Daffodil Bouquets for Sale

typical bouquet of 10 mixed daffodils make a lovely vase display. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Daffodil Bouquets for Sale

Years ago, I shared a bouquet of fresh daffodils from my garden with a work colleague living in a colder climate. Now decades later, she still mentions the surprise and delight of getting a handful of cheerful daffodils and jonquils in the mail. After sending half a dozen bouquets to current colleagues, I thought I would share with you.

You will make someone’s day late winter and spring by having us ship them a bouquet of fresh daffodils hand-picked from chemical-free Bluebird Gardens in Rolla, Missouri.

The 10-flower bouquet is the right size for most desk-size vases. Once hand-picked, the daffodils are washed, dried, then carefully tucked into water tubes so they ship hydrated. I include one open flower so the recipient gets a hint of what the rest in bud form are. Shipping as buds provides the flowers a longer shelf life once they arrive at their destination.

Available late February through April depending on weather.

Free gift card by a local artist with your special message, just let us know if this is a special occasion and what you want written on the card.

some of the flower-themed gift cards we include with each bouquet. (charlotte Ekker wiggins photo)

When not in flower vases, daffodils and jonquils are gracing my limestone hillside. They also provide nectar and pollen to resident native and honey bees.

bluebird gardens apiary features a variety of daffodil bulbs. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Bumble bees seem particularly fond of daffodils and jonquils. So am I!

2024 daffodil sales ended April 15, 2024.

For more easy home decor, gardening, beekeeping and cooking tips, subscribe to Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Personalized Gift Boxes

Some of the personalized custom gift boxes available at ozark farms. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Personalized Gift Boxes

Several years ago, I started making personalized gift boxes for those late minute shoppers who still wanted a custom gift. These personalized gift boxes have been favorites of some of our customers for years, and given enough advance notice, are boxes we can pull together based on a particular theme and interest.

personalized gift boxes for teachers and embroidery lovers. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

To absolutely no one’s surprise, I made up personalized gift boxes for beekeepers, gardeners and quilters. I’m also a fan of gingerbread so I have one for gingerbread cookie lovers, teachers and embroidery lovers.

Access to these custom personalized gift boxes has been made easier by consigning them at Ozark Farms, 11600 Mo-72, Rolla, Mo., which will have a Christmas at the Farm event December 16, 2023.

personalized gift box for gardeners including gardening gloves and snips. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Make Your Own Personalized Gift Boxes

You can also make your own personalized gift box. Start with an interesting book. Your local book store should have a nice selection. Add a handmade soap, which most people won’t buy for themselves but usually love once they have them. Set a budget limit, then look for items to compliment the book subject.

Your office supply store should have nice boxes, cards and shipping supplies to package the items.

If you are shipping, don’t include perfumes, nail polish - anything flammable.

Remember to ship to US before December 15 to arrive by Christmas.

For more tips on gardening, beekeeping, cooking and easy home decor, subscribe to my weekly Garden Notes.

Happy shopping!

Charlotte

Personalized Book Gifts

local author books at rolla books and toys including my beekeeping books. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Personalized Book Gifts

Our family had the tradition of opening one gift at Christmas Eve - usually a book - and spending the rest of the evening reading. Then after the holidays, guess which gift is picked back up. That’s right, the books.

Over the decades, books have been a favorite personalized gift and one I like to bestow as well. Especially if one knows the author, or admires the author and would love an autographed copy.

There are several ways to personalize book gifts.

The most obvious way is to get the book autographed. Most authors I know will be glad to do that if you let them know the recipient’s name. Most of my books available for purchase are already autographed.

The second way is to add a book plate inside the front cover with the name’s recipient, date and dedication.

I am fond of adding a magnetic book mark, which can serve as a gift tag as well as keep book pages protected.

One of the gift books I received last year had a lovely surprise. The gift giver had added a photo of the two of us together as the gift tag.

To get inspired, check your local book stores for local author books. Some retailers will also provide autographed copies if you request them when you purchase the books.

For more tips on gardening, beekeeping, cooking and easy home decor, subscribe to my weekly Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Personalized Ornament Gifts

as a beekeeper, love these bee ornament gifts. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Personalized Ornament Gifts

One of the best personalized gifts you can give are personalized ornaments. I should know, over the years Bluebird Gardens customers have blessed me with lovely ones.

