Our Garden Technician "Maggie" reminded me that our list needed to be more than just 5 items! Using one of our carts she prepared a feast for the eyes of a gardener.

Only a gardener would but a 25 lb bag of Cotton Burr Compost on a Wish List for Christmas...Right!
​That's why the cart, it could take the load. Let's see what else she has...

Garden Hose, Frost Cloth, Bio-tone Starter, Weed Barrier, Bag Planter with handles, Insecticide, Seeds, Hand Pruners, Trowel, Garden Gloves.

Maggie has a side business as a garden consultant. She has the experience of farming and small scale gardening. She is the girl that can run the tractor and her tool bag is always with her. She can give you advice when it comes to vegetable gardening. Her skills in laying out an irrigation system for our gardens is an asset to Blumenflor.

So back to her list... everything a gardener needs to start that garden. I LIKE IT!
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We have impressive, unique gifts here at Blumenflor. Let us help you with that list of your own. I'm sure there is a gardener on there or a wanna be!

Stacey has multiple roles here at Blumenflor...
Market Manager,  Social Media "Queen",  a very good listener,
a Mom, a Grandma and a Caregiver. 
Her Gift List reflects the love she has for her grand babies and her family. 
We now have a children's section and she selected quite a nice assortment from there.

Children's Puzzle, Garden Game Board for Kiddos,   3D Dinosaurs that glow in the dark, Advent Calendars, Cardinal Bird Feeder and a Twirler. 

​  Oh... and a cold Root Beer. 

When Stacey shows up at Blumenflor at a random schedule we all hear on our walkie talkies... "STACEY'S HERE!" We all stop what we are doing and run to greet her. She is very much loved here at the Garden Center.
She is our glue that keeps us together! I also know that it is a special therapy for her to come out to Blumenflor and walk through the gardens and greenhouses taking pics here and there to post.

Blumenflor is a unique experience. Come out and get some good natural therapy! Walking the gardens or attending a Farmers Market will surely lift any one up. 
Gifts, we have gifts too!

Daniel is our young intern working a few hours a week learning about horticulture. He has grown not only physically but also in his knowledge of plant material and will  use this practical training in the horticultural trade some day.  His love of plants is obvious and he has an inquisitive mind. There is so much to learn here that sometimes I can see his mind categorizing his learning experiences. 
When asked to lay out a gift list of his choice he had one specific plant that had to be on the table. Abelia Rose Creek. He had helped us unload a semi full of shrubs and trees  and these shrubs just grabbed his attention. He studied up on them and is now trying to convince his parents to use them in their landscape. Daniel is here on Saturdays and would love to talk to you about those shrubs. Him and his sister are also the masterminds behind all the childrens  activities at the Farmers Markets. 
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​Other items on his list Fiddle Leaf Fig Indoor plant, Macrame Hanger with Ceramic planter set and a Prayer plant. Organic Potting Mix, Well Hello There Door Mat and Mat Holder, Hammock, Cotton Seed Meal, Indoor plant liquid Fertilize, Rooting Powder, Blessed Ceramic planter, Amaryllis Kit and to keep his calendar up to date a Plant Lover Planner Sticker Sheet.
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What cool items! 

I asked our Team members to go through our inventory here at Blumenflor and put together a Gift List that they would like to receive personally and share with our customers.
I will post one team member at a time.

All of these items are currently in stock but I must warn you of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)!

Megan taught me that one so I will start with her Gift list first.

Megan is our Creative Designer who loves Indoor plants! She  has a determination to learn about different plants inside and outside. Her knowledge is very helpful. If you have had the pleasure of her serving you, you know what I mean.

Here is her selection:      

 some items are on our online store, the rest is available at our physical store.

Monstera (Indoor Plant) in a Metal Polka dot Planter
Hoyas in Ceramic planters with Wooden stand
Fertilize for Indoor Plants a must for any plant lover!
moving on to outdoor plants
Lavender , Mexican Petunia, Nepeta catmint all perennials for this West Texas area.
Mini Wind Spinner, Metal Hose Tub - accents to make the garden pretty and functional.
Flower- Tone Organic Fertilize.

Greeting Card a must to have on hand for any Plant Lover.

Being a Designer she can also help you with ideas for your planters for  your front porch. Come by and visit... we love to talk gardening and help you with your Gift List!

