Tree Peonies

The Tree Peonies have started to bloom!  The flowers are huge and incredibly beautiful.  Tree Peonies originated in China, where at one time, only the Emperor was allowed to own one. One look at the blossoms and I can understand why!

Shimanishki Tree Peony

Tree Peonies aren't "trees."  They're a woody shrub.  Unlike garden peonies, these plants have hard, woody stems that don't dieback in the winter.

Tree Peonies are easy to grow, but take awhile to get established.  But, these plants have been known to live over 100 years!

Tree Peonies blossoms come in a wide range of colors, from white to dark purple. Here are a few of our favorites:

Yachiyotsubaki

Yaezakura on left and Godaishu on right

Kamatanishiki

Kinshi

Shimanishiki

Yachiyotsubaki - see how big the flower is!!

How to Grow

Tree Peonies do best in a sunny to partly shady site, in average, well-drained, evenly moist garden soil that has a neutral pH. Space plants 3-feet apart for a hedge. Tree Peonies rarely need pruning, except to maintain a desired shape and size or to remove damaged canes.

Oh, and one great feature.  The deer and rabbits don't eat Tree Peonies!  Hooray!

Learn more about Tree Peonies on our Web site at http://www.springvalleyroses.com/catalog/treepeonies.html

Daffodils in Bloom

Daffodils are the stars of the garden this time of the year!  We've planted so many different varieties over the years, that we've forgotten the names of most.  But, every year, there are more and they seem more glorious each spring.

The fragrance is intoxicating on many of the varieties, especially the late-blooming "Jonquil" type Daffodils that have multiple blossoms per stem.

What's the difference between a Daffodil, a Naricissus and a Jonquil?  Narcissus is the Latin or botanical name for Daffodils.  According to the American Daffodil Society, a Jonquil is a type of Daffodil that has multiple flower and rounded foliage.

There is so much diversity in Daffodil varieties, from color to form to bloom time.  We've managed to add varieties to our gardens that give us a bloom time of over 6 weeks!  The blossoms can handle temperatures in the 20s at night and still keep blooming.  And the deer, rabbits and mice leave Daffodils alone.  They seem like the perfect plant!

Here are more photos of Daffodils in the garden.  Enjoy!

Bird of the Week: White-throated Sparrow

Our favorite bird this week is the White-throated Sparrow.

We see this bird twice a year as it migrates through in spring and fall. Like most birds, we hear it before we see it.

The White-throated Sparrow has a very distinctive call, with the first two notes clear and straight and one note apart on the scale, which is a followed by a slurred-stacato on the same note, repeated three times. When translated to English (haha), the call sounds like the bird is saying, "Old man, peabody, peabody, peabody." Others hear the words, "Oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada." I personally like "peabody," so I call them the "Mr. Peabody birds." Either way, it's easy to identify the call.

Like many of our native sparrows, White-throated Sparrows have beautiful feathers with easy-to-recognize markings. The name fits the markings! Many times, the name given to the birds doesn't match at all, but this time it does.

In the spring, White-throated Sparrows show up at our nursery just after the Juncos leave. The Juncos are our winter birds they stay until Spring, then migrate up to northern Canada to nest. The White-throated Sparrows also nest in Canada and Alaska. They winter in southern U.S. and Mexico. With their long migration, it's no wonder why they stay for two weeks at our place to recharge their batteries before they head to their nesting area!

In the fall, the White-throated Sparrows arrive before the Juncos and stay again for another two weeks. They don't call as often, but they still call -- probably to keep the flock together (we assume). After they leave, the Juncos show up and we know that winter is just around the corner.

These sparrows will readily eat sunflower seeds, but you'll only see them foraging on the ground. They'll scratch the soil and grass for things to eat: usually seeds and bugs.

To help these birds during migration, the dense shrub plantings in our garden provide shelter from predators, roosting places to rest during the day and night, and food sources. We also have ponds and bird baths for the all-important water. It's easy to make your garden attractive to birds by planting a mix of deciduous and evergreen shrubs, seed and flower-producing perennials and a bird bath.

Learn more about these wonderful birds at All About Birds, Cornell University Web site.

Bird of the Week: Robin

American Robin

Wow, spring is early this year!  It's forecast to be in the 60s all next week, which is crazy for Wisconsin.

In "normal" winters, the first sign of spring is seeing a Robin. Most people can recognize an American Robin -- the red breast of Robins is unmistakable. 

But, this year, I saw flocks of Robins all winter!  They rarely overwinter here in Wisconsin (at least in the olden days!).  It must be that if they can find enough to eat, they'll stick around.

Robins hang out in flocks throughout the winter and then go their separate ways to stake out breeding territory in the spring.  They're one of the first birds to start nesting in the spring and can raise two broods each season. 


Robin nest with blue eggs

Robin nests are made by the females out of mud and grass and have a deep grass-lined cup containing three or four blue eggs.  Watch for the broken blue eggs shells on your lawn during nesting season.  The parents dispose of them far away from the nests. 

It's common to find Robin nests in evergreen shrubs next to our houses.  They prefer evergreens for protection -- especially from cats.   A well-forked branch in a shrub or small tree is also a common place to find a Robin nest. 

But one year, a Robin insisted on building her nest on a tire of our old truck. The wheel-well provided good shelter. We couldn't drive that truck until the babies fledged!

When the young first leave the nest, they are very vulnerable to cat predation.  So be sure to keep your cats inside where they can watch the robins from a window. 

Robins are one of the first birds to start singing in the morning and the last to stop in the evening.   So, listen for them in the morning and at dusk. 

Robins eat insects and fruit.  The classic picture we all have in our minds is watching Robins hunting for worms on our lawns. They also like to eat grasshoppers, beetles, termites and other insects. 

In the winter, Robins live primarily on dried fruit, so be sure to have lots of shrubs and trees in your garden that retain the fruit all winter. Good choices are winterberries and crabapples. 

If you want to attract Robins to your back yard, here are some good plants for food and shelter for Robins: crabapples, dogwoods, elderberries, hackberry, hawthorns, sumac, serviceberries, wild cherries, wild grapes, wild raspberries, winterberries, viburnums, wild roses and evergreen trees and shrubs.