Paeonia Yellow Crown et al.

A statement like, I cultivate gorgeous peonies, sounds borishly over confident and yet I can say it because it's just what I do. You can too. Why? Because the peony is a survivor. Having said that, I must make issue with the fact that it doesn't appreciate being disturbed. Move one plant half a dozen times and maybe the peony isn't cut out for you. However, if you are decisive and know just where you want to locate your peonies, you're all set. Two factors really ensure the peony's survival, 1) try to locate a plant with a bit of protection from the wind and 2) don't locate it in a heavily shaded spot. Now, I've seen big, beautiful blossoms from peonies planted in fields where they were buffeted constantly from Midwest winds and others who thrive even though they must stick their stems out to catch a few rays. I have peonies scattered throughout my garden beds, some thriving in not so ideal locations. Other than the obvious, that's the beauty of the peony.

I'm going to leave the expert advice on proper cultivation to the experts and just talk about the fun stuff like, how I unexpectedly acquired three Yellow Crown peonies this weekend. If you aren't already aware of it, now's a great time to rummage around in your local nurseries for end-of-the-season bargains. Most nurseries want to reduce the amount of nursery stock they have to take inside for the winter. It's a plus-+ for filling out bare spots in garden beds. The Yellow Crown peony, pictured above, is actually a tree peony. A tree peony is a shrubby, deciduous plant which develops woody stems, growing between three and six feet tall. A herbaceous peony, pictured below, is a hardy perennial, growing between 18 and 36 inches tall with foliage that dies back each winter. Cost is a huge factor between the two types. A healthy young tree peony can easily range between $30-$100 whereas a common herbaceous peony will cost between $10-$30. Today, I paid $10 each for the Yellow Crowns I brought home. Yipeee! Of course the tree varieties were few but right now, the herbaceous varieties are still many. The Bowl of Beauty (above) can be found for around $8. A super variety, mine flower profusely each spring.

Here's a tip if you've never grown peonies before: Mix a bit of compost and a pinch of bonemeal into the hole when planting. Also, it's hard to tell in late summer if the plant has flowered, a good indication it will again flower in the coming spring. So, choose a nice large specimen. I've bought scrappy little plants in the past thinking they'll catch up. Wrong. Scrappy little peonies rarely produce. If the specimen you are looking at, yes, even on the bargain table, isn't robust and healthy, pass it up. Guaranteed, you'll find nice sized plants at a reputable nursery.

If your local nurseries don't discount plants, maybe you should be asking: why not? Luckily, I have many nurseries to choose from in my area. Most move stock by discounting but one in particular rarely ever discounts anything, heaven forbid has a (cringe) clearance table. I asked why not and was told very matter-of-factly that their grower fully refunded any damaged, dead, or even simply unsaleable plants. Really? Isn't that why big box stores get a bad rap from gardeners? Because they can throw in the dumpster for 100% reimbursement what the small moms & pops cannot? I don't boycott the big box stores either, unless they are dressed up as something they are not. Enough said.

Now is the time to plant for a showy next spring. In our area, there's plenty of time to get new perennials rooted in before the first frost. And, in a couple more weeks, the new fall bulbs will be out. I checked with my favorite nursery and the tulip, daffodil, and hyacinth bulbs will be on sale the last weekend of August. Good times.

Speaking of bulbs, rhizomes, and roots, I've started bare root peonies in my gardens. If planting bare root, look for a root with three to five well developed eyes, which are little red bud formations. Make sure that the eyes are planted no more than two inches below the soil line. Planting any deeper is an exercise in futility as the peony won't bloom. That's why I really like to plant potted peonies. Don't bury the crown of the plant and the guess work is all done.

Hey, I love to hear about your garden finds. Email me. And oh yeah, Tuesday Morning has a popular ergonomic line of gardening tools for 50% off retail while supplies last. You're welcome!

Gardening as a Way of Life

We, Dave and I, have a very misunderstood lifestyle. We're . . . gardeners. ( Oooh, hush!)


Granted, I'm the one who has the greenest thumb. I can take petunias from nice to how'd-you-do-that in 0 to 60 days. And, we've been bringing in around 100 tomatoes a week for about a month now which is not bad from our back yard garden. But grooming an astonishing look in flowers or coaxing a gargantuan amount of produce in vegetables is only half of what makes Blessing Hill so fabulous. That half is just the fun stuff which is my job. The other half of the magic is hard work. In the above picture are three elements of hardscape: the arbor, the fence, and the gazebo. And, I'll guarantee you they wouldn't be there---in the picture or on our property---if it weren't for Dave. He's the muscle, the installer, the carpenter, that keeps our place looking its best.

The person who built our house also built our back deck. Much like his mind, the deck was a small, closed box. I hated it. There was just enough room for a couple chairs and one flower pot, if both chairs and the pot didn't mind sitting upon each other. So, Dave redesigned the deck, not from any purchased plan but from an original idea. He took vacation to have time to bring the new deck to frutation. I had the pleasure of tearing apart the old deck and helping put together the new one. However, I'm lousy with a tape measure. I'm close but Dave's exact. In 100 degree sweltering heat, we built our deck together. There's always a new project. Each winter I set about making plans. Plans for flower combinations in hanging baskets, containers, and even beds. Plans for new beds or for enlarging an existing bed. Plans for hardscape or for dealing with problems in hardscape. It's a continual process.