Whether you are buying new ornaments or pre-loved ornaments from thrift shops, look for ornaments that mean something to the recipient that you can easily customize.

One of the easiest ways to personalize an ornament is to date it and note why you are giving it with the story on a little added tag. A friend gives her nieces and nephews a dated ornament with a story every year so by the time they are leaving home, they have a nice set of Christmas ornaments for their own tree with childhood memories attached. Literally.

Add a little bee to personalize this ornament for a beekeeper. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

This particular ballerina Christmas ornament was picked up because it was for a fellow ballerina who had a family member dancing in a “Nutcracker” production.

Another way to easily personalize an ornament is to add a date and the location of where something happened. The location is a good trigger for the memory attached to the ornament.

If the ornament like this pink ballerina needs a defining addition, head to your local hobby shop and see if there is a miniature you can add to the ornament.

If the ornament marks a special event such as a wedding or anniversary, consider picking up an ornament display hangar so that it can be enjoyed all year around.

Also shop after Christmas sales for ornament storage boxes and display hangars.

If giving ornaments every year to family members, it is helpful to keep a list of what ornaments you have given so that you don’t duplicate the memory. You also won’t have to struggle about gift-giving since you’re establishing a tradition of giving ornaments.

For more tips on gardening, beekeeping, cooking and easy home decor, subscribe to my weekly Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Lunch Box Furniture Refinishing Kit

This custom furniture refinishing kit is in an authentic metal lunch box. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Lunch Box Furniture Refinishing Kit

We just shipped this vintage lunch box furniture refinishing kit to New York for yet another retiree who must have expressed an interest in refurbishing furniture in their “free time.” Over the years, furniture refinishing kits have been a favorite retirement gift especially those that can be customized with the custom colors of Howard RestorAFinish.

You can make one as a gift as well buying these products from your local hardware stores. Each of the Howard Furniture Refinishing products retail for at least $10 each.

I have used Howard furniture refinishing products for 40 years and continue to do so. My favorite product is the Howard Feed n Wax, a combination of bees wax and carnauba oil that rehydrates wood cells. When I find a piece of furniture at an auction or thrift store, I dust it off, then apply Howard Feed n Wax.

After polishing the wood piece, I then decide if I need to do anything more to the piece. Very often that’s all it needs. How easy is that!

You can make these by using a cardboard box or something more fancy. We use both vintage metal lunch boxes to quilted fabric bags so all of the items are offered in a nice reusable container.

For example, our Vintage Lunch Box furniture refinishing kit has all of the basics to refinish a medium sized piece of furniture. The Howard Feed N Wax is in two 8 oz bottles to keep it from drying out once one of the bottles is opened. It won’t; I had a broken bottle that lasted a couple of years before I used all of the contents without drying but if you’ve never used this product you would not know. Several customers have expressed concern so we decided to ship the two smaller sizes.

All the basics someone needs to refinish a medium sized piece of furniture. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

We include plastic gloves, Qtips to get into those little nooks and crannies, a steel pad for those hard to reach spots and a cotton polishing cloth to finish it off.

To start with, there is Howard Wood Soap and Polishing Compound for any residue you need to remove. Sometimes old pieces have a spray of paint that will easily come off with a little polishing compound application.

For those pieces with more bumps, Howard RestorAFinish helps to seal the wood to protect it. We include the neutral if a color isn’t specified. The RestorAFinish can also be used as a heavy duty cleaner.

And because this is a retirement gift, I tucked in a tea bag with a 2 oz. jar of fresh Missouri honey and a honey dipper.

And a little extra surprise, a 2 oz jar of raw strained honey with a honey dipper. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The honey can be used in a variety of teas, this just happened to be one I have and enjoy.

And since this is a retirement gift, a tea bag to use with that fresh honey. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In terms of shipping, shipping costs to continental US have increased in the last year and depend on where you are and where you are shipping. On average this costs between $25-$35 to ship ground.

The fun part is finding the container. We found these genuine metal lunch boxes from the 1950s at a local auction.

And to the person embarking on their new life chapter, enjoy!

For more tips on gardening, beekeeping, cooking and easy home decor, subscribe to my weekly Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Repurposed Nutcrackers

Two nutcrackers getting ready for their new careers as beekeepers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Repurposed Nutcrackers

I know, it’s early fall and you’re wondering why I am posting about nutcrackers.

