I hope you’re gardening has been going well this summer season!

My dahlias have had a bit of a rough time. Dahlias prefer temps no lower than 60 and start to struggle above 90. This year we are now experiencing a third week with sustained lows in the 50’s, and I think we might have hit 49 last night.

Not ideal.

My plants think it’s fall so there will be plenty of tubers this year (a good thing), but the blooms have been slower than usual.

I’m always learning something new about dahlias each year.

Anyway, for the rest of the season I’m on a cutting schedule of Tuesday and Saturday. We should have milder temperatures, so weather permitting I’ll have tons of blooms at the road on those days.

:)

Thank you for your support, it makes it possible for me to do this next year.

:)

The last new dahlia in my collection has finally bloomed. It’s a maroon/orange blend that almost looks brown in person. Stunning.

And here’s part of my haul for today! They are currently cooling off and drinking some flower food and will be at the road stand around 1.

As always, send me a message if you want me to pick you some on any day.

NEW GARDENING TECHNIQUE: No till

While the weather is cool, I’m starting to break down half my flower garden. I’ll have pictures next week.

I tried no till a couple years ago and was super disappointed. This year I’m laying down thick paper and 4 inches of compost on top. That should kill the weeds and the compost will decompose over winter.

I’ll cover the compost with landscape fabric overwinter until planting time in late May.

The ground should be thick with nutrients by then.

Wish me luck.

0.o

Next year, I’ll have almost all dahlias filling those four no-till beds. Whatever space is left over will be for annuals, but not many! (hopefully).

The other half of my garden, what is currently dahlias, will be left fallow with cover crops until fall, when they will become no-till beds. Assuming this experiment is a success.

Lots of moving parts over here.

I’m enjoying the good weather!

Matt

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This weekend I have a lot of dahlias. They are currently drinking flower food and staying cool. It’s going to be hot today, so I’ll only put out one or two bouquets at 3:00 as usual.

I’ll have another bucket of fresh blooms tomorrow, if this heat convinces them to open.

This week I’ve got:

I’ve got a bouquet each of Cafe au Lait. A light yellow/orange mix. Peachy mix. Pink/lavender mix. And my new favorite: Bloomquist Jean (deeper orange and red mix).

I love this orange dahlia so much! It’s supposed to be a little bigger with more petals curling backwards like a mullet, but these first blooms are about five inches. It’s been a weird summer with a few weeks of low temps in the 50s. That kind of stalled some of my dahlias. I’m waiting on two varieties left to bloom, but this was the one I was most excited for.

It’s also been super dry, even when it was cold. Very unhelpful. (the grass is basically dead)

I’ll be attempting to over-winter cuttings of BQ Jean so next spring I can plant medium sized plants and hopefully get earlier blooms. Or maybe I’ll put them in the greenhouse. Realistically, I don’t think I have the energy for that, but I do love this color and shape.

I have tons of Cafe au Lait. This week, I have some that are perfect ivory buff! Because I planted them in the shade of my sunflowers, the buff blooms come out a perfect shade. I also have blush, mixed, and darker variation. Taken together, they’re amazing.

If you want any, let me know! I’ll keep them cool and set them out near the house for you to pick up.

About 10 stems for $10.

Let me know what type you’d like :)

• Cafe au Lait

• Peachy ball

• yellow-ish/light orange mix

• Bloomquist Jean, deeper orange

• Lavender mix

• pink-ish mix.

I’ll put my email in the footer of this email so it isn’t on the website.

Enjoy!

Matt

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Lots of dahlias today and Friday/Saturday with a few spread through the rest of the week.

A couple weeks ago we had cool, dry nights (into the 50s!) and that seems to have delayed some of the plants from maturing by a few weeks. I don’t know how this current cold spell is going to affect my plants. It’s been like an early fall instead of the usual summer heat.

Weird.

I hope your gardening has been going well. :)

It’s cool and breezy right now for the next few days, so the dahlias should hold up well at the street.

Anyway, here are some photos of what I’ve got this week. There will be plenty of Cafe au Lait, Castle Drive, and a mix of white puffy clouds and white swirling starbursts.

