Photo submitted by: M Sequeira, Brampton, ON
The first bloom for 2010. A beautiful peony that never disappoints. It consistently blooms from late April to early May every year with no problems.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Mollis
Photo submitted by: M Sequeira, Brampton, ON
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Peonies and Lilacs
Blooming Together
written by Mary Pratte
Most of the peonies we have in our gardens bloom long after lilacs have finished. It is interesting to note, therefore, that there is a whole range of peonies that do bloom when the late lilacs are in their glory. Using these peonies can add a whole different look to our “painting with flowers.”
Old-fashioned garden peonies have Paeonia lactiflora as one or both parents. This species is the latest to bloom of 33 known wild peonies. The “Early Hybrids” are quite different, however, as they were bred using some of the earlier blooming wild stock, and as such burst into flower in late May or early June.
It is worth looking for these early beauties so that you can extend peony blooming time in your garden as well as create unique and unexpected delights when you plant them close to or in the same area as your lilacs.
The Friends’ Peony Team offers a free tour of the collection on June 19 (see Page 4). For more information on the collection, visit the website at www.friendsofthefarm.ca/peonies.htm.
written by Mary Pratte
Old-fashioned garden peonies have Paeonia lactiflora as one or both parents. This species is the latest to bloom of 33 known wild peonies. The “Early Hybrids” are quite different, however, as they were bred using some of the earlier blooming wild stock, and as such burst into flower in late May or early June.
It is worth looking for these early beauties so that you can extend peony blooming time in your garden as well as create unique and unexpected delights when you plant them close to or in the same area as your lilacs.
The Friends’ Peony Team offers a free tour of the collection on June 19 (see Page 4). For more information on the collection, visit the website at www.friendsofthefarm.ca/peonies.htm.
reprinted with permission from Friends of the Central Experimental Farm Spring 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Peonies at the Farm – A Feast for the Eyes
Taken from the Spring 2010 Friends of the Central Experimental Farm
written by Mary Pratte
When William Saunders became the first director of the Central Experimental Farm (CEF) in the late 1880s, one of his mandates was to trial plants for their suitability to our northern climate. He achieved this goal, and considerably more. Fortunately, William Saunders was also a true Renaissance man with an insatiable curiosity about and interest in all that surrounded him. His love of ornamental plants led to the establishment of the fabulous plant collections at the Farm. Amongst them was a fairly small but select collection of fine peonies, including some less hardy tree and species peonies. Records indicate that only one of the species peonies survived over the years, and the original tree peonies are nowhere to be found.
Growing the collection
W.T. Macoun, Dominion Horticulturist, noted in 1926 that “The collection of peonies at the CEF is a good one, including as it does, most of the best varieties…it is not planned to have a very large collection, but rather to have the best sorts so that they may be compared with novelties and seen by those who desire to establish peony gardens. There are now some 220 varieties in the collection.”
Despite plans that the collection remain small, over the years many of those in charge obviously could not resist trying some of the new peonies coming onto the market. The collection was expanded several times over the years and there are now more than 500 peonies – representing approximately 400 different cultivars – in the beds of the Ornamental Gardens.
From threatened to “spectacular”
Our impressive collection, however, was almost not to be. The winter of 1999/2000 was a tough one for the
peonies at the Farm. When spring arrived, about 70 plants failed to emerge from the wet soil and another 30 or so were on their last legs. George Vorauer, former Director of Activities for the Friends of the Farm, and I approached AAFC with concerns about the imminent loss of the peony holdings, and were much encouraged when they decided to move the plants away from the salt-covered road, provide new soil after so many years, and produced a delightful design that would house them around the oak tree near the traffic triangle. Every plant was lifted, divided, treated and replanted that fall. We have not looked back since.
The wonderful Friends of the Farm Peony Team have helped care for the peonies since that time alongside AAFC, and the results are impressive. Every Thursday morning the volunteers tend their charges – weeding, removing diseased parts, staking, keeping records and cutting them down at the end of the season. For the past few years, the Peony Team have also dedicated a day on a June weekend to give tours of the peonies,
answering questions and educating the public about the history of the collection. Many of the volunteers have also provided invaluable assistance at the Canadian Peony Society shows across the country.
The focus of the collection has shifted slightly from the original ideal of simply having “the best varieties,” into a grouping whose newest additions are either
1) peonies missing from the original collection (as far as we can discern),
2) outstanding varieties of unusual colour or habit (including Itoh hybrids, which are a cross between tree and herbaceous peonies),
3) Canadian-bred plants, and
4) plants bred by A.P. Saunders, one of William’s sons. Root purchases by AAFC and a generous donation from George Vorauer’s widow have helped us expand and ameliorate the peony beds over the past 10 years, and we hope to continue to improve this spectacular collection in the future, as it rivals or outshines any I have seen elsewhere.
The Saunders’ peonies – “Showstoppers”
We are especially proud of the Saunders’ peony collection. In the ’30s and ’40s, A.P. Saunders became one of the world’s top peony breeders. He was not the first, but certainly the most prolific, breeder of early peony hybrids, many of them sporting new and exciting colours never before seen in this plant.
A.P.’s success came from crossing as many of the wild, or species, peonies with each other, whereas most breeders at the time and even since, use only one of the wild types, the Paeonia lactiflora, which is the latest to bloom. In effect, what Saunders accomplished was to extend the peony season by about two weeks, with He also produced unheard of colours such as lavender, cherry and creamy yellows, as well as two-toned flowers edged or with flares at the base of the petals in different, and often deeper, shades – a real feast for the eyes and showstoppers to this day when planted in both public and private gardens.
written by Mary Pratte
Growing the collection
W.T. Macoun, Dominion Horticulturist, noted in 1926 that “The collection of peonies at the CEF is a good one, including as it does, most of the best varieties…it is not planned to have a very large collection, but rather to have the best sorts so that they may be compared with novelties and seen by those who desire to establish peony gardens. There are now some 220 varieties in the collection.”
