A week ago, along with all other gardeners in the Northeast we had a hard freeze in Thomaston. The weather for the two weeks prior to this had been so warm that it was more than just unseasonable, it was weird and frankly a little disturbing to have consecutive days reach 80 in mid-March. Needless [...]
Archive for the ‘Spring Clean Up’ Category
Peonies Weather Late Freeze and Some Interesting Spring Discoveries at Peony Heaven
Posted in Peony Bloom 2012, Spring Clean Up, Starting Peonies from Seed, tagged botrytis, seedling peonies, spring freeze on April 4, 2012 | 3 Comments »
Mad About Weeds? Get Serious About Mulch!
Posted in 2011 Peony Bloom, General Garden Care, Herbaceous Peony Care, Spring Clean Up on June 28, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Over the last several weeks our weather has alternated between lots of rain and lots of sun. The tomatoes and broccoli are all growing like gangbusters, but so are the weeds. While we like to add as many of the “weeds” to our salads and saute as possible, there is simply too much chickweed and [...]
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 [...]
