I kind of can't believe it has been over a year since my last post. I used to be so great at posting frequently. I guess that is what happens when your entire routine changes. We moved back to Michigan. We bought a house. We started a farm. We got married. And that was all in 2013!
Things are moving along nicely though. My flower farm is growing. We are now cultivating around an acre of land. I've filled our property with shrubs, peonies, roses, perennials, bulbs, hops, clematis, herbs, and coming soon....lots of fruit! Nearly everything we grow can be used for wedding and event decor. Plus, we can eat lots of it. We also grow our own veggies and I'm hoping to get back into canning this summer or next.
Another exciting change is that we are about to become poultry parents! We have 2 khaki campbells ducks, 8 indian runner ducks, 7 araucana/ameraucana chickens, 2 speckled sussex, 2 silver laced wyandottes, 2 golden laced wyandottes, and 2 barred rocks coming to us this spring. The ducks will be here early April and the chicks arrive mid May. I'm crazy excited to finally have them. The coop and run are coming along. My chick brooders are almost ready. Eeek! I'm ready for the cuteness! I'll definitely be sharing pictures. Fuzzy. Cuteness. Overload.
I miss the old days of garden tours with friends in North Carolina. It was such a joy to have such wonderful friends to talk gardening with. We are wonderful friends today but I'm sad that I haven't been back to NC since we left. I'm on a mission to come back this fall. I was planning a trip last fall but I just couldn't get my act together. Fall bulb planting seemed to stretch on forever! I guess that is what happens when you plant 3,000 tulips, 500 allium, 1,000 daffodils and hundreds of other bulbs and shrubs. Snow didn't fly until late December which bought me some serious planting time, whew!
Our snow melted super early this spring, mid March. Last night it started to snow and now we are approaching 9 or 10 inches of fresh snow! Ugh, mother nature you are cruel. The weekend will be in the 50's though so it won't last long. The tulips are about an inch or two tall depending on the variety. Perennials are starting to pop up. Spring is the best isn't it? I started tapping sugar maple trees earlier this week and will resume sap collection when it starts running again. I absolutely love making maple syrup. It makes me feel so farmer chick!
I'm going to try to pop in here a little more often but I can be found on instagram @perbellusflowerfarm, facebook at /perbellusflowerfarm and of course, my farm blog Perbellus Flower Farm, here on blogspot.
I hope you all are well and enjoying 2016!
Michelle
