I love getting mail. This time of year is a second Christmas as lots of puffy brown envelopes pour into our mailbox. Each envelope is full of my favorite possibility; seeds! January is also a time of spreadsheets where I organize the timing and amounts of our flower plantings. I have graph paper close by as I map out our fields, and pencil out multiple plantings so we have flowers all summer. It feels like an immense puzzle, and the arrival of seed packets are a little reward for the brain power being spent on spreadsheets and numbers.
Below are some of the varieties I'm excited about growing this year and where to buy them. I love to support small businesses and I'm excited to share some of my favorite seed companies and fun flowers.
Floret is at the top of my list regarding seeds, educational content, and beauty. Their Online Workshop spring-boarded me into my flower farming career. Pouring over their website looking at seeds is an inspirational and swoon-worthy activity. I am excited to try their Texas Plume Summer Sherbet Celosia this year. Celosia is a summer heat-loving flower that adds wonderful texture. The colors in this variety make me as happy as eating rainbow sherbet on an August day, I can’t wait to see them!
I’ve been ordering from Uprising Seeds for years. Their selection is unique and well-curated, not to mention their seed descriptions are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Not only are they funny, but their seeds are wonderful. Last year I tried their Blue Cloud Larkspur for the first time with great success. This year I’m adding their White Cloud Larkspur as well as coming back for more of their Hot Pants Aster. This flower seriously made my summer, it is funky and fun. I highly recommend it.
Select Seeds is a new company for me this year. I love their selection of Heirloom flowers and I am excited to try their Isabellina Phlox from 1886. It's a soft buttery yellow that I can’t wait to make something perfectly romantic with. I also am trying out their Ladybird Rose Nasturtium which looked too beautiful to pass up!
I discovered Swallowtail Garden Seed last year and grew some gorgeous Strawflowers from them. This year I can’t wait to try their Bright Rose and Swiss Giants Mix Strawflowers . I am still enjoying strawflowers from last season are they dry perfectly!
Baker Creek always has something I've never seen before. Part of their mission is keeping heirloom varieties alive for future generations to enjoy. This year I can’t wait to grow their Kilimanjaro White Marigold. Last year I grew white marigolds for the first time and now I’m addicted. On the opposite end of the marigold color spectrum, I’m also trying some their Colossus Red Gold Bicolor Marigold.
I’ve ordered seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds for over a decade; they always have wonderful quality and the best growing instructions.
If I ever have a question on how to start a particular flower, I always consult Johnny’s website, their information is superb. Snapdragons are some of the first flowers that I start and I couldn’t help myself when I saw their Potomac Early Sunrise mix, it looked like happiness in a bundle.
January is an amazing time of incubation for a farmer. We rest our bodies, but not our brains. This time of year I am dreaming, scheming, planning, mapping, seeding, prepping, and commanding myself to rest my body in preparation for a busy season. I encourage you to indulge in the possibility of seeds this winter and spend some time scrolling through your favorite seeds, and dreaming of what's possible.
Below are the links to all the seeds I mentioned.
* I am not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with any of these companies. I just love their products and you may too!