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maifleur01

HPS Fall lecture and sale

maifleur01
16 years ago

I hope several of you had a chance to attend the lecture and sale on October 6, 2007. If you enjoyed yourself please let this group know of what you liked and would like to be handled differently.

There are several groups around the country that have similar events, either just talks or talks and sales. You should check out the group nearest you.

The Mid Atlantic had a question and an answer event in conjuction with the Swarthmore fall event.

The Midwest group had a sale earlier.

The Pacific Northwest group will be having a question and answer session and who knows what at Al's Gardencenter in Sherwood, Oregon shortly.

The Minnesota group I have not heard from but they too have activities fall and spring.

I always enjoy checking out different groups. You can start your own group. Just get a group of like minded people together decide how much the dues or start up funds are required from the individuals there. HPS started with a small group with each putting a starting dues in. They had a meeting or two decided to make the group public. Put a very small mention in the paper. (This is how I found out about the group.) First public meeting gained 50+ members and the rest is history. Most areas have gardens or a person in the area that grows/collects peonies. Ask it they would give a talk. Have your local paper run a public service anouncement of the talk.

The HPS site has information on help forming a club.

Comments (7)

  • houdinii
    16 years ago

    The lecture was interesting...I enjoyed seeing the photos of the Chinese landscape. The setup of the screen was good, and I could hear okay sitting in the middle, but I think the back had a hard time hearing.

    I attended the lecture and then the sale immediately after, but I think I may have missed out on some of the rare peonies there, as it took awhile to file out of the lecture room. So, I'm not sure what I missed, but other than that the sale was great, I didn't plan on buying as much as I did, but it all looked so good. I would have maybe bought some more herbaceous peonies, but without a picture of what they look like, I didn't want to take a chance on getting something similar to what I already have (granted there were descriptions of the peonies). The pictures that were available for the different varieties were very helpful.

    I did take a chance on P. Lollipop Lies. However, the description on the labeling of this bag has the description of the peony "lollipop" from www.paeo2.de (something to the effect it was a semi double to double with red candy stripes). So I'll be curious to find out if this is truly Lollipop Lies (which sounds primarily pink and of single form) or if this is Lollipop. Incidentally, did some of these come from Hollingsworth peonies?

    My last question is what were the really tall leggy plants that some people got a hold of? They had to be about 3ft tall or more.

  • maifleur01
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Plants were provided by several growers in this country and overseas. Don Hollingsworth and his assistant Luke were there at the lecture and sale and did add to Don's collection of tree peonies and books.

    The Lollipop Lies was from Klehms. They provided pictures to Carsten's website so you should have the same plant. Lolliepop Lies is one of those plants that each flower is different. Some more one color than the other but mine last year(no blooms this one) had three flowers one had fringed edges and stripes twisting at the end. One had a darker pink stripe on one petal and the rest of flower a medium pink. The third was white with a red edge on the petals.

    The really tall leggy plants were two different species the one with the flare of stems at the top is a species lutea. The species lutea's are not as hardy in this area as in some other area's. Don Hollingsworth had a plant bloom last year for only the second time. It is the foliage and stems that are more atractive giving a tropical feel to the garden.

    The other tall leggy plant was Fen Dan Bai or Phoenix White. One of my favorites. Surprisingly there were a few left over and I was able to add to my collection.

    Both of the leggy ones were grown by a wholesale nursery in Oregon that only has peonies because one of the owners like them. I have never seen their regular trees supplied to the industry but if their peony species are a sample their other plants should be very good.

  • houdinii
    16 years ago

    Thanks for the info! I really appreciated the event and look forward to the next one 2 years from now. I was impressed with the size of the bare roots, so I'm confident they'll get off to a good start. And I got my very 1st tree peonies at the event, so we'll see how that goes. Spring can't come soon enough.

  • houdinii
    16 years ago

    maifleur: I've planted my tree peonies (Homei and Seidai) that I got at the sale, but I'm wondering if I planted them deep enough. Any idea if these were grafted and I need to plant them deep? I didn't notice a clear graft point on the Japanese tree peonies. (The growth above the root was about 12" or so on both of the tree peonies).

    I've mulched the area keeping the mulch a few inches away from the growth. Any other tips for wintering this or in general care for this newly planted peony? Rabbits have been a problem in the spring, but I've read they don't bother with tree peonies...I hope that holds true.

  • maifleur01
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Most of the Japanese received this year still had the nurse root on them. If the root is near the top rather than at the bottom the more likely it is on it's own roots.

    I plant mine at an angle with just about two to four inches above the soil level. Mulch this fall if you have a supply of leaves, after they start dropping mound over the area several inches deep. In the spring work the leaves into the soil. This increases the humus in the soil and seems to help retain moisture arround the plant. I would, at least this winter with the lack of forage for both deer and squirrels, use some sort of wire protection around the plants. I lost several tree peonies to both rabbits and deer in November, 2005 because I never worried about damage that early in the year. Mesh Chicken wire works well.

    Next spring/late winter do not rush to remove mulch uneven heating of the stems, one side warm, the other cold or freezing has caused the loss of many plants.

    I do toss 10-10-10 around the tree peonies sometime between late December and early April before they break dormancy. It does not effect next years growth but helps for the following year. If you fertilize now unless you use a no Nitrogen fertilizer you run the risk of the plant using their stored food to build leaves and not roots.

  • paeon_
    16 years ago

    Hallo maifleur,

    I have an invitation to the Pacific North West group for a lecture on March 1st. I'm still undecided if I should make the adventure of such a long flight. It is 14 hours from Dresden over Frankfurt to Portland. What is to expect there? Who would I be able to meet? What is to be seen in early March in Portland? I have never been in the US, and the first trip to the pacific coast seems to be very far.

    regards

    paeon

  • maifleur01
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Paeon, I have been to their spring meeting several times.

    Who will be there, Al and Rick Rogers, Carol and Jim Adelman, Bob Johnson if he can get there, Ed & Laura Wild, several of the other growers, and me. The PNW started as a growers group with other people that they knew liked peonies. There are more non-professional members each year. Several from other areas like myself. The group normally has a all day meeting, normal discussions, lecture, auction, and a dinner either the same day or the evening before.

    March is a transition time of the year in Portland. The first year I went it was in the upper 70'sF and things were blooming every where. Another time it was raining except on little raised areas along the road where it was snowing. If you bring lots of slides of your species and their crosses Bob Johnson will talk your ear off if he can make it over the mountains.

    You should have Rick Rogers take you to the classical Chinese Garden and have the pickled chicken feet at the resturant across from it. Even without leaves the Japanese Garden next to the zoo is nice. You could ski on Mount Hood, go to the ocean and watch the winter waves crash on the shore, visit the wineries on the way to the coast, see the museums in the area, rent a car and travel down the coast to see Irene T.(some of her plants should be budding), lots of places to eat and drink, and you could probably go to some of the growing areas that are generally off limits to the public.

    Depending on your time you could after seeing Irene travel down to San Francisco or up the coast to Seattle. Both have many things for everyone to do.

    Of course you could make a detour to the midsection of the US and end up in Kansas City. Our plants may not be more than buds, but I know lots of places to eat and spend time. After leaving us travel to Pennsylvania and meet the people at Swarthmore College and the Mid-Atlantic Peony group depending on the weather their bloom may be starting.

    If you do not come this year please consider visiting in the future.

    Maifleur

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