There’s been a lot of excitement about the intersectional peonies in the last few years. But the first crosses of tree peonies and herbaceous peonies were made by Toichi Itoh in 1948. Itoh died just after his first hybrids made it to market. For the next fifty years, their scarcity brought market prices near $1,000 a plant for some varieties. Although I was given my Monrovia plants by a local distributor, they still retail for $120. But you can buy a good root division for $70-80 in the fall.

From the tree peony genetics come the larger blooms,  stronger stems, dissected foliage and  the introduction of the yellows and orange blends. The herbaceous parent brings to the party  the more manageable plant size and most importantly, the sheer abundance of bloom. But the most exciting part of this breeding breakthrough is the development of more than one bloom per stem, so a cool spring can deliver blooms for up to a month.

‘Garden Treasure’ is the standard bearer for today’s Itoh peonies.  In 1996, it was a recipient of a Gold Medal by the American Peony Society and then received the Award of Landscape Merit in 2009 from the same organization. This image was shot in the vase.

This was ‘Garden Treasure’ after Mum had already cut off about six blooms for cut flowers. She was too eager to pick before she shot the image.

The subtle colorings of ‘Kopper Kettle’ are hard to capture in a single image. But I consider it my most cherished investment. ($120 for a perennial classifies as an investment in my limited world).

I wouldn’t have spent so much of my own money on these outstanding plants, but they have afforded Mum and I with much pleasure.

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Ode to Clematis ‘Roguchi’

by Patrick on June 6, 2013

For many years I kept filed away a phenomenal article by Maurice Horn in the May 2007 issue of Horticulture about the esteemed Japanese clematis breeder, Kazushige Ozawa. The Japanese entrepreneur ran a cut flower business dedicated to the discerning customers who performed tea ceremonies. They valued the simplicity of a traditional clematis in the tea room vase but he felt a long stem was most suited to complete the best aesthetic. So he began a mission to breed long stemmed, interestingly shaped flowers in “subdued but rich colors”.

The core of the program utilized North American species including Clematis addisonii, C. crispa, C. ochroleuce, C reticulata and C. viorria. But the flowers were too small  for his overall objective. So he turned to C.integrifolia (left) with it’s larger nodding bell-shaped flowers ranging from lavender to blue. Credit: Garden Crossings

‘Roguchi’ ,which would become his signature creation, was created by a cross between C. integrifolia and C. reticulate yielding the signature 1 1/2″, waxy, deep purple bells on nodding, long stems. The ideal tea room flower now would inspire contemplative reflections for many and enthrall gardeners around the world. I was enraptured by the accompanying image in the story and thus begun my obsession with this purple beauty. On a practical note, Horn notes ‘Roguchi’ is very hardy and amenable to cross pollination by other species.

I lived in the grand city of Saint Louis where I wooed the mother of my children on the grounds of the iconic St. Louis Botanical Garden. Another lasting image is the Italian-American suburb known both as “The Hill” and the home of some of the best Italian family restaurants in the Gateway City. An old friend’s family run’s one of the best, Cunnetto’s but plan to wait in the bar for at least an hour on a weekend.

But I most warmly remember the simple white homes where at least three quarters proudly displayed a cement grotto housing the Virgin Mary. Being a gardener I had to put my own spin on this cherished tradition. So after I saw the picture of ‘Roguchi’ accompanying the Horticulture feature on Ozawa, I immediately thought of an arbor covering a statue. Never realized I’d find the most attractive, weathered statue of the Virgin. Please note, I had to place the grotto on the north side of my house, so don’t discount  his creation based on the restrained amount of blooms on this plant. After the house was sold to one of the teachers in the boys’ school, I knew she’d be in good hands,
My next experience with ‘Roguchi’ has been my desire to establish it on an arbor at the front entrance to my Mum’s condo (Above). There are not a lot of vendors so I went with Plant Delights and paid $18.00 for something short of a rooted cutting. In fact, I received an email notifying me the cuttings had been delayed in maturing suitable for sale. Tony, we love you but I find some of your prices to be quite steep for the overall size. So I had Mum plant our whispy specimen in a pot next to the arbor. She wasn’t able to replant in the garden but I’m happy to report she’s back with a gusto. WE’ll be sure to have in the ground by mid-October for continued success.

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It’s peony season and I’m working on a story for a fall issue of The Kansas City Gardener about the best peonies for use in landscaping. We’ve all witnessed older hybrids whose flowers topple over in the rain and rot where they land. I’m also designing two beds including peonies for the front of Trinity to greet our guests and residents. While a mixed bed of peonies may last only two weeks, the plants look healthy and well shaped for the rest of the season.

I recently asked Roy Klehm of Song Sparrow Nursery in Wisconsin, one of the premiere peony breeders in the country, for his top ten list of landscape peonies. He has bred two American Peony Society Gold Medal Selections and has received two APS Awards of Landscape Merit for his hybrids. Put reminders in your calendar now for fall planting.

