This was a rough one to write. Of

Paul’s joy of flowers lasted right up until the end. Chris Cates, self-described “Everything!” at the farm, would often bring in blooms for the kitchen table during the summer. He went outside often during his last summer with
You can read Paul’s obituary here.
Paul would have been very disappointed if the annual letter didn’t come out as usual, so the show has gone on. You may notice that things look a little different around here. Let’s start with the price list: cates-family-glads.org is no more, and
A single-page paper price list is going to go out to those customers who don’t have a listed email; those of whom we have an email on file for, we’ll be sending out a notification of the changes in our site and the availability of the online shop. We still can’t ship to foreign countries, unfortunately — even shipping to Canada is an incredibly complex and pricey process, so we’ve chosen to continue exclusively serving customers within the United States.
Enough about logistics, though. Let’s talk glads!
So, in 2018 we finally got a handle on the
Great, consistent varieties Gemini, Abbie, and My Rose are among this year’s list. There are several new (or new to us) varieties gracing the virtual pages of our shop as well; Prince of Orange and Rhapsody in Blue among them.
“But Margaret,” you might ask, “Why are there so many varieties without photos this year?” Well, it’s simple — last summer the weekend weather often wasn’t conducive to tromping around in a field with a digital camera, and during the week I have a full-time job off the farm that prevents me from being in the field during the day. May the weather
Whether you’ve been a loyal customer for years, or you’ve just discovered our little farm on the banks of China Lake, I hope you have a marvelous 2019, and that you have the chance to bring a little beauty into your life with some wonderful glads.
