The 29th annual Peony Festival will open in Luoyang on April 1st. This ancient city, located in the center of Henan province, about 500 miles southwest of Beijing, served as the capital of China during many dynasties. We have imported some of our tree peony stock from Luoyang since the late 1980s, and have benefited [...]
Archive for March, 2011
Its Almost Peony Time in China!
Posted in 2011 Peony Bloom, Peonies in Luoyang, Tree Peonies in China, Where to see peonies in bloom, tagged Luoyang, Ouyang Xiu, Tree Peonies in China on March 30, 2011 | 10 Comments »
What a Difference a Year Makes
Posted in 2011 Peony Bloom, Spring Clean Up, tagged 2010 Peony Bloom, 2011 Peony Bloom, Extreme Weather on March 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
As you may remember, last year we had an exceptionally warm spring in New England. In 2010, our tree peony bloom was the earliest we have ever had, with the peak around May 10th. March 2010 was very warm and April was downright hot, with a streak of three days in the 90s. This time [...]
Uncovering Herbaceous Peonies for the Spring
Posted in Herbaceous Peony Care, Spring Clean Up, tagged azomite, fertilizer, Herbaceous peony care, lime, Spring Clean Up on March 27, 2011 | 4 Comments »
We use these three soil amendments in combination around all of our peonies in the spring. We use the lime to raise the pH of the soil. Our natural pH is around 5.5, but with regular application of lime we have succeeded in raising it to around 6.5, the minimum threshold for good peony growth. [...]
Signs of Spring at Cricket Hill
Posted in Grafting, Peony Propagation, Spring Clean Up, tagged Grafting, Peony Propagation, Spring Clean Up, Winter Damage on March 22, 2011 | 5 Comments »
Though we had a cold, wet inch of snow today, its safe to say that spring has finally arrived at Cricket Hill. Several male mallard ducks are jousting for the attention of a single female in the pond, and the tender emerald shoots of garlic are pushing up through the mulch. The tree peony buds [...]
