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Unlocking the secret to dahlia dividing? Get your Unlocking the secret to dahlia dividing?

Get yourself a reliable, SHARP knife! 🌸🔪 #MyVictorinox #partner It makes dividing way less stressful and so much faster 🙌 That was my biggest mistake as a amateur farmer!

If you’re in the market look no further than the @Victorinoxnorthamerica Huntsman Swiss Army knife – this versatile tool makes dividing tubers (and so much more!) a breeze. Compact yet powerful, with 15 different functions, it’s the ultimate companion for any gardening enthusiast. It’s my go-to flower farm tool, always in my pocket for whatever unexpected farm (or #momlife) issues come up!

Back to dahlias, here’s a few more tips for dividing —

🌸 Use a SHARP knife — I recommend the Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Army Knife for its versatility, precision and sharpness

🌸 Use the saw tool on your Huntsman for the thicker cuts, and the scissors for cutting off the stringy roots before dividing

🌸 Sterilize your tools in between varieties as you’re dividing to lessen the spread of viruses

🌸 You can either divide in the fall before storage or in the late winter/spring just before planting 

🌸 Look for eyes on the crown (they’re circled in the video), a viable tuber will have a piece of the crown attached to its neck; toss any tubers that have broken necks

🌸 Storage is different for everyone and greatly depends on your specific situation, for us what works best is storing washed, cured clumps and divided tubers in vermiculite in airtight bins that we keep in our garage for the winter (you want a cool, dark space, ideally kept at 90% humidity and around 40°)

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!

Happy gardening! 🌻

#SwissArmyKnife #FlowerFarmer #FarmerFlorist
#GardeningLife #BloomAndGrow
#ConvenientTools #dahliaseason #dahliatubersale #dahlialove #gardentools #gardengifts
Embracing the whimsy of tending to blooms and wran Embracing the whimsy of tending to blooms and wrangling little ones requires a multitool that's as adaptable as life itself. Enter my sidekick, the @Victorinoxnorthamerica Huntsman Swiss Army knife! 🌸🔧

From harvesting blooms to dividing dahlia tubers to fixing impromptu toy crises, and let’s be real — opening my endless amazon boxes — its versatility mirrors the unpredictability of my days. Compact yet robust, it's more than just a tool—it's the essence of everyday convenience and the heartbeat of both my flower farm adventures and mom magic. 🌼💫 #MyVictorinox #Partner #FlowerFarmer #FarmerFlorist #MomLife #BloomWithHuntsman
1,200 dahlia clumps out, 300 more to go 🙌 Here 1,200 dahlia clumps out, 300 more to go 🙌

Here are my thoughts —

✨I prefer the fork over a shovel, lifts the clumps more gently and easier to get underneath

✨Lopping down the plant to the base and waiting a few days signals the tubers to start setting eyes, this makes dividing so much easier

✨It’s ok to start digging before the first frost, dahlias only need around 130 days in the ground to grow new tubers

✨Pre-digging and pre-frost make sure to label your plants!! Very important because once that frost hits you can’t tell one variety from the next

✨Dig around the the clump careful to not sever tubers, but if you do it’s not the end of the world, it happens to the best of us

✨Once the clump is dug gently shake and brush away excess dirt, I also like to wash immediately because I find the that leaving the soil on dries them out faster which is no bueno

✨By all means don’t dig your dahlias if you want to experiment — we did this last year with a few varieties I didn’t super care about and lo and behold they came back on their own like perennials! We just lazily cut them back and threw a hay bale on top for insulation, worked like a charm (zone 6b)

✨If you do dig you just want to get them out before the ground freezes

✨Back brace, knee pads and waterproof clothes are highly recommended

🌿I’ll be sharing tips for dividing clumps and storing them over winter in my next reel, stay tuned!!

Save this video so you can reference back, and share with someone who might need this info!

Flower farm, farmer florist, Connecticut, fall garden, dahlia tubers, dahlias
Until next year, dahlias 🌿 We’re about half Until next year, dahlias 🌿

We’re about half way through digging tubers and prepping for storage — more on that soon! It’s a long, dirty, physically taxing process but we do it because they’re worth it, they take my breath away every season 💞💫

This also means an EPIC tuber sale will be happening sometime in early 2024, stay tuned over on our farm page @wildirisflowertruck!
Harvested the last of the marigolds yesterday just Harvested the last of the marigolds yesterday just in time for Día de los Muertos 💀🧡💀🖤 and the first frost! And had my right hand man helping me to boot, he snipped all the snaps by himself, I love that he can name all the flowers in that last fresh bucket harvest ((swipe))!

