Posts tagged tree peony

On to May…

July 10, 2013 · Filed under bulbs, perennials, shrubs, trees · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Now after that short break to show you Kilbourne Grove from the air, we will continue on the ground.

I took lots and lots and lots of photos, don’t want to forget a thing,

From my redbud flowering again this year, yay, (shall have to limb it up a bit)…

to my favourite euphorbias flowering. These have seeded everywhere in the garden, but I love them so much, I can’t bear to pull them out.

The red Ohio buckeye, Aesculus Pavia, has twice as many flowers on it this year,

love how the stems match the flower colour.

My favourite camassia. leichtlinii, need to divide it and spread the love.

Another camassia, this one is quamash. I have read the native Americans used to dig the bulbs and use them for food.

Fothergilla just starting to flower,

My mothers tree peony also starting to flower,

love this shot, I am now using it as a screen saver.

The Serviceberry Allee,

with the serviceberry or Amelanchiers just starting to flower.

And a new hellebore, “Amber Gem”,

I think planting it beside some chartreuse and chocolate foliage will make the colour pop even more.

Just so I do not bore you too much, I will show you the last half of May next time.

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My Passion for Peonies

June 29, 2012 · Filed under perennials · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Like a lot of bloggers, peonies are my favourite cut flower. I could not wait for peony season to start when I was a floral designer, I loved them so. And one of the great things about wholesale flowers was the peony season in New Zealand. As our seasons are the opposite, I got cut peonies twice a year.

A Garden Arrangment

Wow, this was taken back in 2009, when I first started blogging, my camera skills have improved since then.

So, I made sure to plant a number of peonies at Kilbourne Grove, (and I am still planting, this year I purchased 2 Itoh peonies, Kopper Kettle and Bartzella, and a species, peonia rockii).  Teza also gave me a fern leaf peony when I saw him in the spring for our legendary (in our own minds) trip to Lost Horizons.

There were 2 of the old-fashioned varieties at Kilbourne Grove when we purchased it, both double pinks, a light and a dark. You know, the kind that falls over in a rain, but oh so fragrant, and perfect for vases.  But when I purchase them, I look for anything from singles to a semi-double.

I have

 Do Tell,

See how much Pink Hawaiian Corals colour changes as it ages, crazy.

Pink Hawaiian Coral,

my Dads (unnamed) peony,

Coral N Gold, you can see how much it fades as well,

and a tree peony that I dug up from my parents house when my dad sold the property, an unknown pink.

These are the ones that I have photos for, unphotoed (is that even a word) include, Moon of Nippon, Raspberry Sundae, Edulis Superba, Shirley Temple and two  other tree peonies High Noon” and Shima-Nishiki or “Fire Flame. The last is also one that I dug up from my parents. In the four years since, I have never been at Kilbourne Grove when it has flowered, always arriving to see spent petals decorating the ground,

like this.

 Oh well, one day…

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Hello Beautiful!!!!

July 2, 2009 · Filed under perennials · Tagged , ,

Wow!

Tree Peony

Tree Peony

A year after my mum died, my father decided to sell the house.  I really wanted something from my mothers garden as a ‘living memorial’, but the house was closing in March.  This really limited what I could choose. Most of the perennials were not showing.  But the snowdrops that my mum had originally got from my grandmothers garden were in flower and I could see where the tree peonys were.  Even though it was really early in the season, I decided to dig them up.  I figured that I was losing  them anyway, so if they didn’t make it , I was losing them anyway. 
 
So, I dug them up as well as a vast quantityof snowdrops and helped move my father.  The next day, I had to plant them in the ground.  My parents had been living in Niagara (the banana belt) and my house is in Owen Sound.  In order to plant the peonys and snowdrops. I had to remove 6″ of snow off the raised garden beds.  Luckily, the soil was really soft under its fluffy, white blanket and I proceeded to plant.
 
Things went well, they flowered a month later and were a lovely light and dark striped pink.  Unfortunately, that fall, I ran out of time and did not have a chance to move them into a garden bed.
 
This year, you can see what happened.   I now have a scarlet hussy living in my garden.  I do not know what happened, if this is from the graft of the tree peony, or if my mother is playing a joke on me, but she is luscious, like scarlet silk.
But, I definitely have to move her this fall, and we will see what she decides she wants to be next year.
 
 

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The Amazing Marion Jarvie and her Garden

June 12, 2009 · Filed under garden visits · Tagged , ,

tree peony

tree peony

 

Two weekends ago, I was lucky enough to visit Marion Jarvie’s Open Garden.  If you have never been there, you should definitely take the time to visit. It is amazing!
She and her husband open the garden four times per year, early spring, early summer, mid summer and late summer.  Every time it looks completely different as the focus changes from bulbs, to peonies, to perennials. 
I have taken a few courses and gone to lectures by Marion, but to see it in the flesh is a treat.
 
Unfortunately, Marion was mobbed and I wasn’t able to get the variety of the plants, but let me show you a few pictures.
 
Dawn Redwood

Dawn Redwood

A lovely Arched Pergola
A lovely Arched Pergola

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Japanese Maple

Japanese Maple

 

 

 

Urn

Urn

Isn’t it amazing? You can use a mix of perennials like the hosta and some tender plants. The agave, phormium can all be wintered over in the house and saved for the next year and the hosta can be planted in the garden.

 

The next open date is July 18 and 19, and it is open from 10 to 4, rain or shine.  You can call the Toronto Botanical Gardens at 416-397-1340 and they will be able to give you the address.  You will be happy you took the time!

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