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Earlier in the summer season, my dahlias made their appearance. Of the 5 tubers I planted in the spring, I was able to harvest about half a dozen bouquets. I’ll definitely be planting more next year! I hope you’ve seen some of the beautiful blooms on my Instagram page @jillivictorio.

I remember the excitement of planting and growing my first dahlias in Issaquah, WA. It all started with only three tubers I ordered from Floret Flower in 2017. As soon as the first Breakout Dahlias bloomed, I was hooked. I’m so happy I’ve been able to grow a few here in North Texas, as the flowers I tend to love most (peonies) are not suitable for hotter climates and mostly thrive in the NW. Dahlias however, thrive here, so I’ll be growing more for sure. My dream is to plant hundreds of dahlia tubers on acreage for my own mini flower farm to enjoy fresh bouquets at home, and to share with neighborhoods, family, and friends.

Here’s a look back on my flower cutting garden’s progress this summer. This year, I’ve stuck to dahlias and zinnias. Next year, I hope to plant more floral varieties.

Dahlias in June

Dahlias in July

 

 

At late summer,  Zinnias have taken over my flower garden beds.  I’ve been growing zinnias for a few years now, but this year has been my favorite batch of blooms. I sowed only one pack of zinnia seeds, and we’ve been graced with a ton of these beautiful blooms all summer long, even after they are cut! Zinnias are the flowers that keep on giving. They are truly one of the easiest flowers to grow!

Zinnias in June

Zinnias in July

Zinnias in August

I’ve cut down these zinnas almost weekly to encourage more flowers to bloom, and to my surprise, they’ve doubled the amount of blooms! I’ll definitely be purchasing this variety of seeds again for next year. I order a lot of my seeds from Eden Bros and have had fantastic results every time. This was my first time ordering Pumila Zinnia seeds from Eden Bros. According to the description, the more you cut, the more they bloom!  If you want easy to grow, bountiful blooming flowers all summer long, I highly recommend Pulimia Zinnia seeds!

What flowers have bloomed in your garden? I would love to hear from you.

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

A few weeks ago John and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary in our garden. It was a change of scenery compared to our anniversary celebrations in the past where we’ve usually travelled somewhere or made dinner reservations out at a special restaurant – (Darn you Covid!). But it was a beautiful night nonetheless and just as special celebrating at home. We enjoyed a delicious meal John cooked – one of our favorite dishes, Rack of Lamb with Risotto. He’s perfected his recipe over the years and I always look forward to him cooking it for us!

A CASUAL SUMMER TABLESCAPE

To create an elegant and effortless table, I set out a white linen tablecloth, white linen napkins, and cotton placemats.  I put out yellow dahlias I picked from the garden with pink anniversary peonies from John in a ceramic vase for a relaxed, summery look. Tapered gold candlesticks completed the table.

FLOWERS

I clipped these gorgeous dahlias from my garden that morning and mixed them with these lovely pink peonies John gave me. Photos don’t do justice for how these flowers pair so well together for a stunning bouquet. Peonies were our wedding flowers 12 years ago, so I love that I get to enjoy these special flowers every year during this season.

SUMMER DRESS

Since Covid started and with businesses being closed, we hadn’t had a reason to get dressed up and go out, but we liked the idea of getting dressed up for a special dinner at home to celebrate our anniversary. I wore a dress by Callahan in Rust. I wanted to wear something comfortable, still dressy and look romantic and this wrap style dress fit the occasion. For shoes, I wore my favorite white Sam Edelman block heel sandals.

Although we do miss dining out at restaurants, making our everyday surroundings at home elevated with little touches is just as special.

Happy Anniversary John! I love doing life with you. Hopefully we’ll get to travel again and celebrate somewhere afar next year.

June 21, 2008; San Juan Island WA

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

Peppers (jalapeno, banana, habanero), basil, rosemary, & parsley

It’s been three months since we sowed new seeds again for this year’s spring season. The raised beds which John built and installed last year , have been a great addition to the garden and investment as it has provided two spring and summer seasons of an abundance of fruit, vegetables, and herbs.  The kids have their own bed to grow their choice of fruit and vegetables, and John has his own raised bed dedicated to growing peppers and herbs. The herb garden is truly a treat for the senses. I just love the smell of fresh basil and rosemary.

This year, I decided to try something different by growing purely flowers in two of four the beds for my very own cut flower garden. I’ve always been inspired by flower farmer Erin Benzakein of Floret Flower after reading her book a couple of years ago, Cut Flower Garden. My long time dream has been to have a large garden or acquire some land and grow a peony farm. Well, I finally got that large garden, so I can at least make a sliver of my dream come true on a much smaller scale with raised beds of flowers right? More land will come in due time.

