Growing or WHAT we do and WHEN we do it using pictures from my picture-newsletter. Links at bottom of page. Clicking the picture will sometimes open a bigger picture.
In March we propagate many plants by division
1. I propagate and grow older varieties of Lilacs and Roses (check lists of plants in my home page). Once we have determined that I grow what you want I can maybe send them mail order or sell them during the plant sale.
March fertilizing
march 23 and march label cut back
As we cut back lilacs that were identified and labeled last year we attach the label to the pot by locking it through a slot we cut in the rim.
Cutting back lilacs that flowered last year but no one bought at plant sale, were identified and labeled with an individually numbered yellow label with the variety name painted on it. Once the snow is gone we will feed them all with rose tone and divide some of them.
2. These insulated cold boxes that we store roses in during the winter are sometimes used as tables in the summer. Usually Roses are left inside the coldbox until temperatures are consistently above freezing but we start feeding as soon as they start growing actively. Check out how I grow roses on drip line at roseraie.
The drip lines can water each plant with a half gallon of water per hour from each emitter if there isn't enough rain.
3. Many Lilacs and Roses are placed out on these drip lines during spring or summer, they flower, are photographed for the newsletter moved to the plant sale and finally sold. I walk around taking pictures with my digital camera while the emitters slowly water the plants.
4. We layout the weed mat where many plants will be displayed during the plant sale in back of the house at 40 Voorheesville Ave.
5. May
My helpers bring Lilacs that will flower this year and place them around the plant sale location where they will get watered easily probably on drip line.
6. Rooted cuttings from Lilacs and Roses are planted in 1, 2 and 3 gallon pots, then grown in the field under drip line until they flower.
7. 'Aucubaefolia' and 'Ludwig Spaeth' Click the blue link beneath these pictures for more information or to see additional pictures.
8. charles joly
9. 'Clarks Giant' and 'Nadezhda'
10. Edward J Gardner and Mme Lemoine
11. 'Congo' and 'Monge' Congo and Monge are often quite similar .
12. 'Krasavitsa moskvy' and maylilacssmall.jpg We carry in several pickup truck loads of Lilacs from the fields whenever Curt is here and sort them as best we can at the plant sale location.
13. 'Adelaide Dunbar' and 'Anabel'
14. 'Excel' and 'Maidens Blush' These Syringa hyacinthafloras 'Excel', 'Maidens Blush', and 'Purple Glory' are all plants we only have at this time to take cuttings from and to take pictures of. They are generally thought to be more heat tolerant to zone 9 than Syringa vulgaris while continuing to be cold hardy to zone 2 or 3.
15. 'Purple Glory' and 'Paul Thirion' This S. vulgaris 'Paul Thirion' Lilac is purple but I have not gotten a picture in the right light yet.
16. Sarah Sands and Sensation Sarah Sands is very hard to get a picture that is truly reflective of its very dark purple flowers and often the camera sees blue instead of dark purple. The Sarah Sands plant this flower is on is the one we take cuttings from (badly labeled as Dark Night) and in June as new growth is six inches long I'll take cuttings.
17. S. vulgaris 'Belle de nancy' and S. hyacinthaflora 'Dark Night'
18. Michel Buchner Lilacs that flowered last year and were labeled are cut back the following spring to be sold at the price stuck on the side of the pot.
I specialize in varieties that I like that are hardy, disease resistant, and hard to find. We plant several of each variety in the ground in the nursery and grow them until they are large enough to propagate from. So I try to take hundreds of cuttings from plants in the ground and stick them in my outdoor misting bench. Cuttings that have rooted are then potted up and grown on drip line until they flower, are identified, labeled and had a price sticker attached (then a cuttings picture that shows a price sticker may be taken to over-write the first one and a link may be added to my instock page).
20. Apothecarys Rose and American Pillar
21. I visit the newsletter daily to rewrite what I wrote yesterday and maybe add a couple pictures taken in the nursery. People who are interested in the plants we grow send an email with their phone number and what plants they are interested in.
22. Two inch rooted cuttings are potted, placed in sink and watered. The label should have year first potted and some indication of what variety they might be (these numbers indicate they may be La belle sultane or Ispahan). Once they flower we'll know for sure.
23. Placed outside through an opened window then taken out and placed on drip line in the upper field where there is more sunlight, its easy to water and we can fertilize once a month with Rose Tone.
June
24. Roses flower and we attach price stickers to the pots near the variety name and year first potted that we mark on the side of the pot with a paint pen. As I identify plants I search my list for those people interested in them. If they have left me their phone number I can call them back to see if they are still interested. Sometimes I'll send them mail order while other times they come during the plant sale and buy them.
July
25. Individual rooted cuttings are seperated from others and potted into one gallon pots with the year first potted marked on the side. On the right is a picture of potential cuttings being pointed at with a pencil (the best cuttings are thick as a pencil and around 6 inches long). As they outgrow their pots they will be repotted into 3 gallon pots and placed on drip line in the field with pictures added to the newsletter.
