Frost's Toll & Our Triumphs

Today is a beautiful day, and I'm really grateful for that because just a few nights ago it dropped to 23°. In late April, after a long warm stretch, that kind of cold can be brutal.

We had high hopes for some really special Mother’s Day crops like our Baptisia spikes and sweet-smelling lilac that were right on the edge of blooming out in mass. But the swing in temps came so fast, and there wasn’t much we could do to protect everything that was already outside and so close. I could only worry about the peonies. And, oh, how I couldn’t stand the thought of losing a near-blooming crop (which we’d already promised) suddenly at risk from something completely out of our control.

And truth be told, I wasn’t alone (even though it felt like it.) Farmers up and down the Shenandoah Valley and across the mid-Atlantic region were worrying over their apple orchards, grape vines, blueberry bushes, strawberry patches, so many crops that provide much-needed income and nutrition to our bodies were gone. Overnight.

By morning, the picture was clearer. We lost most of the Baptisia. The peonies pulled through…mostly. Lupine is holding steady; sage took a hit. Some of our blueberry-growing neighbors weren’t as lucky and lost their crop for the season.

It’s a mix of relief and reality. A reminder that we’re not the ones in charge out here.

But there are bright spots! The stock looks better than it ever has in years, and that’s honest. And it’s going to be a standout in our Mother’s Day bouquets!

If you’re planning to send flowers or pick up something local, this is one of those moments where it really does matter. A bouquet, a box of strawberries, a bag of greens…it all helps farms steady themselves after a hit like this.

P.S. You can also find local strawberries (and our bouquets) at Overlook Produce this weekend! (And they’ll be hosting their Spring Festival on the 25th!)

XOXO, Jess