Lawrie Barton, Whitewater Horticulural Society
Ten hardy members on a cold and windy Saturday in June visited the gardens of Blaine Marchand and Jamie Robertson at their old Osceola schoolhouse home to see their collection of beautiful Peonies.
Blaine welcomed the group then explained the classification of peonies; there are the old fashioned the ones we see in old gardens, Saunders Peonies named for Professor Arthur Saunders then there are there are the Itoh peonies bred by a Japanese grower Toichi Itoh that are more open ,not double like early peonies.
Blaine told about how some of the plants came to them when the Ottawa River was widened and a home was no longer inhabited. They dug up over a hundred of different varieties that had been tended to by a person who was now deceased. Jamie keeps a record book of the names and location of all their peonies which is great help when looking for a particular one or its name.
Peonies can have single blooms or double blooms; some are tree peonies, some have lovely shiny leaves and some have fern like leaves.When peony plants become too large they can be divided in the fall and transplanted and might bloom the next year. Be patient! It may take two years. The one thing most people love about peonies is the beautiful fragrance with scents ranging from rose citrus to spice. Some of the newer Hybrids often lack fragrance.
After ambling through the peony beds. we gathered under the shade of trees and enjoyed juice and a Lemon cake. The wind was a bit much for some and so our visit was short but sweet.
Our hosts were presented with a gift of a twig ball made by member Joanne Pratt.
We are now looking forward to our next outing on July 28th when we will visit Whitehouse Perennials in Ashton, then to White Lake to the Waba Cottage and Gardens ending with lunch at the Blackbird Cafe in Burnstown.
Want to join our group? Please contact Lawrie Barton, President,at 613 646 7364.
Single membership is $10.00 or family $15.00.
Future plans include some evening presentations on interesting topics related to gardens and new environmental practices.