Here’s why. This is the best time to pick up old nutcrackers to repurpose into new careers. You can usually find them at thrift stores and consignment stores on sale through the year, or even brand new online in after holiday clearance sales. The prices tend to go up when the Christmas season rolls around.

That’s how I picked up two nutcrackers I turned into personalized gifts for beekeeping friends. I knew the smoker would be harder to locate so I started scrounging beekeeping conferences early. Luckily one vendor was selling key chains with a smoker that lights up that turned out to be a good scale for the larger nutcracker.

This beekeeping nutcracker is ready for giving! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Now the little wooden cat showed up at a local thrift store a couple of weeks before Christmas. The black and white coloring was perfect for the personalized beekeeper who has a tuxedo cat so I snuck it into the base of the nutcracker along with some silk flowers.

Oh. And bees. All over the beekeeper!

I cut real socks to give the beekeeper socks to keep bees from going up his pant legs. Yes, it’s a beekeeping thing. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

With a little creativity you can repurpose traditional nutcrackers into all sorts of new careers and easily make holiday decor into personalized gifts!

For more tips on gardening, beekeeping, cooking and easy home decor, subscribe to my weekly Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Roses for Father's Day?

Popular red shrub roses now used in landscaping. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Roses for Father’s Day?

Actually yes, when Father’s Day was first created, roses were the traditional gift for Dads.

Flowers aren’t as heavily advertised for Father’s Day now as they are for mothers in May, yet the link between dads and the delicate blooms comes from the earliest American celebrations of the holiday.

The first known Father’s Day is tied to the West Virginia mining community of Fairmont. On July 5, 1908, the town held a church service honoring the lives of community fathers. A number had perished in what is still widely considered as the worst mining disaster in US history.

In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd launched her campaign to honor fathers from her home in Spokane, Washington. The daughter of a Civil War veteran and widower who had raised six children, Dodd believed fathers deserved recognition for their roles. Within a year, she had drummed up community support, and on June 19, 1910, Washington became the first US state to celebrate Father’s Day.

Dodd’s first festivities included an exchange of roses; children gave red roses to their fathers and pinned color-coded buds to their shirts — red for living fathers and white roses in honor of the deceased.

Over time, the tradition of giving roses to dads faded away, but the holiday stuck around. After years of rallying, Father’s Day became a federally recognized holiday in 1972.

Happy Father’s Day, these roses are for you!

Charlotte
 

Pantry Mouse Gift

Sweet gift from a friend to remind me of my blessings. (charlotte ekker wiggins0

Pantry Mouse Gift

A friend gave me this delightful homemade “pantry mouse” as a gift this year. It’s a lovely way to be reminded of our many blessings, starting with a full food pantry.

grey mouse out of modelling clay, beady eyes and nose and scrap tail. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

She said the grey mouse was made out of modeling clay with beads for eyes and nose.

The tail is a black fabric ribbon.

And it just so happens I have collected tiny mice for my fireplace mantle Christmas vignette. It all started with the Christmas card of a cat seeing Santa Mouse. Then on a thrifting visit to a store in Milwaukee, I found the first tiny mouse and the treasure hunt was on.

I didn’t always find something. I was particular about it being the right size and something that made me smile.

and now the pantry mouse has a whole family! (charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Over the years, I’ve decorated small for Christmas. With careers that involved a lot of travel, it was impractical to invest in holiday decorating that required months to complete.

Now I’m glad I did. Small Christmas trees and mantle vignettes like this one are easy to assemble, especially with repurposed items.

The new pantry mouse will join the vignette, a mouse now blessed with company.

For more tips on gardening, beekeeping, cooking and easy home decor, subscribe to my weekly Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Custom Gift Boxes

Custom quilter’s gift is ready to ship. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Custom Gift Boxes

To help with gift-giving, we have a number of custom gift boxes that are ready for a gift tag prior to shipping. Think of them as horizontal Christmas stockings!

These custom gift boxes have items for gardeners, beekeepers and bakers. We have one for the man in your life as well as teachers. Each custom box includes fun items and local honey with green tea.

If you need us to add a special item, just let me know.

You can make your own by collecting gifts that will fit in a box: a book, something fun and local honey from your local beekeeper.