Despite plans that the collection remain small, over the years many of those in charge obviously could not resist trying some of the new peonies coming onto the market. The collection was expanded several times over the years and there are now more than 500 peonies – representing approximately 400 different cultivars – in the beds of the Ornamental Gardens.
From threatened to “spectacular”
Our impressive collection, however, was almost not to be. The winter of 1999/2000 was a tough one for the
peonies at the Farm. When spring arrived, about 70 plants failed to emerge from the wet soil and another 30 or so were on their last legs. George Vorauer, former Director of Activities for the Friends of the Farm, and I approached AAFC with concerns about the imminent loss of the peony holdings, and were much encouraged when they decided to move the plants away from the salt-covered road, provide new soil after so many years, and produced a delightful design that would house them around the oak tree near the traffic triangle. Every plant was lifted, divided, treated and replanted that fall. We have not looked back since.
The wonderful Friends of the Farm Peony Team have helped care for the peonies since that time alongside AAFC, and the results are impressive. Every Thursday morning the volunteers tend their charges – weeding, removing diseased parts, staking, keeping records and cutting them down at the end of the season. For the past few years, the Peony Team have also dedicated a day on a June weekend to give tours of the peonies,
answering questions and educating the public about the history of the collection. Many of the volunteers have also provided invaluable assistance at the Canadian Peony Society shows across the country.
The focus of the collection has shifted slightly from the original ideal of simply having “the best varieties,” into a grouping whose newest additions are either
1) peonies missing from the original collection (as far as we can discern),
2) outstanding varieties of unusual colour or habit (including Itoh hybrids, which are a cross between tree and herbaceous peonies),
3) Canadian-bred plants, and
4) plants bred by A.P. Saunders, one of William’s sons. Root purchases by AAFC and a generous donation from George Vorauer’s widow have helped us expand and ameliorate the peony beds over the past 10 years, and we hope to continue to improve this spectacular collection in the future, as it rivals or outshines any I have seen elsewhere.
The Saunders’ peonies – “Showstoppers”
We are especially proud of the Saunders’ peony collection. In the ’30s and ’40s, A.P. Saunders became one of the world’s top peony breeders. He was not the first, but certainly the most prolific, breeder of early peony hybrids, many of them sporting new and exciting colours never before seen in this plant.
A.P.’s success came from crossing as many of the wild, or species, peonies with each other, whereas most breeders at the time and even since, use only one of the wild types, the Paeonia lactiflora, which is the latest to bloom. In effect, what Saunders accomplished was to extend the peony season by about two weeks, withthe majority of his beautiful hybrids emerging when the lilacs are still in bloom near the end of May and into early June.
Love still blooms 60 years later
Originally published in Oakville Beaver July 29, 2006
Written by Wilma Blokhuis
Vi and John Simkins celebrate diamond wedding anniversary. (Photo is of John and Vi Simkins hold a photograph from their wedding that took place 60 years ago on July 27, 1946. Liesa Kortmann, Beaver photographer )
Vi Simkins dug her wedding dress out of the closet, tried it on for size, and posed for a photograph -- all for a laugh.
Some 60 years later, it still fits, much to the delight of her husband John Simkins, Oakville's well-known gardening writer and peony expert.
"It's been 60 happy years," says Vi, a slim, well-dressed 87-year-old.
"Very happy," adds her equally slender, 88-year-old husband who may still fit into his old army uniform.
It seems gardening has kept this couple physically fit, healthy and happy. They have more than 700 flowering plants - 75 of them peonies - at their home that backs onto Morrison Creek. About 600 feet of green space lies between their property and the creek. He starts plants from seeds in his basement and in a small greenhouse he has built at the back of the house. At one time, he kept bees.
The former Violet Daisy Jane Medway married John Simkins on July 27, 1946, a month after immigrating to Canada from England.
"I came here with nothing...I had no clothes. I bought that (wedding) dress at Eaton's for $5.95." Sixty years later, she still cherishes it - along with the happy memories.
The romance was whirlwind. They met at a private reception in England in November 1945 and by Christmas "we decided to get married," said Vi.
During the war, she was a fireguard, part of a five-member team who kept a night watch for bombs penetrating wooden rooftops and dousing fires using a pump, bucket and hose "because the fire brigade couldn't get to all of them. I was the one who crawled out face down with the hose to get at the fires."
She also volunteered as a farm worker, "weeding onion fields. We had nothing to eat...we were hungry, we were all hungry."
Everything - food and clothing - was rationed in wartime England. "I remember we would get one egg of a month, and maybe two ounces of cheese each per month."
Vi learned upon leaving that there was only enough food in the country for six weeks.
"You needed coupons to buy clothes - that's why I had no clothes when I came here," she continued. "I was a teenager when the war broke out. You can image how tough rationing was on teenagers.
"The war started in England in 1938 and we were at war for seven years by the time I left. There were nightly bombing raids towards the end of the war."
It was an eerie sound Vi will never forget.
"John went home to Canada in February aboard the ocean liner Aquitania, and we made sure that getting married was what we wanted to do. He had to get me a permit to leave but I had to arrange my own transit, and each time I called I was told, 'you can go tomorrow' and I would say, 'that's too soon, I'm not ready,' but I finally got booked. There were only last-minute seats available on planes that flew to Canada. I called on a Saturday and I was asked, 'Can you go tomorrow?' and I said 'yes.'" She arrived here on June 25, 1946.
"It was love at first sight," said John.
They were married in Hamilton.
Born in England, John came to Hamilton with his family when he was three months old. He was a soprano in his church choir.
"I was raised by my aunt after my mom died when I was young.
"My father moved to Oshawa and later went back to England after my mother died, taking with him my twin brother and my younger brother."
His father remarried.
"My aunt in Hamilton took me in. She was a wonderful woman. I became part of her family."
Attending Delta Collegiate in Hamilton during the 1930s, he excelled in high school football, water polo and basketball - and got involved with school theatrical productions as part of the stage crew.
