North Oshawa Spring 2025 Forecast
Cut Flower Edition. Everyone is talking about Christmas, meanwhile I am already dreaming of Spring.
2024 was truly good to me in this first year offering fresh cut flowers to Durham Region and I will be back with more in 2025. This is a snippet of what you can expect from me for early Spring 2025
Buying Thyme’s Fresh Cut Flower Bouquets from Spring 2024
I’m not sure how they do it but the Harrowsmith Almanac has been so accurate for the last few months. They promised above average temperatures for the month of October and that is what we have had. Even down to when we would have dry spells and precipitation. It made the most beautiful weather for planting bulbs. Because of the summer like temperatures, what I went into Autumn planning on planting and what actually was planted are two different things.
According to Harrowsmith, Spring 2025 is looking either seasonable (April) or warmer then usual (May) with a fair bit of storms weekly. What this means for spring bulbs is that they can blow open or be damaged in the storms and the mild to warm weather can cause short stems and early blooms on fussy plants such as tulips. This isn’t a problem in landscape flowers, but for cut flowers it can lead to crop failure.
Aside from the weather, the chipmunks and bunnies call the shots on much of what I do now that our dog Lucy is no longer with us. Our remaining dog has no interest in chasing off the various friends who stop by for an ‘on the house’ buffet.
These factors coupled with my own style preferences is what leads to the cut flower selection that I will be offering in Spring 2025.
Most of what I plant for early spring is Narcissus (daffodils). They have wonderful vase life, beautiful form, so many varieties to choose from, and some even have lovely scent! With our minimal spring season in Southern Ontario, I prefer them over tulips. Unlike tulips, as a cut flower, daffodils come back each year and multiply! As a mom with three little ones underfoot, this aspect alone is a huge selling point.
Each year I add a few more Narcissus to the collection. A few is usually 50 or so. I did not have enough to meet demand last spring so I thought I’d up that to a 200 or so; a modest amount. In actuality, I planted 500 daffodils alone, but a touch over 1000 bulbs this autumn. Added to the bulbs planted over the last 2 years and I’m hoping it is enough to meet demand this spring.
A preview of the varieties planted this fall:
Purchasing Fresh Cut Flowers from the Flower Stand
Spring 2024 I began offering flowers at the roadside stand in early May and my expectation is that timing will be roughly the same for 2025. Mother Nature is in control though. I typically post updates in Instagram Stories of where the garden is at and expected timing of things. You can find me there @buying_thyme
Although I am not certified organic etc, all flowers are grown using organic, natural and regenerative methods. Flowers are grown to support pollinators, create diversity and habitat, enhance beauty & soil health and for sharing those results with the community, They are walked from the garden to the stand where they meet you. If you’re seeking a minimal carbon footprint, unless you grow them yourself, it doesn’t get ‘greener’ then this.
The flower stand is located at 1503 Regional Rd 3, Hampton, ON. (1.5km east of the Oshawa Zoo and 10 minutes from the Windfields Costco in North Oshawa).
It goes out Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the growing season, from 9am to sundown.
It is self serve; cash or e-transfer only.
It is currently closed until Spring 2025. Since I only offer locally grown cut flowers to Durham Region, my season is limited by nature, roughly Mothers Day to Thanksgiving..
DIY Spring Bulb Tips
If this has inspired you to add a few bulbs into your own garden space this is what I would recommend:
End of October remaining stock at big box stores (Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Costco) usually drops to 50% off. Pickings are often slim but quality is still fine, usually…
Garden Centre’s usually have smaller packages but more unique varieties. End of October they often drop their prices or add a 2 for 1 promotion to clear stock.
Squeeze the bulbs before buying. They should be firm. Soft bulbs will rot when planted. Moldy bulbs; don’t buy them.
Online orders should be placed in early Summer for best selection, some online options are still available in November but pickings are slim.
If you have squirrels, chipmunks, bunny or deer pressure I would suggest avoiding tulips and crocus.
If you really must have them, plant deeper then the package recommends, surround and intermix them with bulbs that they ignore (daffodils, hyacinths, allium, muscari) and cover the soil with a generous topping of chicken poop pellets. You can also cover the soil with hardware cloth or tight chicken wire and remove once they sprout in spring.
Please avoid invasive bulbs such as Scilla (more on that here) which spread by both seed and root, and avoid aggressive spreaders like Winter Aconite if your yard backs onto any naturalized areas. Yes, garden centre’s still sell them despite their known detrimental impacts to our naturalized areas.
Is it too late to plant bulbs? If you can still dig the soil, you can still plant the bulb. November and December are perfectly fine, just not usually a pleasant experience for the gardener.
If the ground is frozen and you just found bulbs, tuck them into the fridge so they can achieve their needed ‘chill hours’ and then plant in a container in late winter (March). After enjoying the blooms you can add the bulbs to your garden. Leave the foliage so the bulb can recharge!
Happy Spring Dreaming Flower Friends!
