Always a pleasure

Each year we hope that the Chinese Wisteria will bloom simultaneously with the Tree Peonies. This year we've been rewarded once again and the combination is breathtaking.  Wisteria requires specific types of pruning so one doesn't get excess vegetative growth and if the rains are too heavy the tree peonies shatter. So far so good and our efforts come to fruition.



Chinese Wisteria



Tree Peonies

On a side note the flowering season seems back on track, although the laurel looks like Memorial Day and the herbaceous peonies about the same time. Back to the planting boards...

-gartenmeister

The Merry Month of May

WOW a month has gone by since my last post. You must have been wondering where I was. Well in between hot spells we had sub-freezing nights which kept things at bay for a while. The night time temperatures seem to be holding steady now and we are planting in earnest.

korean azaleas

Most lovely in the spring shrubs are the korean azaleas and several hybrids of Rhododendron yakusimanum. These 2 are hardy souls that deserve a place in your garden. Korean Azalea (Rhododendron poukhanense) is a delicate shade of lavender but I just found a white form (good news). We also found they bloom with Daphne 'Carol Mackie', an added bonus.

hybrids of Rhododendron yakusimanum

Iris

I can't resist showing you the first bloom on Iris 'Feedback' it is the second variety of re-blooming Iris we have tried. We are looking forward to another flush in October. Wish us luck!  Now back to planting frenzy...

-gartenmeister

Something Old, Something New

Boy, spring came on in a big hurry and then BAM- it came to a screeching halt. That's good news for gardeners who need to catch up. So, as we carry on with chores like pruning and raking, there's always time to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Plant friends that is. Topping the old friend list is Helleborus. I know I go on and on about these perennials but, "Why not?"  Their colors are exquisite, the flowers arrive early and the plants remain evergreen all season. Our new friend is a fall planted bulb called Corydalis solida.  Fumewort in the encyclopedia, is a European that looks much like Dicentra but a month earlier. Let's see how this new kid measures up to mountaintop living. Got to go, no rest for the weary you know!



Corydalis silda

Helleborus Orientalis 'Winter Joy Bouquet'

Another Helleborus Orientalis



- Gartenmeister

p.s. Here’s a list of plant recommendations for Deer infested gardens- feel free to share!

On this first day of Spring

Lucky me, I had the honor of visiting Cheryl Karpeichik, the Head Gardener at
White Flower Farm to share trade secrets on the culture of Tuberous
Begonias. I always say, get advice from successful people and Cheryl was
most obliging. We are pictured here in a warm propagation house looking for
signs of growth pushing up through the soil. WFF still supplies the finest
varieties the world has to offer from the House of Blackmore and Langdon in
Bristol, UK that is.

We at Mohonk raise the finest varieties from California, highlighted in
this display off the Lake Porch. I find the growing conditions to be quite
ideal there. Filtered morning sun and protection from high winds or
torrential rain is the key.

So as spring arrives one month early and gardeners are scurrying about
preparing for the season, we still take time to expand our knowledge base
and make more friends.

Featured below are English Hybrids grown by Cheryl Karpeichik, the Head Gardener of the White Flower Farm.

More from the 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show...

I still don't know how "they" get all these to bloom together 

Here I am with fellow panel 9 members, Marco Stufano and Judy Becker. Marco, of course known for his heralded career at Wave Hill in the Bronx and Judy has been growing and selling unique conservatory plants in her Salisbury Connecticut greenhouse for decades. We make quite a trio, although I seem to look like the jolly "brown" giant next to them.



2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show

Check out some of the great photos I've captured yesterday while judging at the 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show.

Talk about your vertical Salad

Yet another grand Clivia miniata lutea

Bulbs, bulbs and more bulbs

The best find from our panel. Anthurium superba

For more information about the 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show,

Click Here

A glance at the display featured in the New York State Museum show in Albany

Here’s a shot of the display for the New York State Museum show in Albany. Well, after assessing available flowers at the market in winter we went with plan"B.” Changing  the color palette to a more analagous group I did my best to duplicate the style of last summer's poster child. All in all it came out OK. New York in Bloom was a "best ever "success with 15000 attendants in 3 days. The show featured some interesting interpretations of museum displays.  It was an exciting challenge duplicating an arrangement I made last July.  It was a challenging week at the market with many varieties not making it from Holland and boy do I appreciate how well we grow flowers here on the mountain. You can't buy delphiniums like that.    Next week…Philadelphia Flower Show

An Affair to Remember

February 24-26, 2012 marks the 21st annual "New York in Bloom" at the New York State Museum in Albany. Over 100 floral designers exhibit each year and I was asked to do the signature piece for the upcoming event in 2012. The call came last June and the poster photography actually occurred on July 21, 2011. I can remember the day vividly as the thermometer read 101 degrees. Not so easy on Delphiniums!  Through painstaking preparation and plenty of ice, I managed to cut the flowers and get them to Albany in fine fettle. The "masterpiece" towers over 4 feet and the giant fish bowl has 3 dozen pieces of fruit. It is a thrill to see the almost life size poster hanging in the museum.  I hope you can get to the show to see how well I can replicate it, this time dealing with temperatures some 80 degrees cooler than last.

Hanging Up The New Calendar

Happy New Year to all Mohonk gardening friends! I know you've all got your calendars out so let's firm up some dates, shall we.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 at 2:00 p.m.    

Woody plant guru and author of the "bible of trees and shrubs,"  Michael Dirr will speak for the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Checkout  http://www.timberpress.com/author/39 for his bio or http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/education/ to get the skinny on his talk.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 

The 2012 edition of New York in Bloom at the State Museum in Albany. Yours truly is featured as the headline floral designer.  Here is the poster child for this event:

2012 New York in Bloom posterchild by yours truly

...and here is the web page http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/programs/nybloom/.  Please join us, it's a great cause.

SUNDAY, MARCH 4 - SUNDAY, MARCH 11
Philadelphia Flower Show presents its 2012 theme Hawaii, Islands of Aloha....  need a sneak peek http://www.theflowershow.com/home/index.html should do the trick. Once again I get to judge on Tuesday. Wish me luck.

FRIDAY, MARCH 23 - SUNDAY, MARCH 25
Longwood Gardens International Orchid Show, need I say more? Okay, I will...
http://www.longwoodgardens.org/InternationalOrchidShowandSale.html  
A must see!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 26 - FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 
77 years of Garden Holiday at Mohonk Mountain House features our "Out of Africa" themed show garden. Did I hear a roar?   

........thought I'd give you these entries. 

Happy Trails,

Gartenmeister

Now We Don Our Gay Apparel

The Mohonk Gardening/Greenhouse/Florist Team cannot be stopped.

Just like the "Energizer Bunny," we keep going and going...

Head Gardener Kim Fusaro high atop the Nature Tree

Last minute natural tinsel and garland are added to the Nature Tree.

Those starbursts are stems of Allium schubertii from the garden.

The Nature Tree in all its holiday splendor

Ta Da! Here's the finished product (just add squirrels).

Paperwhite Narcissus, up close and personal

Here's a glamour shot of winter paperwhites. I bet you can smell that pungent fragrance.

I tried my hand at a Christmas tablescape - high maintenance, but it stops traffic.



Holiday tablescape



Carol, once again, has blended old-world charm,

 fancy greens and the nostalgic aroma of orange and clove.

Eleganet mantle by Carol Cramer - faux pine and orange pomanders

No frankincense or myrrh here, but this glass spice trough literally fills

the air with the scent of star anise. Yum!



Glass trough with spices and pinecone rosettes



HAPPY HOLIDAYS