Each Little World

Peony postscript

Given the interest in sustainable agriculture, it was only a matter of time before someone applied the concept to flowers. Now there's a book and a blog on the topic: "The 50 Mile Bouquet: Seasonal, Local and Sustainable Flowers." The blog is fascinating because it really makes you think about where flowers come from and who grows them. The site has a link to the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers where you can find the growers in your state and area if you want to join this particular "buy local" movement. There were 14 entries for Wisconsin.

But the most interesting tidbit I discovered was the video, "Empowered Peony Picking," featuring peony grower Joan Thorndike. As a professional peony grower, it's critical for Thorndike to pick peonies at the perfect moment to send them off to her floral customers. She picks them when the buds feel like marshmallows rather than marbles, which she talks about in the video. Thorndike said you can also cut peonies at the marshmallow bud stage and hold them in the fridge — wrapped in paper — for a month. Then you bring them out, recut the stems, put them in water and voila: you've got peonies.

So I tried it and it worked! Since this was my first attempt, I have a few kinks to work out but I will definitely do this again next year. I think my buds were not quite marshmallow-y enough when I cut them, so the flowers are smaller than they would be when blooming on the bush. But I cut these flowers on May 17th and they bloomed this afternoon, June 17th — literally after a month in the crisper bin in my refrigerator. 

I took them out on June 13th and by the afternoon of the 14th — when I hoped they would be ready for a party — they weren't doing much of anything. To get them out of the way during the party, I stuck them in the cool, dark garage and forgot all about them. Brought them back into the light and heat last night (the 16th) and recut them. This morning they were clearly opening and I had peonies by mid-afternoon. Too cool! 

Another gorgeous peony

I ordered this 'Coral Sunset' peony from Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery last fall. Amazingly I had a flower this very first year, opening on May 18. And though it was only one bloom, it was spectacular. The bud started opening a lipstick coral and it only got brighter as it unfurled. Then it aged through an array of pinks. Three very hot, sunny days after opening it still looked good but by then was a delectable baby pink moving towards white! I can hardly imagine how gorgeous this plant will be in a few years.

The catalog described it perfectly: "Intense coral blossoms with overtones of rose and accented by full, deep yellow stamen centers. Outstanding plant habit. Roy's (Klehm) favorite coral. Slightly fragrant. American Peony Society Gold Medal Selection." Worth every penny! And so bright you can spot it across the garden peeking out from behind a group of yew spheres (top).

If you love peonies, stop by the West Madison Ag Reseach Station at 8502 Mineral Point Rd. When I was there on Friday (5/18) to help set up the WHPS sale, there were two peonies blooming right outside the office at the end of the parking lot. They were identified as "Coral N' Gold", which had an amazing gold center, and 'Abalone Pearl' which was pink fading to white. Both were outstanding in flower shape, color and the plants were huge and holding up the flowers very well. It's a great chance to see unusual cultivars in full bloom.

I picked 'Coral Sunset' to contrast with a weeping purple beech tree that is its neighbor (above). Here it is in the early moring light four days after it first opened (below). This group of pictures gives you a sense of what a mature plant of this variety might look like as the flowers come and go.

Even though time of day and the light can make colors look different depending on when a photo is taken, these pictures are all untouched 'Coral Sunset' peony.

Mark's favorite peony

There is nothing Mark likes better than flowers that are past their prime. When he goes out into the garden to take pictures for the blog, I never know what to expect. Same thing when it comes to cut flowers in arrangements in the house. He's taken dozens of shots of this white peony from Seneca Hill Perennials as it fades and the petals becomes more and more elongated and transparent. Since this is a young plant, I brought the second bloom indoors to enjoy as I didn't want the peony to use any energy setting seed. He won't let me toss the arrangment as there's lots more life to it from his photographic point of view!

