The peony gardeners are keeping us busy as we go into the home stretch of the season. Our peony farm will be open through next Sunday, June 17, 2012 (extended one week). There is still plenty of bloom in the peony field to take a look at; and, we have over 100 varieties of peony flowers on display in the showroom (well, it’s a tent). We keep stems of the earlier blooming varieties in the cooler, so you can see some of them, as well as what is blooming now.
It’s fun chatting with customers and seeing them so excited as they walk the field and select their peonies. Susan is planning on taking out all of her roses, now that she sees ‘that peonies are twice as lovely’. A couple of our regular customers who’ve purchased peonies and bearded iris from us over the years, commented on their observation that during the past few years – they’ve noted that Historic (older) bearded iris bloom longer than the newer iris. I hadn’t heard that before; but, it sounds great to me as we have over 1,000 varieties of Historic bearded iris.
I often overhear customers tell other customers how peonies are easy to grow, low maintenance plants – music to my ears. Today a lady was talking about her peonies that she started from her grandmothers’ plants 48 years ago. She’s never divided them, and they bloom wonderfully every year. I couldn’t give a better testimonial to the ease of peony gardening. If your family has peonies, you may want to ask for a root cutting from them in the fall and plant a memory – it’ll last a lifetime; and, you’ll think of them each spring when it blooms. If you’re not that fond of your relatives; or, they don’t have peonies – come and buy a peony from me; it’ll be your new sweet memory.
Last weekend we had a real thrill, when a woman shyly asked my sister, Annie, if we were Sprauers….she’d heard from her neighbor that there was an Oregon peony farm owned by a Sprauer and she just couldn’t believe it. So, she, her husband & their daughter checked it out and found, that yes, her husband has a whole branch of relatives that he’s never met! Our grandfather, Karl and his grandfather, Joseph had immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1910. I tell you, he has that Sprauer smile! We look forward to meeting more of their family in the future. You never know what you’ll find in the peony field – baby birds one day and relatives you didn’t know, the next day!
Today we enjoyed great weather and the farm was filled with happy people, laughing and smiling. Our youngest visitor was 5 months old and another customer brought her 103 year old grandmother to see the peonies! Now, that’s making memories.
Therese