First Peony, bloomed April 17, 2019 (planted March 2019)

 

Dahlia bloom June 3, 2019 (planted March 2019)

Because peonies and dahlias are my favorite flowers, I chose to plant and grow these as tubers and roots. I grew peonies and dahlias at our last home in Issaquah WA and they provided beautiful flowers in the spring and summer.  The Texas climate is different from what I am accustomed but it is a challenge I am having fun and learning through trial and error. Our raised beds get a ton of full direct sun which the flowers need to grow and thrive. Since I planted these peony roots, I’ve received one early flower bloom so far. The dahlias on the other hand seem to be growing better as they are a later blooming flower too. I’ve received one dahlia bloom the last week of May, with four more stems and buds ready to bloom.

 

Baron’s Zinnias, planted March 20, 2019

A project I did with Baron to celebrate the first day of spring was to plant Zinnia seeds. These zinnia seeds were leftover seeds I had from last year when we started our beds to attract butterflies. A few flowers have emerged and the joy and surprise on Baron’s face when he saw them was priceless. His exact words were, “I didn’t know that was going to happen!”  I replied with, “That’s the magic of gardening, you don’t know what will come out or happen.”

Edible Flowers

In addition to my attempt at growing a cut flower garden, I’ve planted seeds to grow edible flowers. John and they boys gifted me these adorable seed packets for Mother’s Day and I couldn’t wait to get them into some soil. The seeds have been planted for one month now and are sprouting well. Can’t wait to see some beautiful flowers soon. My plan is to use the edible flowers on summer salads and desserts.

I’ll share another update on how the raised beds and edible flowers are blooming in July!

Who else has peonies or dahlias in bloom? Do you cut them to enjoy in your home or do you leave them?

 

 

 

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A couple of weeks ago during Jonah’s spring break, we took a family road trip down to Waco for the annual Spring At The Silos event.  This was my very first time attending Spring At The Silos and I knew I couldn’t miss it this year, especially since it featured the release of Joanna Gaines’ new children’s book ‘We Are The Gardeners’. When I first heard of Joanna’s book launch in January, I bought my ticket right away and counted down the days until Spring At The Silos. After all, it was the garden at the Silos that inspired our family garden we started last year.

Spring At The Silos is an annual event in celebration of the arrival of spring, and features a free vendor fair, additional food trucks, and no shortage of florals! Vendors from across the country were featured at this year’s vendor fair. The artisans and craftsmen are handpicked to come share their art, wares, and products, and is the highlight of the event. Everything from jewelry and home decor to dresses and hats and more.

Spring Displays

As always, the visual team at Magnolia does an amazing job with the seasonal displays and their floral displays were some of my favorites I’ve seen.  There were spring flowers everywhere with a mix of fresh flowers and paper flowers that surrounded the grounds.

 

Garden

The garden team is just as amazing in planning and cultivating an inspiring landscape. The tulips and daffodils bloomed in time for the weekend festival setting the scene. Oh how I wish I could afford to have a dedicated garden team in my own garden who carefully and meticulously tend to the garden 24/7. For now, I’m totally content with my little helpers that tend to our veggie and flower beds, and John to do the dirty work! 🙂

The giant teepee in the garden is still one of my favorite features as kids love it was much as grownups do. A beautiful climbing vine wraps around the teepee covered in yellow flowers. I would love to  (have John) build a structure like this in our backyard.

SILOS LAWN

Despite the crowds which we were prepared for, the experience during Spring At The Silos is still refreshing and inspiring. To see the gardens come to life is truly one of the highlights. The kids also enjoyed hanging out on the lawn playing games. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the lawn while people watching and taking it all in.

We Are The Gardeners Book Launch Event

While the kids played in the garden, I ventured off to grab my wristband and signed book before the evening’s launch event.  I’m so happy the staff distributed books early for those who could not stay for the actual book launch event in the evening, and there was NO LINE for early book pickups!  As we were leaving Spring At The Silos, there was already a huge line beginning to form for the book launch event immediately after.  Our kids are early sleepers and early risers, so any event past 7:00pm that includes long lines of waiting, plus a long drive home after would not have been fun.  Along with a signed book by Joanna Gaines, we were gifted a cute terra-cotta plant pot and a packet of carrot seeds – perfect to plant in our family garden!

After picking up my signed book, as if the day couldn’t get any better, I ran in to Joanna’s mom, Mrs. Stevens!  I introduced myself and asked to take a photo with her. She was so sweet and totally happy to stop and chat for a photo. Mrs. Stevens is known to regularly help out and work at Magnolia Market.

