Crop 325 of All Picture Newsletter at the Flowering Shrub Farm in Voorheesville, NY

Crop 325 September 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

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

Every few days throughout each month, I add several more pictures, comments and links (with the most recent additions added at the top) before I start another similar page the following month (more about the newsletter at bottom). Click on the picture and it may open a larger version with more detail.

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.

About the ALL-PICTURE-NEWSLETTER by andyvancleve

At the beginning of each month I 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.

At the end of the month I save the page as the crop page for that month.

So I might create the newsletter in Crop 315 but at the end of the month save it as the January Newsletter Crop 263.

So if you subscribe you get to see the pictures the day they were taken and if you dont you get to see them up to 30 days later.

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

Pictures of flowers are often 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 I can overwrite the picture in a crop page for that variety alone.

Most of the plants have more than one season of interest.

So I try to take pictures of the plants we grow when they are blooming but also in fall with decorative foliage or fruit and in winter when covered with ice and snow.

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.

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 this months pictures until the beginning of next month but can still enjoy last year at this time.

IN WINTER I AT LEAST TRY TO SHOW LILACS IN THE FIELD (lilacrow), the BELGIAN FENCE next door (belgianfence), ROSES IN STORAGE (storage), PLANTS IN 45 GALLON POTS OUTDOORS AND THE INSIDE OF THE COLD FRAME (coldframe) WHERE I OVERWINTER BABY OWN ROOT PLANTS AND NEW ROOTED CUTTINGS.

January and February are usually pictures of dormant plants and the affects of weather. March and April I start to add pictures of us planting and transplanting and new growth. May, June and July most plants will bloom showing subscribers what could be for sale during the plant sale, also shown are pictures of crops in the field, mail order and lots more. July through December I am taking cuttings to make new plants. August we have lots of pictures of fruit on roses etc. October fall foliage.

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.

When a customer says they want to subscribe I send the following in an email.

Each month I take pictures around the nursery adding a few pictures, links and comments every few days. Clicking on the picture will often open a larger picture and you can save it as wallpaper if you want or forward the link to someone you think is interested. Several schools with landscaping courses follow the newsletter because you get to see the flower, fruit, fall foliage and more at different times.

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