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Pictures of SEPTEMBER flowers, fruit, propagation and more at the Flowering Shrub Farm in Voorheesville, NY. www.floweringshrubfarm.com

Similar to a slide show, I add more comments, pictures and hyperlinks frequently throughout the month (with the most recent additions added at the top) before I start another similar page the following month. Click on the picture and it may open a larger version with more detail. I like to hear your comments so please email me and subscribe if you haven't already. Those who dont subscribe will have to wait for the most recent pictures until part way through each month but can still enjoy last year at this time. More explanation at the bottom of this page.

BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN SEPTEMBER 26, 2009

Planting a hedge of lilacs in Watervliet on September 26, 2009 (00009plantinglilachedge092609.jpg). If you click this picture you see the trench around 3/4 the depth of the lilac root balls. If the trench was too deep we could reduce the depth by filling part way under each root ball with gravel. If the trench didn't drain properly we could dig trenches toward the sidewalk from the main trench ending in a french drain (which is a large hole several feet deep, filled with gravel). In this case the lilacs are seperated by almost 3 feet and the area between each plant is filled with compost, then topped with a couple inches of top soil. As the soil sinks it will be filled with successive layers of compost and top soil. Each year a mulch of compost will be applied in spring.

BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN SEPTEMBER 18, 2009

The belgian fence next door (00009belgianfence091809).

BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Fountains at Renaissance floral design (00009renaissance092509). Check their web site at www.bestinbloom.com Nice fountains!

Stuyvesant Photo more than just your average camera store (00009stuyvesantphoto092509). I was asked to get more than just a reflected image of cars in a parking lot so here's my version of a self portrait. Check out their web site at www.stuyvesantphoto.com

BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) growing in the lilac fields (00009asternewengland091609). We grow our lilacs in four paralel rows, each row a couple feet from the one next to it. Each group of four are seperated from the next group by a twelve foot mowing strip (the entire bed may have several hundred lilacs that we feed with dehydrated manure in spring and water through a drip line if it gets to dry). Among the lilacs we encourage many flowering plants that provide necter to our beneficial insects. This is certainly one of the most beautiful.

Phlox in ash pit (00009ashpitphlox091609).

Here you see just such a lilac bed on the left and another on the right (00009upperfield091609.jpg). Yellow labels mark lilacs that will be pulled from the field and repotted next March. You can see 'Queen Anns Lace' in the bed on the right. The right bed is resting and will be filled next spring with 'Paul Thirion' and 'Rochester'.

This is the top row in the upper field (00009upperfieldpreston091609). Called Preston for the Syringa prestoniae 'Miss Canada' growing on the left back. On the right are many newly placed lilacs that are as little as one year old.

BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

Above is; 11185alfreddedalmas091509 Crop 196 Alfred de Dalmas 'Alfred de Dalmas' Moss Rose introduced in 1855, zones 6 thru 9, 2 to 4 feet tall, shade tolerant, blush pink flowers that smell of honeysuckle.

Above is; 00015propagationtable091509 I like to sit here in the shade of this apple tree when sticking cuttings. The water faucet is also here and I can interchange hoses while sitting on the bench.

Above is; 00008kurtweeding091509 Kurt weeding the Devils Horns weed from a bed where we will bury roses later in the year.

Above is; 00029sprinkler091509 The sprinkler line where I place rooted cuttings after I've uncovered them. Each 10 foot section has 2 spray emmitters and screws into the next ten foot section. In the fall we'll break down these sprinklers into the ten foot sections and hang them on the barn.

Above is; 00032shelf091509 Inside the barn we build shelves from 8 foot 2 by 4's. Because we dont cut them we can take any shelf apart when we no longer need it and reuse the 8 foot 2 by 4's.

BELOW ARE PICTURES OF ROOTED CUTTINGS TAKEN SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Above are cuttings I took from the Hybrid Rugosa rose 'Delicata' on July 1, 2009. Usually I attach a date label with the variety name printed next to the date but it seems to have been omitted in this case. Information pertaining to the hormone used or the soil mix is usually placed on a label stuck to the side of the three gallon pot. After six weeks sealed in a plastic bag the pot is removed and placed out in an area to be regularly watered after being fertilized with an organic slow release fertilizer. This picture, taken about a month afterwards shows almost 100% of the cuttings have rooted (20090701delicata.jpg). Other pictures below shows a somewhat worse success rate. The cuttings will remain undisturbed until spring at least at which time I may decide to devide them or allow them to grow together for a while longer. Clicking on the picture should open a larger version allowing you to study the cuttings a little closer.

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Many people feel that propagators need a lot of expensive equipment to get cuttings to root (20090709newdawn.jpg). My method should be enough to convince you otherwise. After the cuttings are rooted I may grow them for several years before dividing them or they might be divided as early as next spring.

Above is a picture that shows the surface upon which I place the pots. being rolled out weed mat and treated decking. In the fall these pots will be placed inside my cold frame and the decking will be picked up and stacked until used again next year (20090711furstinvonpless.jpg). If I dont keep the pots above the ground they may wick up excess moisture and rot. By using boards in this fashion Its easy to implement without breaking our backs and yet is easily removed when bringing in a tractor.

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BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN SEPTEMBER 5, 2009

Scottish Games in Altamont this is half of the combined bands and I have a sequence of several pictures of that (#17 thru #24). 00000scotgames17_090509.jpg. I try to go every year to listen to the huge noise created when so many pipes and drums play simultaneously. Louder than the fourth of July.

I go for the noise, the welsh cookies and the meat pies.

BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN SEPTEMBER 4, 2009

Butterfly Bush and Rose of Sharon combined in bloom September 4, 2009

Lilac pruned back to 12 inches on August 8 and fertilized with manure current growth as of September 4.

Rose de Rescht in bloom September 4 on my Lilac Walk.

BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN SEPTEMBER 1, 2009

Above is Hibiscus Syriacus Rose of Sharon (one of the varieties we grow) at the farm on September 1, 2009.

Above is a picture of the Lilac beds on September 1. The vacant bed to the left (filled with wildflowers and weeds) is where we withdrew a hundred 'Ludwig Spaeth' this past March. Next spring we'll be replacing them with 50 'Rochester' and 50 'Paul Thirion'. We'll probably weed-wack the bed next week and spread compost.

The end of each bed has an arrangement of posts. Each bed has 4 paralel drip lines with emmitters every 18 inches. The cross piece of these posts anchors the drip lines. There's room for several hundred lilacs in each bed.

I take pictures in my nursery all year of the shrub, flower, fruit, fall foliage of the plants along with us doing chores and then post them in my newsletter. Each newsletter is presented similar to a slide show (clicking on the picture opens a larger version then click the back arrow, scroll down to the next and click that one). At the beginning of each month I'll start an issue in one of several hundred past newsletter pages and send a link to my subscribers. Every several days I'll add more pictures, comments and links to other pages. About half way through the month I'll link the page to the month shown on my home page. Many of the pictures will be of the inventory type with the date the picture was taken within the picture. Each inventory picture is saved using a file name that starts with the inventory number of the actual plant either for sale or in the garden for propagation, ending with the date. Simply by saving the picture without the date will overwrite the picture in a crop page for that variety alone. Potential Customers subscribe and I send a link to them from the latest picture-newsletter. When they see something they like they come buy it in bloom. Subscribers also send me an email after they purchased a plant telling me what they got and in exchange for subscribing and sending that email may receive some warranty protection.

We grow plants to sell at our plant sale. Read my notes on the zone hardiness numbers I use. Do we do mail order? Check my picture-newsletter www.floweringshrubfarm.com/growing.htm Want to purchase? email me.