Planting Peonies for a future of large, beautiful blooms!
This time of the year is what many would call the end of the growing season. The colder temps the shorter day length most definitely put a pause on most plants, however these conditions are vital for that big growth spurt we are all anxious to see every spring. Cooler temps are especially important for the peonies.
When learning more about peonies last year I was surprised to find out that Alaska produced almost more peonies than anywhere else in the world, second only to the Netherlands. Peonies thrive in the cool, fertile temperatures of the more northern latitudes and will tolerate regions up to USDA Zone 3 (for reference we are Zone 6). While spring planting is an option for these plants, fall planting gives your plant more time to focus on growing roots to establish nutrients for the upcoming spring, allowing more shoots, branches and flowers in the coming season.
Planting peonies roots could not be easier. Select a location that is in full sun and has enough space for plants to spread. While it may take a few years for them to really take off, peonies typically have a spread of around three feet when mature so plan accordingly. Roots should be planted with eyes (the red or white tips found on the root system) pointing upwards and only one to two inches deep. If possible it is a good idea to work the soil under and around the newly transplanted root in order to aid in drainage as they prefer well-drained soil.
This Red Charm Peony Root is looking strong and healthy! Purchased as 3-5 eye roots, many have more. On this one root I found more than six large eyes (the pink parts there) and the starts of many feeder roots (the white little appendages).
A few other tips and tricks when it comes to peonies-
Peonies often develop a powdery mildew and peony leaf spot, especially in wet or humid years such as this year. While this can be unsightly, it is not problematic for the peony plant. If your plant develops either one of these conditions you may choose to treat it or simply remove the infected foliage at the end of the season, disposing of it rather than composting. Ideally, you should leave the foliage as long as you can, or all winter, to ensure it can gain as much energy as possible AND the moths, butterflies, and other insects that live within its branches have a home over the winter months.
I hear many people who believe that peonies are synonymous with ants, I have even heard that ants are required for peonies to bloom. From everything I have read, this is not true! Peonies can bloom without ants however, they do have a mutualistic relationship, meaning one in which they both benefit, with the ant. Ants do enjoy the sweet nectar of the peony flower but they also provide the blooms with protection from beetles and other insects that feast on their petals. If you want beautiful blooms in the garden, thank the ants! If you want beautiful blooms in your vase, harvest sooner! Peonies have one of the largest storage and vase lives amongst the cut flower world. Blooms may be harvested before they open, before they begin to inhabit their petals, when the closed bud is soft to the touch but not yet opened. The “marshmallow” stage of a peony bloom is the ideal harvest time.
In regards to their blooms, if you are wanting the most out of your plants it is best to remove all buds for the first 2-3 years. This will cause your plant to focus less energy on flowering but more energy on bigger roots. Bigger roots, more energy, more nutrients and a noticeable increase in blooms come year four. It’s hard to do, I know it first hand, but don’t be afraid to sacrifice those first blooms for the sake of those to come.
Keeping all of this in mind, be sure to select a good location. As we said, full sun and well drained fertile soil is required but where you plant them in your landscape may need to be reconsidered. You obviously want a clear view of these big, beautiful, full blooms but putting them front and center may not be the best choice. Choose somewhere that can be easily seen and accessed but not so much that the off season foliage and its disease susceptibility can be an eyesore.
So, not that you have all the information, the hardest thing to do is… decide which one you want to add to your landscape!
Red Charm, Paula Fay, Pink Hawaiian Coral, and Dutchesse de Numerous are all available at our location for a limited time! Come see us today to pick up or ensure availability by ordering online. We will be waiting a few more weeks to plant so get yours before they are added to my own collection! See our website for more details on each variety and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
The time to plant is, NOW!
Or at least the time to plan on planting is now! Early spring and fall are the best time to plant perennials. It may be surprising to many but fall may just be even BETTER than spring as it encourages plants to develop stronger roots as opposed to focusing on establishing vegetation and flowers. While above ground things may seem slow at work, with adequate moisture and a cool start, your perennial roots will be prepped and ready to take off running next spring!
If you haven’t started to think about fall planting yet, no worries! We have a few tips and suggestions for you.
KEEP perennial plants past the frost. Dead-head diseased perennials that appear to be covered in mildew or disease. This year especially, you may have noticed a larger amount of mildew or disease on some of your perennial leaves as a result of our excessive summer rain. If plants look healthy- leave them! Yep, this fall task is easy- STOP DEADHEADING EVERYTHING! Garden friends like song birds, pollinators, bees and other wildlife use the stems of plants throughout the winter to forage and live. Keeping your plants stalks around helps the native wildlife overwinter.
