Late Summer Days on the Edge of the Prairie

We are grateful for cooler breezes and refreshing nights in late summer.

May Flowers Galore

2026 had unusually nice weather for the peak of greenhouse season, which was a blessing as we worked with family, friends, plants, and customers!

It is always encouraging to see stamina growing from year to year on this job!

First Flowers of 2026

Our first blooms of the year started opening just before the Easter snow: Scilla / Squill.

The next weeks were filled with spring work... and the spontaneous fun of making my first grapevine wreath after cleaning last year's growth off the arbor. 

Now in May we are still getting down to freezing some nights and just seeing our first tulips open. But we get our flower-fix by helping at the greenhouses!

A Snowy Resurrection Day

Resurrection Day began with this beautiful sunrise glow over fresh snow! The following pictures were taken the day before while more than six inches of wet snow were falling. 

I even got out skiing before it hit 40 degrees!

Christ is Risen! Because He lives, we can face tomorrow.

Garden Tomatoes in February?!

That's right! The last of the green tomatoes picked from our Rapunzel plant before freeze-up were finally ready to eat in the first week of February!

Meanwhile, our onions are storing well in the cold room for continued use.

Winter Sunshine

Sunshine is rare these days, so we take notice and enjoy it whenever possible!

Especially the sub-zero (Fahrenheit) treat of sundogs!

Happy New Year!

Because He lives...
~ Hannah

Saving Beauty from the Frost

Frost is becoming a frequent early-morning visitor once again. So it was time to make some final garden bouquets. 

And a few favorite pots are still being enjoyed by spending cold nights indoors.

"Thunder Cake" Book Review

A little thunder, a little hail...

...and a good dose or two of rain suddenly turned our world green in early May!

• Lily of the Valley moving into the brick path •

• Wild Ginger •

But not everyone enjoys thunder as much as I do. Especially not little ones, which is why books like "Thunder Cake" by Patricia Palacco were written. (And why my sister got it for her kids!)

In a delightful way, the author teaches children that they can choose to do things even when they are scared... and that they don't actually need to be afraid of a sound.

We love this book's vivid artwork highlighting the author/artist's cultural background - especially her Babushka (Grandmother).

And when asked what was her favorite part of the book last week, my 3 year old neice said "the cat." Plus she likes the part where they are gathering the ingredient "milk" for baking a Thunder Cake.

▪︎ My little shadow and her big shadow ▪︎

Early March Blossoms

While the winter's snow melts in a warm spell, flowers are opening indoors!

This miniature orchid finally rebloomed after years of the plant limping along!

We are down to one reblooming amaryllis pot, but it is a beauty!

And that geranium cutting I showed in my previous post is brightening the kitchen.

Do you have any early March blossoms indoors or out? I'd love to hear in the comments below!
~ Hannah