WOUNDED IN GERMANY
He was at McMaster University studying chemistry and physics when the Second World War broke out. He joined the army in 1942 at the Toronto depot. He trained in Newmarket, was an officer-cadet at the Stanley Barracks in Toronto, was sent to Victoria, British Columbia for an officer's training course and became 2nd lieutenant before going to Brandon, Manitoba for artillery training and to Halifax, Nova Scotia for anti-aircraft training.
He went overseas to England aboard the Queen Mary and joined the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI), moving up through the ranks to Major.
Wounded in Germany in March 1945, he was flown back to England and was discharged from hospital before the war ended. "I was on leave when the war ended and taking a general course at a London university. To get in, you needed a year at a Canadian university. I was in third year at McMaster when the war broke out."
As a newlywed, John returned to McMaster, graduating in 1948. He and Vi lived with his aunt in Hamilton until he started working. (They looked after her garden until about 10 years ago.)
"The army paid for my education," said John. "It was part of my discharge. I had a choice between a farm or going back to university."
Upon graduation, he landed a job with Shell Oil and stayed with the militia until recently as a commissioner.
"The employers were lined up at the door waiting to hire graduates," said John. "A friend told me that Shell Oil was a good company to work for, so I went with them." He never looked back.
John stayed with Shell for 34 years, accepting 'the golden handshake' three months before Shell's Oakville refinery shut down in 1983. After retiring, he worked part-time at Sheridan Nurseries for a while as a garden advisor.
The Simkins moved to Oakville permanently in 1961 - they still live in the same house they purchased 45 years ago.
"When I first started with Shell Oil, we moved back and forth between Montreal and Oakville," said John.
"Three months after John retired the refinery shut down," said Vi.
"I retired instead of transferring to Calgary," said John. "When they closed the Oakville refinery things worked out perfectly for us - I had accepted a golden handshake. It was a great place to work. We had a lot of fun."
She was a stay-at-home mom raising three children, Janice, Jennifer and Jon, and today grandmother of three. She worked in the garden, sewed her own and her children's clothes and volunteered at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital - she worked on a quilt that raised $50,000 for OTMH. She received her 35-year pin this year. "I still volunteer one day a week."
John also volunteered at the hospital providing horticulture therapy to senior patients and helped create a rooftop garden as a member of the Oakville Horticultural Society.
John's passion for gardening literally grew out of a package of 'mystery seeds' he received as a gift. They didn't grow but others did. Once settled in Oakville, he decided to create a garden around his home, and took courses at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) and became a qualified judge of horticulture.
MEDAL RECOGNITION
Advised by the RBG's Dr. Leslie Laking after whom its Laking Garden is named, John decided to specialize in propagating and hybridizing tree peonies. He joined the American Peony Society and a few years later became its president - and the garden filled with peonies. John also joined the Oakville Horticultural Society about 45 years ago, served as president twice and also as a district director of the Ontario Horticultural Association in charge of 23 societies between Oakville and Port Dover.
About a decade ago, he received the association's Silver Medal in recognition of his contributions to horticulture and his Master Gardener's 20-year pin. He took Master Gardening courses at the University of Guelph.
"At the time my oldest daughter Janice wanted some extra pocket money and got a part-time job writing the local high school news for the former Oakville Journal Record (OJR) detailing events at Oakville's three high schools earning $3 a week," said John, who was at the time rapidly becoming known for his gardening expertise.
"After a couple of weeks she told the editor that, 'Your paper needs a gardening column. My father will write one for you.'"
Thus began John's more than 40 years of writing a weekly column, In Your Garden, that continued in The Oakville Beaver after the OJR closed during the early 1980s. He retired from writing earlier this year.
John also wrote for gardening magazines, joined the American Garden Writers Association, and lectured annually on 10 different topics - mostly about peonies - to various gardening organizations.
The Simkins' garden became a local showcase, and he sold seedlings planted in plastic cups for $1 as a means to encourage others to take up gardening.
About 10 years ago he and two others formed the Canadian Peony Society. He's taken peony plants everywhere from Alaska to New Zealand to test their growth in different climate conditions, and seeds have been sent to botanical gardens around the world including China, Japan and England. The seeds became known as the 'Simkins' strain.'
"Now he's retired from everything," said Vi. "Everything we joined John ended up being a director or president. He had a lot of things going."
Having settled in Oakville, the couple joined St. Jude's Anglican Church. He taught Sunday School for 34 years, served as a People's Warden, was a lay reader and fundraiser, was instrumental in the designing and planting of its memorial garden - he helped form its garden guild - and was also a bellringer.
He and Vi were instrumental in bringing Dan Tregunno, one of Canada's top bellringers, to St. Jude's and reviving interest in traditional bellringing at the church.
Their 60th wedding anniversary will be celebrated at the home of their daughter Jennifer in Burlington on Aug. 6.
Written by Wilma Blokhuis
Vi and John Simkins celebrate diamond wedding anniversary. (Photo is of John and Vi Simkins hold a photograph from their wedding that took place 60 years ago on July 27, 1946. Liesa Kortmann, Beaver photographer )
Some 60 years later, it still fits, much to the delight of her husband John Simkins, Oakville's well-known gardening writer and peony expert.
"It's been 60 happy years," says Vi, a slim, well-dressed 87-year-old.
"Very happy," adds her equally slender, 88-year-old husband who may still fit into his old army uniform.
It seems gardening has kept this couple physically fit, healthy and happy. They have more than 700 flowering plants - 75 of them peonies - at their home that backs onto Morrison Creek. About 600 feet of green space lies between their property and the creek. He starts plants from seeds in his basement and in a small greenhouse he has built at the back of the house. At one time, he kept bees.
The former Violet Daisy Jane Medway married John Simkins on July 27, 1946, a month after immigrating to Canada from England.
"I came here with nothing...I had no clothes. I bought that (wedding) dress at Eaton's for $5.95." Sixty years later, she still cherishes it - along with the happy memories.
