Resources
On this page, I refer you to resources that have helped me. Please note, some of these links are affiliate links, which means I earn a commission if you purchase some of these products. I don’t recommend anything I don’t have experience with myself. I list these resources because I am confident you will find them as useful as I have.
Table of Contents
Books
- Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms, by Erin Benzakein. LemonTree Farm’s cut flower garden, as you know it, would not exist if not for this book. This was my inspiration and taught me most of what I know. An absolute must if you want to grow flowers.
- Floret Farm’s Discovering Dahlias: A Guide to Growing and Arranging Magnificent Blooms, by Erin Benzakein. A good supplemental resource if you are interested in growing dahlias. A word of caution, some of the techniques described in this book will not be applicable if you are attempting to grow dahlias in the South.
- Mason Bee Revolution: How the Hardest Working Bee Can Save the World – One Backyard at a Time, by Dave Hunter. Mason bees are the unsung heroes of our gardens. This is an indispensable guide on how to attract and nurture a healthy mason bee population.
- Organic Gardening for the 21st Century: A Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs and Flowers, by John Fedor. The information on using manures to fix problems with your soil is particularly helpful.
Roses
These are sites I’ve ordered bare-root roses from with great success.
Dahlias
DahliaAddict.com – A database of dahlia varieties available for mail order in the US and Canada. Please bear in mind, many suppliers are located in the Pacific Northwest. Some dahlia varieties will not grow well in other parts of the country. Also, dahlias sell out very quickly. You’ll want to place orders early in the spring growing season. Here are the suppliers I’ve bought from:
These dahlia suppliers are located in the Southeastern US. Varieties purchased from these vendors will have a better chance of success in our growing conditions:
Materials
Fertilizers
- Espoma Bio-Tone Starter Fertilizer – I use this on everything I plant!
- Espoma Organic Bone Meal – I add this to dahlia rows in conjunction with the starter fertilizer. Be warned, dogs like to dig at this stuff.
- Sea Magic Seaweed Fertilizer – this is what I use once plants mature, check out my article on how I mix it
Tools
- Hori Hori Knife – I use it for cutting holes through ground cover
- Stirrup Hoe – great for weeding and cultivating around live growing plants
Pest Control
- Spectracide Japanese Beetle Traps – great if they can be placed far away from your garden
- Sluggo Plus – I use this on my dahlia seedlings underneath straw so birds and other animals are less likely to eat the pellets.
Those who have influenced me
You can never learn too much! These folks have helped me tremendously with respect to gardening organically.