Cheers to the end of a great 2023 flower season 💐
One whole month with our littlest love! Everything One whole month with our littlest love! Everything just feels right with you, our sweet + smiley Layla girl 💕
Take the photos ✨ It’s no secret that photos Take the photos ✨

It’s no secret that photos and photography are extremely important to me. Especially to document these fleeting moments of pregnancy and newborn days, which truly do fly by.

And especially through my losses I’ve learned that no matter the outcome I want the photos to remember these times. I have very few photos of my Liam belly (my son who died during pregnancy) but the ones I do have are some of my very most treasured possessions. And no, I definitely did not feel that way at first. It has taken a lot of time and a lot of therapy and a lot of work. But here I am and I’m unapologetic about how much I love and value photos and documenting this time.

So, friends, just take the photos ✨

Giant thank you to the photographers (slash  good friends!!) who entertain all of my crazy photo shoot ideas, love you guys 🫶 @jessicamicciophoto @mymotherhoodstory 

#momtobe #honestmotherhood #momoffour #maternityphotography #maternityphotoshoot #maternityphotos #pregnancyphotoshoot #pregnancyafterloss #thebump #pailawareness #pregnancylossawarenessmonth #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #babyloss #babylossawareness #babylosssupport #rainbowbaby #goldenrainbow #lifeafterloss #griefjourney #loveandloss #pregnancyaftermiscarriage

Maternity photos, pregnancy photoshoot, beach maternity shoot, black cut out pregnancy dress, flower farm, dahlias
2 whole extra weeks with our girl, happy due date 2 whole extra weeks with our girl, happy due date (yesterday!) little mama we’re so happy you joined us early 💕💕
Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth the wait to find out! Everyone say hi to our littlest love, Layla Marie 💕💕 She came into this world making us laugh + cry the happiest tears. Weighing 7lb 3oz with the cutest cheeks and darkest hair, 20in long! Layla girl, you are everything our family needed and more 😭 IT'S A GIRL! Ahhhhh!!! Still can't believe it 🫶
Unlocking the secret to dahlia dividing? Get your Unlocking the secret to dahlia dividing?

Get yourself a reliable, SHARP knife! 🌸🔪 #MyVictorinox #partner It makes dividing way less stressful and so much faster 🙌 That was my biggest mistake as a amateur farmer!

If you’re in the market look no further than the @Victorinoxnorthamerica Huntsman Swiss Army knife – this versatile tool makes dividing tubers (and so much more!) a breeze. Compact yet powerful, with 15 different functions, it’s the ultimate companion for any gardening enthusiast. It’s my go-to flower farm tool, always in my pocket for whatever unexpected farm (or #momlife) issues come up!

Back to dahlias, here’s a few more tips for dividing —

🌸 Use a SHARP knife — I recommend the Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Army Knife for its versatility, precision and sharpness

🌸 Use the saw tool on your Huntsman for the thicker cuts, and the scissors for cutting off the stringy roots before dividing

🌸 Sterilize your tools in between varieties as you’re dividing to lessen the spread of viruses

🌸 You can either divide in the fall before storage or in the late winter/spring just before planting 

🌸 Look for eyes on the crown (they’re circled in the video), a viable tuber will have a piece of the crown attached to its neck; toss any tubers that have broken necks

🌸 Storage is different for everyone and greatly depends on your specific situation, for us what works best is storing washed, cured clumps and divided tubers in vermiculite in airtight bins that we keep in our garage for the winter (you want a cool, dark space, ideally kept at 90% humidity and around 40°)

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!