Most people don't understand how much work it takes. Wouldn't Dave rather be out on the golf course??? I can't speak for him, but he doesn't own a bag full of clubs, he owns a barn full of tools. (Personally, it's just my opinion but unless you are Tiger Woods, the only reason to spend an entire day of one's weekend at the course is to have an excuse to get away from the wife and kids.) This gardening season I wasn't able to do the things I normally do. Dave picked up the slack. But when I'm in fine fiddle, we can work outside the entire weekend and not accomplish everything that needs to be done. Like this past weekend, we didn't get our grass mown. Imagine.

We've heard that we don't have a social network since we spend our time at Blessing Hill all alone. We should join a group, a Bible study for instance, or take up a hobby like riding motorcycles with other cyclists. We wouldn't be so isolated that way. Don't cry for us, Argentina! We'll be just fine. We probably have a larger social network and come in contact with more people than any other average couple. Consider this: gardening isn't just about sticking a flower in a pot. Have I said that before?

Well for those who don't live and breathe gardening, here's the scoop. In order to do the things we love to do, we have to rely on others to ensure that we maintain our lifestyle. Like, consider this: We wouldn't have a new potting shed if it weren't for

Sutherlands
Lowe's
Home Depot
Habitat for Humanity
Davis Paint

all of which are places where we've made friends. And of course there's

Nick's Green Leaf Gardens
Johnson Farms
Farrand Farms
Colonial Nursery
Family Tree Nursery

where we've made friends not only with the people who own and/or work there but with people who shop there as well. Then there's the not so familiar contact of strangers. I would consider it an unsuccessful outing if not one spontaneous conversation happened over a table laden with garden herbs or begonias. And then there's Dave hobby of constant bargaining. It's good times when an item he wants gets discounted just for his asking. Or, he finds an estate sale where I can't leave without at least one thing for the garden.

Does Dave look put upon to carry those tomaotes in the above picture or does he look proud of his harvest? You tell me, that tub holds 80 large tomatoes. Did I mention that we love to eat? It doesn't matter either whether its in or out, at home or at restaurant. But what does matter is the food. At home, we eat straight from our vegetable garden. Pure delight. Forget potato chips when the zucchini is in season and fried to perfection. Not to mention cake and bread and . . . how about those tomatoes turned into sauce for eggplant parmasean side dressed with cucumbers and onions turned in vinaigrette, and sweet potato pie to finish.

Oh yeah, baby, it's a good life.

What Does Summer Look Like?

Around here? Vegetables baby, vegetables! This time of year the tomato plants are big, bushy, and thick with ripening fruit. The wisteria is in constant need of taming. And, my flip flops keep constant company with a pot of caladiums at the back door. On a good day it all runs me ragged. Having had more off days than not this gardening season, it's been daunting---the weeding, the feeding, but luckily not as much watering. We've had it good with the weather. Cool temps. Lot's of rain. Just yesterday another inch and a quarter. I woke up to the sounds of thunder and rain beating against our bedroom window. Sweet.

As we were out and about last weekend, Dave and I stopped at a convenience store for drinks. I stayed in the car with Lu while Dave ran in. Behind the store is a large green space that isn't mowed on a regular basis. With all the rain we've had, this green space was host to a sea of Queen Anne's lace. Sometimes I see things in a different way than most but it seemed to me that those lacey, white doilies were twirling to the beat of Shake, Shake, Shake by KC and the Sunshine Band playing on the radio. Delightful. With the invention of cellular phones that fit in one's ear, no one questions my sanity anymore when I'm by myself and I laugh out loud at the humor in nature.

Speaking of which, I was out in the vegetable garden yesterday and happened upon one of nature's perplexities. Is that even a word? I love the dictionary definition: The quality of being intricate or complicated; entanglement. If you're looking at the third picture of this posting, enough said. Maybe its the quality of being intricate and complicated at the same time that causes the entaglement. It sure was in this case as a deviation in a blossom produced a conjoined squash. Exceptional. I can hardly wait to show it off to all my gardening buddies. And to think a yellow squash could be such a hot topic. I'm sure it will spark many over-the-fence conversations.

Anomalies seem to be in the air right now. I was visiting with a friend who raises bird dogs. No, not canines with wings, but English setters or pointers or whatever they are called, and one of the females in the kennel has the cutest litter of puppies. Most look like their father, white body, black head, but only one takes after the mother, white body, beige head. We considered purchasing one but Lu is half hunter---German shorthair. Dogs that were bred for hunting can be very focused and often Lu gets so focused he only hears the beat of his own drum. We have issues. I decided another hunting dog in the house is not our best choice. However, Lu needs a companion. I'm too old to play a good game of run and chase and I'll guarantee you when the car leaves on the weekend, no matter how hot it is outside, I'm in it. On the other hand, Lu isn't and I'm sure when he's left home by himself, he's very lonely.

So back to the anomaly . . . same neighbor tells me that his son's dog just had puppies and they are looking for good homes for them. It seems that their English bulldog (female) and their Great Pyrenees (male) are now parents. We should bring Lu's new sister home around the end of September. Exciting. Can't wait to see what a full grown Bullnees will look like . . .

On another note, summer looks like good food spread out on a picnic table. Here's a cake to put the icing on the last course of an outdoor feast:

Cocoa-Molasses Zucchini Cake

2 cups shredded zucchini
1 1/2 teas lemon juice
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 large eggs
1 teas vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teas baking powder
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teas ground cloves
1/4 teas freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350

In a small cup, combine milk and lemon juice. Allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes or until the milks sours and thickens slightly. In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk to incorporate and then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, canola oil, sugar and molasses until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla. Now gradually alternate the dry ingredients and the sour milk into the butter mixture. Fold in shredded zucchini.

Pour into a greased, floured pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool and frost with your favorite chocolate icing recipe.