Why September Is One of My Favorite Months on the Flower Farm

September is one of those months when the flower farm seems to have one foot in summer and the other in fall.

Here in Kannapolis, North Carolina, September definitely does not mean the heat is gone. We can still have some very warm days! But the mornings begin to feel a little different. The sun isn't quite as intense first thing in the morning, and every now and then, there is just enough coolness in the air to remind me that fall is coming.

Meanwhile, the flowers are still blooming.

I'm harvesting, making bouquets, checking plants, watching the weather, and apparently a flower farmer is never allowed to think about just one season at a time already planning what comes next.

At Florals@Jackson, I grow seasonal flowers on my quarter-acre farm here in Kannapolis and share them with our community through bouquets, farmers markets, workshops, subscriptions, special events, and custom floral work.

September gives me the best of both worlds: I get to enjoy what summer has produced while beginning to prepare the farm for another season.

September Weather Changes My Routine on the Farm

One of the first things I notice in September is the change in the weather. Kannapolis doesn't suddenly turn cool just because the calendar says September. Our 30-year climate averages put September highs around 84°F and lows around 60°F. That's still warm!

But after working through the heat of a North Carolina summer, even a small change makes a difference. During the hottest part of summer, so much of my schedule revolves around the heat. I'm thinking about whether the plants have enough moisture, how stressed they are, when I need to harvest, and quite frankly when I can comfortably work outside.

September usually gives me a little more breathing room. But it is also a month when I have to pay attention. A few cooler mornings don't mean summer weather is finished. Temperatures can jump right back up, rain can change everything, and the flowers still need consistent care.

That's one of the things flower farming has taught me: the calendar is a guide, but the field gets the final say.

What's Blooming in September in North Carolina?

This is one of my favorite questions because September can still be incredibly productive for cut-flower growers in North Carolina. Many people associate flowers with spring and early summer, but there can be plenty of color in the field as we head toward fall.

Zinnias are September workhorses. 

With good succession planting and healthy plants, zinnias can continue producing well into late summer and early fall. NC State Extension has documented commercial growers harvesting zinnias in late September.

Other flowers such as dahlias, celosia, strawflower, sunflowers, gladiolus, marigolds, and ornamental grasses can also add beautiful late-season color and texture. And this is where locally grown flowers get fun.

The exact mix at Florals@Jackson changes from week to week.

One week I may have an abundance of zinnias. The next week, sunflowers may be stealing the show. Celosia may add that wonderful texture, while grasses or other specialty stems give bouquets movement.

I don't want a September bouquet to look exactly like a June bouquet. I want it to look like September. That's the beauty of seasonal flowers.

Harvesting Flowers Is More Than Cutting What's Pretty

When you see a bucket filled with freshly harvested flowers, it can look pretty simple: walk through the field, find beautiful flowers, and cut them.

There's a little more to it than that. When I'm harvesting, I'm looking at several things:

• Is the flower at the right stage to be cut?

• Is the stem long and strong enough?

• Is the bloom healthy?

• What has the weather been like?

• How will this particular flower perform after it's harvested?

• Is it ready today or would it be better if I left it in the field a little longer?

That last question is important. Sometimes the best decision I can make is not to cut a flower. I want the flowers that leave my farm to perform well once they reach your home. NC State Extension emphasizes the importance of proper harvesting and postharvest handling in maintaining the quality and vase life of cut flowers.

So I'm thinking about vase life before a flower ever makes it into a vase. When I cut a stem, I'm already thinking about the person who will eventually take it home.

Why Locally Grown Flowers Feel Different

One of the things I love most about local flowers is that you get to experience the season through them. September flowers don't have to look like May flowers. And May flowers don't have to look like July flowers.

When you buy flowers from a local flower farmer, you're getting a snapshot of what's happening in the field at that particular moment.

There is also a practical advantage to buying certain flowers locally. Some of our most beautiful cut flowers including varieties such as dahlias and zinnias don't necessarily love being packed into boxes and transported long distances.

My flowers don't have to travel across the country or across the world to reach you.

They can grow right here in Kannapolis, be harvested at the proper stage, conditioned, arranged, and end up in the home of someone nearby. I think that's pretty special.