I can’t wait to dive into the book with the kids! I’ll be sharing my review on the book in a future gardening post so stay tuned!

Vendor Fair

On the way out, we stopped and visited with some of the vendors and checked out the additional food trucks. We were on the hunt for The Hyppo for quite some time as Jonah is my ice pop fanatic.

 

 

We couldn’t have asked for a more blessed day at our first Spring At The Silos. The weather was perfect to wear spring styles and for enjoying the outdoors. I definitely plan to return next spring and hopefully find some artisan treasures to bring home.

Outfit Details: Knit Duster: Wild Fable  Jumpsuit: ANewDay , Sandals  Blush (also comes in White), Hat:  Brixton

Tips for Your Visit:

Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind for your visit:

  • Go early: We visited on a Thursday afternoon on the first day of the 4-day event. It was already super crowded for a weekday, but keep in mind, the event is also held during Spring Break.
  • Avoid Weekends: If you’re not a fan of big crowds and long lines, avoid Saturdays if you can.
  • Come hungry: Plan to buy from the food trucks and grab a spot at a picnic table or the lawn. Pack snacks and drinks for the kids!
  • Snap photos: There are so many beautiful photo opps throughout the grounds. Take your time and take it all in.
  • Parking: The parking lot cost $10 but if you drive around the blocks, you should be able to find several parking spots for free. There is also a free trolly if you have park further from the venue.
  • Research Vendors In Advance: This will give you a idea of what wares and products the vendors will be selling during Spring At The Silos.

 

Have you visited Spring At The Silos? I’d love to hear about your favorite vendors!

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

Paved walking paths lined with pumpkins leading all the way to the Pumpkin Village

One of the great things about visiting/moving to a new city if the chance to discover and explore new places. I’ve had the Dallas Arboretum on my bucket list and with great timing, September through November is also when they host their annual Autumn At The Arboretum festival. There are family events throughout the season, but Autumn at the Arboretum is their most elaborate production. The Autumn Festival has been named one of the best pumpkin festivals in the country, and it is right here in North Texas.

When we arrived my jaw dropped. The Dallas Arboretum is absolutely stunning. There is beauty in every direction you look with bursts of color everywhere. The flowers, trees, native plants and wetlands are beautifully landscaped and maintained. Compared to the arboretums and botanical gardens in Washington, this one is massive in size.  I’ve never seen anything like it. I could come here every day to bask in all the natural beauty and feel like it’s a new experience each time.

Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum has a “Wizard of Oz” theme this year. You follow a yellow brick road to the Emerald City house built out of pumpkins, making your way to the Witch’s house and an enchanted forest where you come upon the Tinman and the Lion. This also isn’t your typical pumpkin patch — it’s a pumpkin village, using more than 90,000 pumpkins, gourds, and squashes to complete the display.

 

Taking a break from crowds at the DeGoyler House. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the DeGolyer Estate is available for private events. I’d love to host a dinner here one day.

 

Outfit details: Sweater: Who What Wear | Loafers: A New Day for Target | Cropped flares: Levis

Jonah and Baron’s Outfits: Tops: Cat and Jack (similar here) | Pants: Cat and Jack |

Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden

There is a dedicated and separate children’s garden on 8 acres overlooking the beautiful White Rock Lake. We could have easily spent the entire day here just in the children’s garden.  There is so much to do, see and explore here.  The boys especially loved the maze and the STEM learning area. It was hard to pull them away but we let them roam and explore their surroundings. What I love most at the children’s garden is how it was designed with children in mind connecting them nature where education is the focus.

The Arboretum’s version of a bounce house in the air, a 32-foot fabricated tree lends itself to ‘sky-walking’ suspended over the trail below. Photo credit: Dallasarboretum.org

What I’m most excited about and look forward to on our next visit is the newest feature that just opened this month at the arboretum, A Tasteful Place.  Coming from a foodie town, I am excited to see the sustainable food movement make its way to parts of Texas.  According to recent media, A Tasteful Place is a productive working garden that is also visually beautiful, influenced by European gardening principals and artful arrangement. The Pavilion is a 3,600-square-foot building with 180 degree views of the garden, lagoon and walkways, with event space and teaching kitchen to showcase chefs who will demonstrate preparation of garden-to-table cuisine. It’s also a site for cooking classes, educational programs and special events.
We definitely want to visit the Dallas Arboretum regularly and are considering becoming members. In reviewing membership benefits, a few visits would pay for a family membership in itself. Aside from value and cost savings, there are also special members-only events and experiences throughout the year. If it’s this beautiful in the Fall, I can’t wait to see what the Dallas Arboretum looks in the spring!