A conversation with Six Dutchess Farm’s Jennifer Kouvant and Hans Li
Featured in the opening profile of The Flower Farmers, Jennifer Kouvant and Hans Li of Six Dutchess Farm (LaGrangeville, New York) have an inspiring story. They manage 12 acres as a small-scale, diversified farm specializing in “Luxury Blooms, Gotland Yarn & Farm-to-Table Goods.”
Jennifer and Hans have a local fan base and are more widely supported by florists from Hudson Valley to New York/Brooklyn. Their popular crops range from early-season tulips and other flowering bulbs to peonies, lisianthus and lilies in the summer, to late-summer dahlias — and much more. We asked them to share about their approach to growing lilies, especially as they have been posting some gorgeous images on their social media feed @sixdutchessfarm. Read along to learn more and enjoy these lily images, courtesy of Hans and Jennifer:
SFJ: When is your lily season?
SDF: We plant our first lilies in crates by late February with the aim to have them ready for harvest by Mother’s Day. This year, we missed that goal by 10 days, but we had beautiful lilies ready by end of May.
SFJ: Can you describe your growing methods?
SDF: For our earliest Spring Lilies, we get them started inside, and grow them in the same space as our winter tulips . . . inside a convertedand enclosed, semi-insulated old duck house attached to our barn. As soon as the last frost passes, we move our crates outside and continue growing outside until early October, when frost looms. Then we move them inside our unheated high tunnel and continue to harvest until mid-November.
SFJ: What’s your preference? Bouquets or Bunches?
SDF: Our preferences have evolved and now we offer lilies in 3 different ways at our markets:
1) straight bunches of 3 and 5 stems.
2) a mix of 3 lily stems and 2-3 stems of a flowing filler like coreopsis, agrostemma, or ornamental cress. These are always the biggest hit.
3) mixed bouquets with just 1-2 lily stems. They are such great bouquet ingredients and add incredible volume . . . even just one lily stem can double the width of a mixed bouquet.
SFJ: Any favorite cultivars you care to share?
SDF: So many! Zelmira is one of our very favorites. The mild scent and gorgeous form and apricot color — works during any season. A total stunner. We also love simple, classic, unscented lilies like Brindisi or Eyeliner. They may not be the largest or fanciest, but they play so nicely with other flowers and look equally stunning on their own. We also tried some new spray lilies this year and fell totally in love with them! Orange Cocotte has been a big hit, both with designers and market customers. It’s an Asiatic hybrid. We grow mostly hybrids
SFJ: Bestsellers?
SDF: All mentioned above. We mainly try to choose appropriate colors and always offer scentless options for those with sensitivities to fragrance. We stay away from the classic Oriental lilies. I think the industry has come so far in offering alternatives for people who have struggled with the powerful aroma and pollen drop and negative association with more traditional lilies. There are so many great choices these days.
SFJ: Why are Lilies having a moment?!
SDF: People are re-discovering a flower which has been much maligned and discarded for a host of negetive association. There doesn’t seem to be any flower more divisive than lilies. Customers either love them or hate them, and cat owners will recoil at the slightest mention of them. At market, we hear a lot of reasons why people don’t like lilies — from the overpowering scent to the pollen drop, to association with funerals or grandparents or other random thoughts.
This always feels a bit sad, because we are lily-coverts ourselves, having pushed them away for years, due to the powerful aroma or traditional Oriental lilies. But now we see a ton of potential in new customers and a new generations of flower lovers.
Hybridizers have been largely responsible for a pretty massive shift in perception and likability of lilies, breeding out problematic qualities, like pollen and scent.
As growers and market farmers, we consider the heft and perceived value of lilies + their longevity (both for growers using cooler storage and for customers in the vase) among the best! They are the ultimate summer heat-lover; never wilting in extreme heat. Lilies are total workhorses that shine and hold their heads high, no matter how hot the weather may be. This makes them perfect for summer Farmers’ Markets.
We grow mostly hybrids and are starting to experiment with tiger lilies and rose lilies this year, too. The rose lilies especially have been a big hit: they are less fragile than traditional lilies and you can showcase them when the first flowers are fully open and not worry about brushing nearly as much. They also last for ages in the vase and customers love telling us how long them flowers lasted . . . often weeks.
Also, we see a lot of young people (20s and 30s) getting excited about lilies at market. There is still some resistance among our generation (females in the 40s-50s age range); there, we find the most aversion and negative associations. But that’s offset by the bookends of younger and older customers who tend to embrace lilies much more. We also see a lot of men purchasing lily bunches. There are appealing cultural affinities, as well.
We do our best to change perceptions and showcase the enormous range of lily options, their stunning colors and forms, and to bring about the Lily renaissance that this flower so deserves. There is a growing market for lilies and that’s why we’ve chosen to integrate lilies into our offerings for nearly 7 months of the year. They are a terrific focal flower, especially in high summer (late June and July) when local focal flower options are limited. And we love the fall tones of lilies in October and November! They are such a great addition to holiday arrangements and seasonal bouquets.
Learn More: Download a FREE Lily Growing Guide (PDF).
Details:
Six Dutchess Farm
sixdutchessfarm.com
@sixdutchessfarm