With no further adieu:

1. Abalone Pearl

One of the first to bloom. Lightly Scented. 32″

2. ‘America’

True Scarlet Red. American Peony Society Gold Medal Selection. 28″ Early Season

3. ‘Angel Cheeks’

Bomb-type Flower. American Peony Society Gold Medal Selection. 26″ Mid Season

4. ‘Coral Sunset’

Good cut flower. American Peony Society Gold Medal Selection. 28″ Early Season

5. ‘Eskimo Pie’

Excellent for cut flowers.Deep green foliage with 2-3 side buds. Mid Season. 26″

6. ‘Fragrant Pink Improved’

Carnation-type blooms. Nicely fragrant. Small garden Stature. 26″ Mid Season

7. ‘Lancaster Improved’

Bomb-type. Excellent plant for cutting and garden. Slightly fragrant. 32″ Mid Season

8. ‘Little Red Gem’

Rock garden peony (I’m currently trailing three from his nursery). Rounded plant of filigree foliage. Only 20″ tall. Early Season.

9. ‘My Petite Cherie’

Petite statured plant. Fragrant blooms with strong stems. Mid Season 22″

10. ‘Quilt Show’

Fragrant with deep green foliage.Mid Season 32″ On the fence on this one when included in a bed with the others above. Your thoughts?

For my garden, 8 & 9 seem small to include in same bed with others. Will add ‘Krinkled White’ because it’s always been a favorite and have seen an APS landscape report of handsome fall display of orangery stems with fresh yellow green leaves.

Enjoy your peonies while they last and visit www.songsparrow.com.

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Patrick's Garden

Before my paralyzation forced me to retire, I spent twelve years in the advertising agency business focusing on agricultural clients. I moved to St. Louis and one of my clients was Monsanto, specifically Roundup in the Southern and Western US markets. This was from 1993-1996.

My key objective was to speed up the adoption of no-till farming methods n the South where the practice was not as embraced as in the Midwest.

Al Gore has been criticized for his characterization of Roundup in Earth in the Balance: Ecology and The Human Spirit (2006) as a safer herbicide because its mode of action affects just one enzyme. He went on to advocate that it should serve as a model for future product development.

In How to Eradicate Invasive Plants (2013), Teri Dunn Chace does a great job in explaining the unique mode of action of the product:

“Glyphosate by itself is not a poison. It works by interfering with a plant’s ability to manufacture key amino acids, thus thwarting protein production. This interference, essentially, makes it impossible for the plant to photosynthesize and go on living.”

From my internal Monsanto education, glyphosate actually inhibits the action of just one key enzyme. This is why it’s been so easy for Monsanto to develop Roundup Ready crop seed that is resistant to applications of Roundup. So growers have been able to apply cheap, generically priced Roundup to kill the majority of weeds as opposed to more expensive pre-emergent that are more hostile to the environment. But recent scientific papers have found glyphosate to be associated with birth defects and is lethal to amphibians. Glyphosate should not be used near water sources or water gardens.

One of the benefits of Roundup is it is systemic and so the chemical is translocated through the entire plant killing roots and all. This makes Roundup so effectives on mature weeds with heavy root systems and weeds with long taproots. But this action can take up to seven to ten days, so it’s different than slash and burn weed killers that destroy only the tissue that is directly exposed to the product.

I was surprised when Dunn Chase suggested and endorsed the off-label,  paint brush method of application. She says you can “mitigate environmental harm by painting on, rather than broad case spraying the product, which is more diffuse and less targeted. In some cases, you may have to use a higher concentration for stem painting to be effective.”

I have painted Roundup  on the the leaves and stems of weeds that are found in the midst of a desirable planting with much success, I have taken advantage of the systemic action and have carefully painted the foliage with a hobby-like paintbrush. This method, though controversial, is very effective. Some believe there are significant health risks in being in such close contact of the product.

From my personal experience, there are two major weeds that Roundup is not effective on. Both nutgrass and henbit are not phased by glyphosate.

So while no herbicide is safe, I hope you  now feel better about using Roundup in your gardens and yards. But my question to you is, do you feel better about using Roundup?

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Colorblend Tulips at Trinity Entrance

by Patrick on May 2, 2013

If you’ve never been to the Colorblends wholesale tulip site, you’ve been missing out. And by wholesale I mean these 200 bulbs at the entrance to my home at Trinity Nursing & Rehab were donated by my Mum for a little over $70.00. This combo, my favorite to date and a keeper is — Rainbow Coalition.

One of my true frustrations on my blog is I can’t manage my own photographs. A man in a power chair with one functioning arm does have his limitations. If I was in control, I’d be out there at 7 am or dusk to capture the perfect image like back in my professional days when I managed the multi-million dollar advertising accounts for agricultural clients like Bayer and Monsanto. I recall getting up at 4am with a photographer and art director to capture a rolling Napa Valley vineyard landscape for an image ad for a grape fungicide. And I also recall toasting our completed efforts with the best damn glass (or perchance glasses) of red wine at around 8am. (You know what they say about those who have a drink before noon…) So you can imagine my frustration begging for images from anywhere I can get them. But I’ll let you imagine what my blog would look like if fate hadn’t put me in this damn chair.