The romance was whirlwind. They met at a private reception in England in November 1945 and by Christmas "we decided to get married," said Vi.
During the war, she was a fireguard, part of a five-member team who kept a night watch for bombs penetrating wooden rooftops and dousing fires using a pump, bucket and hose "because the fire brigade couldn't get to all of them. I was the one who crawled out face down with the hose to get at the fires."
She also volunteered as a farm worker, "weeding onion fields. We had nothing to eat...we were hungry, we were all hungry."
Everything - food and clothing - was rationed in wartime England. "I remember we would get one egg of a month, and maybe two ounces of cheese each per month."
Vi learned upon leaving that there was only enough food in the country for six weeks.
"You needed coupons to buy clothes - that's why I had no clothes when I came here," she continued. "I was a teenager when the war broke out. You can image how tough rationing was on teenagers.
"The war started in England in 1938 and we were at war for seven years by the time I left. There were nightly bombing raids towards the end of the war."
It was an eerie sound Vi will never forget.
"John went home to Canada in February aboard the ocean liner Aquitania, and we made sure that getting married was what we wanted to do. He had to get me a permit to leave but I had to arrange my own transit, and each time I called I was told, 'you can go tomorrow' and I would say, 'that's too soon, I'm not ready,' but I finally got booked. There were only last-minute seats available on planes that flew to Canada. I called on a Saturday and I was asked, 'Can you go tomorrow?' and I said 'yes.'" She arrived here on June 25, 1946.
"It was love at first sight," said John.
They were married in Hamilton.
Born in England, John came to Hamilton with his family when he was three months old. He was a soprano in his church choir.
"I was raised by my aunt after my mom died when I was young.
"My father moved to Oshawa and later went back to England after my mother died, taking with him my twin brother and my younger brother."
His father remarried.
"My aunt in Hamilton took me in. She was a wonderful woman. I became part of her family."
Attending Delta Collegiate in Hamilton during the 1930s, he excelled in high school football, water polo and basketball - and got involved with school theatrical productions as part of the stage crew.
WOUNDED IN GERMANY
He was at McMaster University studying chemistry and physics when the Second World War broke out. He joined the army in 1942 at the Toronto depot. He trained in Newmarket, was an officer-cadet at the Stanley Barracks in Toronto, was sent to Victoria, British Columbia for an officer's training course and became 2nd lieutenant before going to Brandon, Manitoba for artillery training and to Halifax, Nova Scotia for anti-aircraft training.
He went overseas to England aboard the Queen Mary and joined the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI), moving up through the ranks to Major.
Wounded in Germany in March 1945, he was flown back to England and was discharged from hospital before the war ended. "I was on leave when the war ended and taking a general course at a London university. To get in, you needed a year at a Canadian university. I was in third year at McMaster when the war broke out."
As a newlywed, John returned to McMaster, graduating in 1948. He and Vi lived with his aunt in Hamilton until he started working. (They looked after her garden until about 10 years ago.)
"The army paid for my education," said John. "It was part of my discharge. I had a choice between a farm or going back to university."
Upon graduation, he landed a job with Shell Oil and stayed with the militia until recently as a commissioner.
"The employers were lined up at the door waiting to hire graduates," said John. "A friend told me that Shell Oil was a good company to work for, so I went with them." He never looked back.
John stayed with Shell for 34 years, accepting 'the golden handshake' three months before Shell's Oakville refinery shut down in 1983. After retiring, he worked part-time at Sheridan Nurseries for a while as a garden advisor.
The Simkins moved to Oakville permanently in 1961 - they still live in the same house they purchased 45 years ago.
"When I first started with Shell Oil, we moved back and forth between Montreal and Oakville," said John.
"Three months after John retired the refinery shut down," said Vi.
"I retired instead of transferring to Calgary," said John. "When they closed the Oakville refinery things worked out perfectly for us - I had accepted a golden handshake. It was a great place to work. We had a lot of fun."
She was a stay-at-home mom raising three children, Janice, Jennifer and Jon, and today grandmother of three. She worked in the garden, sewed her own and her children's clothes and volunteered at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital - she worked on a quilt that raised $50,000 for OTMH. She received her 35-year pin this year. "I still volunteer one day a week."
John also volunteered at the hospital providing horticulture therapy to senior patients and helped create a rooftop garden as a member of the Oakville Horticultural Society.
John's passion for gardening literally grew out of a package of 'mystery seeds' he received as a gift. They didn't grow but others did. Once settled in Oakville, he decided to create a garden around his home, and took courses at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) and became a qualified judge of horticulture.
MEDAL RECOGNITION
Advised by the RBG's Dr. Leslie Laking after whom its Laking Garden is named, John decided to specialize in propagating and hybridizing tree peonies. He joined the American Peony Society and a few years later became its president - and the garden filled with peonies. John also joined the Oakville Horticultural Society about 45 years ago, served as president twice and also as a district director of the Ontario Horticultural Association in charge of 23 societies between Oakville and Port Dover.
About a decade ago, he received the association's Silver Medal in recognition of his contributions to horticulture and his Master Gardener's 20-year pin. He took Master Gardening courses at the University of Guelph.
"At the time my oldest daughter Janice wanted some extra pocket money and got a part-time job writing the local high school news for the former Oakville Journal Record (OJR) detailing events at Oakville's three high schools earning $3 a week," said John, who was at the time rapidly becoming known for his gardening expertise.
"After a couple of weeks she told the editor that, 'Your paper needs a gardening column. My father will write one for you.'"
Thus began John's more than 40 years of writing a weekly column, In Your Garden, that continued in The Oakville Beaver after the OJR closed during the early 1980s. He retired from writing earlier this year.
John also wrote for gardening magazines, joined the American Garden Writers Association, and lectured annually on 10 different topics - mostly about peonies - to various gardening organizations.
The Simkins' garden became a local showcase, and he sold seedlings planted in plastic cups for $1 as a means to encourage others to take up gardening.
