My thoughts today are for those who served with my dad, uncles and father in law in WWII, with John during Viet Nam, and with Garrett in the Middle East and did not return. May they rest in peace and never be forgotten. We should all be thankful for the ultimate sacrifice they made in service to their country. God bless each and every one.
What would you expect iris growers to do in their spare time, but visit other iris growers. What a delightful visit John and I made to the Carol Ann Moyer Iris Garden at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA. For many of you, The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens are too far away to make an easy day trip, but Carol's beautiful display may be within your reach.
Mme. Chereau
Silent Wings
She has lovingly created a garden that would make Monet whip out his brushes. Historic iris, such as Mme. Chereau 1844, up to the newer introductions such as Silent Wings 2001 have found a home here.There are petite Amethyst Flare 1975 to wild Ziggy 1977-something for every iris lover's taste.
Amethyst Flare
The garden is part of an arboretum, is free (something we all appreciate in these economic times), and will be in various stages of bloom for the next few weeks. So if you want to get off your knees pulling weeds in your own garden, go visit Carol's. It's an easy find right on Rt. 202 in Doylestown which is also a lovely place to visit, and within a short ride to Peddler's Village,New Hope, and Lambertville, NJ.
Ziggy
See, I've given you a great idea for day out in some gorgeous countryside. The weeds can wait 'til another day.
As I stated in my last post, John and I are like little kids on Christmas morning when a new variety (for us) comes into bloom. This morning's gift was a tall bearded iris named Happy New Year and was certainly cause for celebrating.
Happy New Year (Byers 1989) grows to 2 1/2-3' tall and is a re-bloomer. We know some of you prefer solid tone iris, which are certainly beautiful, but a variety such as this adds excitement to our garden beds. We are waiting for more surprises as more and more iris that we have never grown before come into bloom. I'll keep you posted!
Spring has definitely arrived, but is certainly taking it's time as I sit here writing wearing a long sleeved flannel shirt on May 14th! But the birds have returned, the bird houses are filled with new occupants, and the robins have started a new brood. Our dwarf bearded are in full bloom with our intermediates popping open each day, but the peonies are still in bud and should be opening with some additional sunshine, which may not be too forthcoming.Florentina-1500 Last fall we planted a number of iris that Presby Memorial Iris Gardens gave us to propagate and to serve as a back up in case their beds are vandalized as they were a few years back when a number of their historic iris were ripped from the ground and strewn about the property. A few of those iris have begun opening such as King Christian and Florentia and while they are interesting, they do not have the same impact that the newer varieties exhibit. But, as always, John and I are always excited to see a flower for the first time and each week a new surprise awaits us here at the farm.King Christian-Intermediate 1901 We did find Blue Boy to be an attractive early bloomer and are anxious to see what other surprises are in store. Blue Boy-Intermediate 1913
For those of you who have followed our blog, you will recall that a couple of years ago we partnered withPresby Memorial Iris Gardensin Montclair, NJ to help support these magnificent gardens. We have supplied the gardens with plants for their annual Mother's Day plant sale in what has proven to be a successful fund raiser for this worthy organization. We are happy to announce that this year Pittsgrove is returning a good number of Presby's iris back to them to be sold at the sale. After bloom time in 2010, we took divisions from the gardens and propagated them here at the farm. Available for sale this weekend will be some historic iris such as King Christian, Blue Boy, and Fiorentina. Other varieties will become ready for sale in weeks to come, both at Presby and here at Pittsgrove. All profits from the Presby sale go to the operations of the gardens. If you are in the area, please consider picking up something for your garden or for that special mom in your life to help preserve the beauty of this New Jersey gem.
The sale is this Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7 from 10:00-5:00. And if you are interested in coming to Pittsgrove, we are open by appointment. So give us a call and come for a visit. Hunterdon County is a beautiful area especially in the spring.
There has been so much rain this spring that it has been impossible for John to take the tractor out to the field for fear of sinking it in the mud. He knew it had been ages since he had it parked in front of the barn, but was made acutely aware of that fact when he noticed something very unusual on the rear tire. Evidently, although the tractor was idle, one of our many robins was not. Don't worry, there were no eggs as yet and I removed the nest before Mama could settle in, for surely the sun will shine and the tractor will soon be put into service. Happy Gardening!Cheryl
With more than 40 years of gardening experience, John is our Garden Guru & the man we afffectionately call "boss"
Cheryl
The hardest working "retiree" you will ever meet. Cheryl is a gardening fiend, who when isn't "playing in the dirt" can be found watching birds and chasing her dog Sassy
Garrett
Air Force Academy Grad, ex-pilot and proud married father of two, Garrett is the Operations Expert and highly overqualified dirt digger
Jeremy
The Marketing Man and PR guy, Jeremy works in the fields with his parents awaiting the day when his indentured servitude expires
Mme. Chereau
Silent Wings
Amethyst Flare
Ziggy
Happy New Year (Byers 1989)
Happy New Year (Byers 1989) grows to 2 1/2-3' tall and is a re-bloomer. We know some of you prefer solid tone iris, which are certainly beautiful, but a variety such as this adds excitement to our garden beds. We are waiting for more surprises as more and more iris that we have never grown before come into bloom. I'll keep you posted!
Spring has definitely arrived, but is certainly taking it's time as I sit here writing wearing a long sleeved flannel shirt on May 14th! But the birds have returned, the bird houses are filled with new occupants, and the robins have started a new brood. Our dwarf bearded are in full bloom with our intermediates popping open each day, but the peonies are still in bud and should be opening with some additional sunshine, which may not be too forthcoming.
Florentina-1500
King Christian-Intermediate 1901
All profits from the Presby sale go to the operations of the gardens. If you are in the area, please consider picking up something for your garden or for that special mom in your life to help preserve the beauty of this New Jersey gem.
Happy Gardening!Cheryl
