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

Baby Blessed and Blessed with a Baby

Baby Blessed Dwarf Bearded

Baby Blessed is the dwarf bearded iris that I have written about before and is a sturdy, beautiful little plant that we should be seeing in bloom within the next few weeks.

Just as iris continue to grow at Pittsgrove, our family is also expanding with the addition of a beautiful grand daughter on March 31. Jeremy and his wife, Christina, are the proud, first-time parents and all of us were thrilled to have a new family member who will one day play in the dirt with us. No, we don't expect her to join the family business, but what child doesn't like getting as dirty as possible outdoors. As I have nicknames for her cousins the Fairy Princess and Vehicle Boy, this sweet baby, whose name is derived from the Greek word helios for sun, will be known in this and future blogs as Sunshine.
Sunray Reflections-tall bearded

Along with the Baby Blessed that we gave Jeremy to plant at their house, we gave him Sunray Reflections, since Sunshine has brightened our lives and is a reflection of the love Jeremy and Christina have for one another.

Think Spring!
Cheryl

DIG IT--Trajectory SDB

It is now official, we have entered the spring season although our forecast for today and later this week calls for snow showers here at Pittsgrove. What can you expect, it is still March and anyone who has lived in Jersey knows that March is anything but predictable as far as weather is concerned.
We did have nice enough weather to allow us to get caught up on lots of outdoor tasks last week and the sunshine and fresh air sure were welcome. Most of the beds look pretty good and our first daffodil bloomed yesterday morning. I am now anticipating the arrival of our first iris blooms, but will have to be patient for a few more weeks.

One that has had a good, past track record is Trajectory, a standard dwarf bearded (SDB). It ranges in height from 12-13" and is slightly fragrant. It was and AIS Honorable Mention in 1999 and Award of Merit winner in 2003. It makes a nice addition to a rock garden or in a border planting.

Happy Spring!!!
Cheryl

Is Spring in the Air?

Well, finally a day at Pittsgrove spent entirely outdoors working in the sunshine. John was certainly in his element today and some much needed cleanup was done by both of us. Have you ever noticed that no matter how much fall cleanup you do in the garden beds, when spring comes rolling along there is still plenty more to attend to before the beds really look good again.
We were happy to see hellebores nicely budded and all varieties of perennials are beginning to peak out from beneath the soil.
Overall the perennials and bulbs seem to have survived this past winter fairly well. The trees and shrubs are showing the most trauma, from both the heat and drought of the summer, and the snow and blasting winds during the winter. I have a great deal of pruning to do, some plants to dig up, and branches and trees that have to be taken down. That last bit will not be by me! We had more deer damage this year than ever before with all the snow cover we sustained. However, on the bright side, John told me that the chewed branches will make it that much easier for me to shape the shrubs. It's nice being married to an optimist. He also keeps weather records from year to year and pointed out that we are getting a jump on things compared to last year.





I hope the rest of you gardeners have had the opportunity to get down on your knees and play in the dirt. If you haven't, get out there soon. The muscles may get sore, but your mind and disposition will surely be rejuvenated.

Happy gardening! Cheryl

Floriculture and Horticulture-The Next Generation

Years ago when we were running a garden center at full steam, an acquaintance of ours walked into the shop with a shy young teenager in tow and stated "She needs a job!" The mother went on to say that she thought working outdoors with plants was just the right fit for Lei, the still mute girl in bib overalls standing behind her. Lei finally said she thought she would like working with plants and that she went to school right up the road from the garden center.

We agreed to take her on a trial basis a couple days after school and a few hours on weekends, but didn't expect her to last long as, unfortunately, a number of teenagers brought in by their parents rarely lasted more than a week or two. However, Lei not only lasted longer than a few weeks, but worked part time through her entire high school career. She earned a scholarship from one of the local garden clubs, and went on to major in horticulture at Delaware Valley University in Pennsylvania.This shy, awkward teen blossomed (pun intended) into a confident, knowledgeable, young woman now working for a large perennial grower.

I mention Lei since I recently came across an article in the Eastern Edition of Country Folks Growers regarding scholarship money available for floriculture/horticulture students. The deadline is May 1 for 20 separate scholarships offered by the American Floral Endowment (AFE). Look online for a complete description of each AFE scholarship offered, requirements, and an application.

If you know of a young person who could benefit from this information, please pass it along. We like to think we played a small part in Lei achieving her dream and hope by writing about this scholarship, we may be helping some other young person do the same.

A reminder that the Philadelphia International Flower Show is open now through March 13 at the Convention Center with this year's theme being "Springtime in Paris".

Think Spring!
Cheryl

Two Bluebirds and a Butterfly

After the one-two (3,4,5,6,?) punch winter has given our country this year, all of us are longing for warmer, milder weather. We got a taste of that here this week when the sun came out and temperatures rose into the 60's here at Pittsgrove finally melting away most of the several inches of snow that had accumulated for weeks.
I spent a good part of the day collecting and breaking up the branches that have fallen from some of the extremely windy days that we have been experiencing. I wandered the property to get a guesstimate on how well our beds held up over the winter. Snow cover is actually quite beneficial for most plants in providing insulation from harsh temperatures, but it also means that deer, so prevalent in much of our area, are deprived of primary food sources in fields and woods. This year they ate a good portion of our Manhattan Euonymous that they have never touched in the 20 or so years of its existence next to our well. The rest of the gardens seem to have held up pretty well so far, but the truth will come out when spring finally arrives and we see what survived.
During the next spate of mild weather, get out and examine your gardens. Push back any plants that may have heaved, clean up any debris that you didn't get to in the fall, and you'll be a step ahead of the game.
The other day I saw two bluebirds and a butterfly. Can Spring be far behind?

Think Spring!
Cheryl

This Too Shall Pass

John and I were recently interviewed about what we do during the winter and although he would much rather be lolling on a beach in Kauai since he's developed an extreme distaste for winter, I rather look forward to each season with winter being no exception. I may have to amend that at the end of this winter if we continue to be walloped with one storm after another.

In winters past, John and I have been able to get out on milder days to putter around in the garden beds, cutting back perennials that we didn't get to in the fall. This year, however, the beds have remained under a blanket of snow. Instead of working in the hoop house cleaning up plants and checking inventory, we have had to remove layers of snow to keep the plastic from collapsing.Weathermen often seem dumbfounded as to what the weather is going to bring next until the event actually occurs. A "light dusting" has translated into 5 inches, leaving them to scratch their heads wondering why that happened. Now that we have just entered into what is normally our snowiest month, there is no telling what is in store for us next. As I write this, branches are crackling as the wind blows against their ice laden branches and plenty of fresh kindling for our wood stove has fallen to the ground. We lost well-established trees, shrubs and perennials over the hot dry summer and know there will be many more we have lost that will have to be removed come spring.
Deer have eaten the Manhattan Euonymus next to our well for the first time since we planted it decades ago (on the bright side, it needed a good pruning anyway). Mice have feasted on a number of plants in our hoop house and we have had to wage a war against them.
Please don't view these as complaints, merely observations. Others are far worse off and we have contended with Mother Nature numerous times over the years. The one thing I am sure of, we will plant anew to replace beloved plants that we lost and even though she is showing her wrath now, Mother Nature will bless us with her beauty once again in the spring.

Think Spring!
Cheryl