VALENTINE'S WEEK 1

BOUQUET INGREDIENTS

narcissus "Sweet Paradise"

Well friends, the weather this spring has really been putting us to the test. For the entirety of March I've been busy running between our three farm locations ensuring (to the best of my ability) that none of our tender plants are getting too hot, too cold, too wind-blown, too dry -- it's been a doozy. This to say, I am SO excited to be bringing you our first subscription bouquets of the season this week. It feels like the hard work is finally starting to pay off!

After an unseasonably warm start to our spring, you may remember a sudden cold snap a few weeks ago. During this cold snap we lost our earliest tulips and daffodils because, despite the hardiness of these plants, their buds are much more sensitive to freezing. I am grateful that our later blooming varieties still had their buds safely buried in the soil so that we are still able to provide these beloved blooms this year. The narcissus you'll receive this week is a stunning double flowering variety (meaning it has layered petals) with a ruffly peach-colored center called Sweet Paradise.

Narcissus can emit a toxic sap from their stems when cut, so I always advise folks to be careful when cutting them and wear gloves if you have sensitive skin. I have never had a problem, but I am mindful when cutting and wash my hands after handling them to be safe. Because of this sap, they can also shorten the vase life of other flowers if combined in the same vase or arrangement. Their toxicity can be mitigated by letting them hydrate in a separate vessel for six hours or so each time you cut them, but I find straight bunches of narcissus to be stunning and I appreciate that displaying them solo saves the extra work required when combining them with other flowers.

A final note: your narcissus buds may not yet be open upon delivery. We harvest and deliver at this stage so that our customers can enjoy the longest possible vase life of these flowers. Narcissus are not an inherently long-lasting flower, but by harvesting at this stage you can expect them to last five to seven days in your vase. I hope you will find these bunches as lovely as I do!