Happy gardening! 🌻

#SwissArmyKnife #FlowerFarmer #FarmerFlorist
#GardeningLife #BloomAndGrow
#ConvenientTools #dahliaseason #dahliatubersale #dahlialove #gardentools #gardengifts
Embracing the whimsy of tending to blooms and wran Embracing the whimsy of tending to blooms and wrangling little ones requires a multitool that's as adaptable as life itself. Enter my sidekick, the @Victorinoxnorthamerica Huntsman Swiss Army knife! 🌸🔧

From harvesting blooms to dividing dahlia tubers to fixing impromptu toy crises, and let’s be real — opening my endless amazon boxes — its versatility mirrors the unpredictability of my days. Compact yet robust, it's more than just a tool—it's the essence of everyday convenience and the heartbeat of both my flower farm adventures and mom magic. 🌼💫 #MyVictorinox #Partner #FlowerFarmer #FarmerFlorist #MomLife #BloomWithHuntsman
1,200 dahlia clumps out, 300 more to go 🙌 Here 1,200 dahlia clumps out, 300 more to go 🙌

Here are my thoughts —

✨I prefer the fork over a shovel, lifts the clumps more gently and easier to get underneath

✨Lopping down the plant to the base and waiting a few days signals the tubers to start setting eyes, this makes dividing so much easier

✨It’s ok to start digging before the first frost, dahlias only need around 130 days in the ground to grow new tubers

✨Pre-digging and pre-frost make sure to label your plants!! Very important because once that frost hits you can’t tell one variety from the next

✨Dig around the the clump careful to not sever tubers, but if you do it’s not the end of the world, it happens to the best of us

✨Once the clump is dug gently shake and brush away excess dirt, I also like to wash immediately because I find the that leaving the soil on dries them out faster which is no bueno

✨By all means don’t dig your dahlias if you want to experiment — we did this last year with a few varieties I didn’t super care about and lo and behold they came back on their own like perennials! We just lazily cut them back and threw a hay bale on top for insulation, worked like a charm (zone 6b)

✨If you do dig you just want to get them out before the ground freezes

✨Back brace, knee pads and waterproof clothes are highly recommended

🌿I’ll be sharing tips for dividing clumps and storing them over winter in my next reel, stay tuned!!

Save this video so you can reference back, and share with someone who might need this info!

Flower farm, farmer florist, Connecticut, fall garden, dahlia tubers, dahlias
Until next year, dahlias 🌿 We’re about half Until next year, dahlias 🌿

We’re about half way through digging tubers and prepping for storage — more on that soon! It’s a long, dirty, physically taxing process but we do it because they’re worth it, they take my breath away every season 💞💫

This also means an EPIC tuber sale will be happening sometime in early 2024, stay tuned over on our farm page @wildirisflowertruck!
Harvested the last of the marigolds yesterday just Harvested the last of the marigolds yesterday just in time for Día de los Muertos 💀🧡💀🖤 and the first frost! And had my right hand man helping me to boot, he snipped all the snaps by himself, I love that he can name all the flowers in that last fresh bucket harvest ((swipe))!

Cheers to the end of a great 2023 flower season 💐
One whole month with our littlest love! Everything One whole month with our littlest love! Everything just feels right with you, our sweet + smiley Layla girl 💕
Take the photos ✨ It’s no secret that photos Take the photos ✨

It’s no secret that photos and photography are extremely important to me. Especially to document these fleeting moments of pregnancy and newborn days, which truly do fly by.

And especially through my losses I’ve learned that no matter the outcome I want the photos to remember these times. I have very few photos of my Liam belly (my son who died during pregnancy) but the ones I do have are some of my very most treasured possessions. And no, I definitely did not feel that way at first. It has taken a lot of time and a lot of therapy and a lot of work. But here I am and I’m unapologetic about how much I love and value photos and documenting this time.

So, friends, just take the photos ✨

Giant thank you to the photographers (slash  good friends!!) who entertain all of my crazy photo shoot ideas, love you guys 🫶 @jessicamicciophoto @mymotherhoodstory 

#momtobe #honestmotherhood #momoffour #maternityphotography #maternityphotoshoot #maternityphotos #pregnancyphotoshoot #pregnancyafterloss #thebump #pailawareness #pregnancylossawarenessmonth #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #babyloss #babylossawareness #babylosssupport #rainbowbaby #goldenrainbow #lifeafterloss #griefjourney #loveandloss #pregnancyaftermiscarriage