Seneca Hill rockii type peony

Two years ago I ordered a rockii type peony seedling from the late great Seneca Hill Perennials in upstate New York. Here's how the catalog described it (and yes, I actually copied it down on my plant i.d. index card for future reference needs just like this):

" Just for fun . . . these are robust seedlings of a gorgeous plant that we raised from seed over a decade ago, and that utterly floored us by growing into a fine shrub laden with huge lazily-ruffled bright pink flowers with deep maroon basal blotches. Who knew? The only seedling of this plant that we've bloomed is pink like its mom, but with much more strongly ruffled petals. No guarantees, but there's no reason these seedlings shouldn't all make good plants. $14.99"

Two years later I've got a plant that is so stunning Mark and I both photographed it. However, it is not pink. It's snow white which I actually prefer. But no basal blotches on these first two blooms. Maybe some of the future flowers will sport blotches which I would love.

On the other hand, after only two years it is a huge shrub and, as you can see for yourself, the flowers are breathtaking. I was literally running out to the garden every fifteen minutes watching the first bud unfurl. The big flower held up surprising well to the wind and rain that followed the sun and warmth that made the it open so quickly. 

Since it is an unnamed seedling, I am christening mine in honor of the nursery, "Seneca Hill Snowstorm." If anyone reading this is growing one of these seedlings, I'd love to hear about your experience.

For those who are interested, you will note I have a Seneca Hill Perennials catagory on the blog where you can find posts about all the plants I grow that I purchased at that nursery.

Paeonia japonica

I posted a photo of the buds of one of my woodland peonies, Paeonia japonica, just pushing up in time for Foliage Follow-up on March 16. By the same time the following week the plant was almost fully up and covered with big fat flower buds — 24 at a quick glance. 

Then the temperatures dropped and we had a bunch of cool, cloudy days and an inch of rain the last week of the month. I am not unhappy with this more traditional spring-like weather since there's nothing more enjoyable than watching a big clump of peonies slowly unfurl in the early spring garden. 

Even though April temperatures have dipped down below freezing a number of times, the buds were not harmed and the flowers began to open on April 9 — a good month earlier than in 2011. Looking back to 2007, this particular peony typically opens around Mother's Day, but bloomed on April 23 in 2010. I am guessing that this year's early bloom date will be a record that stands for a number of years. 

Foliage Follow-up: 3.16.2012

The Austin, Texas blog, Digging, is the place to be on the 16th of each month where Pam Penick hosts a day devoted to foliage. Nothing is more exciting in the early Spring garden than all the amazing buds, shoots and leaves that are making their first appearance.

Woodland peony, Paeonia japonica; its location in the garden marked by last year's stems:

Bergenia cordifolia; these leaves are leftover from last season but they always perk up when the warm days arrive. I love the burnished red color they get from the cold weather:

Peonies — and more — from PDN

Though I always turn to Klehm first when I am thinking of peonies, this year Plant Delights Nursery is offering three of my favorites that are not always easy to find. I'm talking about woodland peonies, which I've had growing in my garden for a number of years. They are very early bloomers and seem to be able to withstand April snowstorms when they are in bud as well as bloom — assuming it's light snow and disappears quickly. There's nothing quite like a peony to say "Spring," especially when it blooms long before the more traditional big blowzy beauties.

The other great thing about woodland peonies should be obvious from their name: they can take a bit of shade. Mine are growing at the edge of the canopy of a Washington hawthorne, near striped maples and old Austrian pines — and not far from my two neighbors' black walnut trees. These are not easy to find and most catalogs seem to only offer them sporadically, so finding all three in the PDN catalog is a real boon. They are not cheap but I think they are worth the price. Now that I have them I can't imagine the garden without them.

The other plants that I want from PDN are all things that they were able to acquire when plantswoman Ellen Hornig closed her wonderful nursery, Seneca Hill Perennials, in 2011. Some of my favorite plants came from Seneca Hill and I was sad to see it close, especially knowing it was due to the ill health of Hornig's spouse. Last summer she sent out a notice that the house and the noteworthy display gardens that surrounded it were for sale. For a brief moment, I fantasized about moving back to New York and living amidst her glorious garden. 

