that causes them to visually pop out of your landscape. Your Pretty Lady Diana is a variety of anemone that has earlier and longer blooms than others, but is also valued because of its compact nature. If you’ve always wanted anemones in your yard, but couldn’t use them because of their height, the Pretty Lady Diana is a great alternative. The Pretty Lady Diana is clearly a great alternative to the larger variety of anemone and a lovely choice for many locations in your garden. They are long-lived and don’t require a lot of special care. Why not plant a few today for some bright splashes of summer and fall color in your yard! *Large Pink Flowers*Compact Plant*Summer to Fall Blooms

Anemone – Pretty Lady Emily

Compact Anemone with Bright Late-Season Color Pretty Lady Emily  is a compact anemone with bright pink blooms summer to fall color. Plant several as a short border, or one as a focal point in a small flower bed. If you’ve ever thought you couldn’t have an anemone in your garden because of the space requirements, think again. Your Pretty Lady Emily is a more compact variety of anemone. The smaller space requirements make it possible for you to plant several of these throughout your landscape. The outstanding feature of your Pretty Lady Emily is, of course, its lovely flowers. Light pink with stunning yellow stamens, the blooms seem to call your attention as you walk by. The delightfully double, 2-inch flowers appear in mid-summer and continue on into fall. As the season draws to a close, your Pretty Lady Emily’s blossoms will serve as a cut flower to brighten your home and draw even more enjoyment from this outstanding perennial. Pretty Lady Emily is a long-lived perennial which has a medium growth rate and is easy to grow. Deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone, but butterflies love it. For a late-blooming perennial that’s prolific and easy to care for, look no further than the Pretty Lady Emily. *Compact*Blooms Summer Through Fall*Resists Rabbits and Deer

Daylily – Bela Lugosi

Fade Proof Purple Daylily Bela Lugosi, Hemerocallis ‘Bela Lugosi’ is a Designer Daylily™ with 6 flowers that are a deep true purple with a vivid lime green throat. One of the best purple daylilies on the market! The flowers are very sunfast for such a dark color. An excellent grower that boasts lots of buds and wonderful branching. An absolute must have for any daylily garden! Recipient of the American Hemerocallis Society’s Honorable Mention in 1998 and Award of Merit in 2001. ‘Bela Lugosi’ is considered a Designer daylily, which means that it has been selected as a highly performing plant with exceptional bloom performance, substantive, vibrantly colored flowers, complete winter hardiness in northern zones, and a vigorous habit. Daylilies are some of the easiest plants to grow and are a good choice for any gardener. They will grow in almost any soil and handle drought to wet soil conditions. Use for stand alone plantings, edging, in borders or in mixed containers and tubs. Planted together in large numbers, they quickly crowd out weeds and make a carefree and colorful ground cover. Daylilies can survive many harsh conditions that other plants cannot including: polluted city environments, slopes, poor and dry soils, near pavement that is salted in winter, and under Black Walnut trees (not affected by juglone). *Huge 6 Deep Purple and Lime Green Blooms *Purple Does Not Fade *Tolerates Everything

Phlox – Cotton Candy

Ornamental Perennial with Superior, Summer-Long blooms  Cotton Candy Phlox is a dense perennial with superior flowers. Plant several of these along a border or flower bed for bright bursts of color all summer long. If you’ve never seen the Cotton Candy Phlox, you don’t know what you’re missing. The narrow, emerald-green leaves in the spring set the stage for the performance to come…and what a spectacular performance it is! Your Cotton Candy doesn’t just produce a flower. It flowers in bouquets of blossoms, and does so throughout the entire summer. Clusters of 5-petalled blooms, each like an exquisite bouquet of pink-blossomed perfection, will adorn your yard all summer long. Each individual flower is small, with light pink petals and a dark pink eye. Their clustered manner has the effect of a giant flower head that will stand out to anyone passing by. Your Cotton Candy Phlox stands is a heavy-bloomer, with scented flowers drawing butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard all summer. Cotton Candy Phlox is mildew and disease resistant as well, so it can stand up to many of the issues other common plants sometimes fall prey to. As outstanding as the summer flowers are outside in your yard, they even make wonderful indoor cut flower arrangements.  *Large and prolific flowers *Hardy