About 10 years ago he and two others formed the Canadian Peony Society. He's taken peony plants everywhere from Alaska to New Zealand to test their growth in different climate conditions, and seeds have been sent to botanical gardens around the world including China, Japan and England. The seeds became known as the 'Simkins' strain.'
"Now he's retired from everything," said Vi. "Everything we joined John ended up being a director or president. He had a lot of things going."
Having settled in Oakville, the couple joined St. Jude's Anglican Church. He taught Sunday School for 34 years, served as a People's Warden, was a lay reader and fundraiser, was instrumental in the designing and planting of its memorial garden - he helped form its garden guild - and was also a bellringer.
He and Vi were instrumental in bringing Dan Tregunno, one of Canada's top bellringers, to St. Jude's and reviving interest in traditional bellringing at the church.
Their 60th wedding anniversary will be celebrated at the home of their daughter Jennifer in Burlington on Aug. 6.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Bill and 'Doris' - Love at First Sight
written by Mary Ann Smythe
Taken with permission from Friends of the Central Experimental Farm Spring 2010 
Bill Wegman remembers the exact moment that gave rise to his passion for peonies. It was in the mid-80s and while leafing through “one of those fancy catalogues from a mail order nursery” a heritage peony caught his eye.
Although ‘Doris Cooper’ beckoned from the catalogue, Bill knew next to nothing about peonies. He just knew that he wanted Doris. So Doris was purchased, planted and nurtured. She became the centerpiece of Bill’s slowly expanding garden – a small collection of hand-me-down peonies.
‘Doris’ wins best of the show
It was another 10 years – when he retired from National Defence in 1995 – before Bill got serious about peonies. “I was growing them, but really didn’t know very much about peonies,” he admits. Now with time on his hands, Bill turned to the Internet for information and several years later came across the newly formed
Canadian Peony Society, which was planning an exhibition in 2001 at the Governor General’s in Ottawa.
By now, ‘Doris Cooper’ was a beauty – “at least in my eyes,” says Bill – so he entered her in the show. Bill was justifiably proud of his heritage peony – ‘Doris’ won best of the show. Bill now has two “bests of the show” to his credit, although he is quick to downplay the accomplishment. His own peony collection now numbers over 100 named cultivars as well as 150 three to four-year oldseedlings and several hundred younger seedlings.
Peony “collection at the Farm is so diverse”
The Canadian Peony Society’s exhibition brought Bill and Mary Pratte together, and Mary introduced Bill to the Friends of the Farm. “I thought I should learn more about peonies,” Bill explains, “so I joined the peony team the next summer under George Vorauer. It was so interesting, the collection at the Farm is so
diverse, and I learned so much from George.” Bill proved a quick study and was invited to replace George when he retired in 2002.
Bill admits to spending the bulk of his retirement on peonies – growing and tending his own, heading the Friends’ peony team, and looking after the Society’s seed distribution program (collecting, packaging and mailing out seed orders). Bill’s own yellow Paeonia mloksewitchii (the only yellow herbaceous peony),
which he grew from seed, is a standout – and now he is venturing into hybridizing. As he explains how to
grow from seed, it is clear that the painstaking process is well suited to the meticulous mind of a professional
engineer.
A busy and productive life
Chatting with Bill on a cold January morning, I presume that he can’t wait (like many gardeners) for spring to bring his peonies back to life. “Not at all,” he laughs, “I look forward to this time of year – it is a chance to rest and relax and to plan for next year.” It’s also time for Bill to pursue his other hobby – stamp history, which often plays second fiddle to peonies. Peonies and stamps consume considerable time and energy but he and his wife Gail also spend much time with their two grandchildren who live in Ottawa. They regularly babysat Rebecca and Peter when they were small, and still turn up three mornings a week to see Peter on the school bus. Rebecca and Peter have been an important part of Bill’s life in retirement: “It’s been interesting to watch them grow up and good to be part of their lives.” Bill also manages to squeeze in trice-weekly workouts at the RA centre. Rushing out to meet Gail, Bill’s final words say much about his busy and productive life: “So many people our age go away for the winter – I often wonder how they do it I just don’t have the time.”
Thursday, April 22, 2010
On Growing Peonies in the Atlantic Regions
taken from The Peony - C to C Feb 2001, Vol 4 Issue 1
written by Julia Dicks
I have not grown peonies in other areas of the Atlantic provinces, only my own small section. However, I would suspect that it is typical. The plants perhaps flower a few days later in Newfoundland and northern New Brunswick, and a few days earlier around Yarmouth. Since flowering time usually varies a bit from one year to another it would be hard to be certain.
The first peonies ever grown here would be paeonia officinalis rubra. One autumn day in the late seventies my great uncle stopped in to see me. He had been making himself a few square feet of flower garden, and in it had flowers that he remembered from his childhood, johnny jump ups and lords and ladies (pink and white mallow). He wanted to tell me of his latest triumph - he had gotten "a red piney plant just like Mama's!". Although I read that these are long lived and enduring plants they don't seem to be particularly so here. Neither my great uncle's nor my grandmother's plants survived the neglect that fell upon their gardens after their deaths and I have never seen one anyplace like an old garden or cemetery. They don't seem to be commonly grown here now, although I know of a few, and have a red and a pink myself. The one in my front garden comes into bloom around the first of June, the one in the back garden in mid June. On well established plants the flowers last 2-3 weeks. A lovely splash of colour, but a distinctly unrewarding scent! They are not difficult to grow, but are sprawly plants that go dormant early if in a dry place.
The next peonies to arrive here would be the lactifloras. The first ones were undoubtedly French peonies, their descendants still to be seen everywhere, blooming the very last of June and early July. My uncle tells of going to church on Sunday in the horse and buggy when he was very young. He always watched for the corner with the hedges of peonies. They are long since gone, and so is even the house, - nothing but a hayfield there now. I believe that my grandmother grew every peony she could get, and kept what she regarded as the best of them. My uncle thinks the first of her peonies came from those hedges, and many of her peonies live in my gardens. Perhaps my Modest Guerin first lived there, and the one I think is Mons Dupont. They grow in many gardens here. The red semi double might have come from there also, they had mainly pinks and whites in the 1920's and 30's, and most of the reds were semi doubles. There was great excitement in my grandmother's garden in the 1930's when the big fully double red (Felix Crousse) flowered for the first time.
