Thursday, February 28, 2013

May the wind always be at your back....

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, and for those of us with Irish blood it's a special day to celebrate.  All those leprechauns and shamrocks, soad bread and corned beef!  Speaking of shamrocks (Oxalis regnellii for you plant nerds), I thought I would write a post about this wonderful garden plant.

Legend has it that St. Patrick used the 3 leaved shamrock as a tool to explain the Trinity (3 beings - 1 God: 3 sections - 1 leaf) to the Irish people.  You will see this same "pattern" reflected in a celtic trinity knot.
 
But no matter if you are Irish or not, oxalis make wonderful garden plants.  Their tidy clumps of green foliage are mostly evergreen - fading only in extreme summer heat or those really frosty winter months. (They are considered zone 6-10 plants.)  My pink regnellii at home blooms several times a year - usually in mid-spring, early - mid summer, and sometimes in early fall.  The changing seasons seem to stimulate it's bloom cycle.


For indoor use, oxalis make a cheerful addition to your springtime decorating.  They are sensitive to light (their leaves and blooms will close up in low light) and they do not like to be overwatered. (They grow from a corm - so like most bulbs they do not have an extensive root system.)




So if you are looking for a bit o' something Irish for your spring give Oxalis a try.


Friday, January 4, 2013

Exciting Changes Ahead


Starting in the middle of January we will be offering online ordering.  We’ve been testing the system for the last few weeks and found it really easy to use.

To get into the online ordering all you need is your existing email address and a pass word. You can sign up for the pass word on our web site or call or email us and we will assign you one.

Upon signing in you’ll get to pick a ship date. Keep in mind our regular delivery schedule still applies but if you pick a day outside of the regular schedule we will let you know when we email the confirmation.  There is also a place for PO numbers, order notes, and special delivery instructions.

 Screen Shot of P.O. Page


Next you will see the availability with pictures of all the items. No more wondering what the leaf color of Heuchera villosa ‘Encore’ is or what color  Calla ‘Neon Amour has. You can click on the thumb nail and the picture comes up and you can get a close up.

When you put your order quantity in the ship column the system will tell you if we don’t have the full quantity ordered, for instance you want 10 flats of Viola Sorbet mix but we have only 5. Now you can decide if you want to order another color to make up the difference or have to find them elsewhere.



 
Availability Page Sorted By Category, Type and Size
 

The system lets you filter by plant name, if you are just looking for pansies, you can filter by pansy or you are looking only for 4” geranium you can filter by size and name. No more scanning 10 pages for the one item you really want. But – we do want you to look through the whole list of course….

 
"Type" filter is red - indicating that you have made a sort.
 

The other cool thing is that online ordering gives you more control over the order and cuts down on errors – order entry error on our end that is. At the end at the order overview page you get the total cost of your order which can help those of you who are further away and pay freight. You can tweak your order to get the most out of your freight charge.

 Finalized Order

For those of you who’d rather stick with faxing or calling an order is that’s just fine by us. We still go with first come first serve. We receive a notification when an online order is placed with date and time.  Limited quantity product will be divided up among those who order it first, regardless of how you placed the order.

We should have the system up and running in the next couple of weeks and will send out an announcement with the regular Friday availability.

Call or email us now to get your password then you are ready to go when the system is live. Regina or Stefani at sales@fandbfarms.com , 503-982-2748. 
 

Friday, November 30, 2012

Oh, Happy Days

The holidays are here, and its always nice to see such color in the greenhouses - even when it is cloudy and gray outside.  Here is some shots of the houses to bring you a smile.

Enriqueta in the Cyclamen House
 
 
 
6" Zygocactus
 
 
 
Red Poinsettias - makes this house look so warm and cozy!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Matrix Morpheus (Bicolor Blue & Yellow) Pansy
 
Sorbet Beaconberry Mix Violas
 
 
 
Heucherella Sweet Tea - lots of pretty foliage, and the cold weather makes the colors bolder.
 
 
 
 
Helleborus nigers - the Christmas Rose!
 
 
 
White Hydrangea
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ice Punch Poinsettia
 
 
 
 
 
Jingle Bells Poinsettia - Jingle all the way!
 
 
 
Hope your holiday season is merry and bright! 


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Armageddon Now




Before

After
Armageddon has hit the yard!  Fred decided to trim up the trees and we had agreed about taking out a few shrubs.  Well the guys got carried away and took out some more shrubs and then trimmed some (that should not have been trimmed).  So I finally decided to do the sensible thing, and really the only option left  - which was rip out more stuff.  No time like the present to redesign the entire yard. 


So now the redesign begins, which actually is a good thing.  I can take all my favorite elements from Gertrude Jekyll, Piet Oudolf, John Brookes and my love of more formal gardens and blend that in.  I will also be selecting my favorite plants and featuring those.  It was a little distressing weaning myself from my hodgepodge of plants - I am a bit of a rat-pack when it comes to my garden.  But the new scheme should provide some eyerest and tranquility, while adding some much needed outdoor living space.

Tear Out Complete

As the plan comes together I will be posting progress photos for you to see.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Hops

Nugget Hops
This is the final day of our annual hop harvest.  I thought I would share some photos with you to show what happens to all those vines that make such great decorations for fall.
Hops suspended from majestic heights, cascading down like a chartreuse waterfall.
Molly
Alex
Hops are a perennial crop grown in "yards" that are trellised from 13-15' high. There are several well known hop growing regions around the world, but in the U.S. hops are primarily grown in the Willamette Valley & Yakima Valley.  Hop production is limited to about 50 families - so it is a small community.
Wagons come in from the fields, where the hops are hung up as they wait their turn to be picked.



Drying Floors


Hops moving along a conveyor.

 Hop harvest runs 24/7 at most farms with a day and night crew. At our farm, the picker and the hop house (dryer) are right at our house - so there is a hum of activity day and night.  It is actually a little melancholy when we are done and everything is shut off - so silent and still by contrast.
 
When they are dry, the hops get baled up in 200# bales and shipped off to brokers and eventually brewers to make all those tasty beers that we love.
 
We hope you enjoy that harvest feeling everytime you see our hop garlands or visit with friends over a pint.