May 19, 2013
We had a nice rain shower yesterday morning and a few sprinkles in the afternoon. It was refreshing and a bit cool. Today will be warmer, with no rain in the afternoon forecast – a perfect day to drive out to see the peonies and iris blooming. Tomorrow is predicted to be 75 degrees.
We keep our ‘tub of peonies’ full of fresh cut stems for those who like to make their own bouquet. We also have nice ready-made peony bouquets, great potted peony plants and take orders for bare root peonies for fall planting. We ship the rootstock in September and October. We can often dig iris for our customers, so they can take home and plant now; or, you can order for summer/fall planting.
Today we had visitors from Illinois, Washington, California and all areas of Oregon. I learned some great labeling tips from Susie and Chuck and can’t wait to follow-up during our slow months. Labeling plants with legible signs/labels is a huge effort when you have over 1,000 plants, so when other growers/gardeners share their successes, it’s really appreciated. Now, I just have to schedule the time to do it next winter.
The Keizer Iris festival is this weekend, with activities throughout the day. Check out their website for more details. Keizer, Oregon is just minutes from this area (just north of Salem, OR). http://irisfestival.com/
We are blessed with meeting our great niece, Addison, this week. She and her Mom, Camille are here for a visit. Takes me back out 25 years, when Camille and her sister Emily had us ‘wrapped around their finger’. Tonight we’ll enjoy visiting with them as we celebrate a couple of family birthdays.