My grandmother told me that her best white was Festiva Maxima, her best reds were Felix Crousse and Karl Rosenfield. I did finally identify the one my grandfather called her best pink. It was Albert Crousse - she was absolutely correct. You see these everywhere; they seem to do equally well in pampered gardens and on old lawns where the only attention given them is not mowing them off. They and even older peonies used to be glorious in ancient clumps planted by gravestones, but the present mowing off, of ornamental plants and bushes in cemeteries is not a subject that I have polite opinions on . I did rescue three of these from my relatives' graves. My grandmother had put her finest and best beloved peony (Festiva Maxima)on her mother's grave, it now blooms for her daughter, granddaughter, and great granddaughter.
From what I read peonies bloom later here than in more southerly regions, and they certainly grow taller. My grandmother's central garden had beds with a spine of peonies planted down the middle of them; when I first made the biggest bed in my back garden I did the same thing. Sarah Bernhardt, La France, Albert Crousse, Karl Rosenfield, Festiva Maxima, Gramma's late pink. (Martha Bulloch?) Georgiana Shaylor and Modest Guerin. They were lovely, and bloomed well despite partial shade. Albert and Modest are the tallest, usually about 38-40 inches, sometimes more. But there was one obvious problem - Georgiana Shaylor. The fact that for me it takes 5 years to bloom as a full double, and even then does not always do so, is no deterrent. I prefer it as a semi double. But no one mentioned then that it was short! A good 10-12 inches shorter than all the others.
When I planned the beds in the front garden I did more research. Into the back row went the taller plants like Albert Crousse, Sarah Bernhardt, Bowl of Beauty. For the front row I sent for short plants instead of just the old classics. In went Raspberry Sundae and Top Brass. This was no improvement. Sarah was no Sarah, but a short white which never grows higher than 22 inches. Raspberry Sundae and Top Brass do not grow here to 27 and 28 inches as their description said, but 33-35 inches. Which is why the only pink oriental poppy that grows well for me is down in behind 2 peonies! Raspberry Sundae never develops the red overlay that was so pretty in the picture, it's just another pale pink , and I do not care for the "honey scent" of Top Brass. Sometimes I think I should just grow my peonies in rows like carrots! I am so besotted with them that I would think they were perfectly gorgeous just like that.
Some plants grow tall and leggy and reach badly towards the sun no matter how sunny a spot I put them in. I think perhaps they need a hotter climate. Primavera is like that, and although it flowers freely, the flowers are not impressive. My grandmother had it, but apparently did not keep it. Perhaps I shall not either. Solange is less generous with its bloom, but very beautiful. Our summers seem to be getting hotter and dryer lately. After the worst one yet the flowers on Solange were the loveliest it had ever produced. I hear that Madame de Vernville likes a cool climate, I should like to try it.
The descriptions I read often mention that some flowers fade considerably in the sun. Officinalis rosea most certainly does to quite a degree, and some others do a bit. I suspect not as much as in hotter gardens. I like soft colours, so don't really mind when officinalis rosea and Coral Charm tone down a little.
The old classics are usually available here, and occasionally something different. I grow a few hybrids, all from mail order. Salmon Chiffon has been an unusually lovely plant but so far rather delicate. It's only 3 years old, it may improve. The Wittmaniana hybrids Avante Garde and Le Printemps are sturdier, blooming early in June. There is one tree peony in my garden - next year will tell if it will thrive or not. It's nice to have a bit of variety, but the best growers are generally the older lactifloras. They are the backbone of peony growing here, sturdy and reliable, surviving even disastrous years.
To my grandmother's best reds I would add Red Charm. A lovely plant, even though it's lack of side buds shortens it's season. I grow for garden effect, not competition, so side buds mean my peonies usually last until about 20 July, unless it's an unusually hot year. I am sure that Festiva Maxima is one of the commonest peonies grown, and with good reason. Miss America is a wonderful white, as is Kelways Glorious, although probably less vigorous. The white that I think is Mons Dupont is more widely grown.
In pinks the choice is exceedingly broad, even in old unnamed plants. Probably the pink one sees most often here is Edulis Superba, a good plant though no favourite of mine. Mrs. F. D. Roosevelt must be just as vigorous, as is Albert Crousse, which to me has the best flowers. But that's another subject!
written by Julia Dicks
I have not grown peonies in other areas of the Atlantic provinces, only my own small section. However, I would suspect that it is typical. The plants perhaps flower a few days later in Newfoundland and northern New Brunswick, and a few days earlier around Yarmouth. Since flowering time usually varies a bit from one year to another it would be hard to be certain.
The first peonies ever grown here would be paeonia officinalis rubra. One autumn day in the late seventies my great uncle stopped in to see me. He had been making himself a few square feet of flower garden, and in it had flowers that he remembered from his childhood, johnny jump ups and lords and ladies (pink and white mallow). He wanted to tell me of his latest triumph - he had gotten "a red piney plant just like Mama's!". Although I read that these are long lived and enduring plants they don't seem to be particularly so here. Neither my great uncle's nor my grandmother's plants survived the neglect that fell upon their gardens after their deaths and I have never seen one anyplace like an old garden or cemetery. They don't seem to be commonly grown here now, although I know of a few, and have a red and a pink myself. The one in my front garden comes into bloom around the first of June, the one in the back garden in mid June. On well established plants the flowers last 2-3 weeks. A lovely splash of colour, but a distinctly unrewarding scent! They are not difficult to grow, but are sprawly plants that go dormant early if in a dry place.
