September 2011
Greetings from Rosebay!
What a rollercoaster ride this growing season has been! We had a harsh winter that seemed to last into late May (what ever happened to spring?), followed by a hotter than blazes July. The only good thing I remember is that we had lots of rain. Let's hope for more moderate temperatures to finish out the year. We deserve a break!
Although I suffered through the heat, our plants loved it. They more than caught up for the late start to the growing season and came through with good color, bud set and growth.
Nothing surprised and delighted me more than our Pieris Red Mill. Late November 2010 we ran out of room in our usual storage areas and were forced to store 3 ft. potted Red Mill on the north side of a deciduous woods. These were above ground with no mulch around them. The area is not very well protected from winter sun and is exposed to north winds coming off our open field. I hoped the winter would be mild with loads of snow. Of course that wasn't the case, and I figured we probably lost all 250. As plants came out of their frozen state I was amazed to find 246 in excellent condition! (lost only 4!) For those of you convinced Pieris Red Mill is not hardy, you may want to take another look. (Cut to commercial). They are not only hardy, but beautiful as well. Their bell shaped flowers last 3-4 weeks, then they put on another fabulous display of new red foliage. You can't beat it! To top it off, Sarah & Manuel sheared our Red Mills earlier in the year so they are very full plants. We have a range of sizes from 12-15" to 42-48".
New to our price list and in limited quantities are the following:
-20°F Hot Dawn- Red blooms- please note we put it under pink-this is wrong-it is RED. Vigorous grower with an upright habit, good bud set. 4' x 4' in 10 yrs.
-15°F Percy Wiseman- Pink buds open to peach colored blooms on a compact plant. 3' x 4' in 10 yrs.
-15°F Teddy Bear- Delicate pink flowers on a compact plant. Dark green leaves have a soft brown indumentum. You have to see this! 3' x 4' in 10 yrs.
-20°F Tina Heinje- Pink flowers on a yaku hybrid from Finland. Dark green leaves have a pale underside. 3' x 4' in 10 yrs.
The inventory is finally finished and posted to the website located under Wholesale Ordering/Availability list. We have added a second page to the website with photos of our plants along with Sarah, Mabel, Rosie and me. Hope you enjoy them, the dogs were a big help!
As always, if you would like to order for spring, the earlier your order, the better the selection, and then we can overwinter your plants in our polyhouses. We look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Linda, Sarah, Lazaro, Scott & The gang
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