Charlotte

December Gift Flowers

Poinsettias are a traditional December gift flower. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Poinsettia

Several plants represent December birthdays, including narcissus (think forced bulbs), green hollies and the traditional Christmas potted flower, poinsettias.

Hollies show a desire for a happy home, while poinsettias stand for good cheer.

Narcissus signifies modesty and faithfulness. They are usually offered for sale this time of year as Paper White Narcissus, easy to grow from bulbs.

Charlotte

November Gift Flowers

Red chrysanthemums keeping my kitchen Thanksgiving turkeys company. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Chrysanthemums

Now we are back to growing flowers in the USDA Hardiness zone 5 that match up with the traditional gift flowers.

Chrysanthemums, plants especially prized by Japanese gardeners, stand for November birthdays. Also known as “mums,” these long-lasting in a vase flowers come in a variety of shapes and colors.

White mums signify innocence and purity, while yellow ones indicate that a loved one feels slighted. Too bad because yellow mums are a favorite bright fall flower in the garden.

If you are adding mums to your garden, make sure to pick up hardy garden mums. With a little care over winter, they will return for many years helping to not only add color but also as a natural bug deterrent.

Charlotte

October Gift Flowers

Marigolds are an annual in cold temperatures and some varieties are bug deterrents. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Marigolds

Marigolds, symbolize undying love and represent October birthdays. These pungent-smelling flowers can also mean "I'm thinking of you" or indicate sadness and sympathy.

An annual in colder climates, marigolds are usually found in yellows, oranges, burnt reds and sometimes white colors.

They used to be a favorite garden plant to deter bugs but hybrids have been developed to lessen their scent, watering down their effectiveness as a bug guard.

Marigolds are easy to grow for a first time gardener.

Charlotte

September Gift Flowers

New England Asters are usually available at garden centers late winter for fall planting. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Asters

Traditional September gift flowers are a hardy family of flowers that include white and purple daisy-like flowers.

You may have heard of New England Asters, a favorite pollinator plant. These perennials are also a hardy addition to any garden because once they start blooming, they bloom until frost.

Fall-blooming asters symbolize a strong and powerful love. They also indicate faith and wisdom.

Charlotte

August Gift Flowers

Pink geraniums will make a nice August gift flower substitute. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

August Gift Flowers

We came out of record hot July this year with very little blooming including my hardy Gladiolus. The traditional August gift flower, gladiolus means “Remember me” in the language of flowers, which is why it is a favorite funeral wreath flower.

Lovely yellow gladiolis from a customer’s garden. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

The gladiolis flowers can also mean strength and integrity, while the sword-shaped leaves suggest love-pierced hearts.

In ancient times, glads were associated with magical powers.

Since I don’t have any gladiolus blooming this year, I’m going to substitute geraniums. The geranium flower symbolizes happiness, good health, good wishes, and friendship.

Charlotte

July Gift Flowers

Light pink surprise lilies have the texture of water lilies and make great gift flowers. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

July Gift Flowers

Larkspur and water lilies are the traditional July gift flowers.

While pink larkspurs can symbolize a fickle love, purple ones mean first love, and white indicates a happy spirit.

Waterlilies, which stand for a pure and open heart, or majesty, also represent this month.

Neither are easy to find where I live in July so I would be tempted to substitute something in the same color family such as surprise lilies. These North American cousins to tropical Amaryllis make lovely bouquets with a delightful scent.

Charlotte

June Gift Flowers

Climbing roses from a neighbor’s garden now is growing between windows. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

June Gift Flowers

Like carnations, roses, which represent June birthdays, have different meanings for different colors. During the Victorian Era, flowers played a role in communication between the sexes. “The Language of Flowers” outlined what each flower represented. In those days, flowers were the equivalent of a text today.

Red roses have represented passion and love. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Red roses signify passion and love. They have long been a favorite Valentine’s Day gift in the US as well as birthdays and anniversaries.

Yellow roses indicate anything from jealousy to friendship.

Sally Holmes roses growing over a garden arbor. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

White roses represent loyalty, purity and innocence. They are popular flowers for wedding bouquets.

Orange or apricot roses mean desire and enthusiasm.

And nothing says the gifts have to be cut flowers. Consider giving a rose bush so the gift keeps on giving.

