Tree Peonies-And So It Begins!

Kinkaku



John and I attended the New Jersey Floral & Garden Show followed by New York In Bloom Flower Show at the Albany State Museum while visiting with our grandchildren, Vehicle Boy and the Fairy Princess and both visits made us anxious for "digging in the dirt". That, my friend, is a little impossible for us here at Pittsgrove at the moment since our dirt is still under a blanket of snow that the Olympic folks would be happy to have on Cypress Mountain in Vancouver! The only digging has been by our native white tail deer who have foraged throughout our property for some tender shoots to nibble upon.

Just as John was starting to get twitchy from having to implement his snow shovel while the garden trowel collects dust in the barn, our friendly UPS man appeared with a shipment of tree peony grafts for us. John's face lit up the way Vehicle Boy's does upon the acquisition of a new Match Box car. Now he had something to do that didn't involve the movement of snow.


Tree peonies are so darn beautiful and pretty darn carefree once planted in the right location. Rather than deteriorating with age, these plants just get more spectacular with each passing year---I try to convince John and our sons that I'm doing the same as I age, but they're not buying that theory!

After John removed the one year peony grafts (tree peonies are grafted onto herbaceous stock) from their packing material, he soaked them in a bucket of water to rehydrate them since they have been dormant for a few months. After soaking for at least an hour, he potted each of them in a 2 gallon container making sure the graft and at least one bud were buried beneath the potting mix.

A third to a half of those plants John just potted will bloom this year. But with each year to come the size of the plant will increase and number of blossoms will multiply, maturing in 5-8 years. Tree peonies reach heights of 2 1/2'-5' tall and blossoms reaching 5-6" across.


Hoki






Although this batch was all yellow, we intend to have approximately125 plants in 8-9 varieties this year, ranging in age from 2-4 years old. Unlike their herbaceous cousins, tree peonies require partial shade and some protection from drying winds. With proper planting these lovely plants will reward you for many, many years to come.
Sahohimi

Just a reminder for those of you in our area, The Philadelphia International Flower Show starts this Sunday February 28 and runs through March 7. This is the premier event of its kind and if you have never attended, you will be blown away by the outstanding displays.

Think Spring!
Cheryl

Did Anyone Say Spring?

Alberta Spruce lined up in front of a new bed

As our perennials lie dormant, Alberta Spruce and garden gnomes stand as silent sentinels in the snow awaiting the arrival of spring. The pair of Adirondack chairs sit as witnesses to foraging deer near the pond while Japanese and pseudocorus iris nap nearby.

Mr. & Mrs. Gnome standing watch in the snow

As gardeners and lovers of the outdoors, we tend to get anxious about now. The days are getting longer and the sun is setting two to three minutes later each day. The seed catalogs begin to fill up the mailbox and we sit by the fire planning our grand gardens on paper and in our minds. Chairs sitting silently by the pond

Customers have begun emailing and phoning with questions about what we will have available this year, with folks always looking for something new. We enjoy hearing from old gardening friends and from folks we hope will become new friends.

On cold sunny days, we go out to the greenhouse we built to winter over some of the plants we potted up in the fall. We putter with the plants while Sassy, our Westie, sniffs around for mice. She can't catch them but has fun trying.

Sassy, our resident mouser
On warmer days when the ground isn't frozen, we push back down the metal and wooden plant markers that have heaved up due to freezing and thawing along with any rhizomes that may have done the same.

Recently we met with some of our buddies at Presby for a brainstorming session during which a great many ideas were shared to make our collaboration even better than last year. Watch both our sites for information as it becomes available.

We hope spring will be early this year---we have lots to do and would like to get started. There are new beds to fill, Louisiana iris to plant by the pond, and yeah, the two or three beds the wife didn't finish weeding. (Ouch---I forgot she's the one who types these blogs!)

So the spring list is started and we can hardly wait and we're sure, neither can you!

Happy planning! John and Cheryl

2009 At Pittsgrove Farms

New garden beds in 2009

As the new year begins, I'd like to look back on the year that has just passed, remember what changes we made, and what experiences we have to reflect upon.

Weather-wise we sometimes felt as though growing rice or cranberries would be a better occupation than growing iris, peonies and daylilies. Our rainfall totals here in central Jersey (no native ever says New Jersey) reached record amounts. We spent so much time slogging around in the mud, it felt as though we were working at our neighbors' pig farm instead of a perennial farm. The cooler temperatures that went along with much of the rain affected blooming times, with many plants coming into flower 2-3 weeks later than normal.