Maternity photos, pregnancy photoshoot, beach maternity shoot, black cut out pregnancy dress, flower farm, dahlias
2 whole extra weeks with our girl, happy due date 2 whole extra weeks with our girl, happy due date (yesterday!) little mama we’re so happy you joined us early 💕💕
Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth the wait to find out! Everyone say hi to our littlest love, Layla Marie 💕💕 She came into this world making us laugh + cry the happiest tears. Weighing 7lb 3oz with the cutest cheeks and darkest hair, 20in long! Layla girl, you are everything our family needed and more 😭 IT'S A GIRL! Ahhhhh!!! Still can't believe it 🫶
09.18.23 🤍 09.18.23 🤍
Feeling ready to meet this babe!!! Give us your be Feeling ready to meet this babe!!! Give us your best guesses for baby’s gender — it’s a surprise and I’ve had zero “feelings” this whole time 🤣 I love hearing everyone’s predictions and reasonings though! Also throw your best name choices at us for both boys and girls because we still haven’t narrowed anything down, third child energy, no time to think 🤪✌️#herewegoagain
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Christine Covino

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Container Garden Tips: How To Keep Your Flowers Blooming All Summer Long

July 12, 2020 / Gardening

This post may contain affiliate links.

Christine Covino, experienced gardener, planting planting in container gardens

Container Garden Tips: How To Keep Your Flowers Blooming All Summer Long

Creating decorative containers for the home has been a long-time passion of mine. Since I started managing our family’s farm and garden center about 10 years ago I realized I had an eye for container design. Plus I got to order all the annuals and tropicals for our store so I had a field day bringing in and playing with the coolest of the cool flowers and plants!

Over the years I learned some tricks in container design and how to keep my planters lush and blooming all summer long. Below are my tips and tricks, some of which I’v already shared if you follow along on Instagram! Spoiler you guys, it’s not as hard as it seems!

 
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9 Tips for Happy Container Gardens

1. Don’t Overcrowd Containers

Make sure not to overcrowd your space! We’re talking annuals here, I’ll save my veggie container tips for a separate post!

Most annuals need about 6″ between each other in order to thrive and not get choked out, remember there is a limited amount of their space so competition for nutrients can become fierce with crowding!

Crowding also reduces airflow between plant material which invites damp conditions and therefore fungus and disease. Not good! So I definitely suggest following this rule and giving your plants the space they need, trust me they will fill in in no time.

2. Plant in Odd Numbers

Designing and planting in odd numbers, whether in containers or in landscape bed, is just more pleasing to the eye! It’s the golden rule of landscaping and I personally follow it 100% because it’s fool-proof!

Container Garden Tips
Christine Covino, experienced gardener sharing container gardening tips
 
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3. Thriller, Filler, Spiller Theory

Further diving into design theory, this is the simplest (and easiest to remember) method that I follow and then I go from there!

Thriller: Your central, focal-point plant. This is going to be your tallest plant, one that grows upright with spire-like flowers usually. You’ll want plant this one it in the middle of the container. Check the plant tag to find out how tall it should grow, steer clear of cutting flowers that can grow *too tall* (like zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers and cleome – these are better suited for the in the ground!). Some of my favorite thrillers are Angelonia, Salvia,Dracena, fountain grasses, Canna, Agastache, Coleus, Fern, Caladium, Begonia.

Filler: These are your filler plants, the one you’ll plant around the base of the thriller to fill in with more flowers. Some fillers I recommend New Guinea Impatiens, Fuchsia, Begonia, Perilla, Ageratum, Strawflower, Lamb’s Ear, Vinca Rosa, Marigold and Pelargonium.

Spiller: These are your trailers, any cascading-form plant that will beautifully spill over the rim of your planter. Some of my favorite spillers are Calibrachoa, Supertunia, Alyssum, Lantana, Verbena, Torenia, Lamium and Evolvulus. And for non-blooming trailers I recommend Sweet Potato Vine (SO many beautiful foliage colors!), Creeping Jenny, Ivy (especially Algerian Ivy), Helichrysum and Vinca Vine.

The combo of these three hits all the requirements to make an aesthetically-pleasing designer planter for your home, all your friends will want to know your secrets!

plants in containers

4. Good Drainage is Key

GOOD DRAINAGE! I can’t stress this enough!! I recommend planting in a nice light potting mix (add vermiculite if needed!) and placing crocking before adding the soil (crocking is the use of rocks, pebbles, gravel, wood chips, broken terra cotta or any other larger material to promote water drainage from the soil).

Having drainage holes at the bottom of your planters is also key – plants need water but they don’t like to sit in it. Stagnant water causes root rot which will kill your plants almost instantly. If your container has no holes add some with a drill if the material is conducive.