The next peonies to arrive here would be the lactifloras. The first ones were undoubtedly French peonies, their descendants still to be seen everywhere, blooming the very last of June and early July. My uncle tells of going to church on Sunday in the horse and buggy when he was very young. He always watched for the corner with the hedges of peonies. They are long since gone, and so is even the house, - nothing but a hayfield there now. I believe that my grandmother grew every peony she could get, and kept what she regarded as the best of them. My uncle thinks the first of her peonies came from those hedges, and many of her peonies live in my gardens. Perhaps my Modest Guerin first lived there, and the one I think is Mons Dupont. They grow in many gardens here. The red semi double might have come from there also, they had mainly pinks and whites in the 1920's and 30's, and most of the reds were semi doubles. There was great excitement in my grandmother's garden in the 1930's when the big fully double red (Felix Crousse) flowered for the first time.
My grandmother told me that her best white was Festiva Maxima, her best reds were Felix Crousse and Karl Rosenfield. I did finally identify the one my grandfather called her best pink. It was Albert Crousse - she was absolutely correct. You see these everywhere; they seem to do equally well in pampered gardens and on old lawns where the only attention given them is not mowing them off. They and even older peonies used to be glorious in ancient clumps planted by gravestones, but the present mowing off, of ornamental plants and bushes in cemeteries is not a subject that I have polite opinions on . I did rescue three of these from my relatives' graves. My grandmother had put her finest and best beloved peony (Festiva Maxima)on her mother's grave, it now blooms for her daughter, granddaughter, and great granddaughter.
From what I read peonies bloom later here than in more southerly regions, and they certainly grow taller. My grandmother's central garden had beds with a spine of peonies planted down the middle of them; when I first made the biggest bed in my back garden I did the same thing. Sarah Bernhardt, La France, Albert Crousse, Karl Rosenfield, Festiva Maxima, Gramma's late pink. (Martha Bulloch?) Georgiana Shaylor and Modest Guerin. They were lovely, and bloomed well despite partial shade. Albert and Modest are the tallest, usually about 38-40 inches, sometimes more. But there was one obvious problem - Georgiana Shaylor. The fact that for me it takes 5 years to bloom as a full double, and even then does not always do so, is no deterrent. I prefer it as a semi double. But no one mentioned then that it was short! A good 10-12 inches shorter than all the others.
When I planned the beds in the front garden I did more research. Into the back row went the taller plants like Albert Crousse, Sarah Bernhardt, Bowl of Beauty. For the front row I sent for short plants instead of just the old classics. In went Raspberry Sundae and Top Brass. This was no improvement. Sarah was no Sarah, but a short white which never grows higher than 22 inches. Raspberry Sundae and Top Brass do not grow here to 27 and 28 inches as their description said, but 33-35 inches. Which is why the only pink oriental poppy that grows well for me is down in behind 2 peonies! Raspberry Sundae never develops the red overlay that was so pretty in the picture, it's just another pale pink , and I do not care for the "honey scent" of Top Brass. Sometimes I think I should just grow my peonies in rows like carrots! I am so besotted with them that I would think they were perfectly gorgeous just like that.
Some plants grow tall and leggy and reach badly towards the sun no matter how sunny a spot I put them in. I think perhaps they need a hotter climate. Primavera is like that, and although it flowers freely, the flowers are not impressive. My grandmother had it, but apparently did not keep it. Perhaps I shall not either. Solange is less generous with its bloom, but very beautiful. Our summers seem to be getting hotter and dryer lately. After the worst one yet the flowers on Solange were the loveliest it had ever produced. I hear that Madame de Vernville likes a cool climate, I should like to try it.
The descriptions I read often mention that some flowers fade considerably in the sun. Officinalis rosea most certainly does to quite a degree, and some others do a bit. I suspect not as much as in hotter gardens. I like soft colours, so don't really mind when officinalis rosea and Coral Charm tone down a little.
The old classics are usually available here, and occasionally something different. I grow a few hybrids, all from mail order. Salmon Chiffon has been an unusually lovely plant but so far rather delicate. It's only 3 years old, it may improve. The Wittmaniana hybrids Avante Garde and Le Printemps are sturdier, blooming early in June. There is one tree peony in my garden - next year will tell if it will thrive or not. It's nice to have a bit of variety, but the best growers are generally the older lactifloras. They are the backbone of peony growing here, sturdy and reliable, surviving even disastrous years.
To my grandmother's best reds I would add Red Charm. A lovely plant, even though it's lack of side buds shortens it's season. I grow for garden effect, not competition, so side buds mean my peonies usually last until about 20 July, unless it's an unusually hot year. I am sure that Festiva Maxima is one of the commonest peonies grown, and with good reason. Miss America is a wonderful white, as is Kelways Glorious, although probably less vigorous. The white that I think is Mons Dupont is more widely grown.
In pinks the choice is exceedingly broad, even in old unnamed plants. Probably the pink one sees most often here is Edulis Superba, a good plant though no favourite of mine. Mrs. F. D. Roosevelt must be just as vigorous, as is Albert Crousse, which to me has the best flowers. But that's another subject!
A New Peony Garden In Saskatchewan
Taken from The Peony - C to C Vol 1, Issue 3 Nov 1998
written by Brian Porter
The Seager Wheeler Farm, just east of the town of Rosthern, Saskatchewan, is the newest location of a public peony planting in Saskatchewan.
Seager Wheeler (1868-1961) was perhaps the most famous prairie farmer in his day. While best known for his international awards in wheat competitions, Seager Wheeler was also involved in horticulture. Emigrating from England in 1885, he became an innovator in farming methods and eventually published his own book on grain growing, in 1919. Among his horticutural achievements, he introduced to his region the Siberian silverleaf willow, the Saskatchewan Crabapple, Prolific and Ruby cherry-plum hybrids, Advance sandcherry and Gold Coin potato. His farm was well known for its beautiful gardens, and in particular was known for its delphiniums and annual poppies. To my knowledge, Seager Wheeler was not involved much with peonies, but his farm now includes a modest historical collection of peonies.