That dream can't come true, but I can order a few things in memory of Hornig and Seneca Hill. So my PDN order will include three Hepaticas from Hornig: 'European Pink,' 'Lithuanian Blue' and one with speckled leaves from the Spanish Pyrenees. I'm also getting Primula sieboldii 'Drag Queen,' a 2010 release from Seneca Hill (shown directly above). I've had great luck with both Hepaticas and Primulas and always intended to order more from Seneca Hill, so I appreciate knowing that not all of Seneca Hill's great plants will disappear with the closing of the nursery. And that positive give and take with other gardeners is another reason why I patronize independent mail-order nurseries like PDN. So, keep up the great work PDN — and the great catalog covers. This year's was a particularly effective coupling of plants and politics.

All images from the PDN 2012 catalog.

A passion for peonies

The paper catalog from Plant Delights Nursery came in the mail earlier this week and I sat down with it yesterday to see what looked irresistable. I was trying to be strong and restrained but I know PDN; there is always something irresistable. That new bleeding heart with really red flowers ('Valentine') looks good and I turned down a couple of pages marking possible ferns and Epimediums. But what really stopped me were the peony selections. 

But I have to be honest. I would never order a peony without first checking to see if Klehm's Song Sparrow Farm and Nursery carries it. The Klehm family have been hybridizing and growing peonies since 1900. I've heard Roy Klehm speak numerous times and I've been to the nursery and seen the peony fields in bloom here in southern Wisconsin. I grow woodland, intersectional and traditional garden peonies from Klehm and love them all.

Last fall I planted 'Coral Sunset,' one of Roy's favorites according to the catalog. It's early blooming, semi-double flowered (pictured directly below) and under 30 inches tall — all the requirements I was looking for in a new peony to add to the garden. I put it near our weeping purple beech tree whose early leaves are bronzed. I'm hoping the pairing will prove to be as pretty as I'm picturing it.

If you love peonies, you must check out Klehm's 2012 offerings. When I went on-line to see what was new, this beauty — 'Golden Angel' (below) — greeted me. Not only does this peony have a pale yellow flower (still a rarity among garden peonies), it sports yellow new growth! This peony was hybridzed by Roy G. Klehm and is described on-line thusly: "Beautiful, striking intense gold foliage in early spring that gradually changes to soft yellow, and then mellows to a lighter green-yellow in mid July. Single soft cream-yellow blossoms." 

This looks like a knockout new plant but, like all new introductions, it has a knockout price: $125.00. Still, I don't think that is an unrealistic amount given how long it takes to hybridize a new peony and get it to market. 

If that's beyond your budget (or you don't like yellow flowers), get a look at this beauty,"Spumoni Whisper." It also is an early bloomer, 30 inches high, has single-petaled flowers, and was hybridized by Roy. The catalog describes it as an "unusual blend of very soft, creamy cherry pink with a hint of pistachio at the petal base. The slightly serrated edges of the guard petals add extra interest to the blooms." This one's a steal at $45.00. It almost looks like an old rose. The photo of it makes me go weak in the knees. And yes, it does make me think of ice cream in the summertime; proving it's aptly named. 

As it happens, I'm only going to order one peony from Klehm this spring, but it's the one that sold out before I got my order in last fall. (If you've never planted these kind of peonies, they arrive as bare root plants in the fall, which is when you plant them). My choice is 'Squirt,' a rock garden peony (pictured below) which means it is very small in stature: only 16 inches high. That also means that you probably have room somewhere in your garden to squeeze one in. It's an early bloomer and, again, single flowers. (Can you see a pattern here?). By the time this arrives next fall, I will know which of the tentative locations I am considering will work best as its home. 

This link will take you to the listing of Klehm's garden peonies, but be sure to also check out their rock garden, Itoh/Iintersectional and tree peonies as well. And, yes, I am still ordering a peony as well as some other plants from PDN. More on that later.

All photos from Klehm's on-line 2012 catalog.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: 06.15.2011

Last week's record high temperatures brought everything into bloom, and the rain and cooler weather that followed has kept them going just a bit longer. Here's what happening in our garden for June Bloom Day. To see what's blooming in gardens around the world, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

The first three plants — Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo,' Peony 'Soft Salmon Joy' and Iris 'Henry's White' — probably won't last beyond today.

