February Flowers
On one of the biggest flower days of the year, I’m tucked on the couch blogging after taking the puppy out on a frosty walk this morning. In the Lowcountry of South Carolina, February still comes with the threat, and dang near guarantee, of freezing. In fact, as of February 2026, South Carolina has had multiple significant freezing events this year which is important to mention if we’re also talking about flowers, and farming. I don’t think there would be anything more perfect in terms of timing than to have buckets and arrangements of flowers for sale on this day of love, to put it simply—it’s still not time. Mid February is time for pruning roses here in Cross, not harvesting roses. The roses have yet to even come into bud, and the willow have not yet begun to put on growth or greenery. The daylight is still in the process of making its full return. This shorter photoperiod means that the total number of daylight hours required to initiate blooming for many flower varieties isn’t taking place naturally in the month of February. Even with the addition of a high tunnel that’s consistently kept above freezing (which is already a form of forcing requiring additional inputs), and planting cold loving varieties in the fall…nature has repeatedly taught me that despite wanting to bend things to my will— February in South Carolina, does not bring flowers without force. I have toggled back and forth around the idea of offering flowers for sale today, but the reality as a small-scale grower in the Lowcountry is that offering flowers for Valentine’s Day would require more forcing, or imports and supplementation of some sort to make a well rounded arrangement. Our first option for supplementation would be to support other local growers or farms, this option isn’t typically one that’s available this time of year for one of two reasons. Other local growers are also facing the same environmental realities of not being in bloom or not having a surplus this time of year. The next option would be to ship in domestically grown or imported flowers. Doing so would mean that we thought it necessary to have flowers packed and flown in. While some major life events or occasions may warrant the need for going to this extreme to ensure there are flowers…even as flower lovers, if we are thinking beyond the potential to make a few bucks, we do not believe that this holiday outweighs all of the extra input necessary to make February appear to be full of flowers here in the Lowcountry. If you take a look around locally, the landscape is not lush with growth or blossoms. This is a stark difference from the vibrant floral abundance that is shipped in and sold in many storefronts this time of year! So while we don’t have flowers blooming, or flowers we have had brought in being arranged and sold today…we do have gift cards available for purchase on our website for gifting this time of year if you want to give someone you love the promise of sustainably grown and harvested local flowers.
Working with nature regularly means having to wait, and have faith in what is to come. While I wait for the light and warmth to return, creating conditions favorable for growing flowers, I have faith that our people will find us! I am hopeful that there will still be some flower loving “gas in the tank” when the true season of local flowers finally arrives here in the south. I am hopeful that the months of planning and care here on the farm will be worth the beautiful blooms, and happy customers when it’s all said and done. So until then… more walks with the pup, more hot tea while seed starting, and just a little more waiting.