Many of my peachy/orange/yellow/cardinal red ball shape and spiky shaped dahlias are in full bloom.

I’m still waiting on the darker maroon colors, unfortunately.

Also, I bought a specialty dahlia that hasn’t bloomed, but has grown almost taller than me! And that’s after I pinched it! If it makes flowers, it will be worth the wait, but this is a gigantic plant.

Here are some photos, plus what’s at the street today!

As always, send me an email or DM on this account if you want to reserve some. I’ll keep them cool and protected indoors.

Enjoy,

Matt

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Well, it’s the first week of August, which means the dahlias are starting to really pump out some flowers.

This year I will be putting out bouquets around 3:00 almost every day. Exceptions are if it’s windy, stormy, or unbearably hot.

If you know you’re stopping by and are worried about me being sold out, give me a heads up the night before via email and be worry free.

I’ll only set out one or two at a time during the week, and more on Fridays/Saturdays.

That’s the plan for now, anyway.

Share this link far and wide to let your friends and neighbors know the flowers are blooming. :)

All profit for this year is going to building a nice, permanent greenhouse + potting shed with water hookup and everything.

Thanks,

Matt

Here are some photos of new-to-me dahlia types for 2024!

Left bottom is KA’s Rosie Jo. One of my top two favorites to bloom this year. Probably my favorite color. It’s a full, round shape with a painted effect on the petals. Very, very stunning in person. The one above it is KA’s Keltie Rose. A nice shape and color. And on the right is Wine Eyed Jill, which is a little too purple-y to match the other two.

KA’s Mocha Katie: One of my top two new varieties for the year (so far… I have a few yet to bloom). It’s an early bloomer, on the smaller side, and already puts out 7 usable stems per week. Probably the most prolific of almost any I’ve grown. And it’s color palette blends nicely with a lot of other dahlias in my catalogue.

Cafe au Lait Mini: Cream colored five inch version of Cafe au Lait.

KA’s Peppercorn: Red and white. I had to get it to match school colors. It’s much prettier than I anticipated.

And here are some of my good old standbys. Cafe au Lait (blush in top photo, and buff in the bottom photo). My stock is now mostly split between the three types of Cafe au Lait, so we’ll see how accurate my sorting was last year. I’ve got a few more plants left to bloom.

Sorry for the late notice, but the free flowers will be available tomorrow between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m., and it will hopefully be sunny and in the 60s. Fingers crossed.

This is the last week for flowers. I've been looking for a good, warm, and sunny day to invite you all to the free flower event I mentioned last week.

Unfortunately, it's been raining and cold, and because of that, the dahlias have all sent up little blooms, but most haven't opened yet.

I feel like next week, when temperatures hit the 70s, I'm going to have a whole 'nother huge crop to cut, but for now, I'm calling the season and will have a flower giveaway tomorrow. (It could frost before we get to the 70s.)

Please fill out the following form with an approximate time between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m., and that's all the info I need.

Pull up to the turnaround near the house! I’ll be sitting outside working on my tablet. :)

Use this Google Form, click here!

Once again, I forgot to take pictures of all the flowers I've arranged this past week, and they look beautiful. Because of that, I hope you enjoy this frog that I found. He kept hopping and was hard to find, but I got ‘em!

Haha

There will be some zinnias, maybe a few weird-looking sunflowers, and also maybe a few gladiolas to go along with the dahlias. I also have some chrysanthemums, so I'll cut them too.

Alright, that's it for me. This is the last post of the season, and I'll see you next year.

Thank you for a great year, and I hope to see you tomorrow.

Matt

Some photos from the year:

Hope you've enjoyed the blooms this year as much as I have! There’s a vibrant selection of dahlias for you this week. Also, it's your last chance to grab some beautiful gladiolus and sunflowers, so don't miss out!

This is it for sunflowers! And they are so small and cute!

Maybe one or two glads left for the coming week.

