This is NOT a Bonus!

This is NOT a bonus!

Yes, I know you haven't seen me here for awhile. That's what having four grandchildren and being "retired" will do.

It has been an unusual spring so far with many of our plants just loving the cooler, damper weather while our bearded iris have been slow coming and looking for heat. Me, not so much. The tree peonies in our display beds have been blooming quite happily and our herbaceous and Itoh are budding nicely.

Each year someone will ask us about the "bonus" peony growing with his or her tree peony. This is NOT a "bonus"! The tree peonies we sell and the majority you find on the market for sale, are grafted. Tree peony stock is grafted onto a common garden variety root. We always tell people to plant the tree peony a couple of inches deeper than the level it is at in the pot. The tree peony will then set its own roots and the "mother" root will die off. Before this occurs or if the tree peony was not planted deep enough, the garden peony will send up stems and if allowed to grow, will eventually take over and kill off the tree peony which we certainly would not want to occur.

Tree Peony with "mother plant" coming up from the base.

To prevent this, you need to cut the stems completely to the ground. "But they look so healthy!" you may say and "Isn't it nice that I have a lovely pink peony to go along with my lovely yellow tree peony?" NO! You may feel mean snipping away, but your tree peony will be forever ( a good forty years or better) grateful that you have eliminated the intruder from its base. It is a good idea to mound up a couple of inches of soil at the bottom also if you think you did not plant deep enough originally.

Herbaceous Peony Leaves

Knowing what to cut is easy once you are aware of the difference in leaf structure. The herbaceous plant has leaves that are shaped differently and much smoother and shinier as seen in the accompaning photos.

Tree Peony Leaves

 

Tree Peony Leaves

Herbaceous Peony Leaves

                                                                                        
As always if you have any questions, send us an email and we will gladly try to help you with any peony or other gardening inquiries.

Have fun in the garden!
Cheryl

Spring is here???

Well here we are on day 6 of spring (?) and as you can tell by the above picture of Pittsgrove, winter has decided to stick around longer than most of us would like and for the past few days has caused havoc across a good portion of the US. This time last year, we were relishing temperatures in the 60's and working daily in the garden beds. Yesterday was the first time in ages that John and I ventured outdoors here for any length of time beyond gathering kindling for our wood stove. It wasn't the cold, but the accompaning wind that cut through to the bone that kept us from our chores. We cleaned up more winter debris and started preparing the vegetable garden, but planting has still been postponed to some yet unknown date in the future more amenable to the sowing of seeds and tender seedlings.

This is still the time of year, if weather permits, to get out to your garden beds to finish any cleanup that wasn't finished during our equally uncooperative fall. It's much easier to get those pesky maple leaves and dead weeds removed rather than waiting for warmer weather which then finds all your perennials suddenly appearing and growing like Topsy making your job much more tedious.Whip out those clippers and cut back any perennials that you didn't get to earlier.Your iris won't look very attractive with a heap of brown leaves lying next to them and if you cut away the brown leaves from your helleborus you'll be greeted by some beautiful blossoms waiting to kiss the sky.

Helleborus last spring

So buck up, bundle up, and clean up those flower beds for spring is surely on the horizon. At least that's what the calender keeps telling us.

Think positive thoughts!
Cheryl

Dig It-Aggressively Forward-Tall Bearded Iris

Aggressively Forward (Innerst-1994) was aptly named as it was the first tall bearded to bloom in our beds this season. With its very large blossoms and tall stature, there was no overlooking this handsome (in my opinion) iris. Its muddied appearance may be off-putting to those of you who prefer solid colors in your flowers, but I have always been attracted to the unusual. Aggressively Forward also has a nice fragrance making it even more distinctive.

On a personal note, May is GBS/CIDP Awareness Month. Say what??? Exactly. A family member has CIDP and believe me, we went insane with worry before he was properly diagnosed as it mimics so many other conditions. My purpose today is to inform our readers as these are 2 of those "orphan diseases" barely known by the public, but can strike people who had been perfectly healthy dumbfounding them and their physicians alike.
And yes, our family member is now doing quite well, thank you!

Happy Gardening!
Cheryl 

Dig It-Ice Chalet-Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris

Dwarf bearded iris are beginning to come into bloom here at Pittsgrove, although a customer 30 minutes south of us recently told me most of hers had come into bloom the end of March. In any case, the dwarf are the first of the bearded iris to show their blossoms, usually after the daffodils have finished and tulips are beginning.


Ice Chalet (Paul Black-1981) is 6-12" and like other dwarf iris makes a good rock garden or border plant. It is icy white with a bluish cast and a lavender-blue beard. It has an almost translucent quality to it with a sweet fragrance.

