There's An App,Oops---Iris For That!

Tall bearded iris

You may have heard a commercial where they repeat the phrase "There's an app for that." In case you don't know, app is short for application used in computer software designed to help a user perform a specific task and most recently for iPhones and iPads. At Pittsgrove, John and I often hear people say "I love iris, but my property is too wet" or in other cases, "too dry" or "too shady". Well, we have an iris for that!

Bearded iris are perfect for those full sun, very dry areas and range in size from border friendly Lilliput dwarf to background size tall bearded, all of which are available in a wide array of colors.
Dwarf bearded iris with friends

Moisture loving Louisiana and Japanese can be ideal for those areas where you may have difficulty growing plants due to periodic wet conditions. Louisiana, pseudacorus, and versicolor can actually sit in water.
Iris laevigata and pseudacorus

Siberian iris flourish in most common garden areas, blooming well in both full sun and part shade and have grassy foliage that looks attractive even when not in bloom.
Siberians on display

Really short on sun, then iris cristata may be just what you are looking for since these jaunty little, rapidly spreading iris are well-suited for that shady glade on your property.
Iris Cristata

John and I know nothing about apps, but we do know iris and with so many options available, there is sure to be the perfect iris awaiting a home in your garden. And for those of you who are tech savvy, I'm sure there's an app for that!

Happy 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

Dig It-Hatsu Kagami-Japanese Iris

This lavender pink Japanese iris is one of the first to appear of the Japanese varieties, and like them, makes a great addition to that wet spot in the yard where nothing else seems to grow. That's a good thing here at Pittsgrove since we've had our own version of the "begets"----April showers beget May showers, beget June showers! I'm getting a little worried about what awaits us when I turn the calender page after June 30. In July we may be building an ark!


Anyway, Hatsu Kagami (Hirao '92) reaches a height of approximately 3'. Since our bearded and Siberian iris are pretty well finished blooming for the season (except for rebloomers) it is a pleasure to see this attractive splash of color appear amidst the sea of green in the yard.

Iris That Like Wet Feet

It has been raining so much here at Pittsgrove, that even our frogs are confused and don't know where the pond ends and the driveway begins! Getting any work done has been quite a challenge. No true gardener will let a little rain stop one from weeding (heck, that's when weeds are easiest to pull), or doing a bit of pruning, but after the third try at weeding our daylily beds yesterday, I gave up since a drizzle kept turning into a down pour.

Sinfionetta with Black Gamecock
The Louisiana, Japanese, and pond iris that we grow are in heaven, delighted to have their feet wet, and have started blooming all over the place. Our bearded iris on the other hand, must feel as though they are going through their unique form of iris waterboarding! The poor things must wonder when they can come up for air. (I know---there she goes again referring to plants as if they were human.)

Easter Tide-Louisiana

Took a soggy walk out to our spring fed pond to see if anything new was in bloom since I had been out there a few days ago. Wow--Sinfionetta, a blue Louisiana iris, sure shot up since last season and is towering over the Black Gamecock. One of these days I'm going to end up falling into the pond I'm sure since I like to get up close and personal when taking pictures and believe me the footing out there is a little precarious.
Acadian Miss-Louisiana Iris
As our bearded iris go out of bloom, it is always exciting for us to see the next wave of color come in with the Louisiana, Japanese, and Spuria. June will be filled with new hues in the gardens; I just hope I don't need hip boots to go from bed to bed! Inner Beauty-Louisiana

Dig It - Rose Queen Japanese Iris

Even though John and I had grown Bearded, Siberian, and Pseudocorus irises in our gardens throughout our married life, (and believe me, that's a looooooooooong time!!!) it wasn't until just a few years ago that we began growing Japanese irises. We soon discovered just what we were missing all that time.

Since they bloom after the Tall Bearded and since some Japanese irises bloom well into August, they are an iris lover's dream for extending the season.

Those of you who are fortunate enough to be growing Japanese iris already most likely have those with the beautiful, larger flowers. Rose Queen is quite unlike them with its stately, compact, pink blossom held regally above its grass like foliage. I have delighted in having Japanese irises as permanent additions to our landscape, but have developed a special fondness for this beauty.