Regardless of the color, roses are a special gift for any day of the year.

Charlotte

Lidless Tea Pot Vase

Charming teapot flower vase gift from a neighbor. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Lidless Tea Pot Vases

If you like to go antiquing, you’ve probably seen interesting lidless tea pots and passed them right by. I, on the other hand, have collected them over the years and used them as flower vases for personalized gifts. They are charming vessels for flowers, can add a bit of whimsy to the gift and can be personalized to the person getting the flowers.

So it was with great surprise and delight that I received a charming lidless tea pot with flowers from a neighbor last week.

Did you see the bees on the side?

Hand painted bees keep the flowers company. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

The flowers happened to be some of my favorites. Ox-eye Daisies and Fleabane add the white flowers. Bellflowers are the lovely purple flowers, these a gift from the neighbor’s friend’s garden.

Bellflowers add a lovely purple accent. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

It’s a good thing I’ve given away a number of lidless tea pots as flower vases over the years. Now I have room to add this one to my favorites!

Charlotte

Shipping Peonies

The scent from these homegrown peonies is delightful! (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Shipping Peonies

I love the peony season. Besides it having wild columbines, iris, lilacs and roses starting to bloom, the scent of peonies makes every room seem special.

Over the years, I have collected a number of peony bushes either rescued from other sites or gifts from gardening friends. The red peony was from a bush my neighbors tossed to the side of my road. I didn’t know what color it was but I did recognize it as a peony.

Since my family, book designers and cat friends are flower lovers, I decided to ship them peonies from my garden.

Peonies, iris, lilacs and roses growing on the south side of my hillside garden. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

How to Pick Peonies for Shipping

The key, according to a florist friend, is to pick the peony buds when they are marshmallow-soft. Too hard and the buds will dry up. Too open and flower petals will fall off before they arrive.

I also cut them early morning before warm weather encouraged them to open.

I shook them in the garden to leave the ants there.

The key to shipping peonies is to know when to cut the peony buds. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Once I had the flower buds, I cut them at an angle and slipped them into water picks, small water vials with an airtight flexible top. The water will keep the peony buds hydrated on their journey.

Ship each stem in water picks to keep the flowers hydrated. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

To make sure there were no mishaps, I placed the water picks in a plastic bag; folded and stapled the bag corners.

Using those air shipping pillows, I put them in the bottom and sides of the shipping box, then slipped in the peony buds.

I did send one friend blue iris but she confirmed they didn’t make it.

Great way to share your garden and brighten someone’s day!

Charlotte

May Gift Flowers

Lilies of the Valley are dainty fragrant shade plants. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

May Gift Flowers

Some of my May flowers are making an early showing this year. Peonies, Iris and Oxeye daisies will be blooming within the week, a good 3 weeks earlier than past years. One of my favorite fragrant spring flowers are also making an early appearance, Lilies of the Valley.

Here’s a photo of the Lilies of the Valley with a few other flowers in a vase in my kitchen. They are small delicate flowers and pack a lovely punch of scent. Only a few sprigs will easily fill a bathroom.

Lilies in the valley with pink dianthus and a red salvia spring in my kitchen. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Lilies of the Valley have also become a favorite wedding bouquet. A florist contacted me last year looking for some, apparently a bouquet of just Lilies of the Valley for a bride retail for $500.

As the May gift flower, Lilies of the Valley represent humility and happiness.

I planted mine several decades ago. I now encourage them to grow in shady areas and can make a pretty ground cover under trees. Their little bell-like flowers are popular with garden fairy scenes.

Yes, I said $500 for a bridal bouquet of Lilies of the Valley; last year prices!

Charlotte

Personalized Tree of Life Quilt

Ten embroidered birds represent 10 children in one family. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Personalized Tree of Life Quilt

We make interesting personalized quilts and this is one of my favorites. The customer wanted one of our Tree of Life lap quilts personalized with different birds to represent each one of her 10 children. No names, just birds. They had to all be unique.

Do you recognize this favorite spring bird? (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Our embroiderer added the 10 different birds, making them look as natural as she could.

This is another garden favorite, blue jay. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

She even added a Pileated Woodpecker on part of the tree trunk.

Two of my favorites, pileated woodpecker, left, and tufted titmouse, right. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

And the best part is the customer was thrilled!

Charlotte