Divide spring and summer perennials. I LOVE a plant that keeps on giving. In fact, that is pretty much how I began gardening- divide, share with others, reposition a few things, and enjoy even more green space the next year.
Clean beds by removing weeds. Leaving the season clean of weeds will be a big help come next spring!
Plant bulbs in late fall. October and November are great times to plant bulbs such as tulips and daffodils. From experience I would highly recommend planting them the suggested depth AND possibly keeping them covered with mesh to keep them from being feasted on by squirrels. (I once planted tulips only to find half of them scattered throughout my yard thanks to a lovely little squirrel! Now I cover them!) If you are wanting to add fall bulbs to your landscape for early spring blooms, see below!
Keep flower beds moist. Newly planted bulbs and plants need adequate moisture levels to keep their roots growing. If you encounter an extended period of dry weather it may be a good idea to water them a little until that first frost.
Tulip Care Guide
Purchasing tulips, or any cut flower, instantly brightens the mood and home. We want you to enjoy those beauties for as long as possible! Follow these six steps to ensure you get the most life out of your tulips.
1. Cleanliness is Key
Bacteria can quickly wreck any flower arrangement. When bacteria is allowed to grow in the vase or stems of your flowers it clogs the stems, cutting off their water ways and eventually causing them to weather quicker than expected. Clean your vase daily or have an extra on hand to quickly swap out to avoid that slimy bacteria that can build up around a vase. A general rule about vases- if you wouldn’t want to drink from it, your flowers don’t want to live in it.
2. Fresh Water Daily
For the same reasons as above, change the water in your vase daily. Changing the water keeps bacteria at bay and cold water keeps blooms from maturing faster. Want your blooms to open a little faster, use warm water. We will try to sell buds as tight as possible, leaving you with as much vase life as possible. If your buds are too tight, try putting them in warm water and watch them open in just a few hours.
3. Avoid Direct Sunlight
Keeping your vase away from the window or other bight lights. I generally love to see flowers in a windowsill but try to limit direct sunlight by moving them to a darker area when I am away from home, prolonging their vase life.
4. Make Room in the Fridge
Cold water, limited light. Combine the benefits of steps two and three by placing your tulips in the fridge every evening or when you are away. Before tulips make it to the end customer they are often placed in a fridge at near freezing temperatures. They like the cold and you will like the extra day(s) of blooms.
5. Trim Stems Periodically
Trimming tulip stems every few days has several benefits. Tulips are full of energy and will continue to grow long after being removed from their bulb. Trimming the stems allows them to keep a tidy appearance in your bouquet and removes the area of the stem that can potentially be clogged with bacteria. Be sure and use clean, sharp scissors and cut at an angle to allow more surface area of the stem to soak up that water.
6. Remove some of the leaves
Tulip leaves that are hanging out in the water will deteriorate more quickly. Tulips are planted six to eight inches below the surface and because of this and the way their leaves are formed, they often get full of dirt, and eventually mud and yep, bacteria! Fill vases only enough to cover just a few inches of your lowest stem and remove any leaves that may be left sitting in water.
Have more questions about flower care? We are loving learning all about cut flowers, plants and more and would be glad to help you find the answer!
Interested in getting your hands on some locally grown cut flowers, follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see what is in bloom!
GIVEAWAY!! Thank you for taking your time to read and engage in our content as we work to grow. (Pun intended!) If you could please fill out the form below and let us know what your favorite cut flower is, you will be entered to win a bouquet to be delivered (locally) or picked up this week!
This giveaway is only good for those in the Perry area but if you would like a free bouquet to be delivered to a friend here in town, feel free to leave a message with you would like to pass your winnings on to, if you are the chosen recipient!
A Season of Thanksgiving
Truth be told, I have always been a Christmas after Thanksgiving kind of person. However, the smells from our workspace, filled with evergreens and eucalyptus, have me ready for winter and the holidays extra early! I am ready to cuddle up on the couch, have me some hot cocoa and watch some holiday classics. Even as I write this I am wandering off into this relaxing, quiet phase of winter. A place where there is peace and calm, but that is going to have to wait just a few more weeks. We have some work to do first!