While I'm Harvesting September Flowers, I'm Already Planning Spring

Here's something you may not realize about flower farming:

I'm almost never working in just one season.

While I'm cutting today's zinnias, celosia, marigolds, or sunflowers, part of my brain is already several months ahead.

• I'm thinking about what needs to be planted for fall.

• I'm thinking about cool-season flowers.

• I'm evaluating which varieties performed well this year.

• I'm making notes about what I want to grow again and what might not earn quite as much space next year.

• I'm thinking about seeds, bulbs, planting dates, bed space, and succession schedules.

Succession planting is one of the tools flower farmers use to keep flowers coming over a longer period. Instead of planting every sunflower at once, for example, I can plant additional rounds at different times. The National Center for Appropriate Technology notes that crops such as sunflowers and gladiolus can be planted successively to help maintain a more continuous supply.

If you've ever wondered why I'm planting something while something else is blooming, that's usually why. The field is always telling two stories: what's blooming now and what's coming next.

What September Looks Like at Florals@ Jackson?

September at Florals@ Jackson is busy but it's the kind of busy I enjoy. Flowers are moving in a lot of different directions around here.

• Some are headed into market bouquets.

• Some become custom arrangements.

• Some may go into a subscription bouquet.

• Some become teaching materials for a floral workshop.

And sometimes I walk past a beautiful flower and leave it exactly where it is because it needs another day. That's farming.

My quarter-acre flower farm is about more than simply growing flowers. From the beginning, I've wanted Florals@ Jackson to connect flowers, education, and community.

Growing the flowers is the foundation.

But sharing them is where so much of the joy comes from.

How September Flowers Become Seasonal Bouquets

This may be my favorite part. I can walk into the flower field with empty buckets and come back with a collection of stems that don't necessarily look like much of anything together yet.

Then the arranging begins. A September bouquet may have a big focal flower, smaller supporting blooms, airy textures, grasses, different shapes, and flowers at slightly different stages of opening.

I actually want that variety. I'm not trying to make every stem identical or make every bouquet look like something that could have been created during any month of the year.

I want the flowers to tell you what season we're in.

That's why seasonal bouquets can feel so personal. What goes into them depends on what the field gives me that week.

Sometimes I have an idea for a bouquet before I start. Other times, the flowers make the decision for me. And I kind of love that.

September Is Also a Learning Season

Every season on the farm teaches me something. Sometimes the lesson is something I planned to learn. Other times...the plants decide we're having class that day.

1. A variety I thought would be fantastic may struggle.

2. Something I almost overlooked may become a favorite.

3. A week of weather can completely change my harvesting plans.

4. A planting date that looked perfect on paper might need adjusting the next year.

That's farming.

I'm learning to observe, adjust, make notes, try again, and keep going.

It's also one reason the educational side of Florals@ Jackson is so important to me. I don't just enjoy growing flowers I enjoy helping other people understand them.

When someone comes to a workshop and learns how to arrange flowers, asks a question about something growing in the field, or becomes curious about where their flowers came from, that's part of the experience too.

You don't have to be a flower farmer to learn something from flowers.

The Best Part of September Isn't Actually the Flowers

Okay, the flowers are pretty high on the list. But the best part is what happens after they leave the farm. A bouquet goes home with someone from the farmers market. Someone puts fresh flowers on their kitchen table. Flowers become part of a birthday, anniversary, celebration, or "just because" moment.

Someone attends a workshop and realizes, Wait—I can actually do this! A customer comes back because the last bouquet made them happy. Those are the moments that remind me why growing locally matters. Florals@ Jackson was never meant to be just about producing flowers. It's about creating connections through flowers, education, and community.

Looking Ahead From the September Flower Farm

When I walk through the field in September, I see more than what's blooming.

• I see the work that brought those flowers here.

• I see things that worked beautifully.

• I see a few things I'll definitely do differently next year.

• I see empty spaces that will eventually be planted again.

And, somehow, while I'm standing in a field full of this year's flowers, I'm already imagining next year's.

That's September on a North Carolina flower farm. It's abundance and transition happening at the same time. Summer isn't quite finished. Fall is beginning to make its entrance. And another growing season is already taking shape in my head.

For a flower farmer, there is always something growing. Sometimes it's a flower. Sometimes it's an idea. And sometimes it's a community.