Things weren't too terrific in the vegetable garden either, and although the lettuce crop was good, production was down for our Jersey tomatoes and we certainly didn't put up as many jars of sauce this year.

Despite the weather, we accomplished a great deal in 2009 with the help of our family. We raised up and developed new iris beds, added a cold frame, put up a small greenhouse, and planted an additional display bed. We continued our work with the fantastic folks at Presby Memorial Iris Gardens and forged a new relationship with Friends of the Hunterdon County Library, another great organization. And just think, John and I did all this while we are supposedly retired. Can you imagine what we would be doing if we actually considered ourselves working folk?


Our thanks to all of you who have visited us online and here at the farm. We greatly appreciate having you in our lives and look forward to seeing and hearing from old and new garden lovers again in 2010.

Happy anticipation! Cheryl

Christmas Wreaths

When John and I had the garden center, we hand made and decorated dozens of mixed greens wreaths for the holidays. Now we just make some for ourselves and our family. I love keeping one up through the winter to perk things up when things start looking a little too dreary.

A few months ago, my Australian Uncle Graham, AKA "The Pagan Dancer", sent me a photo of a natural wreath that beats any John and I could ever make. A friend of my uncle had his camera ready at just the right moment to capture the lovely assembly below. "The Pagan Dancer" suggested the photo for one of my blogs and I told him I would save it for the appropriate time. Now the time is right to use it to wish all of you the happiest of holidays, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Rahmadan. Remember---the greatest beauty is often found in the simplicity of nature. May 2010 hold only the best for all of you.

Let's Keep Things Interesting

Hunterdon County Library

It's that time of year again with autumn's arrival and winter lurking in the background, all of us must take advantage of any nice days still remaining to clean up the garden beds and prepare them for their long nap until their spring awakening.

Besides cleaning up at Pittsgrove, we've been cutting back perennials, cleaning beds and putting down some mulch at The Hunterdon County Library. We got involved there after being contacted by a member of The Friends of the Library who is also belongs to the Community Garden Club that visited Pittsgrove in May.

As you can see in the photo above, although we pruned many of the perennials (some all the way to the ground) we left the ornamental grasses alone until spring and have done the same at home. They add a dramatic focal point to an otherwise drab winter landscape.

Variegated Boxwood
Next spring when you contemplate what plants to incorporate in your existing gardens, consider what your yard looks like in winter. Some grasses could liven things up. Other plants to think about are helleborus, holly, winterberry, and variegated boxwood. With a little homework on your part and a few additions in the spring, next year's landscape can have much more appeal over the long winter months.

Happy gardening!
Cheryl

Thank a Vet Today

On a personal note today, I would like to give thanks to my husband, John, an army veteran of the Viet Nam War and our son, Garrett who served our country in the air force and flew missions to both Afganistan and Iraq. My heartfelt appreciation also goes out to all who served our great nation in the past and all those currently serving, both at home and abroad. I ask that all who read this do the same.
With sincere thanks,
Cheryl

Don't Pass Me By

Cardinal Flower Lobelia


Something we have heard time and again here at the farm and years ago at the garden center are people being amazed at plants in display beds that are so beautiful. Most recently a number of folks commented on the Cardinal Flowers growing in various locations throughout the property.
"That's gorgeous! What is it? Do you have any for sale?"
"No, we had it in the spring."
"You did-I don't remember seeing any. I definitely would have bought it if I knew how beautiful it would be." Cardinal Flower Lobelia

Cardinal Flower, or Lobelia, is a late season perennial that comes in red, lavender, and blue stays in bloom for weeks at a time when there isn't much color in the garden. It is vigorous and the brilliant red variety knocks your socks off.

Annual Cleome, or Spider Flower is another late season bloomer standing up to 6' with pink, white, rose, or mixed shade blossoms. In early spring it looks like barely anything coming out of the ground, but sure makes its presence known at its prime.

Cleome
So let that be a lesson to you. Many plants, be they perennials, annuals, or shrubs may not look very impressive in their young stages, but quite stunning at maturity. If you aren't sure what something will look like, or come across a plant you never heard of, ask. Any knowledgeable nursery person will be happy to give you a detailed description. Don't pass up the opportunity to add a great specimen to your landscape through lack of knowledge. Then you too can hear people say-"That's gorgeous! What is it?"

Happy Gardening!
Cheryl