Dahlias? Plus tulips!

In the flower farming world, there are little points of discussion. Such as whether or not to dig up your dahlias or just leave them in the ground over the winter. Also, whether tulips are worth the effort of growing and maintaining. But all of those discussions are part of the journey we like to share with our customers. Informing you all on the beauty and difficulties of flowering farming makes you an informed consumer. Choosing the flowers that are freshest, supporting your local economy and a small company that believes in regenerative practices has a larger impact that just pretty flowers.

Here at Leilani Blue we believe in the power of those first flowers in spring. We grow perenialized daffodils, tulips and ranunculus to get some beauty out of the early spring months. Generally here in Tumwater it is still rainy and cold during that time. In early March there have only been a few sunny days and the weather hasn’t quite warmed much. The main aspect is the brightness. After March 1st, the daylight hours go above 10 hours per day. That means the sun is not setting at mid-afternoon and there is some plant life coming back on line.

This year we planted a thousand tulips, 500 ranunculus and an additional 200 daffodils. They are available as a spring bouquet subscription but also they will be at the farm stand as always at 6535 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater, Wa. These flowers should last until the first of the summer flowers start appearing such as dahlias, zinnias and sunflowers. Speaking of dahlias, we are trying two methods this year. The first is to dig up and divide one set, which we have completed. They are in storage in the garage. The second is to leave a row, cut back, under many leaves to try to make it through the winter. When this happens successfully dahlias come up earlier than the divided ones. Here is to hoping dahlias can come to you sooner!

We have been very grateful for all the support our local community has shown us this first year as a flower farm and we cannot wait to bring flowers to you all for all your needs in 2025. Thank you very much!

End of Summer

Dahlia blooming

We had an absolutely wonderful summer selling flowers both at the farm stand and at Tumwater Farmer’s Market. I met many neighbors and had a great time. The field is full of zinnias, black eyed susans, cosmos, sunflowers, dahlias, strawflowers, statice and so much more.

We went to the farmers market every other Sunday from June through September. Lots of families joined us at Peter G Schmidt and all sorts of people enjoyed, commented and asked about the flowers. It was a pleasure to get to know so many of my neighbors and feel part of a vibrant community. Additionally, I also had the joy of meeting so many other vendors and learning their offerings. You can find out about them and others at the Tumwater Farmer’s Market website.

Summer was great and as we wind down the season I want to remind everyone that we have specialty pumpkins! One of my favorites are the brilliant white decoration pumpkins that I enjoy for the fall season. Plus, the dahlias are putting on their final show through the month of September and into mid October.

Flowers Are Coming In

All the tulips and daffodils are done for the year. We are now awaiting the arrival of some late spring and early summer flowers. Ranunculus have started to bloom as well as the delicious smelling lilacs.

The chickens are laying plenty of eggs and we have those available at the farm stand but we have exciting news! We welcomed 3 baby chicks to the farm and they are growing in their own pen in the garage before they join the flock. They are just precious.

We will be at Tumwater Farmers Market starting June 23rd so we hope you will join us there.

Farm Stand on Littlerock Rd

We launched the farm stand associated with the flower farm in the summer of 2023 with many stunningly beautiful blooms. This area of Tumwater, Washington is booming as population in the area increase exponentially. New apartment and condo complexes have arrived. Many of the people coming here enjoy our little slice of neighborhood due to the long, pleasant sidewalk that wanders around Littlerock Rd SW by Tumwater Middle School, Odegard Rd, down to Tumwater Animal Hospital and across the walkway near the Toyota dealership. Its a delight, smooth walk for families and dogs alike. Due to the split road, there are a line of pretty trees that separate north and south bound on Littlerock Rd. and many people walk to the school or over the bridge across I-5. It is in the middle of this that the farm stand is tucked in, about 5 feet down a gravel road (our driveway!).

This year has started well with a rich supply of daffodils. Following this the chickens waited for the warm sun to start showing up and laying their pretty eggs as they peck around the backyard and dust bathe in the chicken run. Not long after they begin laying the tulips finally announce the true spring. They peak in color and lengthen as the weather warms. If you know Tumwater or Olympia weather, you know that there is a great deal of regular rain and cool temperatures and then seemingly all of the sudden the tulips spring to life as the warmth pushes them open.

In this space, we put out a little sign and place the flowers up top and the chicken eggs in a cooler with a cold pack. There is a cash box and Venmo to make the transaction easy. However, my favorite part is the notepad. If you visit the farm stand, you can just turn in a notepad sheet to give us feedback but also to enter to win a bouquet! All confirmed emails will be entered in a monthly drawing from June to September 2024 for a free bouquet!