Mid-Summer on the Farm: Life as a Farmer-Florist in Cape May

Welcome to mid-summer at our Cape May flower farm, where the blooms are beautiful, the weeds are relentless, and the rabbits think they own the place. Life as a farmer-florist in Cape May is full of surprises—and we’re here for all of it (mostly).

Seasonal Flowers in Full Swing

The seasonal transition is well underway. Our early spring flower including feverfew, ranunculus, and anemone have finished their moment in the spotlight, and now yarrow, zinnias, and celosia are taking center stage—reliable, colorful, and absolutely loving the summer sun.

One of the most exciting updates is our new carnation trial. These beauties are just coming into their peak now, and they’ve been such a pleasant surprise. Their ruffled, romantic blooms and their sweet, spicy scent adds such a unique texture to our bouquets—we’re already dreaming up more colors for next season and perhaps even adding the perennial variety.

The dahlias, as always, are carrying us through the summer. Our current plantings are blooming steadily, and the successions we’ve tucked in are growing nicely. Fingers crossed for a long, dahlia-filled season straight into the fall! It’s one of the joys of being a flower grower in Cape May—the extended growing season gives us so much to work with!

Meanwhile, our heirloom mums—those tall, graceful cutting types, not the tidy potted rounds—are bushing out and getting ready to show off come September. And the eucalyptus, slowly but surely, continues to grow for our autumn harvest. It’s a marathon, not a sprint with those guys, but always worth the wait.

Planning for Spring, Even in Summer

As a Cape May farmer florist, we’re always thinking several seasons ahead. Soon we’ll be sowing our cold-hardy annuals—flowers that will be planted in the fall, quietly grow over the winter, and bloom beautifully in early spring. These little workhorses are what bring us those glorious early spring blooms and it’s one of the secrets behind having the earliest, lushest flowers in Cape May come April and May. And while it feels a little strange to be thinking about next year already, that’s farming for you.

Rabbits, Earwigs & Flower Farming Realities

Now, let’s talk about what isn’t blooming—because it’s been eaten—the less glamorous side of flower farming: pest pressure. This year, the rabbit population has exploded. We swear they’ve become so comfortable, they barely flinch when we walk by. Cute? Yes. Destructive? Absolutely. They’ve munched on more annuals and perennials than we care to admit.

We’ve had to get creative with protecting our plants—think Dollar Tree metal wastebaskets flipped upside down over seedlings, rows covered with insect netting, and even coyote urine in perforated plastic containers (which smells exactly as delightful as it sounds). These tricks are helping, somewhat… we’ll take any win we can get.

Earwigs have also decided to join the party this year. Thankfully, Sluggo Plus has been a lifesaver—it’s pet-safe, pollinator-friendly, and surprisingly effective at keeping the earwig population in check. It just needs frequent reapplying, so we’re always on the move with it.

Heat, Humidity & That Skin So Soft Hack

And then there’s the heat. And the humidity. It’s been a hot, humid summer on our Cape May flower farm, and it’s felt especially intense this year (are we imagining it?), so our game plan has been to work early in the morning and again in the late afternoon/early evening—which just happens to be peak mosquito hour. Yay.

Our go-to bug protection? Good old Skin So Soft diluted in water. It’s gentle, non-toxic, effective, and honestly one of the best bug repellents we’ve found for working in the field.

The Eternal Weeding Battle

Before the heat wave hit (followed by a week of monsoon-style rain), I was proudly sticking to a regular weeding schedule. But nature had other plans. Now it’s catch-up mode around here—I’m hoping we’ll be back to maintenance-level soon. If only my flowers grew as fast as these darn weeds!

One Last Thought

Some days, especially the sticky, buggy, frustrating ones, we wonder what it would be like to only grow and sell flowers in spring and fall—and skip the summer altogether. But the truth is, this season has its own kind of magic, too. There’s nothing like watching the farm bloom into its summer glory, despite the heat, the pests, and the never-ending weeds.

If you’re looking for locally grown, seasonal flowers in Cape May, we’d love to share the bounty with you. Whether you’re planning a bouquet pickup, looking for a unique workshop, picking your own flowers at the farm, or just curious about the behind-the-scenes of a farmer florist in Cape May, we’re always here to welcome you.

Thanks for following along with the highs and the hurdles. We’ll be back with more farm updates soon, hopefully with fewer complaints and more flowers. (No promises though.)