I personally like planting in good old terra-cotta pots because in addition to normal drainage, the water can actually evaporate through the permeable ceramic material and (yes you’ll have to keep your eye on watering more) but the plant will be much happier not to sit water logged!

5. Learn How to Water

I won’t BS you, watering is an acquired skill. I’l never tell you “water this plant this often” (except for indoor plants) because there are just too many variables in nature! It doesn’t take long but you need to become accustomed to your specific plants’ needs and the outdoor conditions.

If you’re a newbie I suggest starting with a water meter, or more simply every day just sticking your finger down a few inches into the soil to feel the moisture level. With the vast majority of plants if the soil is still moist don’t water. I’ve seen over-watering kill more plants than under watering!

Don’t be afraid to touch the soil and your plants, its therapeutic for you and the plants and also gets you to know what they need!!

Some other quick watering tips:

  • Check your plant twice a day until you become familiar with their soil moisture and water requirements.
  • When watering water in the morning, it’s best for them to drink as the heat of the day comes on versus overnight (think of them like humans!).
  • Water the SOIL, plants don’t need showers, their roots need to drink (again, like humans!).
  • Keep track of weather – rain of course means no need to water but things like wind can affect water frequency too! On windy days plants dry out quicker so they will need more of your attention.
  • If your container dries out and the plant begins to wilt give it water and move it out of the sun (as much as possible) immediately, they recover much better in the shade when stressed from being dry!
  • Be intuitive! Gardening really is intuitive by nature, listen to your plants, touch your plants, touch the soil, they’ll show you what they need!
container garden tips

6. Location: Sun/Shade Requirements

Know the plants’ sun requirements and group similar ones together. For example you wouldn’t put a sun-loving succulent with a shade-loving fern.

It’s as easy as reading the tags that your plants come with! They will tell you exactly how much sun is needed for that plant to thrive.

If a tag says shade or part shade put it in a spot where it gets the more delicate morning sun and then afternoon shade. If a tag says full sun put it in a spot where it gets at least 6-8 hours of sun and *mostly* afternoon sun.

7. Girls Need to Eat!

FEED THEM. An annuals job is to bloom all summer and provide our homes with color, they need to be fed! The only fertilizer I have used that actually works is slow release Osmocote Plus. I mix it right into the soil ONE TIME right when I plant and thats literally it! It feeds all my girls then entire summer and keeps them lush and healthy!

8. Prune Your Plants: Deadheading & Haircutting

Deadhead!! Many, if not all, annuals require deadheading in order to keep producing blooms. Deadheading is removing the spent flowers, this tells the plant you want MORE flowers so keep picking, the more you pick the more flowers you’ll get!

Haircut as needed! Sometimes my container annuals can start to get huge and the trailing ones will even start to trail on the ground. This may look beautiful but it can actually start to stress the plant and it will get leggy at the base which doesn’t look great. To promote more bushiness at the base of the plant I will do a quick trim, literally like a haircut, where I trim a few inches from the tips!

Also! Trim away any yellowing or dead/decaying foliage, if left on the plant or soil surface to rot it could attract fungus.

Remember, clean plants are happy plants!

9. Check Daily for Pests

First of all start with well-drained, healthy soil. Rotting debris can breed fungus and invite pests so make sure you’re cleaning out any decaying plant matter on the soil surface!

Even the healthiest plants will get pests at some point during the growing season, especially if it’s been a particularly hot and humid summer. My advice is to check daily and diagnose/treat as needed.

My go to pest sprays are my own DIY spray (recipe here!) and neem oil. Both have helped me immensely in the garden to both deter and preventive infestations as well as take care of them as they happen.

There are of course exceptions, like beetles UGH. If you saw my Instagram stories you know we battled a Japanese Beetle army on our roses this year. If you’re like me and you choose not to use toxins in the garden your options are to hand pick them off and kill them (we throw them in a bucket filled with hot water and a few drops of dish soap) and continue to spray neem oil.

What’s in My Container Garden?

Scroll down below for plant lists of what I’m growing in my containers this year!

Front Porch Sun Containers:

We have two big whiskey barrels on the front porch I planted up with my favorite sun-loving annuals because it’s south facing and thats where we get the most sun! In addition to the two big planters I have one pot with a beautiful caladium, it’s tolerating the part shade well! And two smaller matching pots with white angelonia, white alyssum and white calibrachoa. Below is what I have in the two whiskey barrels!

