Beautiful Peonies at the Farm

Have a look before they disappear... until next year

These Peonies can be admired at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa. But hurry up, the temperatures climb up to 30 degrees Celsius and they might not bloom longer than another week. I took these images a day after a heavy rainfall, but they were still beautiful.

Peonies are amazing, very long-living flowers/bushes: The peony is among the longest-used flowers in ornamental culture and is one of the smallest living creature national Emblems in China. Along with the plum blossom, it is a traditional floral symbol of China.

According to Wikipedia they are named after Paean, a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.

Once planted the Peony likes to be left alone and punishes those who try to move it by not flowering again for several years. Once established, however, it produces splendid blooms each year for decades. The blossom heads are very heavy and need some support to avoid weeping down.

Their marvelous fragrance and bountiful flowers make them a must-have perennial. Peonies are drought tolerant, low maintenance and deer-resistant. See more images and tips at the Canadian Peony Society Page.

For the Novice Gardener

Wondering what to plant in sunny spots?

Here are some sun loving plants:

YARROW (Achillea)
Will grow in dry soil, tolerates drought and some salt and likes well-drained, loamy or sandy soils. Plants grown in too rich soil tend to be tall and floppy. Divide every 2 years in spring or fall. This plant is very undemanding. Excellent for cut and dried flowers, fragrant and attracts butterflies.

STONE CROP (Sedum)
The wide variety of stone crop is a dependable choice for the late summer and fall garden, offering foliage interest earlier in the season, then a colourful display of flowers in the fall - from August to November."Autumn Joy" is by far the most popular of these, a familiar sight when it begins to produce green broccoli-like buds in mid-summer, which gradually open into enormous dusty-pink flower heads, finally deepening to rich bronzy-red. Even the dead flower heads have good winter effect. In rich soils, plants may be pinched in June to prevent floppiness. A classic perennial!

LAMBS EAR (Stachys)
They are a superb foliage plant that reaches a height of about 1 foot. The gracefully shaped leaves are a woolly and silvery white that is extraordinarily effective in combination with a wide range of colors from fire-engine red to golden yellow to gentian-blue. In late spring or early summer, the plants send up furry, silver stalks of small lilac pink flowers on spikes to about 2 feet high. The somewhat fragrant flowers are not very small. Bees love the flowers.

CLEMATIS
Clematis enable the gardener to have masses of bloom from late winter to late fall. To accomplish this, varieties with different bloom times can be grown together or planted in complimentary areas of the garden. In colder climates where temperatures drop below 0°F (-20°C) foundation planting and mulch are required to ensure a long life. The old adage of "their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade" must be adhered to at all times. Best plant Clematis behind a low growing shrub that will give shade to the first 2 feet of the plant.

PEONY
Peonies are long-lived (over 50 years), drought tolerant and low maintenance. Peony flowers come in a range of colours, including yellow, coral, peach and lavender, in addition to white, blush, pink, magenta, and red. Peonies grow two to four feet tall and thrive in sunny flowerbeds and well-drained soils. Although they tolerate a wide range of soil types, you'll have the best success with good soil rich in organic matter. Add compost and blood meal in fall in a circle around the plant.

MAGNOLIA
is famous for its beautifully shaped, very fragrant flowers. The color begins early May, with your tree adorned with 4 inch blossoms that are red purple on the outside and white on the inside. Magnolia trees are a strong, vigorous grower with an upright habit. Place your tree in full sun in soil amended with some organic matter to improve drainage and nutrient holding capacity. Hardy to USDA zone 5 to 6 and all higher zones. Pruning a magnolia tree should be avoided.

ROSA RUGOSA
Rugosa roses are very hardy and disease resistant, and known for their ability to grow in the most hostile environment, both hot and cold. Rugosa’s survive despite neglect and are popular as a thorny, dense hedge. The fragrance is sweet and pleasant. It will grow in salty conditions, shade, full sun, and poor soil, so long as it's well-drained. Along the East Coast it even grows right in the sandy beaches! There are other reasons to grow this beauty besides the low maintenance. Large blooms cover this plant in early summer, giving way to sporadic blossoms up to the first frost in November.

