Flowers From a Farm in the City…
Yesterday, I wrote about a visit to “The Farm at South Mountain”, which is an old farm that is a rural oasis in the shadow of downtown Phoenix.
The farm is made up of organic flower and vegetable gardens, restaurants, a large pecan grove picnic area, artist studio, gift shop, farmer’s market and spa. Weddings are also held here in this beautiful place.
As lovely the pecan grove looks in the winter, I plan to return in the summer to see them fully leafed out, so I can enjoy a picnic lunch in their shade.
Sweet Columbine
Although the vegetable gardens were most prominent gardens to view, flowers could be found planted in mass, such as daisies and calendulas. But, I delighted in finding the flowers that were tucked away in unexpected places.
Vibrant, Red Ranunculus
Although, I do like vegetables, I am a flower girl at heart and so, I had so much fun looking here and there making sure that I did not miss any flowers.
Gerber Daisies grace the front of a collection of flowers.
Some flowers such as the Ranunculus and the Columbine, are not often seen in gardens in our area, and so I was happy to be able to take pictures of them to add to my photo library.
Spanish Lavender (Lavendula stoechas)
Do any of you have a flower or plant that you just love but for some unknown reason, you have not included it in your garden? Well, I love lavender and do not have any in my garden. Note to self…I need to plant some lavender ;^)
Heliotrope, Gerber and Purple Daisies.
Like I said before, you never know where you will find flowers. This laundry basket had a few cans full of flowers just sitting off to the side.
Bright, Sunny Calendula Flower.
Calendulas grew in organized mass plantings alongside the vegetables.
Fruity Girl (resident of “The Refuge”) peruses the flowers, herbs and succulents for sale.
Violas and Alyssum
Lupine
Candytuft
Years ago, I grew Candytuft with Purple Coneflower. I love the brightness of the white color of the Candytuft.
More Violas
Rows of Geraniums.
Geraniums perform very well in the desert, but generally do not survive the summer heat. So, they are best treated as a winter-annual in the desert.
Valentine shrub with Geraniums.
Little Farmer, Pastor Farmer, Fruity Girl, Mr. Compost, Daisy Mom and Monkey Boy.
I enjoyed visiting this special place with my younger sister and her family (residents of “The Refuge”). My mother, Pastor Farmer and nephew Little Farmer, (residents of Double S Farms) also came.
The Farm at South Mountain is a wonderful place to visit. I can hardly wait to visit again in the summer with my husband and kids when they will have summer flowers for us to see :^)
Tomorrow, will be my last post about this special place….
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
Dear Noelle, There was certainly much to see on your family visit to the farm, and something for everyone which makes a special visit worthwhile.
I agree with you that a return visit in the summer when you would all be able to picnic under the trees and to see all the flowers in bloom would be idyllic.
Thank you for letting me share this memorable day with you.
I just love your eye for capturing what makes farms special. Nice work!
How beautiful! Great post. 🙂
I loved your post, Noelle. I especially love the white bloom in the 5th photo!!!!!
You can keep posting this farm, I'll read it!! I want to move there…I can't wait for my ranunculus to bloom, first year with them and I have them tucked all around. Lavender is a plant I want in my garden, second year trying seeds of it, fingers crossed.
absolutely amazing – Geraniums are your winter bedding plants! All those plants Noelle in this post are our summer bedding plants.
Our garden looks so dreary at the moment compared to all those beautiful flowers. I know it's technically still winter, but I can't wait to see some more blooms around here. I'll have to live vicariously through your blog for now. Oh, and you simply MUST plant some lavender! It's one of my favorites too…although our Spanish lavender seems to be taking over the garden, and self-seeding everywhere! Suppose I shouldn't complain though…
displaying beautiful farm with beautiful flowers definitely make people like me with little garden that Beauty can come both n tiny bit and in a big way! ~bangchik
This was fun, Noelle. It looks like the weather was great, too. 🙂 I have an aunt in Oklahoma that has pecan trees… they bear well and enjoy sharing the harvest. (!)
What a neat place! I think I'd be a regular there throughout the year. I loved the way the bricks were laid in the Valentine shrub picture.
The flowers are lovely. I think flowers one finds in unexpected places are in many ways the best.
I enjoy looking at yr photos. What a beautiful place.
Never expect to see a desert area so green & lushful. You even get to have Geranium and consider them as winter plants.
Something that is mind boggling.
Do viola are considered as winter plants or do they do very well in desert climate?
A stunning photo of beautiful flowers. Thanks so much for posting these incredible delights of nature.
Beautiful flowers Noelle. Funny that Geraniums are winter annuals for you as they are summer annuals here.
I love so many flowers, hard to tell all that I don't have in the garden….pretty fickle too..love the one you are looking at right now.
Your photos are simply gorgeous .. I will look through them all again and again and the weather looks perfect! I just attempted a walk but had to come in before I froze – thinking of moving somewhere warmer! Thanks for sharing!!!
When you mentioned the lavender you keep meaning to plant but never do, it reminded me of grey creeping germander. I'd love to grow that spanish lavender but it's not hardy here.
What a glorious visit — for you and for us, too.
Geraniums are something that I haven't grown in years. We had a dog once who loved geraniums, stopping every morning to sniff the leaves on the patio on his way out.
I will look for them this spring and start a new pot or two.
Hi Everyone,
I think the flowers were my favorite part of my visit to the farm.
Rosie and James, many of the annuals that are grown in the summer in many areas are considered winter annuals here in the desert. Violas, Snapdragons, Petunias, Geraniums, Alyssum and Pansies are all grown here in the winter.