Dana L. Dore-Hadad and Rob Hadad

Spencerport, NY

Cut flowers, fresh herbs, dried flower bouquets

Soil Building:  compost and alfalfa mean used

Weed control:  mulching

Insect and disease control:  use of beneficials, mixed varieties, spotting for insect and diseases, providing air circulation

Here’s our intern Anne’s report of her interview with Dana Dore-Hadad:

Maude (Anne’s young assistant) and I made our way through the market so we could talk to Dana of Chicory Blue Garden. Before even getting to the booth, we saw all the beautiful late summer flowers. Most noticeable at a distance were the sunflowers, which were plentiful.

Once we got to the booth, the sunflowers were hard to keep out of the conversation. Their bright yellow petals and black centers seemed to be begging for our attention, so naturally I found out a lot of information about them. The sunflowers are 75 cents each and can last a good week. Chicory Blue Gardens had the earliest sunflowers around this season. They’re also Dana’s favorite flower, even though she said that she loves all flowers.

The love of gardening and flowers is apparent just by looking at the beautiful bouquets that Dana puts together. Each bouquet is $6 and definitely worth the money. My household bought a bouquet for the kitchen table. The entire bouquet was beautiful for almost a week and then flowers only had to be picked out a couple at a time. We were able to add other flowers to some of the bouquet and enjoy it for even longer. When you buy a bouquet, Dana is happy to give you instructions on how to make it last the longest it can.

When I asked about sustainable practices, Dana was eager to tell me that Chicory Blue Gardens follows organic practices. They don’t spray chemicals. They use a milk-based spray and organic fertilizer. They use mulching for weed control and provide air circulation.