Hurray for the Red,White and Blue! Iris, Peony and Daylily Edition

Today, June 14, in honor of Flag Day I'm featuring red, white, and blue flowers that can found here at Pittsgrove Farms.

Red at Night

Gull's Wings

Speeding Again

Earlier in the season red could be viewed in the bearded iris beds in the form of Red at Night and Classic Bordeaux, followed by Siberian Iris Eric the Red, and peonies, Big Ben, Karl Rosenfield, and the most red peony, Many Happy Returns. As their blooms have faded, Red Rum and Pardon Me are making themselves known in the day lily beds.

Red Rum


Shirley Temple

White Immortality not only bloomed in the spring, but as a tall-bearded re-bloomer will greet us again in late summer or early fall. Gull's Wings, Bridal Jig and Snow Queen Siberians stand tall in the garden showing off their snowy brilliance. Not to be outdone, Shirley Temple, Bowl of Cream, My Love, and the old standby Festiva Maxima peonies showed off their various shades of white.

Lastly, dark blue Davey Jones and light blue Fathom prove to be prolific, reliable Intermediate Bearded, while Last Hurrah and Speeding Again stand tall in spring to return again in the fall. Siberians are well represented by Steve (who thinks of these names?) and later bloomers are Louisiana Gulf Shores and Center of Interest Japanese irises.

While honoring our flag today, I would like to call attention to a site, eMailOurMilitary.com I was made aware of my dear friend Liz who blogs at This Full House, and all the details can be found on her site.

Thousands of servicemen and women serve our country proudly displaying the flag on their uniforms. eMailOurMilitary.com is an attempt by a military wife to connect Americans with them, especially folks who may not be receiving much support from family back home. No matter what your political views, please go to this site and show our men and women that we appreciate the sacrifices they make daily throughout the world. While your at it, pass the site along to others in your address books or fellow bloggers. And, by the way remember to display Old Glory!

Wildlife Comes Alive at Pittsgrove Farms

New Jersey gets a bad rap for being a mafia ridden, wasteland of industry and highways. Those of us that live here know why it is affectionately called the Garden State.

We have always embraced the nature of Hunterdon County. This year more than ever (probably because we are outside more than ever) we have seen all kinds of wildlife. From orange-winged orioles to the occasional fox, we get to experience the wonders of Mother Nature beyond the blooming iris, peonies, and other perennials though they sure are nice too.

Just today we came across a running box turtle, (very slowly running, but running nonetheless by turtle standards), a flying gray heron, many many frogs, and a nesting Killdeer.

The Killdeer, which is named for its loud piercing "kill-deer" call, is a rather unusual bird as it is comfortable nesting close to humans and often make nests on the ground. What makes this bird even more interesting is its broken-wing act. When humans or predators come near, the Killdeer will pretend to act injured in an effort to draw the predator away from its nest. Despite the evolutionary genius that has help ensure that its young survive, it is quite funny to watch as it looks something similar to a country line dance by a bar patron who has had a few too many.

Can you find me? The Killdeer remains camouflaged in the overgrown daylily beds. Pardon the weeds, but how would you like it if someone started ripping up your home?

The Killdeer, who has made a home in our daylily fields, lives close by to the frogs. The frogs have made the small pond near the driveway home. For years, the area next to the entrance to Pittsgrove Farms was a natural wet spot that filled after even a short drizzle. Instead of letting it remain as an overgrown ditch, we have transformed it into a pond filled with waterlilies and frogs, and surrounded by Siberian iris, Japanese iris, water iris and wet tolerant perennials.

A pretty nice ditch - the water lilies have just started to bloom next to the pot of very old papyrus. In the foreground, Ruffled Velvet Siberian iris comes into bloom.

In hopes of making the area an even greater refuge for our plants and animal friends, we plan on extending the natural pond by simply defining the edges more and adding some plastic to maintain the water during the dry season. After all, isn't it nice having company in the garden?

Rippit! Ribbit! A frog sunbathes on the rock behind some blooming iris laevigata variegata.

Creeping Jeremy sneaks up on the frog for an extreme closeup, as it sits on a rock laced with water-loving Creepy Jenny.