The author pictured recently behind a massive bouquet of Lisianthus. PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN ROBERTSON

“You make me dizzy Miss Lizzy…the way you rock and roll!”

They are unbelievably gorgeous and Lisianthus is by far the hardiest flower that I grow – let me explain…

I found one of the Lisianthus blooms I’d cut the day before lying on the ground in the high tunnel, looking as fresh and beautiful as a just-cut flower. It had survived a night out of water! It was left behind after a large harvest had me scrambling to finish while I still had daylight. After getting it into a vase, you would have never guessed it was out of water for hours. This is why they are perfect for wedding bouquets, corsages, flower crowns, or any situation where the flower will be out of water for an extended period.

I tried growing Lisis from seed the first couple of seasons of my flower growing journey and had subpar results. The germination is tricky and they are extremely (painfully!) slow growing. In our Zone 5 climate, they have to be started in January and initially tended to multiple times a day! They need light to germinate and the seeds are tiny specks – which means watering is a challenge because any seed that gets displaced from too much water will not get enough light. Light misting is the preferred method but since the pre-germinated seeds need to stay consistently moist, checking on the seeds and misting when dry, is critical throughout the day. I even had to ask a friend to mist them when I had to be gone for an afternoon. Starting Lisis from seed means a reliable list of plant sitters is required!

Thankfully, I discovered I could order plugs instead of starting from seed and that was a game changer! I wish I could grow more varieties/colors but I typically order two trays because of cost (one tray can cost around $75) which then means only two varieties/colors. This year I ordered three: Voyage First Love – a white ruffly double bloom with hints of pink; Arena Apricot a fully double warm apricot bloom; and Croma Snow a white round double bloom – reminiscent of ranunculus.

This is the time of the season that they start showing off with abundant blooms open per stem. I initially cut the first bloom (and use it in mini bouquets) which then speeds up the additional blooms to start opening. Lisianthus, in my opinion, is one of the fanciest and most romantic looking flowers that I grow. They are very rose-like but without the thorns and fragrance. I sell bunches at Truncks in Reinbeck, our local grocery store, and incorporate them into bouquets that I sell to my CSA members and at the Reinbeck Farmers Market. Hopefully this year, I won’t leave any stems behind on the high tunnel floor. But hey, if I do, I’ll know not to panic!

Holly Robertson owns and operates Five R Farm in rural Reinbeck along with her husband Ben. In addition to growing flowers and vegetables for the local farmers market and seasonal CSA, the Robertsons also own and operate Reinbeck’s only bar-meets-record store, The Dig Inn. The Robertsons’ fifth-generation family farm is home to three dogs (Frank, Otto and Snoopy), two cats (Scooter and Marnie), two Nubian goats (Hank and Marge), and a colony of honey bees. Check out the garden/farm life on Instagram @five.r.farm and Facebook @fiverfarmer.