Crop 231 October Issue of Flowering Shrub Farm Monthly All Picture Newsletters; January February March April May 1 to 15 May 16 to 31 June 1 to 7 June 8 to 14 June 15 to 21 June 22 to 30 July August September October November December Subscribe to this picture-newsletter (more information and links at bottom of page) for more information about these pictures. Click on the picture and it may open a larger version with more detail. Last edited 10/29/2011

1. October is when foliage starts to change color in this region of New York State. We do the picture inventory where I take pictures of each sign that shows, on a green dot, how many plants of a certain variety we had in a 7 gallon pot for $30 each as of the date on a pink label. We are also building pot-in-pot raised beds where fruit trees, roses and hibiscus will be stored in winter with their pots mulched so the roots dont freeze. And we are training espalier by lowering branches and tieing them onto a trellis.

2. Usually around the tenth of each month, I send an email to all my subscribers with notes about each picture in this picture-newsletter and a link to this page. Prior to that of course, I am overwriting the pictures I took last year with this years. If you dont subscribe you can still look at the pictures but you wont always know what they are of or why I took them.

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4. If you wish to subscribe email me.

5. Smart people buy plants in bloom and we at the flowering shrub farm are open only when plants that we grow are flowering. Potential customers subscribe to my free picture-newsletter where they can see pictures of our plants growing in the fields or available at the plant sale.

6. In October I constantly look for decorative fruit and fall foliage to take pictures of. Usually I save the picture with some indication in the file name of what they are.

7. The number between pictures gives me a simple reference when referring to a particular picture in an email to a subscriber.

8. When I first start growing a variety I create a sign using a sharpie marker. Later I have a sign commercially printed that is less likely to fade and also has information like how hardy it is providing the range between cold tolerance and heat tolerance, an estimated height x width and the date it was first introduced. Sometimes I will include information about when it blooms and how that compares with bloom time of other plants ( before or after ).

9. Another picture next to that of the sign will show a closeup of the flower usually with my hand in the picture so you have an idea of how large the flower is. Clicking on the picture opens a picture you can study more closely or use as wallpaper.

10. Current Inventory pictures are provided at www.floweringshrubfarm.com/current.htm In order to provide a web page that opens easily I have to keep the number of pictures below around 40. So I am providing inventory pictures in another page linked here.

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13. We grow around 50 varieties of Lilac, but only sell them after they have begun to bloom. You can watch each crop grow until they start flowering at maybe 3 or 4 feet. Click these pictures for a larger image so you can read the variety name on the sign.

14. I show only a few varieties here. The remainder of this mmonths inventory can be found at www.floweringshrubfarm.com/current.htm

15. Blueberry bushes are sold at the plant sale when they are more than 1 year old. The year they are planted is usually painted on the side of the pot with the variety name and sometimes is noted on the upper left hand side of the sign as well with a sharpie marker.

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Some varieties of Lilac we grow are more vigorous than others.

We grow several varieties of Syringa prestoniae.

Occasionally a Lilac will bloom in the wrong season.

Powdery mildew is a particular problem among those plants that get to dry.

We arrange plants in the field with wide grass paths between.

Candle Light Spiraea has beautiful foliage at this time of year.

Don and Rich installing a rubberized roof at the farm on left. Curt topdressing roses with pottingsoil where needed.

Dressed pots have soil up to within one inch of the rim. Some of those that are undressed are well below that.

We pickup roses and place them pot in pot for the winter with their roots mulched.

Roses are sorted along the path down to the beds at the lower end.

Hoses are drained by laying them out on the slope down to the lower end.

About the ALL-PICTURE-NEWSLETTER by andyvancleve

Flowering Shrub Farm Monthly All Picture Newsletters; January February March April May 6 to 16 May 20 to 31 June 4 to 7 June 8 to 9 June 11 to 13 June 16 to 25 July August September October November December

Potential Customers subscribe. Each month I send them the latest email link to the newsletter, information as to what is blooming and sometimes an update telling them when I am open.

When they see something they like they come buy it in bloom.

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 Want to purchase? email me.