.Our first Oktoberfest is now in the​ history books.
Wow it was an amazing turnout! The local community surprised us with their support! 
We had contests, activities and live music. What  helped us the most was the planning.
We sat down and brainstormed the ideas and eventually came up with a plan.
Putting it all down on  paper and later onto our website page helped keep us focused.
We were not stressed about this Market and it flowed from one activity to the other.
My personal favorite was the pet parade. Second most favorite... playing in the Polka Band.
The vendors had great wares to sell and they participated in dressing the part with their Dirndl's , Lederhosen and Jaeger hats.
 
We are now in another planning mode. The Christmas Market Dec. 17&18.
The theme is a Handmade Christmas. We are thinking of a Cookie Exchange (24 cookies).
A contest  " Handmade Sustainable Items." This is a broad area but can include anything that you have handmade that you feel is sustainable to our local environment. The sustainable contest has been postponed to next year .

We now have a Handmade Gift Contest for the Christmas Market. More details to follow on the Farmers Market page


The definition of sustainable is something that can be continued or a practice that maintains a condition without harming the environment. An example of sustainable is the practice of reduce, reuse and recycle. We as a whole market will be implementing more sustainable uses for the future.

If you look up the meaning of sustainable there is a lot to learn. My thoughts were always on the environmental aspect but I now realize that Blumenflor has been practicing sustainability in other aspects as well. There are 4 pillars to consider, Human, Economic, Social and Environmental.

Human sustainability focuses on the importance of anyone directly or indirectly involved in the making of products, or provision of services. 

Social sustainability aims to preserve social capital by investing and creating services that constitute the framework of our society. It means to preserve future generations and to acknowledge that what we do can have an impact on others and on the world.

Have I lost you yet? It all boils down to this... We love our community and will do whatever it takes to preserve it for the future generations.

So here are examples for the above mentioned Contest: Recycled Feed Bags, Rainwater harvest system, Windpower,  self made wood burning stove, Quilts out of used materials,
Gardening techniques etc. 

It will probably end up being more like a Science Fair where the contestants demonstrate their projects that they have implemented. It can also be with pictures or the item itself. This is going to be interesting!

Our Market is so very unique that every customer/visitor goes home with their own  special experience of being here.

Blumenflor as a Garden Center is always a learning experience. If you come with a question we find the answer or we already know it. We are here to help you become a sustainable member of our community. Sometimes it just starts with coming out to the Market or buying an indoor plant for your office space or starting a garden.

Thanks for looking us up. We appreciate everyone of you!

Half a year gone by in a flash! I just now realized how busy we have been. It's time to get caught up on all the happenings at Blumenflor.

The "Vortex Freeze" is past us but the results can be seen every where in damaged trees and shrubs. We and our suppliers from Texas lost close to 75% of our stock. We are moving forward and getting in fresh stock for the end of September. 

Spring was busy with seeding, planting, getting the garden ready and being there for all the questions our customers had. 

Summer is where we are now and what  beautiful weather we are having. The extreme heat just isn't here this year.
Our garden is producing very well for our CSA'ers. Every year we figure out how to combat the weeds and stick to organic growing methods. One of our best investments was to plant an orchard of various fruit trees five years ago. The Ranger and Red Haven peaches did very well and the taste of them is beyond anything you can get in a store! We will have fruit trees for sale in the Fall.

The monthly Farmers Market at Blumenflor has been well attended this year. We started in March and now have added Friday nights from 4-8 in addition to the regular Saturday 9-1.
It's still the third Weekend of the month. The community loves the relaxed atmosphere and our unique one of a kind vendors.

Fall is just around the corner and our pumpkins will be coming in the middle of September with hay bales too. Corn stalks and Garden Mums are home grown this year at Blumenflor,
Also the Kale , Pansies and Millet are grown here by yours truly, with a lot of help from our team.

We have had a few workshops mostly on gardening. There is a desire out there to learn how to garden. It is rewarding eating your own home grown produce. We have had so many questions about gardening that you must wonder if it was a lost art and is now making a come back. 

Fertilize, soil amendments, insecticides, pesticides etc. is now on our shelves and also the knowledge to help you apply it all either the organic route or in a  conventional way.

Being Espoma certified was a big plus for us this year. We love the results we are getting with this organic method of gardening. Of course watching Laura from Garden Answer has been informative... if you haven't watched her , it is worth it!

Being more present online has been a challenge. The website is "homegrown" by me , Alice. It has been a steep learning curve. When you are scrolling on our website, check out the affiliate links or the DIY section.  The Social Media, I have passed the baton over to Stacey our Market Manager. Maggie is our online review edit  critic... she has spotted many a "boo-boo" and we could timely correct it. She is our Garden Technician and knows her stuff.
Megan our Creative Designer has her hands literally in the dirt everyday. She can transplant like a machine. Oh and the planters she has created are... Gorgeous! Ask her about Indoor plants and you will get the full report, yes she is that "Plant Lady!'

