Thanksgiving - Reflection on a floral education

The turkey is back.

Without fail, the often grounded, gobbling bird returns year after year to remind us that it's time for a feast, football and most importantly, reflection. Thanksgiving is a holiday to, like the name implies, give thanks for the people and things that enhance our lives.

Since most of us won't be checking our emails tomorrow, I'm going to go ahead and share my personal Thanksgiving reflection with you today. Among the things I give thanks for every year - family, health, chocolate, The Beatles, etc. - this year I'm particularly grateful for the continuing floral education I've received from Sun Valley.

I've learned more about flowers in the past year at Sun Valley than I have throughout my previous 20-something years on earth. And I've had the pleasure of sharing it all right here on Flower Talk. The beauty of it is even though my floral horizons have been broadened so much already, there's still a huge world of flower facts out there for me to discover!

Until then, I want to share some of my favorite educational posts, ones I feel accurately represent my learning experience thus far. Without further ado...

1. Willow Creek Part 3 - In search of the "perfect Ilex"

I visited the Willow Creek farm with Lane a few months ago , and I learned a lot about Cotinus, Rosehips and Ilex, among other things. This post goes into detail about how our Ilex is grown and reveals one of Lane's greatest passions as a farmer.







2. Lily's Boots: Summer and... Cryogenic Freezing?

What do Sun Valley summer Tulips and Cryogenic Freezing have in common? One of our farm's main strengths is growing Tulips year-round. Learn how we're able to grow our Tulips in the summertime.







3. Hey Material Girl, Open Your Heart... to Hydrangeas

In light of Madonna's public denouncement of Hydrangeas, this post tells you all you need to know about how Hydrangeas are grown at Sun Valley.






4. Lily's Boots: The Path to Iris Enlightenment

I set out to learn all about Iris, and walked away a little more enlightened. This post is filled with fun facts about Iris and explores how this beautiful flower is grown and harvested.








5. Lily's Boots, Love and Royal Lilies - Part 1 and Part 2

You can't have one without the other! These posts go into detail about how we grow our Asiatic (Love) and Royal (LA Hybrid) Lilies at Sun Valley's Arcata farm. I got some fantastic hands-on planting and bunching experience - check out the video!




While there are so many other fascinating floral topics that I've covered over the last several months, I feel these posts provide a great example of the knowledge I've absorbed while working at the farm.

I'm very grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn so much about such a fascinating topic and to be able to share it with you. I'm also grateful that I get to continue doing so!


And now, for the first time on Flower Talk...
For a chance to WIN A FREE CASE OF MIXED CHRISTMAS TULIPS, tell me what you're thankful for this year on our Facebook page! (Click HERE for the Sun Valley Floral Farms Facebook page.)