26. The electronic leaf placed among cuttings in the propagation box turns misters on and off. As the mist is collected in the alluminum mesh of the leaf its weighed down until it shuts off the water. As the collected droplets evaporate the leaf rises and turns the water on again.
27. The solenoid is a valve that turns the water on and off controlled by the electronic leaf. This 'Super Dorothy' produced a single flower.
28. We use several kinds of misting heads in the propagation boxes. A blue one that I used for many years (Mr cash at the SUNY Ag school likes this one) but I also use brass fog-it nozzles because I dont need a pressure regulator. I'll be adding this part of the newsletter showing the electronic leaf etc. to the growing page at GROW above.
29. Roses hardy in zone 3 to be used as a source of cuttings are planted in 45 gallon pots. Those that are less hardy to zone 4 and 5 are planted in the ground along the drip line. First I empty a bag of manure in the location and mix it into the existing soil, then later after we plant a rose bush I mulch a couple times a year with composted manure. Every morning I turn on the drip line while I'm walking the dog or having my coffee.
30. In back and pot-in-pot. Quite a few roses that we use to take cuttings from still remain in the low light area around the pot in pot because at this time of year I just dont have enough help. Normally we have moved these plants onto drip line where they get more sun.
31. On left is Rosa rugosa from seedlings. Click this link to see us propagating rugosa species from seed. I visit this newsletter almost every day to rewrite what I wrote yesterday, add a couple pictures taken in the nursery or to edit one of the main pages linked above to make it easier for someone to access information. People who are interested in the plants we grow send an email with their phone number and a list of the plants they want. I reply with a link to this page or others linked above then go and edit the pages so that they can find the requested information (later I'll call you back by phone so give me an idea of what time zone your in). I add your email to a mailbox on my computer I label as 2016 so I can look up your phone number if I have to call you back (check LIST above). On the right are the sliding windows on the front of the potting shed where you can see the utility sink through the glass.
32. On the left is a flower on rugosa rose 'Blanc double de Coubert' planted in a 45 gallon pot (hardy to zone 3 growing up to 6 feet tall and wide originally a seedling of Rosa rugosa alba introduced around 1898). On the right is the cuttings picture which will show the plant we take cuttings from if we have no rooted cuttings at this time but as I stick cuttings in the propagation box I will over-write this picture with one of those and if they root and survive the winter I will over-write with a picture of the rooted cuttings in one gallon pots (not for sale until a price sticker is attached and visible in the cuttings picture).
33. rose 2014-882 maybe that flowered on July 5 on left maybe 'Dortmund'. I clip the flower and a piece of stem off, slip it under the pot and save it as the days date (later, I might save it elsewhere).
34. Our mist propagation box where we stick cuttings in July, August and September (this one will hold around 1000 cuttings). Whenever I find viable cuttings (thick as a pencil, 6 inches long or longer, 6 nodes; two for below soil for roots and four above for leaves) I stick them four to each one gallon pot with the variety name and date stuck noted on the side of the pot and place them in my propagation box. As I pot them, before I put them inside, I'll take a picture to include in the newsletter (watch for them).
August
35. In May and June I root cuttings from Lilacs but in July, August and September I root cuttings from Roses. Watch my Newsletter to see pictures of what I have stuck under mist. I am disabled in my hands and arms (so writing is limited and packing tape is impossible), have back problems etc. so I work very slowly but I have friends and family stopping by to help with those things I cant do well like packing mail order plants. So as you might imagine before I send out a mail order package one of my helpers who only come once a week have to show up and do all the packaging (I wont actually cash your check until we are ready to send the package).
September
36. Roots may indicate the cutting has rooted. When propagated in house I try to note the variety name and date the cuttings were taken on the side of the pot. Sometimes we stick cuttings 4 in each one gallon pot (because its easier to over-winter) and other times we stick each one in its own 2 inch pot that we may overwinter on a bench heated to just above freezing so the roots wont freeze.
October
37. Roses in 7 gallon pots (we use as a source of cuttings) that were on drip line during summer get placed pot in pot for the winter and lilacs that we tried to sell this year for $25 each but have left over get placed on drip line where the roses were.
November
38. Roses in one, two and three gallon pots get placed inside one of the cold boxes for the winter their pots all crowded together and in touch with the ground so their roots don't freeze.
novemberdriplinesmall.jpg, novemberpotinpotsmall.jpg
39. In summer larger plants are growing on drip line, then in winter they are stored pot-in-pot. The following spring we take them out of the pot-in-pot storage in the shade of trees and place them on drip line again where they will get lots of sun.
December, January and February
40. In November and December we put the Roses in Cold Boxes that will protect them from being eaten by dear or mice during the winter. Then we open and check the poison baits so if mice get in they dont eat the roses.
februaryreddoorsmall.jpg, plugsbymediumprioritymailsmall.jpg
potting bench and those I potted may 19
HOME PLANT SALE ROSES ROSERAIE ALBA GALLICA DAMASK CENTIFOLIA RUGOSA CLIMBING OLDROSE ZONE3ROSE NEWSLETTER GROWING LILACS LILACGRO INSTOCK LIST HELP ORDERING CONTACT