  • Salvia ‘Wendy’s wish’
  • Sweet Potato Vine ‘Sweet Caroline’
  • Lobularia (alyssum) ‘White Stream’
  • Petunia ‘Supercal Sunday Pink’
  • Calibrachoa
  • Fountain Grass ‘Fireworks’
  • Verbena ‘Lanai Vintage Rose’ and ‘Lanai Peach’
  • Agastache ‘Kudos Coral’
  • Perilla Magilla’

Small Sun Container:

  • Coleus ‘Alabama Sunset’
  • Sweet Potato Vine ‘Sweet Caroline’
  • Calibrachoa white
  • Salvia
  • Helichrysum p. ‘Splash’

Back Patio Shade Containers:

I have two big whiskey barrels on our back porch where we get morning sun until around 12pm and then shade the rest of the day. These are the plants between the two planters!

  • Caladium ‘Candidum’ – one red/white, one green/white
  • Fern: Microlepia strigose ‘Lace Fern’
  • Fern: Pteris ‘Albo-lineata’
  • Coleus ‘Alabama Sunset’
  • Fuchsia ‘Mrs. JD Frederick’
  • Torenia ‘Summerwave Silver’
  • Begonia ‘Coccinea Sinbad’
  • Begonia ‘ Linda Dawn’
  • Begonia ‘Pegasus’
  • Helichrysum p. ‘Splash’
  • New Guinea Impatiens ‘Sonic White’
  • Algerian Ivy
  • Plectranthus
  • Rex Begonia (separate container)

Not pictured, small shade planter:

  • Coleus ‘Dark Star’
  • Fuchsia ‘Mrs. JD Frederick’
  • Begonia ‘Coccinea Sinbad’
  • New Guinea Impatiens ‘Sonic Light Lavender’
  • Creeping Jenny

Succulent Container:

  • Hens & Chicks
  • Grapotoveria ‘Fred Ives’
  • Orostachys ‘Hardy Duncecap’

Herb Containers in the Garden:

Herbs in the garden are a GREAT idea – they attract much needed pollinators as well as repel away insect pests and small animals!

  • Basil ‘Rutgers’
  • Basil ‘Red Rubin’
  • Thyme
  • Tarragon
  • Oregano
  • Lavender
  • Rosemary
  • Nasturtium
  • Savory (summer & winter)
  • Assorted mints and sages

All right that’s the post!!

I hope these tips are helpful in your quest to grow long-lasting summer blooms in containers! Please as always feel free to reach out with questions and I’d love to hear more about YOUR  gardens in the comments!

Visit my Amazon Storefront HERE to check out all my garden supply recommendations including the Osmocote fertilizer and organic neem oil spray I mentioned!

 
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Looking for more gardening posts? Check these out!

9 Tips for a Low Maintenance Veggie Garden

DIY Raised Garden Beds

How to Map, Plan & Plant Your Veggie Garden

Complete Guide to Growing and Harvesting Peonies

Cut Flower Garden Planning

Seed Starting for  Beginners

Gardening Supplies Favorites

Tips for Long-Lasting Lilacs

Mums Tips and Tricks

And more coming soon! Sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date on new gardening posts!

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  1. How to Map, Plan & Plant Your Vegetable Garden - Christine Covino says:
    January 22, 2022 at 4:13 am

    […] Container Gardening Tips […]

    Reply
  2. 6 Tips for Growing Great Dahlias - Christine Covino says:
    March 13, 2022 at 10:01 pm

    […] Container Gardening 101 […]

    Reply
  3. 7 Early Spring Garden Tasks - Christine Covino says:
    March 13, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    […] Container Gardening 101 […]

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  4. 9 Fall Blooming Perennials to Brighten Your Landscape says:
    October 30, 2022 at 5:20 pm

    […] perennial flowers and plants that will grow well in your hardiness zone. Start seeds in spring or seedlings in summer. Give them room to spread out and plenty of sunlight, along with a hearty dose of mycorrhizae and […]

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Unlocking the secret to dahlia dividing? Get your Unlocking the secret to dahlia dividing?

Get yourself a reliable, SHARP knife! 🌸🔪 #MyVictorinox #partner It makes dividing way less stressful and so much faster 🙌 That was my biggest mistake as a amateur farmer!

