Each Little World

Peony Heaven

When I think about my family's garden "history," it's mostly about vegetables. Though there were flowers in the yards at the houses where I grew up, I think they were there when we moved in. In his later years my Dad had Alzheimer's, and while he was still able to live at home, my most lasting memories of him are in the garden tending Peonies. Thus the Peonies in my garden always remind me of him even though I mostly grow species Peonies and not the big blowsy beauties we had. 

Though my garden is packed full, I think I have room for one more Peony. And this spring, Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery in Avalon, Wisconsin, is offering the beauty I've had my eye on since it was first introduced. I've been waiting for the price to come down but it hasn't. And I'm not going to wait any longer to add Paeonia 'Golden Angel' to my garden.

KLEHM SONG SPARROW WEBSITE PHOTO

Here's Klehm's description: "Newly emergent stems have red and gold color to add an intriguing accent to spring bulbs such as daffodils. Then, as the foliage completely unfurls it shows the gold tones that inspired its name. As the season progresses the foliage matures to green. Single soft cream yellow blossoms are lovely atop the foliage."

SOLARIS FARMS WIKI IMAGE

Isn't this a stunning plant?!! I have had little success with P. Molly the Witch and this seems like an excellent replacement for her. I wish I had a bed that I could devote to Peonies. I'd grow one or two old classics for the fragrance because the newer ones usually only have a very slight fragrance. But I love the colors and forms and quirky flower types that are available these days. 

'Coral Charm' (below) was a big breakthrough in Peony color and it's easy to see why it is an award winner. 

P. 'Spumoni Whisper' is swoon-worthy beside having a great name!

I used to only like the very traditional Peony flowers. But over years of looking at Klehm Peonies, I've come to appreciate some of the forms that are quite unusual and not at all what comes to mind when one says "Peony."

'Daisy Coronet' is a perfect example of what I mean. She's kooky but has a large dose of dramatic charm with those dark maroon-red pistils! It's worth mentioning that 'Daisy Cornet' is an early bloomer with small 2-3" flowers and the plant is only 22 inches tall. That means she can be blended into a garden more easily than some of the more showy Peonies.

Roy Klehm is the sole hybridizer for 'Daisy Coronet' and 'Spumoni Whisper' and shares the honors with another hybridizer on the other Peonies show here. Though the Klehm family has been specializing in Peonies for generations, they offer a wonderful selection of perennials, shrubs and trees as well. I've bought a lot of different plants from them over the years and highly recommend them. Good value and great packaging so I've never had a plant get harmed in shipping. 

Roy Klehm has spoken to the WHPS many times over the years and often lets members shop in person one day each spring. But I wrote this post because I discovered Klehm long before I found WHPS and think the nursery is well-worth recommending. 

At least the sun is shining . . .

and gloriously! All that brightness reflecting off the snow is shining in our big southern windows and warming up the house. But Group Health Cooperative (our docs), UW Health Sports Medicine Fitness Center (our gym), area schools, UW-Madison, state offices, and the public library system are all closed, along with many local businesses. The three things on my calendar for today were all cancelled and now comes word there won't be any mail delivery.

All of our neighbors put their garbage out, so I guess our great public employees will be going to work as usual. And our newspaper was delivered. I find it all a bit amazing since I've gone to work during many bad snowstorms and dangerous wind chills in years past. You always go to work if your job is at the newspaper or a hospital or the cop shop and a long list of similar places. 

Back in the late 1970s we had a legendary ice storm when I was in grad school. The University did not close. In fact, I well remember driving down my street to get to the U because I had an important exam. I remember it so vividly because there were live wires down on my street that I had to drive around — which gives you a sense of the seriousness of that storm! Though the photo below looks like it's from the 19th century, it is an NOAA image from that storm which was statewide.

But this time around, we've got heat and power, books, digital devices, food, coffee, and a fire in the fireplace. I'm not sure about Mark, but I may stay indoors until Spring arrives!

Inside, looking out

We took advantage of the storm and gave ourselves a "snow day," and didn't work too hard at anything. One of our neighbors, whose driveway Mark cleaned in the last storm, did ours in return. Since there was no rush to get that done, Mark took photos of the garden — all from indoors!

Views of the front garden: Those are the stone steps that lead up to the circular Moon Garden at the bottom left. 

Our Korean maples hold their leaves until spring. 

The heron rarely carries more than a dusting of snow.  