Daniel our youngest team member is a great asset wherever he is put to work. He can pull weeds and get an area into pristine condition. He started off with sweeping the front porch and still does.  He is learning in leaps and bounds and growing in  horticultural knowledge.

My son has often said I should start a school out here at Blumenflor. I think our customers and moms with kiddos know that we actually teach everyday! The cool part is that our classroom is outside and the learning is all naturally fun. The caterpillar lessons are my favorite! And that's where another special team member comes in, Carmen. Her and Daniel organize all the children projects at the Farmers Markets. 

We are blessed here at Blumenflor. We hope you feel that blessing when you walk through our front door and experience a sense of peace here in a world which is a bit chaotic right now. 



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We as Texans have experienced the worst cold of the century. Here in Seminole, Tx. it went down to temps which were just not normal for this area.  Being raised in Canada you are aware of how to drive in these conditions even how to dress in layers but Texas is not prepared for weather to this extreme for so long. When your electricity goes out and you don't have a backup plan that can become a bad situation. We were fortunate to have had water the whole time due to protecting our pipes beforehand.  Here in this rural area we look out for another and many who needed help were supplied with what they needed. We live in a great community. 

Blumenflor prepared by taking  the most vulnerable shrubs and trees into the metal building. Mulching trees etc. When the temps stayed under 20F for up to a week we saw that it was impossible to save the main greenhouse. We lost all of our Mother plants due to the propane heaters not keeping up with the cold. We only have single plastic because we are in Texas.  The best we could do was keep it 8 degrees warmer than outside. 

​We have a growing chamber where the peppers and tomatoes were already coming up. That was our main priority in keeping that heated enough to survive. 

So looking forward we have a huge clean up the next few days and a waiting period to see what pulled through and what didn't. 
We are not going to wallow in losing a few plants but look forward to start fresh and be thankful for a new day with sunshine and warmth again.  

Many of our suppliers held off in sending plant material which we are thankful for. 
Spring is coming and we will be ready again for all those gardeners itching to get into their gardens. 
The bright side of all this... many bugs and pests have also perished!
​Here's to a great growing year of 2021! 

​I have been gardening for a long time.
When you get asked how we gardened 30 years ago , of course it gives you an idea for a blog... !

Back then I was freshly married and living in Mexico in a German Mennonite village.
When my family came to visit it reminded them of Poland and the villages where they had grown up.
The most impressive part of living in the Mennonite village was watching them make these huge gardens in their front yard. The whole family would be out there planting potatoes, seeding, hoeing and the endless watering using the row method of letting the water slowly go down one row and then the next. What I loved was seeing rows of flowers in between the vegetable rows. Mostly Marigolds, Zinnias and sometimes the most beautiful Dahlias and Gladiolas. One crop they used I was not familiar with... the Castor Bean Plant. Once I found out that this was the same plant the Bible mentions in Jonah , I was impressed with it and used it often to tell the story of Jonah to the Sunday School kids.

Doing a bit of research here at Blumenflor we found out that back when Grandma was making her garden she was also teaching her children the necessity of planting flowers for pollination of the vegetables by bringing in the bees through flowers. Another interesting find was why the Castor Bean plant was also in the garden, it apparently repels rabbits!  It is a toxic plant but the children were taught to not eat the beans. So much was maybe considered Tradition back then but yet it was a way of life that served the German community well. 
Once it was time to harvest the bounty from the garden the family then learned to can and preserve. If you would ask how many 1 quart jars of Tomato Catsup was needed for a family of 8 , you would get the answer just like that. Everything was mentally calculated at the time of seeding and many a prayer went up that the crop would do well. The garden was a necessity in those days. 

I feel we are  going back to those earlier years of gardening. Looking at the rate of new gardeners and their commitment to carry on another year is encouraging. 

The family legacy of gardening , canning, preserving was on the brink of going lost but is now finding it's way back into our communities. There is always a silver lining during hard times.
I loved making gardens back then and talking over the fence with my neighbour about how the beans are coming along and if we had enough "Pepper Kraut" Summer Savory to make "Schubbel Sup" Bean Soup. 
Not only the women were good gardeners but the men, being farmers, would look after the fields of corn and  the home apple orchard. 
When the field corn was in its "milk" stage the the tamales were made. That was always a   gathering of neighbours and friends. 

Reminiscing about 30 years ago has brought back wonderful memories! May we keep on passing down the tradition of gardening, it is worth it!


