Fall on the Farm: Beauty, Work, and the Countdown to Rest 🧡🍂

As I sit here in my office writing this, rain is pouring outside the window—and the forecast shows more for the rest of the week. It feels fitting for these first days of fall: the sky heavy with clouds, the fields soaked, and the farm shifting into a new rhythm.

Fall is always a season of contrasts. The flowers are still bursting with color, yet the air carries a quiet reminder that the end is near. The garden is vibrant, but it’s also beginning its slow journey toward rest. I feel that in myself, too. After a whirlwind summer and a busy September wedding season, I’ve been intentionally trying to slow down—even amidst the chaos—to notice the beauty and honor the rhythm of the seasons.

What’s Blooming Now

Even though fall marks the countdown to the end of the season, we’re still soaking up every last bloom. Our second flush of lisianthus is coming in beautifully, and after such a strange, difficult growing year, the dahlias are finally thriving. Don’t worry—we’re still squeezing in as many weeks of flowers as possible before frost arrives.

And it’s not just the lisianthus and dahlias—our fields are still colorful with:

• Zinnias, though they’re finally starting to slow down after a long, generous run.

• Marigolds, just now hitting their stride, glowing in classic golden tones.

• Celosia, all velvety texture and saturated color.

• Cosmos, still thriving and dancing in the breeze.

• Sunflowers, standing tall and strong, always a crowd favorite.

• Scabiosa, airy and delicate.

• Hyacinth beans, climbing wild, dripping with jewel-toned pods.

• Globe amaranthus (gomphrena), pumping out its cheerful, everlasting buttons.

• Statice, with papery clusters perfect for fresh or dried designs.

• …and others, each adding to the vibrant patchwork of fall.

It’s a mix that feels both abundant and fleeting—proof that even as the days shorten and the nights cool, the garden isn’t done giving just yet.

A monarch moment in the marigolds. Fall always reminds me that beauty lingers, even as the season shifts. 🍂🦋

The Work of Autumn

This is the season where the farm demands both gratitude and grit. There’s so much beauty still blooming, but fall is also when we begin the hard work of tucking the garden in for winter. Here’s just a portion of the work ahead:

• Clear out all beds and rows of spent flowers

• Amend soil with fertilizer

• Clear the peony field from overgrowth

• Prep land, lay plastic, and burn holes for peony planting (curious about peony planting? Check out this post)

• Plant 100 new peony roots this year

• Plant cool-season hardy annuals (my favorite resource: Cool Flowers book — absolutely priceless)

• Pre-sprout half of our ranunculus corms to overwinter

• Install low tunnels for protection

• Plant around 3,300 tulips for spring

• Release nematodes + beneficial insects from Nature’s Good Guys

  • Exciting news!! We have an affiliate link for you — receive 20% off your order with the code BEDESBLOOMS or click this link here: https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/BEDESBLOOMS

• Catalog dahlias, relabel and take notes (a few losses to rot this year were especially hard)

• After first frost: dig and store all dahlia tuber clumps

And beyond that list: weed one last time, mulch perennials, cut back selectively, drain hoses, clean and oil tools, sanitize trays, compost what we can, test soil pH, and tuck away seeds with notes for next year.

It’s no wonder fall feels like both an ending and a beginning. The work is heavy, but the hope for spring is already taking root.

Why Rest Matters

The seasons teach me so much about rhythm and renewal. Just as the soil needs a reset, and many flowers thrive only because of the cool, quiet months ahead, I find myself needing that rest, too. Farming is a constant cycle of tending, tearing out, and tucking in. There’s no true pause, but there is a deepening—a reminder that rest is part of growth.

This week feels especially meaningful. Tomorrow, my husband and I will celebrate our third wedding anniversary. Just like the farm, love and life have their seasons of growth, change, and rest. Both require tending, patience, and faith to flourish.

What’s Ahead

Dried Floral Pumpkins: Now Open for Pre-Order

They’re back! Our dried floral pumpkins are now open for pre-order. Each one is handcrafted with our own dried blooms, designed to bring fall’s beauty indoors and last through the season. These go quickly every year, so don’t wait if you’d like one for your home or as a gift.

—> Check them out here: Fall Floral Pumpkins

2026 CSA Subscriptions: Early Access for Subscribers

We’re also opening 2026 CSA subscriptions to our newsletter subscribers first—before they’re released publicly on Black Friday. This will be our only discount of the year, and spots are limited to maintain the utmost quality.

If you’re new here and wondering, what’s a CSA? It stands for Community Supported Agriculture—a model that connects you directly to your local farmer. By purchasing a CSA share, you’re essentially reserving a season’s worth of flowers up front, which provides us with the resources to plant, grow, and harvest with confidence. In return, you receive a curated bouquet every week during your subscription. It’s one of the best ways to support small farms like ours while ensuring you get the freshest, most local blooms possible.

Learn more about our flower subscriptions here.

Closing Thoughts

As we lean into fall, my heart is grateful—for the flowers, for the hard work ahead, for the love that steadies me, and for every person who continues to support this little farm dream. Fall is more than just an ending; it’s an invitation: to embrace the work, savor the beauty, and trust the rhythm of the seasons.

