It doesn’t seem possible that Clarksville has received only about half of the average annual snowfall so far this winter. It feels like we’ve been pummeled. That’s probably because we’ve had a lot of storms but no big dumps. “Death by a thousand cuts” as one friend put it. We understand.
Winter is a mixed bag for flower farmers. It’s a time to rest and recharge our batteries, but it’s also a time to plan and dream about the next growing season. The snow that blankets the earth is a wonderful way to water the soil. It’s like a gentle, slow, soaking spring rain, only colder. In time, spring warmth will return and chase away the cold. The soil will thaw and accept our rakes and hoes again. And the melted snow will soak in and replenish the ground water. The cycle of life will continue as it has for eons.
But for now, we wait and watch. Foxes and hawks hunt on our farm. Deer crisscross the landscape leaving tracks in the snow. Trees stand dormant and grasses are brown. Everything is brown, save some hollies and, of course, the hellebores.
Visions of Summer
When our blue metal roofs are covered in snow and our flower fields are blankets of white, it’s sometimes hard to remember the lush abundance of summer. It’s hard to imagine that sunflowers will dominate our farm in just five months. But they will. Summer is coming. And there probably will come a day when we’ve spent 14 hours in the flower field and we will wish for just 15 minutes of January.