Check out our online store where you can get your seeds and potting mix  to start that garden. 
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Every winter we bring in all the indoor plants that were out in the greenhouse or outside that can't handle the frost. This year we added all the new indoor plants from our metal building. Our porch addition to the house was enclosed years ago and we have 9 windows which is perfect lighting for the plants. We now have an indoor jungle.
Out of curiosity look up #indoorjungle on Instagram. Many wonderful pics come up and interesting ideas on how to fit in one more plant. 
Not only are plants good for us in that they help filter our air but they also give us a sense of responsibility like pet owners. Watering, fertilizing, snipping away yellow leaves, talking to them etc. Plants are therapeutic and help to keep us grounded in a world that is so uncertain right now.
For example our Amaryllis plants, when they started growing it was a daily measuring and being in awe that they can grow 1 inch a day. They are now 18 inches and putting on the most beautiful blooms.
Another plant is a common Aloe Vera who got a bit too cold and is sending out a beautiful orange colored bloom. Who knew they bloom when they get a bit too cold but still survive.

Do you talk to your plants? Yes that is a common thing to do ... even giving them names.
Love those botanical names, a favorite is the "Sanseveria trifasciata larenti" also known as the Snake Plant. 
I grew up in an Indoor Jungle. My mother has 10 green thumbs! My dad put in a huge picture window in the dining room just that mom would have more light for her plants.
Oh and all the macrame hangers back in the 70's, Yes our house was a jungle of plants.
Now that mom is in an assisted living home at 93, she still looks after plants. She convinced  one of the residents that they needed  stands for all the plants. A nice big one was built in the rec room and is now full of plants. Daily watering and looking after them has been therapeutic for her. She is truly an inspiration. 

Indoor plants is very trendy at this time also macrame hangers. Check out our online store and all our plants that are available right now.

May we all find room for some indoor plants, they are worth it!

Mom and her walker/utility cart.                                                  Amaryllis amongst other plants

​My attempt at a  Newsletter ended up in the Blog section
 I will learn to use my new laptop yet! Feeding chickens is easier!

​Jan. 6, 2021


A New Year of Gardening starts in January
We are all looking into this New Year with much anticipation. Gardening was for many a way to cope with this past year. Hopefully you gained many new skills in the garden or maybe you are a new gardener. We are here to help you with this coming year. Be it in the vegetable garden, flower garden in the newly planted home orchard or acquiring a green thumb for indoor plants.

January is the time to check your seed supply and order more if needed.
 1.     Start seeding peppers in January
2.      Onion sets can be planted in January
3.      Deep water your trees in the winter.


We close down for the months of January and February to catch our breaths, relax after the busy holiday season and to reflect on what to do again for the spring and upcoming year.

We have you covered for the spring…
We were busy as bees in the fall getting orders placed with our suppliers of seed, bedding plants, roses and trees, soil amendments etc. It was a bit chaotic having to order so much sooner than we usual do. A pandemic makes you think more of having a sustainable future.
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Our online store is always open!
We, as so many other small businesses have added an online store. It is also a steep learning curve but very practical for our customers. Curbside pickup is available and we are also including shopping by appointment. We appreciate our customers buying local and want to make it easier, convenient and safe. Any order placed online can be picked up within a day or two at our physical store.
 
Do you have a seed and fertilize “Bank” secured? Let us help you!
 
We have added an Indoor Plant section, check it out on our  
Online Store - Blumenflor

          
How plants clean the Air
Houseplants absorb carbon dioxide from the air through their leaves. Co2 is then combined with water and sunlight to make carbohydrates that plants use to survive. During this process known as photosynthesis, oxygen is released into the air for humans and animals to breathe. Plants also absorb many other gases which may be harmful to us. Nasa did a study on this back in 1989 and found that Indoor plants are a natural type of air filter.
                                                                                                            
 
 
Mary, Mary quite contrary…
How does your Amaryllis Grow ?
If you received an Amaryllis for the holidays hopefully it is growing! We measured a growth of 10 inches on one of ours. They are fascinating to watch grow indoors and can be planted outdoors on the east side of your house in the spring. They bloom the next year in Spring.
 
  Upcoming News  
We are excited about our Farmers Market this year.
It will be held on a Friday night and a Saturday morning,
on the third weekend of the month from March to October 2021
More details in our next Newsletter!
 
Blumenflor Garden Center
695 B State Hwy 214
Seminole, Tx. 79360
Email: blumenflor@yahoo.com                          Happy New Year, may it be a blessed one!
www.blumenflor.com
432-209-5651