The peonies have been donated by the Saskatchewan Horticultural Association and Hollingsworth Peonies of Maryville, Missouri. Because the site has been designated as a national historic site, it was felt appropriate that an historical collection of peonies could be grown in a couple of the rectangular beds, similar to the beds used by Seager Wheeler.
The beds have been designed to hold 40 cultivars of peonies, planted in chronological order. The limited number of plants (one of each cultivar) emant that a number of very good cultivars could not be accommodated, and the choice was dictated somewhat by availability. The first planting (about 75%) were planted in the fall of 1997. While most of the peonies are growing, it appears according to my records, that some peonies were planted in the wrong locations, and thus some investigation will need to be done to verify the cultivars and possibly replant them in their proper chronological order.
The peony collection is entriely herbaceous, as tree peonies require much more care to winter them successfully here. The collection begins with the cultivar 'Edulis Superba' (1824), and is followed by the well-known 'Festiva Maxima' (1851) and the now very rare Delachei (Emperor of Russia)(1856). 'Duchesse de Nemours (1856) and Augustin d'Hour (General MacMahon)(1865/67) are next in line. Seven more represent the 19th Century. The first bed is completed with 8 more cultivars from teh time period 1901 to 1918, and includes the widely known 'La France', 'Sarah Bernhardt', 'Karl Rosenfield' and 'Kelway's Florious'. These are all cultivars, which would have been available in seager Wheeler's time.
A second bed was included to bring the collection more up to date. Here, it was very difficult to select only 20 cultivars. The emphasis on Chinese peonies of double form was continued, although af ew hybrids such as 'Red Charm', 'Firebelle', and 'Pink Hawaiian Coral' have been included. Most notably, the Itoh Hybrid 'Garden Treasure', from Hollingsworth Peonies, was included, and it has survived its first winter. Another Hollingsworth donation, 'Sweet Melody' concludes the collection with its representative from 1992.
Recently I was informed that three plants have been seriously damaged by what appears to be botrytis blight. It is hoped that these will survive.
This fall, it is hoped to add a few more cultivars to the collection. One is 'La Perle', a rather elusive Crousse introduction from 1886.
It will be a few years before the collection will be in good bloom, but, we are hoping that it will become in time a notable tourist attraction to the Seager Wheeler Farm. In the meantime, visitors are welcome to the farm from Victoria Day Weekend to Labor Day, and can view the historic buildings, gift shop and teahouse, orchard, and English garden. The farm is located just of Hwy 312, approx. 8km east of Rosthern. From Saskatoon it is about 68km NE.
written by Brian Porter
The Seager Wheeler Farm, just east of the town of Rosthern, Saskatchewan, is the newest location of a public peony planting in Saskatchewan.
Seager Wheeler (1868-1961) was perhaps the most famous prairie farmer in his day. While best known for his international awards in wheat competitions, Seager Wheeler was also involved in horticulture. Emigrating from England in 1885, he became an innovator in farming methods and eventually published his own book on grain growing, in 1919. Among his horticutural achievements, he introduced to his region the Siberian silverleaf willow, the Saskatchewan Crabapple, Prolific and Ruby cherry-plum hybrids, Advance sandcherry and Gold Coin potato. His farm was well known for its beautiful gardens, and in particular was known for its delphiniums and annual poppies. To my knowledge, Seager Wheeler was not involved much with peonies, but his farm now includes a modest historical collection of peonies.
The peonies have been donated by the Saskatchewan Horticultural Association and Hollingsworth Peonies of Maryville, Missouri. Because the site has been designated as a national historic site, it was felt appropriate that an historical collection of peonies could be grown in a couple of the rectangular beds, similar to the beds used by Seager Wheeler.
The beds have been designed to hold 40 cultivars of peonies, planted in chronological order. The limited number of plants (one of each cultivar) emant that a number of very good cultivars could not be accommodated, and the choice was dictated somewhat by availability. The first planting (about 75%) were planted in the fall of 1997. While most of the peonies are growing, it appears according to my records, that some peonies were planted in the wrong locations, and thus some investigation will need to be done to verify the cultivars and possibly replant them in their proper chronological order.
The peony collection is entriely herbaceous, as tree peonies require much more care to winter them successfully here. The collection begins with the cultivar 'Edulis Superba' (1824), and is followed by the well-known 'Festiva Maxima' (1851) and the now very rare Delachei (Emperor of Russia)(1856). 'Duchesse de Nemours (1856) and Augustin d'Hour (General MacMahon)(1865/67) are next in line. Seven more represent the 19th Century. The first bed is completed with 8 more cultivars from teh time period 1901 to 1918, and includes the widely known 'La France', 'Sarah Bernhardt', 'Karl Rosenfield' and 'Kelway's Florious'. These are all cultivars, which would have been available in seager Wheeler's time.
A second bed was included to bring the collection more up to date. Here, it was very difficult to select only 20 cultivars. The emphasis on Chinese peonies of double form was continued, although af ew hybrids such as 'Red Charm', 'Firebelle', and 'Pink Hawaiian Coral' have been included. Most notably, the Itoh Hybrid 'Garden Treasure', from Hollingsworth Peonies, was included, and it has survived its first winter. Another Hollingsworth donation, 'Sweet Melody' concludes the collection with its representative from 1992.
Recently I was informed that three plants have been seriously damaged by what appears to be botrytis blight. It is hoped that these will survive.
This fall, it is hoped to add a few more cultivars to the collection. One is 'La Perle', a rather elusive Crousse introduction from 1886.
It will be a few years before the collection will be in good bloom, but, we are hoping that it will become in time a notable tourist attraction to the Seager Wheeler Farm. In the meantime, visitors are welcome to the farm from Victoria Day Weekend to Labor Day, and can view the historic buildings, gift shop and teahouse, orchard, and English garden. The farm is located just of Hwy 312, approx. 8km east of Rosthern. From Saskatoon it is about 68km NE.
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