Autumn at Kendall Farms

Kendall Farms is a family flower farm in Fallbrook, in San Diego County. Three generations have grown flowers here. The same fields, the same work, handed down one pair of hands at a time.

Over those years the farm grew into the largest grower of eucalyptus and wax flower in North America. That sounds big, and it is. But the day-to-day still looks like farming. Someone walks the rows early. Someone decides what is ready. Someone cuts it.

We cut to order. That means a stem is not cut until someone has asked for it. Then it goes straight from the field to the box or the bucket. Fewer stops mean fresher stems and a longer life in your vase.

We grow for two kinds of people: households who want a hand-cut bouquet, and florists, designers and grocers who need stems by the bunch. Both get the same fields, the same care and the same plain honesty about what we grow.

We grow three main kinds of eucalyptus. Silver dollar has round, coin-shaped leaves in soft blue-gray. Seeded eucalyptus carries small buds along the stem that look like beads. Baby blue has small, tight leaves stacked close together, with a dusty blue color.

Why does eucalyptus last so long in a vase? Part of it is the leaf. Eucalyptus leaves are thick and waxy. That coating slows how fast they lose water. The stems are woody, too, so they hold their shape long after softer greens would droop.

Part of it is how we handle it. We cut when the stems are firm and ready, not before. Then we move them out of the field fast and keep them cool. A stem that never sits in the sun after cutting has a head start.

Give eucalyptus clean water and a fresh cut, and it will often outlast every flower in the arrangement. Even after the water is gone, it keeps its shape as it dries.

Wax flower is the other crop we are known for. If you have not met it, picture a woody stem covered in fine, needle-like leaves, with dozens of small, star-shaped flowers along its length. The petals have a firm, almost polished feel, which is where the name comes from. Brush the leaves and you will notice a clean, lemony scent.

Wax flower has its own season. It is not a year-round crop, and we do not try to force it. When the buds start to open across the fields, we know the cutting season has arrived, and we cut as the orders come in.

In a bouquet, wax flower does quiet work. It fills space between larger blooms, adds texture and brings a bit of movement. It also holds up well. The small flowers keep their color for a long time, and the buds keep opening in the vase.

Ask at the farm stand whether it is in. We will tell you plainly.

A hand-cut bouquet from the farm starts in the field, not in a cooler. When an order comes in, someone walks out with clippers and a bucket of water and cuts what that bouquet needs, stem by stem.

Greens go in first. Eucalyptus gives the bouquet its shape and its scent. Then come the seasonal flowers and fillers, whatever is ready that week. We choose stems that are firm, with buds that are starting to open rather than fully open. That way the bouquet grows in your home instead of fading.

Back at the packing table, the stems are trimmed to a clean length and gathered by hand. We turn the bunch as we build it so it looks good from every side. Leaves that would sit below the water line are stripped off, because leaves in water turn it cloudy fast.

Then it is wrapped and sent out. No stem sits around waiting. That is what cut to order means to us.

Cut flowers and greens do best when you treat them like the living stems they are. A few simple habits go a long way.

• Start with a clean vase. Wash it with soap and rinse well. Old residue feeds bacteria.
• Give every stem a fresh cut before it goes in water. Cut about an inch off at an angle with a sharp knife or clippers.
• Strip any leaves that would sit under the water.
• Use cool, fresh water and change it every day or two. Recut the stems when you do.
• Keep the vase out of direct sun and away from heaters, vents and ripening fruit.

Eucalyptus is forgiving. It will drink hard for the first day, so top the water up. Wax flower likes the same care. Its buds keep opening if the water stays clean.

When a flower fades before the rest, pull it out. The bouquet will look fresh longer without it.

One of the best things about eucalyptus is what happens when you stop watering it. Most greens wilt. Eucalyptus dries in place and keeps its shape and much of its scent.

The simplest way is to do nothing. Leave it in the vase and let the water run out. The leaves will slowly firm up and take on a muted, silvery tone. Silver dollar dries into flat, papery coins. Seeded eucalyptus keeps its beads.

For straighter stems, hang small bunches upside down in a dry, dark spot with some air moving. A closet or a spare room works. Give it a couple of weeks. Direct sun fades the color, so keep it out of the window.

Once dry, handle it gently. The leaves become brittle and can shed if knocked. Dust it now and then with a soft brush or a light shake.

Dried eucalyptus works in a jar on a shelf, in a wreath or tucked into a fall table setting. It keeps for months.

Autumn comes slowly to Fallbrook. It does not arrive with a hard frost the way it does in colder places. Instead the light shifts. The sun sits lower and comes through the rows at a slant in the late afternoon, and the blue-gray of the eucalyptus looks almost silver in it.

The work shifts too. The long summer days of heavy cutting ease off. This is when we walk the fields more and cut a little less. We check the plants, clear what needs clearing and get ready for the season ahead.

Mornings start cool. Cutting in that cool air is good for the stems. They hold more water and travel better. By midday the fields are warm again, and the scent of eucalyptus carries across the rows.

It is a quieter time to visit. The farm stand is a good stop on a fall afternoon, and you can see the fields your bouquet came from. We like this season. It gives us room to think.

There are three ways to buy from the farm.

If you are local, stop by the farm store in Fallbrook or pick up at the farm stand. You can see what is fresh that day and take a bouquet home in your own hands.

If you are farther away, order a bouquet online. It is cut to order, so it does not leave the field until you ask for it. Then it ships straight from the farm.

If you are a florist, an event designer or a grocery buyer, we sell stems by the bunch. Eucalyptus and wax flower are our main crops, along with seasonal fillers and flowers. Planning a wedding or a big event? Reach out early so we can talk through what will be ready.

Whatever way you buy, the stems come from the same fields and the same hands. Visit kendall-farms.com to order or to find the farm store.