Petit Fleuri at Bellingham Country Gardens
Dahlias on the farm
Petit Fleuri grows dahlias and seasonal cut flowers here on the farm. From mid-summer through fall they're cut fresh and sold by the stem and the bunch at the roadside flower stand.
You don't cut the dahlias — you buy what's already been cut. They're grown right here, but the dahlia beds are closed to visitors: Petit Fleuri keeps strict sanitation around the stock to protect it from soil-borne disease. Anne cuts them, and you buy the stems and bunches that are out that day. Everything else on the farm is still pick-your-own.
Who grows them
Anne Grubbs, Petit Fleuri
Petit Fleuri is run by Anne Grubbs — Sam's daughter-in-law. Dahlias are the specialty, though tulips were the flowers that started it, and the whole thing grew out of one season with about ten tubers in a new garden.
The dahlia beds are here on Kelly Road, worked as a separate operation alongside the berries and vegetables — which is how a strawberry and vegetable farm ended up with a flower stand out front.
- Grower
- Anne Grubbs, Petit Fleuri LLC
- Grown
- Here at the farm, Kelly Rd
- Season
- Mid-summer through fall
- Dahlia line
- (360) 389-6248
- @petitfleuridahlia
Two ways to take dahlias home
Fresh stems now, tubers in spring
The roadside flower stand
Dahlias cut fresh from the beds here, sold as single stems and made-up bunches at the new roadside flower stand, or inside during farm hours.
What's on the stand is whatever was worth cutting that morning, so the mix changes week to week. Mid-summer through the first frost is the window.
Spring tuber sales
Tubers from select varieties are sold in spring, both in person and online. Petit Fleuri is licensed and inspected by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and can ship tubers nationwide.
Dates and the variety list are still to be announced — Petit Fleuri's social accounts are where that gets posted first.
Once you get them home
Making cut dahlias last
Dahlias are one of the best flowers you can put in a vase and one of the fussiest about how they get there. This is Petit Fleuri's own guidance.
Can I cut my own dahlias?
No — dahlias are a buy-what's-cut product, not a cut-your-own one. They're grown here, but the beds are closed to visitors because Petit Fleuri maintains strict sanitation to protect the stock from soil-borne disease. Come to the flower stand and buy what's been cut that day. The berries, vegetables and the farm's own cut flowers are all still pick-your-own as normal.
How do I make cut dahlias last as long as possible?
Cut in the cool of early morning or late evening, when the plant is fully hydrated. Choose blooms that are nearly fully open — dahlias barely open any further once cut. Get the stems straight into clean, cool water, then trim an inch off the bottom at a 45-degree angle once you're inside.
Should I use flower food?
Yes. A good commercial floral preservative feeds them and keeps bacteria down. Without it, change the water completely every one to two days and re-trim the stems each time.
How should I prepare the stems for the vase?
Strip every leaf that would sit below the water line — submerged foliage rots fast, breeds bacteria and shortens the life of the whole arrangement. Use a clean vase, and keep the arrangement somewhere cool, out of direct sun and away from ripening fruit or a heating vent.
Dahlia season
Stop at the flower stand.
What's cut and what's left goes up on Petit Fleuri's own accounts, along with tuber announcements. Tag your arrangements — they like seeing where the flowers end up.