The Thank You Event

I would like to do a big "Thank You" event to all who have visited my flower stand and subscribed to this newsletter. We're heading towards our first frost, and I've got a special plan for that time. When it's time to break down the garden, I'll cut all the flowers and offer them to you for free as a thank you (though tips are always welcome!). :) :)

I have to cut them all anyway, so now you can enjoy them. :)

I’ll have buckets and buckets. (Too many buckets to think of.) So you can pick and choose and have a great time.

You will have to RSVP by replying to this email or contacting me directly via clausroad@gmail.com or text message… I think it’s a fun idea!

Request favorite color and type.

Also, if you won’t be able to make it, you can send a designated representative (lol), just let me know.

The time will be 4-6 in the evening (maybe a little earlier if it’s a Saturday).

Weather permitting, I'm aiming for a warm Friday or a sunny Saturday for this event. (So maybe the 21st?) Given how unpredictable the weather's been, this is subject to change. If a frost threatens, we might have to switch things up at the last minute.

In other news, the flower stand is refreshed today, and you can expect another fresh batch on Monday and Wednesday. And every Saturday, Monday, Wednesday from here to the end. These are bonus days, so let's make the most of them!

Cheers! Keep an eye on your inbox, as you can expect just two or three more newsletters before we close out the year.

Best,,

Matt

Starting tomorrow I’ll be adding eucalyptus to my bouquets, so if you like that unmistakable smell, check ‘em out.

As always, let me know and I can have something special waiting for you.

Here’s this week’s picture! so many dahlias!

The flowers will stop after the first frost, whenever that is. I *might* have some snapdragons and eucalyptus after the frost and before the freeze, but probably not.

Enjoy the perfect weather while it lasts!

Matt

After that crazy windstorm, all my sunflowers were knocked over, but I had some growing for the fall crop, and here they are! Finally!

It’s been so cool that they’ve grown short. Probably won’t have that many. About twelve this weekend and then we’ll see if these couple days of heat speed things up a bit.

There might be two or even three weeks left of flowers depending on when it frosts.

If you want some eucalyptus, let me know and I’ll set some aside.

If you want some sunflowers, let me know and I’ll set some aside.

There are lots of dahlias.

PAST WEEK:

And here’s some photos from the previous week. I was so happy to find my little green visitor.

I have more glads still growing, but with the cool weather, it slowed down significantly. There should be one last big flush next week-ish.

Here they are, Happy Sunday.

Matt

The above, from left to right: Cafe au Lait, Tyrell, Labyrinth, Castle Drive. All very in demand on Instagram. Lol.

The above: Iced Tea, Salmon Runner, Bracken Sarah, Solar Flare.

I hope all your storm-related clean up has gone smoothly.

It hasn’t been so bad over here. The sunflowers got knocked down so I cut what was in bloom and put them out by the road. My next crop of sunflowers will bloom mid-September, so there will be a lull until them.

Some other stuff got knocked down, but will regrow straight.

The only really sad part are how many dahlias are now in a rough spot. They will keep growing, but from past experience, they might not lay down too many tubers for next year. :(

We have sandy soil, so the supersaturation meant it got super, super, super soft and squishy. Not good for dahlias, which rely on their shallow roots to hold the large flowers upright.

On to the Good News!

All this exceptional rain and cool weather has helped the snapdragons perk back up. I should have another good crop this fall. (Unless we dry out into a drought, who knows with how this year has gone.)

Also, over the next two weeks the dahlias will be at their absolute biggest, fullest blooms. We are in prime time dahlia season as it is, but with all that rain, the blooms are going to be HUGE!

Not too many photos this week. We were without internet for a day and just got it back.

Now I’m off to finish cleaning up the yard.

Best,

Matt

As always, leave me a note if you want something special. I can do it! Even with what remains upright.

PS, if you visit from Amherst, DO NOT take North Ridge road after Baumhart. There is still that little bridge out between the Claus’. If you could jump the concrete blocks, there’s now a solid bridge there, so you could cross… but I would advise against it.

$5 small bunches at the stand. Lots of petals, very beautiful. Some days they can go pretty fast, so reach out if you want me to hold some for you.

Fresh mixed bouquets every day.

I’ll pick more for Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday so there will be plenty to refill the stand on those days.