On the Colorblends website, each combo seems to have blooms of each color peaking at the same time. But these are grown in the ideal conditions in Holland. Last year I tried a combo of three dark purples that bloomed individually with a little overlap. We had 50 on each side. Todd, the world’s best gardening bus driver and I thought 100 on each side was needed for full impact.. So one of my best friends, Wally, axed out a bunch of big tree roots to double the size of the bed. Todd was a Nazi about his insistence we had to buy bone meal.

Between Mum, Todd, Wally and myself, our team effort has had so many people coming back to my room to thank me for our efforts. And it brings me great joy to put a smile on their face or slow down admirers from their crazy life. How do you think we did, my friends?

Behind our Therapy room are two 2′ X 6′ boxes I inherited when I came to Trinity that were covered in preschool drawings. I had them painted lime green with this Colorblends combo appropriately titled – Stop the Car in mind.  The orange was the star at first but now I love the open, fluffy orange with the tighter purple as a nice foil and when encased in a lime box…priceless. Sometimes I feel like I know what I’m doing until the next unforeseeable surprise. Know what I mean, friends?

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Science Behind Pinching Plants

by Patrick on May 1, 2013

I have very fond memories of my childhood visiting my grandparents on their farm on the edge of the Australian Outback.  It is here where I learned the basics of how to garden. One of my earliest lessons was all about pinching plants. My grandmother said “Paddy, the more flowers you pick, the more flowers you will get.” As I recall, she demonstrated this quite well with, of course, zinnias, roses, dahlias and geraniums.
I would learn the science behind the phenomenon years later in my training to be an Extension Master Gardener in Johnson County, Kansas. At the end of a branch of any plant is the terminal bud where all growth develops and in that tip is a hormone that suppresses the growth of the axial buds (the side buds). When the terminal bud and its hormone is removed by cutting or pinching, the side buds are permitted to go forth and prosper leading to more compact plants and higher yields of flowers and vegetables.
Don’t be intimated by pinching your plants. As the above photograph simply demonstrates, all you need to do is take your hands and pinch out the flower bud and a few leaves at the tip of the plant. The other way of course is just keep cutting your flowers and the side branches of the side branches will deliver flowers galore.
One of the best examples for pinching is the top image. Coleus get treated just like other plant but you want to create bushy plants with healthy leaves of instead of leggy plants with insignificant flowers.
Earlier in the season, you should pinch new annual flowers as soon as you plant them. The seed companies are breeding plants to look great in the pack bloom And
Continued pinching of perennials gives more flowers but more importantly, it creates stockier plants less susceptible to wind and storm damage.  Here is the Sedum ‘Matrona’ shortly after pinching.
Just look at all that resplendent growth and energy courtesy of the pinching process:
And the most dramatic example of the benefits of pinching has to be tomatoes.  A couple of good pinches before the plants set  will at least double your food harvest. The same goes for peppers, eggplants and even vine vegetables. And don’t forget about basil for your pesto. WOW, will you see a huge difference with it.
So you newbies or lazy experienced gardeners, get out there and pinch and cut and turn your garden into a beautiful, prolific paradise. Nan, even if you didn’t know the science behind it, you were absolutely spot on and now what you shared with me is being passed on to a new crop of gardeners. Thank you, my dear.

 

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The Pawpaw Tree Uncovered

by Patrick on March 31, 2013

Lewis and Clarke shared in their journals they were fond of  them .  In their 1806 expedition rations ran low and the soldiers found them to eat. Jefferson grew them at Mount Vernon (What didn’t he grow at MV? )  What are ws talking about here? Why it’sAsimina trilobar,or better known as the the humble pawpaw tree. The North American Pawpaw is the only temperate cousin of a tropical fruit genus.  They are found growing all over the eastern side of the country but do grow very well in the Midwest.

The fruit starts green as is shaped like a mango growing from 3-6″ and then turns into a yellow fruit with unattractive black markings. With a consistency of custard, the taste has been described vanilla banana blend. You will need to have a cross  pollinator for maximum fruit set. I saw a report that it requires 400 chill hours to set fruit. So, not a tree for the South (They can’t have everything.)

To date, pawpaws have yet to market to supermarkets, just an occasional farmers market. There are no hybrid pawpaws but some scientists have found superior selections in the wild. One man who is helping the pawpaw progress to a marketable crop is plant scientist Neal Peterson.  In fact, he’s spent 35 years on the objective of making it something you could buy at the supermarket. His selections have larger fruits with more flesh. But now he has some competition selecting pawpaws. In fact, in 2009 the land grant school, Kentucky  State  trialed 23 selections of which Peterson had three he bothered to trademark. His selections are Shenandoah, Rappahannock and Allergeny. I doubt you’ll see these sexy names at the market someday,

So lots of progress is being made. I have to wonder why there are no hybrids to date. The biggest limiting factor is the harvest period is only three weeks.  But hybridization could widen that window to six weeks? Maybe one day it will be seen as a commercially viable crop and hybridization work will begin. I can just imagine what price the first ones could bring in the gourmet market (That’s the agriculture  economist in me shining throu

 

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