Three storms in two weeks have buried many of the landmarks in the garden. 

The roofs of the back fence and gate are deeply draped with snow.

This vignette does not suggest Wisconsin to me.

Mark described this view as "snow-capped peaks."

Nothing, certainly not a little snow, disturbs the Buddha. 

Despite the beauty of these images, this deep snow means we can no longer venture out into the garden. Rocks, stepping stones, shrubs, bamboo hoops, wire cages, bags of shredded leaves: All of it is snow-covered, making for a landscape that is lovely to look at from indoors but filled with invisible dangers should we step outside.

Beauty between the storms

Mark drove out to our monthly book club meeting yesterday while I stayed in town to go to the opening of the new textile exhibits on campus. He bundled up and allowed enough time to capture these scenes with his camera.

First stop was to fill up the gas tank of his truck. You never want to chance country travel in the winter without a full tank. We're the only members of the book group who live in Madison.

The big "barn" on the Epic Systems campus. 

I'm always amazed at how quickly one leaves the city behind and finds oneself surrounded by farmland.

Mark rarely passes this cemetery without stopping and taking a few shots. But the snow lumps indicating low gravestones were a new sight. 

The spillway in Blanchardville.

It's a balmy 20 degrees F. (-6.66 C.) and snowing as I write this on Monday morning at 10 am (Central time zone). The temperature will get down to single digits tonight and below zero temps overnight. Though it was cold yesterday, it was a sunny and beautiful day. 

Fiber Friday: Helen Louis Allen Textile Collection 50th Anniversary Celebration

 

One of A Kind Ahead of Her Time:
The Legacy of Helen Louise Allen

January 27 – April 18, 2019

Opening Reception: January 27th, 1 – 3 pm
Ribbon cutting and remarks at 1:30 pm

Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery

School of Human Ecology, UW-Madison

Guest curated by Lynn K. Mecklenburg, the inaugural exhibition of the textile gallery showcases collection pieces representing the travels of Professor Helen Louise Allen (1902-1968).

Allen had a lifelong passion for handwork and the creative crafts. In 2019, she would thrive in society’s revitalization of the artisanal, the handmade, and the original. One of A Kind Ahead of Her Time invites gallery goers to consider the woman, the collector, and the educator who looked at textiles as carriers of human culture, a thought that remains relevant in today’s diverse and globalized world.

The exhibition is on view in conjunction with the Ruth Davis Design Gallery show from Applique to Zardozi: An Anniversary Sampler.

About the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection: Over the past half century, the collection has grown from an original 4,000-piece gift to more than 13,000 objects that have inspired and informed thousands of students, researchers, historians, and textile aficionados. The new Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery is a permanent space dedicated to year-round displays of the collection.

Editor's note: I am a boardmember of the Friends of HLATC and am a big fan of textiles and the collection. I am posting this information because of that interest and not because I received any remuneration. The text is taken directly from the collection's website. If you have an interest in textile design, I suggest you "like" the Design Gallery's Facebook page which posts about textiles just enough to whet your appetite without overwhelming other FB posts. I love to see what they have discovered that's new, old, from here or there. 

My garden book

I know that many bloggers I follow are also fans of garden books. I read them endlessly and own more than I like to admit. But now I am starting to write my own book. Just for me. An account of my garden in a nice hard-cover book that I can take with me to the nursing home. Some day that's where I'll likely be, unless I get hit by a bus next week.

Mark has been self-publishing a number of books online via Blurb. But I am wondering if any of you have self-published a book about your own garden. If you have, what company did you use? Did you like it? Were there problems in putting it together or in printing? 

I am just in the beginning stages of trying to refine my ideas about what the book should include and the proportion of text versus photos. I am assuming that what I want to create will be pretty pricey. But I don't know of a better way to spend my money than making it possible for me to take my garden with me when I must move and leave it physically behind.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, tips, and publishing sites you can suggest.

It's January and how!

The snow storm that was predicted to hit us has indeed done so. 

We got about 4.5" of snow over the weekend. It looks like this new storm dumped about the same amount during the day Tuesday and overnight. Despite the weather, eleven of us met for a Restaurant Week dinner at Smoky's last evening.  

Mark went out with his big snowblower this morning as soon we got up when he saw our new young neighbor shoveling his driveway. Alas, he'd gone indoors again and probably doesn't realize that Mark is the one who cleared the pile of snow that the plow deposited at the end of the driveway.