$10 at the stand.

Paper cups that fit in your cupholder are in the black tub so they don’t blow away.

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As always, contact me in advance for the freshest, most well-preserved flowers. I’ll keep them cool inside, though this past week has been really nice, temperature wise.

Lots of asters coming in now, those are the pastel fringy looking things on the bottom of the mixed bouquets photo. They look good in a bunch and last a long time!

Stay fresh,

Matt

As the summer season blooms, so does the Claus Road Flower Stand.

Dahlias, Fresh Cut and Ready to Delight: Our dahlias are in full bloom, and they're fresh cut every Tuesday and Saturday. Some are so beautiful, one flower can make a bouquet.

And don't worry, if you can't make it on those days, we'll have some available throughout the rest of the week too. (Soon, I’ll have too many to know what to do with.)

• $5 bunches at the stand.

• 3-5 flowers depending on size.

• Buy one get one after 7pm.

Introducing 'To Go' Paper Cups - Perfect for On-the-Go Flower Lovers: Completely compostable and perfectly designed to fit in your car's cup holder.

Finding the right sized, non coated cup wasn’t easy, but here they are!

Road Construction Alert - Don't Let the Detour Deter You: You may have noticed some road construction near our location. (Umm… a fortress?)

Rest assured, if you’re coming from Vermilion you can reach my side of Claus Road, despite the “bridge closed” sign that wants to detour you up Sunnyside.

Only the bridge is closed, the short space between the two Claus Roads, so don't let it deter you from visiting us. We're still here!

The road construction is a bit of downer, no doubt about it.

If you’re coming from Amherst, go Cooper Foster or Middle Ridge. NOT North Ridge.

If you’re coming from the south, you won’t notice a thing.

Stay fresh!

Matt

P.S. If you have any questions or need help navigating the construction, don't hesitate to reach out at clausroad@gmail.com. Thanks for sharing! Thanks for stopping by.

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Despite the summer heatwave, the Claus Road Flower Stand is blossoming with a colorful array of heat-loving flowers. They stand tall and vibrant, radiating beauty even in challenging weather conditions.

This week's stars include:

1. Sunflowers: These were supposed to be pure yellow, fluffy teddy bear variety, but last year my bees must have cross pollinated and now I have a nice hybrid.

2. Amaranth: Resilient spikes in rich red and biscuit hues. It is a grain so won’t lose petals.

3. Strawflowers: Blooming in pinks, reds, and whites, these Australian natives love the sun and heat.

4. Sea Lavender (Statice): Delicate strings of color, offering a cool contrast amidst the warmth.

5. Zinnias: Brightly colored flowers, lighting up spaces and with tough stems.

6. Basketflower: (The white thistle-like flower in the below photo).

Stawflowers and Statice do not have noticeable petals and their color comes from a different type of flower structure that resists wilting in the sun. Ask for some of these tough flowers if you want to set a bouquet outside (though direct, mid-day sun will still cause them pain). These can also be turned upside down and dried for everlasting flowers

If you’ve ever checked out Floret and seen Erin’s favorite Amaranths (hot biscuit and red spike), then stop by my stand, because I have them this year! A couple stems go great with a few sunflowers to make a sprawling arrangement.

Thank you to everyone who shared the newsletter and joined last week. :)

Dahlias:

A heads-up for dahlia lovers - our dahlias are debuting next week! As these stunners are more heat-sensitive, please drop me a message with your expected arrival time, and I'll have a fresh dahlia arrangement ready for you.

As always, your support is vital for our blossoming journey. Thank you for being part of our vibrant community!

Stay cool and fresh!

Best, Matt

Send me a message at my email or on this newsletter. clausroad@gmail.com

The Claus Road Flower Stand is blossoming with a fantastic variety of flowers this week.

• Pink, Red (berry colored) Zinnias: These vibrant beauties have soaked up all the summer sun and are ready to light up your day. 

• Cupcake Cosmos: A charming addition to our lineup, these flowers dance in the wind, reminiscent of petite ballerinas. There’s also orange/yellow doubles and scarlet singles.