WEIGELA
Weigela are very adaptable shrubs and most are small enough for any size garden, especially with a little pruning in the spring. This beautiful plant / shrub has not only attractive flowers, but also showy leaves, especially the variety "My Monet". The only requirement is full sun to produce copious flowers. The problem with Weigela is deciding which cultivar to grow from over 180 named cultivars. Grow in full sun and protect from winter wind in cold areas. Prune annually after flowering slows down. Many of the newer varieties repeat bloom sporadically during the season.

More tips for new gardeners

First-time Gardeners:

HARDINESS ZONE
It is usually shown on a map. These zones show a geographically-defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone.
In order to survive our harsch winter climate in Ontario, the plants you buy should not have a higher hardiness zone than 5.

COMPOST - FERTILIZER
Compost is an organic!!! fertilizer and mulch. Learn how to make organic fertilizer in a compost pile and benefits of compost as organic fertilizer and mulch:- Making compost is cheap or free.- Organic compost improves the environment.
- Compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration.
- As a mulch, compost helps the soil retain water.
- Compost is an organic fertilizer that improves soil and plants.
- Compost stimulates healthy root development.
- A compost pile is an excellent means of disposing of organic debris, leaves, food wastes, grass clippings, etc.
- Organic compost improves the environment.
- AND IT IS FREE!!!

COMMERCIAL FERTILIZER
Major Ingredients: Most commercial fertilizers have 3 numbers on the front label, separated by dashes. For example: 5-10-5. This is the fertilizer analysis or percentage by weight of the 3 major nutrients plants need: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in that order. These are abbreviated as N-P-K. This example contains 5% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and 5% potassium. The remaining 80% could be comprised of other nutrients and filler.

Nitrogen: The first number gives the concentration of nitrogen in the product.
Nitrogen encourages foliage growth, among other benefits.
Phosphorous: The middle number refers to the concentration of phosphorous. Phosphorous contributes to many fundamental plant processes such as rooting and setting flower buds. Potassium: The final number states the concentration of potassium.
Potassium contributes to the overall health and vigor of plants.

HOW TO READ THE PLANT LABELS
Plants that you buy at nurseries or garden centers always have labels that show the maximum height and width of the mature plant - to show you how far apart they should be planted from each other. Most important is the location info, if the plant likes sun or shade (or partial shade) and the watering instructions. Then you can find the hardiness zone, blooming time and pruning instructions. Most of the time these instructions are given as pictograms.

MULCHING
Place mulch around the plants. This serves many purposes; it cuts down on weeding, as well as aiding in temperature control and water retention. Your flower bed will always look fresh and groomed. Even if you love to work the soil and weed the plants - it would be more rewarding to tending to the plants or just watching them grow, rather than weeding.

WATERING
If you have lots of trees and shrubs in your garden, your perennial flowers live in dry shade and are very thirsty, as they receive very little rain and the big roots of the trees "steal" them their moisture.Water the roots - not the leaves. Water around the plant, not on top of it. The tap water we use in the garden is not as good as rain water for the plants. Ideal would be to install a rain barrel.
To maintain really healthy plants, water for longer periods of time, but less frequently. If it is not raining, water at least once a week. Do not let the plants dry out.
Always water very early in the morning so the plant leaves have time to dry out during the day which helps prevent fungal disease and sunburn (water acts like a magnifier glass of the sun rays).

PLANT A HERB GARDEN

The sunny part of your garden is ideal for herbs. All herbs prefer full sun and well-drained and "fluffy" soil, maybe added with a little bit coarse sand. Herbs are blooming too! Here is a variety of herbs with attractive blooms, just plant them in a sunny flower bed between your other perennials.

Lavender
Compact, green foliage is topped with fragrant spikes of blue flowers. An excellent border and pot plant.

Basil
Basil is a beautiful plant that has culinary, medicinal and ornamental qualities. There are about 150 species and they can be rich, spicy and mildly peppery and are used traditionally in Mediterranean, Italian and Thai cooking.

Chives
Tastes like mild, sweet onions. Great in salads or herbal vinegars.

Rosemary
Goes great with poultry, lamb, pork and is terrific in vinegars. Mulch well or cover with evergreens before winter.

Sage (Salvia)Beautiful gray-green foliage, with blue flowers. Used in sausages, pork and veal dishes, as well as in poultry stuffings.

Oregano
Used in a variety of tomato dishes and in Italian, Spanish and Mexican cooking as well as in vinegars.

Orange Thyme
A citrusy thyme that is excellent with fish, roasted vegetables, stews and soups or in marmalades and chutneys.

