This is the double in morning shade which I thought was hit by a cool night. May be something else but I cut all the buds off except for one junior bud. Figured that would save energy for next year.
Nice to see blossoms so early in the yr.
Some of mine are 10 to 12" tall. Have never had them that tall so early in the yr.
Others are coming also, not much height yet, though.
Thank you. The fernies thrive on neglect except for a little fertilizer in the early spring and after blooming. Must be kept clean around them, bare soil works best. They are subject to a mildew if watered too often. I especially like the double reds since the blooms hang on longer than the singles. Raised beds with a sandy soil and in full sun are the best environment. I even like the hybrids. I have 'Early Scout' and 'Windchimes' but 'Windchimes' was set back last year when a strong wind broke off one ot the two stems. One stem this year so time will tell if it blooms.
Mine have buds, but wonder if they are misjudging the season. We had snow coming down pretty good this morning, but nothing stuck!
Thank goodness.
I have found on the db. ferny's that they are very slow for growth. Mine have been in the 3rd yr. for their location, but hate to dig.
The doubles which I have are very slow to multiply. The singles appear to spread more quickly. As far as moving, if they are in full sun there is not much to do with them. I have one which needs to be moved since it was put in a particular bed just to separate it from the others in case of a disaster. It is in half day sun but is in a corner of a raised bed next to an outside faucet. A lot of water is sprayed on the ground for one reason or another and I suspect that under the raised bed the ground is soaked. I will report on the outcome when it goes dormant in late summer.
Gardener was the label imprinted on me when the souls were handed out and so be it. --Margaret Roach (Thank you, Sharon!) Notes from the Garden: Articles of interest on all aspects of gardening Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens: Come on in and take the tour! Check out the photos!
I usually cut off all the deadheads but this year I saved one seed pod on this single FL just to see if it will produce seeds.
I had mentioned before that my FLs do not grow further after the bloom cycle but this species single appears to be putting out new growth if you notice the lighter shaded leaves and stems.
My fernies have finally opened up after being whipped about by strong winds for several days. They withstood the punishing gales better than I expected. Here's how they look today:
Gardener was the label imprinted on me when the souls were handed out and so be it. --Margaret Roach (Thank you, Sharon!) Notes from the Garden: Articles of interest on all aspects of gardening Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens: Come on in and take the tour! Check out the photos!
That is a really nice clump of the double red. Do you know how tall they are? A lot of literature indicates they are supposed to be about 2 feet tall but mine top out at about 14 inches or about the same as the singles.
That's about the size mine are too, Jerry. I've seen taller ones, though, in gardens only five miles from ours. The soil there is a bit more sandy. I wonder if that's a factor.
Gardener was the label imprinted on me when the souls were handed out and so be it. --Margaret Roach (Thank you, Sharon!) Notes from the Garden: Articles of interest on all aspects of gardening Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens: Come on in and take the tour! Check out the photos!
I never realized that they were so short really. I always think my fernies are short, but I never feel like other people's fernies are. Lol. But I guess they all are. They are so nice, aren't they. The ones here were a little kissed by frost.
We had three straight nights of frost when they were in bud. I didn't cover them and hoped for the best. I was astonished to discover that there was no damage at all!
Gardener was the label imprinted on me when the souls were handed out and so be it. --Margaret Roach (Thank you, Sharon!) Notes from the Garden: Articles of interest on all aspects of gardening Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens: Come on in and take the tour! Check out the photos!
Yes, Fernies like sandy well drained soil with a nice blend of compost in it. Unfortunately, my fernies did get kissed by the frost (as Mags puts it) and they didn't look so pretty this spring. Oh well, there is always next year!
Time for the fernies to begin to go dormant with all the heat we have had here. I will have one to move and a new one coming. Seems like just yesterday I was waiting for the first bud to break open in bloom.
For those who are new to fernies, when they reach this stage do not water them. It will not change anything and can cause the roots to rot. Let them rest in peace until next Spring.
The double reds are divisions from one given to my wife by her grandmother about 30 years ago. The single reds were from Spring Hill mail order probably 10 years ago. The last single, a species single red, came from Hidden Springs Flower Farm and the species double I have on order is from that same place. The bad news is they are scarce and are sold out almost immediately after the catalog is posted online. I put my request in for one a year early. Expect to pay nearly $50 for one if you can find any offered by reputable nurseries. I think a lot of the advertised fern leaf peonies on the market are hybrids of fern leaf and another type.