As I already mentioned, we are in wreath mode. When we purchased our farm we knew that if we were going to do this, we were going all in. Part of our all in was to make this a year round venture. Tomatoes and flowers in the summer is nice, but as our name says, we want to experience life in every season. While this tag line may just be a catchy phrase to many, it’s how we want to run our business. We want to bring living, life-giving, products to homes year round. We also realize with all our hearts and souls that this is a new season in our own lives. We want to embrace and experience it. It is far more than just a tag line.
These busy nights, the approaching holiday season, this season of life and the celebration of our veterans this past weekend has me feeling both overwhelmed and grateful. While I am loving every minute of this busy period I am glad that this time of year also requires pause for thanks.
My father and I in Washington D.C. as part of the Great River Honor Flight, Summer 2023
Last week we celebrated veterans day. If you were able to attend our school program, it was moving a moving experience. The elementary students, band and choir did an excellent job using their talents to honor our heroes. We were also fortunate enough to be able to spend time with two of our most loved Veterans this past weekend. My father, a Vietnam veteran, and Dustin’s grandfather, a Korean War veteran. We are beyond blessed to have these two people in our lives and thankful for their service to our country.
Our family September 2023, Missouri Veteran’s Home Family Day
As we progress into this time of hustle, bustle and in our case, evergreens, I encourage you all to take minute and give thanks. Thank you again for joining us on our journey.
With gratitude,
Jan
Perry’s Pop-Up Holiday Market
Please join us next weekend at Perry’s Pop-Up Holiday Market! We will be bringing you live Holiday Wreaths as well as live centerpieces, perfect for the upcoming holidays!
The past two years I have truly enjoyed this event as a shopper and I am excited to see everyone this year from the other side of the booth. Our Perry Area Chamber of Commerce does an amazing job of filling the town with vendors from Perry and neighboring communities.
Hope to see you there!
As one season ends another begins.
We are currently working to prepare greenhouse to get ready for the next season and boy, is there a lot to do! There was a small bit of time where we thought that purchasing this farm at the end of these season would allow us to ease into the process. We briefly thought we would have a few months to ease ourselves into all things tomatoes and growing. That thought was short lived! This summer we quickly were overwhelmed with lists of off-season tasks and we are working hard to cross them off daily.
One big task that has been keeping us busy is cleaning out high tunnels. Our property has five high tunnels that are approximately 30 x 90 feet. That’s over 13,000 square feet of growing space, much of which we received full of tomatoes. Its been a slow process as we work nights and weekends around here, but its coming along.
Tomatoes must be pulled, trellis’s cut, plants piled up and loaded onto the tractor and transported to an outside space after which, staples are lifted, from the fabric and the fabric is pulled out. And, Voila!- a clean space, ready to work for the coming season.
What once was filled with hundreds of trellising tomato plants this greenhouse is almost ready for winter.
We are currently ready to take up the fabric in two houses and have just a few rows of plants to remove in another. GOAL: In addition to hitting the wreath making hard, its my goal to have these done and have soil samples sent off by December 1st. We will see if it can happen!
Last Friday night came home after work and put in another few hours cleaning #3. I must say, this little tractor is quite fun! And while the work is hard, it is immensely satisfying!
Life is about to Bloom!
Well, here we go!
Hey Friends!
While the blooms on our farm have faded away, we know life has a lot more color and light in our future. We are so thankful that you are joining us on journey!
It was great to get to speak with many of you at Perry’s Harvest Market. It was inspiring to see so many people coming together to support local vendors. We feel lucky to be a part of such a wonderful community and are motivated to work to serve it for years to come.
With this newsletter, and the ones to follow, I hope to be able to share more about what we will be offering and bring you along on our journey. Since the market we have moved, started cleaning and prepping the fields and are surrounding ourselves in all things market garden and cut flowers.
This past weekend we finished cleaning out four of our five high tunnels and have begun soil test around the property. We have also received shipments of ranunculus, anemone and tulips for planting for blooms in early spring. I cannot wait to see these tiny corms and bulbs come to life!
This weekend also had me busy working on holiday wreaths. This was getting me stressed! The boxes for the wreath machine arrived before we moved and I have felt them calling to me ever since! Saturday I set aside everything else and I got to work on building the table to hold the machine. While it may not be a looker, this thing is nice! This morning I had to give it a try and, you guys, it’s amazing. I cannot wait for the rest of my greens and materials to come in so you can see, and SMELL these beautiful wreaths! I will have to share more about them with you in the near future.
Until then, I want to once again thank you for joining us. We hope to be able to share and serve you in the near future. Have an amazing week.
Jan