Freezing your herbs:
I use a lot of herbs for cooking. But some herbs grow so vigorously that I have to cut the surplus in fall. I rinse the twigs thoroughly under running water, cut them in tiny pieces, fill them into a separate ziplog bag for each type, (mark the name on the bag) and store them in the freezer. That gives me herbs for many months ahead and memories of summer.

NEW TO GARDENING

Some tips for novice gardeners

Choosing the right plant for the right spot is important if you want your plants to thrive. Here are some "staples" of easy-to-grow perennials and shrubs in gardening zone 4 and 5 (Eastern Ontario):

Plants for Shade:

HYDRANGIA
Plant in spring or fall in a partly shady site with moist, well-drained soil and amend with well-rotted manure or compost. Monitor soil moisture all season. In dry periods, hydrangea leaves become distinctly wilted; water immediately when this happens. In spring and after flowering, feed with compost or a balanced fertilizer, following label directions. To increase the size of the decorative flowers, cut back the previous year's growth to 3-5 buds in spring.In early spring, remove any dead branches or, if necessary, old growth, making cuts at the base of the plant for best growing habit.

HOSTA

The most beautiful for me is Hosta Sieboldiana with its blue-green foliage. It requires shade and well drained soil. Large mound size at maturity.Like other hostas, it is easy to care for and will continue to flourish year after year. Hosta sieboldiana's heart-shaped foliage looks its best when grown in a shady spot.

WHITE BLEEDING HEART (Dicentra spectabilis)
Dicentra spectabilis "Alba" has two distinguishing features that set it apart from the regular pink form of the species. The most obvious feature is its white heart-locket flowers. But additionally the leaves are lime-green rather than green. It can easily grow to two feet high & fountaining outward to two feet.

ASTILBE

Shade to sunshine. The trick to growing this plant is to ensure it has adequate moisture. This is not a plant for dry soils. It will spread from 12-inches to as large as you want to allow it to grow. This means of course that you can propagate it by dividing it in the spring or fall. Compost added in the spring is all the fertilizing it requires. Varieties: Too many to list all of them, colors from white to pink, salmon and burgundy red.

CORAL BELLS (Heuchera)

These Heuchera are a terrific choice for adding a touch of colour towards the front of border. The maple-shaped leaves vary in all shades. Taller sprays of flowers appear in late spring. This lovely perennial came originally from the Rocky Mountains. Then the hybridizers went to work to add a touch of their magic here and there. Hardy to zone 4, but in milder areas the foliage colour can often be maintained through the winter. Heuchera is one of those very accommodating plants that will adapt to most any situation provided it is given a moist, well-drained location.Trim off any withered or tired-looking leaves in spring.

JAPANESE PAINTED FERN

This fern grows around twelve to eighteen inches tall and slowly multiplies to form a large clump. The fronds are approximately eighteen inches long and are a soft-grey metallic colour with hints of red and blue. The centre stem is red so the contrast is excellent. It is a lovely plant preferring partial shade rather than deep shade; grow it under the soft shade of a tree. If grown in a good soil, it will hold its colouring all summer long, from the earliest spring fronds right through late fall.

MOCK ORANGE (Philadelphus)

These shrubs flower on the previous year’s growth, so to keep them abundant, you need to remove all the branches which have flowered in the current year. If you do this in September, you can simply stick the old branches in the ground and most of them will break into leaf the next spring. Mock-oranges are very easy to propagate, take softwood cuttings in summer or hardwood cuttings in autumn or winter.The large, white, deliciously fragrant flowers from early to mid-summer are what earns mock orange a place in the garden. To keep plants in shape, cut back shoots to a strong buds every year after flowering. On older plants, also remove roughly a quarter of the oldest branches each year to encourage new growth.

ROSA GLAUCA
This rose was not widely grown in gardens until the end of the 19th century, when its refined wildness and beauty out of the flowering season first began to be appreciated. It has cinnamon-coloured arching canes 1.5-3 m tall. The most distinctive feature is its leaves, which are glaucous blue-green to coppery or purplish. The fragile, clear pink flowers are produced in clusters of two to five. The fruit is a dark red hip. Mature size: Height: 6 feet (2 m). Width: 5 feet (1.5 m). Flowering period: June, Rosa Glauca likes half shade, lightly prune immediately after flowering.

These are just a few of thousends of shade loving plants thriving in my garden.