Small flowers with a lot of impact: Purple Campanula portenschlagiana and pink Dianthus carthusianorum.

The color of this Digitalis purpurea 'Apricot' has never matched its name, at least to my eye. But with a flower this spectacular, who's complaining?

Long-time garden favorites: Unknown Heuchera whose long stems of pink bells are at their glory, Astilbe arendsii 'Granat/Garnet' with common chives and the huge globes of Allium 'Star of Persia.'

My only rose (Rosa rugosa var. albo-plena) is in too much shade to produce many flowers but those that do appear are achingly fragrant. It's growing on the lot line with my neighbor's Weigela. 

The early dayliles have been open for a week or more: mini yellows 'Cricket' and 'Golden Chimes' and the schoolbus yellow of either 'Gold Dust' or H. dumortieri. Its spent flowers look almost like confetti so I don't feel too bad about not deadheading.

And the always amazing Epimedium grandiflorum ssp. koreana 'La Rocaille' continues to bloom long after the rest of the Epimediums have ended their show for the season.

Farewell Seneca Hill

Unlike most years, this spring I only received one shipment of mail-order plants. They came from Seneca Hill Perennials in Ithaca, NY, where I've ordered at least three dozen plants over the last five years. In that time Seneca Hill has become one of my favorite sources for plants with a history, a story or unusual characteristics. It is one of only three nurseries that are actually in my categories list by name. 

This spring I ordered this Helleborus niger from Seneca Hill. It will supposedly bloom at Thanksgiving in my Zone 5 garden. (Seneca Hill Website photo)

Not long ago, Seneca Hill owner Ellen Hornig spoke to the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society about plants of the mountains of South Africa, which she is raising successfully in her Zone 5 garden. By chance, I was sitting next to Hornig before her presentation and had a chance to tell her how much I appreciated the choice and quality of plants she was offering. 

A Rhodie from the late Roslyn Nursery. 

Not long after my plants from Seneca Hill arrived, Hornig sent out an email to friends and customers announcing she is ending her mail order business. She told us her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's twelve years ago at the time she went full-time in the nursery and quit her academic job. He supported her through building the business but now his health demands her support. Hornig is not quite sure what she will do next, but it must surely be something simpler and less stressful. I can only imagine that this has been a decision that's been as painful and difficult to make as it's been for her loyal customers to accept.

The lacy groundcover is Vancouveria, a plant from Roslyn Nursery, that I've never found for sale locally. 

I will miss browsing Hornig's wonderful on-line catalog as much as I will miss the opportunity of adding her plants to my garden. I hope this change offers her the time and energy she needs to help her husband with this most difficult disease. Every time I see a Seneca Hill offering in my garden, I'll think of Ellen and offer a silent thanksgiving for all the years of joy she's brought me — and all the years of joy I will continue to get from her plants.

 

A toad lily whose leaves make flowers superfluous. It's from Plant Delights Nursery and they always have a mid-summer sale!

Now comes Tony Avent's e-newsletter for his nursery, Plant Delights, for June. Avent noted Hornig's news as well as pointing out that Barry Yinger is closing his superb Asiatica Nursery in Pennsylvania. Avent also noted the death of Bob Popham, co-owner of Fairweather Gardens in N.J. He then went on to say that mail order nurseries seem to have a life expectancy of 10-15 years. My garden is filled with great plants from the late-and-still-lamented Heronswood and Roslyn nurseries.

Ellen Hornig in her garden at Seneca Hill with one of the Arisemas for which she is noted. (Seneca Hill Website photo)

If you haven't ever ordered from an independent specialty mail-order nursery, do it now. These are the folks who go plant hunting and hybridizing and bring all of us the fabulous firsts. But without our business, their businesses can't survive. My garden would be a shadow of itself without the incredible range of local independent nurseries I can shop at in person. But it's the special mail-order treats that make it most memorable for me.