Those of you in the area of the Presby Gardens, will be able see many varieties of Dwarf Bearded coming into view long before their taller brothers.

Happy Gardening!
Cheryl

Iris Unguicularis-AKA Winter Blooming Iris

Having just experienced "The Winter That Wasn't" here in Jersey, it may seem strange to be writing about a winter blooming iris, but we try to introduce you to some plants that may be unfamiliar to all of you who just remember Grandma's iris (tall bearded) growing in her back yard.

Iris Unguicularis, additionally known as Algerian iris, is rarely available and rarely seen. Its foliage is evergreen and is about 18" in height, forming a nice clump. The approximately 3" light purple blooms are nestled in the center of the clump.


The plant will start to bloom when the weather starts to turn cold, around November and will continue to bloom until about April, stopping its blooms if the temperature drops to 15 degrees or so. The plant above had 6 or 7 flowers blooming for months since this winter was so mild.

Winter Blooming Iris does well in a warm, dry location in zones 7-9 and really seems to thrive on neglect. When you come upon it in the garden in January or February in full bloom, it really surprises you. The color and size of the flowers make you think of spring, not winter.

The iris should be planted in the early fall by division. It takes a couple of years to form a nice size blooming clump.


With the warm weather continuing, we expect it to be an early year for all our plants, so as we watch the flowers fade on the Winter Blooming Iris, we welcome the burst of color that spring brings and await the first blossoms on our bearded iris.

Look forward to seeing you at the farm!

Happy Spring!
Cheryl

Fall Cleanup--More Than Anticipated

Fall is always cleanup time at Pittsgrove, but this year it involved more than just cutting back iris and peonies and raking leaves. The unprecedented snow storm that hit much of the Northeast caused branches to snap, crackle and pop right off the trees, but fortunately for us without affecting power or causing damage to our house or gardens. That was not the case for many other homeowners in our area, nor our family in Morris County who lost power for nearly a week.
While we just have to figure out what to do with all the limbs and branches that we have piled up for removal, our son and his wife face the task of throwing out spoiled food for the second time (power was also lost for an extended period after Hurricane Irene) and whether they should invest in a generator before the next outage occurs.
Many of the trees in Jersey are at the peak of their leaf color which proved so devastating when the heavy, moisture laden snow fell. Someone described it as having a book placed in your outstretched hand, then having someone else toss three more on top--only the strongest will bear the weight. Mother Nature painted a pretty picture of autumn splendor, then maliciously sought to destroy her work. Who ticked her off???
I'll be heading back outdoors to continue preparing the beds for winter, but staying well enough away from the trees as branches are still dangling precariously in upper portions and I don't plan on having my head targeted.
Hoping all is well in your neck of the woods,
Cheryl

Dig It-Tall Bearded Skywalker

Skywalker-Schreiner '96

One of our regulars was visiting Pittsgrove recently when she looked out over our bloomed out bearded iris beds and asked "What is that still in bloom?" pointing to a patch of blue in the distance. Surprisingly, a new iris (for us) was still putting out numerous blossoms amongst bed upon bed of flowerless swords. Whether we will see the same abundance next year is yet to be determined (we have learned that Mother Nature has her own quirks about what occurs in the garden beds) but this year the quite handsome "Skywalker" really impressed.

Photo Credit-Schreiner

The love of Star Wars has been passed on to the next generation as our "Vehicle Boy" is following in his dad's footsteps with his embrace of all things "in a galaxy far, far away". As a child, Garrett was upset with me for days after I told him we had thought of Luke as a first name for him before he was born. He bemoaned the fact that he was not named for his idol, but say Luke Gulish and you realize it sounds like something is caught in your throat!

Standing alone in the afternoon mist

Vehicle Boy was thrilled to see his idol standing so tall and fearless in the field. Skywalker (Schreiner '96) is a cross between Honky Tonk Blues and Altruist and has shown just how vigorous a plant it is with its excellent blooming habit. The flowers are nicely ruffled with an interesting blending of color. I promised our grandson that when his family moves into their new house, I will plant a nice Skywalker in their garden to ward off the Storm Troopers. And I think now that Garrett is all grown up he is glad he doesn't have to introduce himself while sounding like he is gagging.

Carol Ann Moyer Iris Garden-Delaware Valley College

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.

A recent view of the garden

Happy Gardening!

Cheryl

Dig It-Happy New Year!

Happy New Year (Byers 1989)

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!

Happy Gardening! Cheryl

Iris---Slowly But Surely

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

Happy Gardening!
Cheryl