Then Mark realized that another neighbor's snowblower had just died so he went and helped clear that driveway. A lot of work by 8 a.m.! And it's supposed to keep snowing until late morning. 

I love clear, dry roads in winter but I love my garden being protected by deep snow much more!

What we learned

I had a great time at my Saturday workshops on "recording" the garden and people seemed to find the experience useful. And just as I hoped, there was a lot of sharing of tips and techniques for keeping track of our gardens. Here are a few of the things that surfaced at the workshops that I thought might be of use to other gardeners.

Recording on paper vs. online: The dozen gardeners who came to the workshops were different ages and levels of experience, but it turned out that just about everyone used some kind of paper record-keeping — index cards, journals, notebooks — even if they did most of their note-taking on the computer. I think that was a surprise to all of us.

Use Pinterest as a garden shopping tool: Make a Pinterest board for each garden bed or project. Include images of the what the garden bed looks like now, along with any inspirational ideas that show what you are hoping to achieve. Use this board as the spot to put pictures of all the plants you want to buy for the area. Since you can access Pinterest from anywhere on your various devices, you will always have all this information with you when you go plant shopping. You can show it to nursery staff if they don't know the plant or need more info. 

What's in a name: I suggested that garden "records" should tell the story of your garden. They don't just need to be lists of plants and projects. One of the other gardeners noted that she names her garden beds but they all have a personal story and connections. It hadn't occurred to her before our gathering that the names of the different areas could tell that story, rather than being based on location or the type of plants growing there.

Organizing information by area vs. the entire garden: I happen to have an old library card catalog so I keep track of my plants via an index card for each one. They are filed alphabetically by botanical name. Another gardener uses an accordion folder for each area/bed in her garden. In it she puts all the plant tags, index cards with information for each plant and any other information she wants to keep. If she moves a plant from one bed to another, she moves the card from its current folder to the folder for its new location. I thought this was a pretty efficient and effective system, especially if your garden has clearly delineated beds and areas. 

The downsides of 3-Ring Binders: Most of the gardeners who came to the workshops all used binders for various garden records and tasks. But one of the gardeners mentioned that she finds that once something gets put in a plastic sleeve in a binder, it never leaves. I think she's absolutely correct. I have a garden binder that has some great magazine clippings of garden ideas that I will never do. But inertia keeps them in the binder. And we all agreed that a binder is not easy to schlep around the garden making notes in place. 

I thought Mark or I would take some pictures while everyone was here, but it did not happen. The groups spent the better part of two hours looking at my Keynote presentation, asking questions of me and each other and making suggestions. Then we spent half an hour looking at all the various record-keeping methods I showed them in the pictures in person. 

Too cold to think!

Friday afternoon the storm blew in at the exact time forecasters had predicted. We didn't get too much snow, only about 4-5 inches (10-12 cm.). But it's enough to insulate the garden from the cold that came with the storm. At least I hope it is!

The garden looked beautiful. Not a footprint marred the snow, not a sound but the wind.

Despite chilly temps and snowy roads, everyone came to my house for my workshops on Saturday. Lots of sharing of ideas and energizing garden talk.

Sunday morning I was up and out of the house by 9:15 a.m. to go to the annual Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society pot luck, seed exchange etc. It was clear and sunny so the 0 degree F. (-17.77 C.)  temperature didn't seem that bad. 

But this morning, it's -16 degrees F. (-26.66 C.) so Mark and i are hunkering down in front of the fire with books, laptops, and coffee. The Polar Vortex has definitely hit the neighborhood!

Prepping for a pair of workshops

I'm presenting a pair of workshops Saturday on "Recording your Garden." Here's the description: 

"When it comes to your garden, you are the expert; the only person who has been there from the beginning. But memory is an unreliable way to keep track of your plants and all your work, the constant changes you see, the weather and whatnot. Linda Brazill has been journaling about her garden and other subjects for many years. She’ll share ideas and her inspirations about the myriad ways you can record and interact with your garden on this deeper level. Mainly print, some digital but not spreadsheets."

My offering is part of on-going series of programs given by members of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society and offered mostly free to members. I'm doing mine at my home and limited the group size to eight people counting me. I wanted to do something where we could really interact, talk and share ideas and reflections.

I mention all this because I am going to stay off the computer while I get everything ready today and tomorrow. See you all on Monday!