As we lean into fall, my heart is grateful—for the flowers, for the hard work ahead, for the love that steadies me, and for every person who continues to support this little farm dream. Fall is more than just an ending; it’s an invitation: to embrace the work, savor the beauty, and trust the rhythm of the seasons.

I am also looking forward to the “shorter” days and slower rhythm (even though the behind-the-scenes to-do list is soooo long, with some amazing things on the horizon). I’m hoping to complete a handful of puzzles, create a new vision board for 2026, read more books than I listen to, and sip more cups of tea that I actually have time to enjoy.

What do you look forward to most in the colder months? I’m never quite ready for the cold or the snow—but I welcome the rest.

With love and gratitude,
Alex 🌸

P.S. If you’d like to follow along with daily farm life, behind-the-scenes stories, and fresh flower updates, come join us on Instagram and Facebook. Better yet, sign up for our newsletter for even more inside tea! We’d love to have you there. xo

The Hope of New Beginnings

Embracing the Rhythms of Spring & the Hope of New Beginnings.

As the frost begins to thaw and the days slowly grow longer, there’s a certain magic in the air here in Michigan. March feels like a gentle promise of rebirth—like nature herself is stretching, shaking off the cold grip of winter, and preparing for the bloom that’s just around the corner. And as the land begins to wake, I find myself waking too. I feel it in my bones, a quiet stirring, a longing for new growth and fresh energy. It’s a feeling of coming back to life.

Winter was hard this year. As is often the case with the darker, colder months, there were trials—moments when the weight of it all felt too heavy to bear. In the stillness of winter, it’s easy to feel isolated, stagnant, even a little bit lost. But just as the seasons have their necessary cycles, so do we. We must go through these seasons of rest, of recovery, to prepare for the growth that’s about to bloom.

The beauty of this time, though, is that the trial, the quiet, the struggle, all serve a purpose. They shape us. Strengthen us. Build in us the resilience to handle the busy seasons that are soon to come. In the midst of the cold, I’ve found myself more dependent on my faith than ever before. Like the bare branches waiting for the promise of new buds, I too have found strength in trusting the process—the process of renewal, of leaning on Jesus and the peace He provides when life feels heavy.

Much like the flowers and plants that will soon be planted at Bede’s Blooms, I’m starting to feel the stirrings of life again. The seedlings we’ve been nurturing indoors—those little whispers of potential—will soon find their place in the soil, and this little farm of ours will once again be full of life and busy with the work of tending to God’s creation. And like those seedlings, I too am finding my roots strengthened, preparing for the season ahead.

What’s fascinating, though, is that some of the flowers we grow require a period of extreme cold before they can bloom beautifully and prolifically. Certain varieties, like lavender, delphinium and tulips, must undergo a process called cold stratification. This means that they need a prolonged period of cold, a time of dormancy, in order to break dormancy and trigger the germination process. Only after this cold rest can they grow to their full potential and deliver the vibrant beauty that makes them so special.

In the same way, we sometimes need those difficult, cold seasons in our lives to grow into the fullness of what we are meant to be. The trials, the hardships, the quiet moments of rest—they aren’t wasted. Just like these flowers, we too need time to rest and recover so that we can bloom in a way that is more beautiful, more resilient, and more capable than ever before.

This is the rhythm of life. The seasons shift, sometimes slowly, sometimes suddenly, but always with purpose. The rest of winter makes the coming of spring all the more vibrant. Just as a flower must spend time in the dark, cool soil before it can burst into bloom, we too must go through seasons of stillness to appreciate the vibrant life that comes with the next chapter.

As I reflect on the trials of winter, I’m reminded of the beauty in the wait. That quiet, sacred space where we recover, heal, and grow stronger, all while trusting that spring is on its way. We’re never stagnant, never without purpose—even in the toughest of times. It’s in those very struggles that we learn resilience, perseverance, and a deeper reliance on our faith.

And now, with a hint of sunshine warming my skin for the first time in what feels like ages, I can already feel the difference in my spirit. The simple joy of sunlight after so many gray days reminds me of the hope that comes with every new season. This is the time to let go of what no longer serves me, to embrace new growth, and to trust that the best is yet to come.

Soon, life will pick up its pace again—juggling the demands of being a wife, a mother, working full-time, and running this little flower farm. But with that busyness comes beauty. It’s the same rhythm of life that we see reflected in the garden: a time for rest, a time for planting, a time for blooming, and a time for harvest.

And so, just like the flowers that will soon grace this land, I too am blooming again—stronger, more resilient, and filled with a renewed sense of purpose. Spring is coming, and with it, the promise of new beginnings, fresh growth, and the beauty of life all around us.

If you’ve felt like you’ve been in a winter season, know that your spring is coming too. Trust that the trials are not in vain. Lean into the hope, lean into your faith, and know that you, too, are being transformed. Just like the garden, you are being made ready to bloom. And when that moment comes, it will be beautiful.

Here’s to blooming again.

With gratitude and floral magic,

Alex Winans

founder & owner, Bede’s Blooms + Co.