• Celosia (Cockscomb): These unique and striking flowers add an impressive texture to our collection. Some bright red brains, purple plumes, all the way to warm pastels. A versatile flower.

• Sunflowers: The family is growing! More colors and sizes are now available for these cheery blossoms.

• Gladiolas: Making their first appearance of the season, these dramatic flowers are sure to make a statement. Only a couple now, but soon a tsunami.

Order the large pink mixed bouquet here.

And here's a special sneak peek: The first Dahlia blooms are starting to make their appearance, and we are eagerly anticipating the full Dahlia season just around the corner.

In other news, we're starting to see some progress in our battle against the pesky Japanese Beetles. Remember, setting up bait and traps at a distance from your plants is a must otherwise you’ll catch some beetles, but attract everything in a quarter-mile radius… and they’ll chew through your plants on the way to the trap. My trap is a hundred feet away.

See you around!

Your continued support means the world, and it's what allows me to keep cultivating these beautiful blooms. Newsletter signups mean I can do it all over again next year. Please share far and wide. Thanks.

Stay fresh,

Matt

The online shop can be found at: farm.clausroad.com

The Claus Road Flower Farm is back with more beautiful blooms this weekend. Get your flower fix and bring some natural beauty into your home.

Order the above bouquet.

The current lineup includes:

• Lots of Snapdragons – in all their colorful glory, these striking flowers will be sure to catch your eye. (These will decrease in quantity in a week or two, then come back three or four times as strong for the rest of the season.)

• Color-Packed Zinnias – these showstoppers come in a plethora of colors. Brighten your day with their vibrant hues. (The beginning of many.)

• Eye-Catching Celosia – featuring both spikes and crested types, these are sure to make a bold statement in any bouquet. (The beginning of many.)

• Pale Green Flowering Tobacco (Skinny Trumpets) – Offering a serene and calming tone.

• Blue Forget-me-nots – Small, but beautifully blue.

Order the above bouquet.

Also, the first aster of the season is setting up a bloom (ridiculously early). I’ve never been so successful with asters! I can’t wait to see this specialty type finally flower.

We have some of our other favorites like sunflowers and dahlias coming along but it’s still early in the season for them.

ANNOUNCEMENT

I am thrilled to announce that the online store is now open!

farm.clausroad.com

It's a bit minimalist at the moment, but sometimes simplicity is the key, right? (Maybe I can get away with that?) We're still ironing out some kinks and haven't made a real-world transaction yet, so there might be a few hiccups if you decide to give it a whirl. If you encounter ‘shipping’, it shouldn’t be there. Local delivery only (and that should be $7, which seems about right?). I’m really not sure if I want local delivery or not either.

At any rate, I'm hard at work behind the scenes to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.

Order this bucket for $40.

More updates on the online store will be coming next week as we gear up for our true launch to the season. The silver lining of our early blooms might just be that it gives me plenty of time to ensure the store is fully functional and ready for the season's flower rush.

So here's to the unexpected blessings, the early blooms and the adventure of setting up our new online store. As always, I appreciate your patience and support during this exciting time. Here's to fresh flowers and new beginnings!

Stay fresh,

Matt

PS: subscribing to this newsletter means I can grow flowers again next year. Thank you!

Kick off the weekend with the first blooms of the year from the Claus Road Flower Stand! There will be flowers at the roadside stand all weekend.

The current selection includes:

1. Fruit Punch Snapdragons – a vibrant blend of red, pink, and orange hues.

2. Pale Green Flowering Tobacco (Skinny Trumpets) – offering a soothing and peaceful tone. DO NOT EAT OR SMOKE.

3. Blue Forget-me-nots – petite, yet vividly blue blossoms.

4. Pastel Monarda (Little Fireworks) – uniquely shaped pastel flowers adding joy and whimsy.

5. Others! Including zinnias, sunflowers, and dahlias. But limited quantity as it’s very early in the season. Very, very, very early. Sunflowers and Dahlias usually start pumping out blooms the first week of August!

Exciting news!