If you’re in the market look no further than the @Victorinoxnorthamerica Huntsman Swiss Army knife – this versatile tool makes dividing tubers (and so much more!) a breeze. Compact yet powerful, with 15 different functions, it’s the ultimate companion for any gardening enthusiast. It’s my go-to flower farm tool, always in my pocket for whatever unexpected farm (or #momlife) issues come up!

Back to dahlias, here’s a few more tips for dividing —

🌸 Use a SHARP knife — I recommend the Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Army Knife for its versatility, precision and sharpness

🌸 Use the saw tool on your Huntsman for the thicker cuts, and the scissors for cutting off the stringy roots before dividing

🌸 Sterilize your tools in between varieties as you’re dividing to lessen the spread of viruses

🌸 You can either divide in the fall before storage or in the late winter/spring just before planting 

🌸 Look for eyes on the crown (they’re circled in the video), a viable tuber will have a piece of the crown attached to its neck; toss any tubers that have broken necks

🌸 Storage is different for everyone and greatly depends on your specific situation, for us what works best is storing washed, cured clumps and divided tubers in vermiculite in airtight bins that we keep in our garage for the winter (you want a cool, dark space, ideally kept at 90% humidity and around 40°)

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!

Happy gardening! 🌻

#SwissArmyKnife #FlowerFarmer #FarmerFlorist
#GardeningLife #BloomAndGrow
#ConvenientTools #dahliaseason #dahliatubersale #dahlialove #gardentools #gardengifts
Embracing the whimsy of tending to blooms and wran Embracing the whimsy of tending to blooms and wrangling little ones requires a multitool that's as adaptable as life itself. Enter my sidekick, the @Victorinoxnorthamerica Huntsman Swiss Army knife! 🌸🔧

From harvesting blooms to dividing dahlia tubers to fixing impromptu toy crises, and let’s be real — opening my endless amazon boxes — its versatility mirrors the unpredictability of my days. Compact yet robust, it's more than just a tool—it's the essence of everyday convenience and the heartbeat of both my flower farm adventures and mom magic. 🌼💫 #MyVictorinox #Partner #FlowerFarmer #FarmerFlorist #MomLife #BloomWithHuntsman
1,200 dahlia clumps out, 300 more to go 🙌 Here 1,200 dahlia clumps out, 300 more to go 🙌

Here are my thoughts —

✨I prefer the fork over a shovel, lifts the clumps more gently and easier to get underneath

✨Lopping down the plant to the base and waiting a few days signals the tubers to start setting eyes, this makes dividing so much easier

✨It’s ok to start digging before the first frost, dahlias only need around 130 days in the ground to grow new tubers

✨Pre-digging and pre-frost make sure to label your plants!! Very important because once that frost hits you can’t tell one variety from the next

✨Dig around the the clump careful to not sever tubers, but if you do it’s not the end of the world, it happens to the best of us

✨Once the clump is dug gently shake and brush away excess dirt, I also like to wash immediately because I find the that leaving the soil on dries them out faster which is no bueno

✨By all means don’t dig your dahlias if you want to experiment — we did this last year with a few varieties I didn’t super care about and lo and behold they came back on their own like perennials! We just lazily cut them back and threw a hay bale on top for insulation, worked like a charm (zone 6b)

✨If you do dig you just want to get them out before the ground freezes

✨Back brace, knee pads and waterproof clothes are highly recommended

🌿I’ll be sharing tips for dividing clumps and storing them over winter in my next reel, stay tuned!!

Save this video so you can reference back, and share with someone who might need this info!

Flower farm, farmer florist, Connecticut, fall garden, dahlia tubers, dahlias
Until next year, dahlias 🌿 We’re about half Until next year, dahlias 🌿

We’re about half way through digging tubers and prepping for storage — more on that soon! It’s a long, dirty, physically taxing process but we do it because they’re worth it, they take my breath away every season 💞💫

This also means an EPIC tuber sale will be happening sometime in early 2024, stay tuned over on our farm page @wildirisflowertruck!
Harvested the last of the marigolds yesterday just Harvested the last of the marigolds yesterday just in time for Día de los Muertos 💀🧡💀🖤 and the first frost! And had my right hand man helping me to boot, he snipped all the snaps by himself, I love that he can name all the flowers in that last fresh bucket harvest ((swipe))!

Cheers to the end of a great 2023 flower season 💐
One whole month with our littlest love! Everything One whole month with our littlest love! Everything just feels right with you, our sweet + smiley Layla girl 💕

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