You will soon be able to order your personalized bouquet (or flower bucket) online. Simply choose your favorites, and we'll have your flowers ready for pickup on your preferred day of the week. This way your flowers will have spent all day in the air conditioning so they’ll be at their peak of freshness.

Pricing is:

1. Flower Stand Bouquets for $10: Vibrant selection of locally grown flowers for a beautiful, ready-to-enjoy bouquet.

2. Flower Buckets starting at $40: Looking for a bigger bloom experience? Our Flower Buckets are just for you. Each bucket has enough fresh flowers to make two large bouquets. (Please note: you'll need to clean and arrange the stems yourself. Lots of similar stems. Right now, lots of snapdragons.)

Garden Update

The garden is blooming about three weeks early thanks to the funky hot weather, so I’m behind on getting the online shop up and running. Soon, though. Soon.

Also, thanks to the dry weather, the weeds have been exceptional. Seems like this happens every year…

Looking forward to brightening your week with some colorful blooms.

Stay fresh,

Matt

Thank you for stopping by the roadside stand this year. :)

One month left to go and it looks like I’ll have sunflowers until close to the end! Right now I have enough to leave buckets of choose-your-own on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

I’ve got yellow. I’ve got red. I’ve got black. I’ve got funky, mixed up yellow. I’ve got fluffy yellow.

I’ve got ‘em all.

Sunflowers 10 for $10

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Otherwise I’ll mix them in with the bouquets.

You can always order and I’ll have whatever kind you want.

For the past few weeks I’ve had enough flowers to put four bouquets out every morning. On Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday I refill them all day.

My first two weeks of gladiolus plantings are pretty much done.

This means I have two weeks left of lots of glads, but there should be some up until the last weekend. If that’s the case, I’ll be amazed with my scheduling!

Dahlias are multiplying. I might include one large one per bouquet, but they don’t last so long in the heat. Put in a request and I’ll have white/pink/dark maroon/peachy/orange dahlias for you. :)

I have enough really cool coral reef flowers left to pick. They’ll be in bouquets until the end of the year.

Have a good weekend.

Matt

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It’ll be make your own bouquets (or I can put it together). Take up two flowers from each of the three buckets on Table One (focus flowers, up to six), then fill out your bouquets with smaller stuff on Table Two until you reach ten stems plus greenery. ($10)

Or double the recipe for $20.

If you’re reading this, you’re encouraged to bring your own vase, but I will have some available plus plastic cups, if needed. ;)

Apologies for the watering can; it was dark when I took the picture. In the future I can have most of these flowers cut Friday morning and cool them off inside, but I didn’t know I’d be going to the market tomorrow until this afternoon… so I waited until the sun was setting to cut these beauties.

I have many gladiolas, yellow sunflowers and bright fluffy celosia.

There are a few dark sunflowers (more coming next week!) and some filler. These are the flowers that should hold up in the heat. They’re getting a good drink over night and will be ready for you whenever you show up.

There will be some pre-made bouquets at the claus road road stand as usual.

Have a nice weekend,

Matt

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Thank you to everyone who has stopped this year so far. :)

I can currently pay for all the seeds required for next year. So thank you thank you thank you!

My next three goals include: paper (required), fabric and staples (would be nice), sprinklers (would be nice). Then I’ve got the big goal of compost and soil amendments. That’s the expensive one. We’ll see if I get there!

Tons and tons of flowers are popping up all over the place.

In good news, the gladiolus are still uneaten! The groundhog seems to have stopped digging the bulbs. It only went for the most recently planted which were just shooting up new growth.

So I won’t have glads in late September, but should be fine until then. :)

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Sunflowers will be coming in through the rest of the year. My second wave are growing fast in this heat and humidity and should catch up to my deer-eaten rows in a couple weeks. Then I’ll have tons to close out the season.

The only dahlia type that can handle sitting out by the road are the ‘ball’ and ‘waterlily’ shape. I have others! Send me a message if you want a bouquet with just about any color and any size dahlia.

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Roadside, pre-made bouquets are $10. Throw in two bucks to take the glassware with you. Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

As always, set up a pick-up time and you’ll get the freshest flowers available.

Enjoy!

Matt