2012 Garden Talk Descriptions for Hidden Springs Flower Farm presented by Harvey Buchite.
Each program is approximately 60 minutes in length including 5 minutes at the end for questions and answers. All talks are appropriate for novice to experienced gardeners except those noted in the descriptions.
Selecting Peonies for Your Garden - 55 slides. This is a great introduction to the five different types of peonies. Each group is described according to their bloom sequence and followed by a colorful selection from each group. In addition you’ll discover award winning, fragrant and top quality peonies from some of the best peony breeders. Growing and planting information is covered as well as fertilization, disease identification, control and moving peonies. There’s even time for a few questions at the end. (Our most popular presentation.)
The Gardeners Guide to Peonies – New for 2012! 94 slides. This program is more detailed than Selecting Peonies for Your Garden. This complete visual peony guide will introduce you to the growing needs of the different types of peonies and a generous, colorful selection of each type. The program includes information on planting, successful growing, seed propagation, disease identification, control and moving a peony out of season.
Award Winning Peonies (Updated for 2012) 82 slides. Discover the best peonies as you are introduced to all 71 of the Gold Medal and Award of Landscape Merit peonies presented in a colorful and informative program telling you why they were chosen to receive their awards. Gardeners looking for the highest quality peonies will find this presentation perfect for helping you select peonies for your garden. The presentation includes the award winning tree peonies, Itoh (intersectional hybrids) the garden hybrids, and our beloved garden peony. Peony growing information is included.
Peony Species from Around the World - 120 slides. This program is presented in a two hour in-depth and comprehensive look at all the botanical species of peonies. Discover the wild ancestors of our garden peonies and learn about their natural habitats. You’ll see images of them growing wild in their native habitats and learn how you can help preserve these vanishing botanical wonders. Distribution maps and habitat descriptions add to a better understanding of these botanical beauties. Many peony species are declining in nature and some are now listed as threatened or endangered and no longer permitted to be collected in the wild. Hidden Springs Flower Farm is committed to preserving as many of the peony species as they can through controlled hand pollination and germination of the seed and divisions of mature plants. (Study guides are available for sale for this presentation at a reasonable price and are highly recommended to make your note taking easier.)
The Historical Heirloom Peony talks are designed to be used as stand-alone presentations or in a series for day long Garden Expos with breakout sessions or for multiple club presentations when traveling out of state for a weekend speaking tour. Each is a full 60 minutes in length.
Antique Heirloom Peonies from 1851-1909. This program was completely updated in 2012 to include 75 slides, almost twice as many peonies as the original presentation. Discovery the ancient beginnings of our beloved peony starting with the 430 year old double red apothecary peony still grown in our gardens today. Brilliant images of 74 antique peonies, all over 100 years old and still growing strong and blooming after generations of gardeners have enjoyed their beauty they are still available to us to bringing color to our modern gardens. You may even recognize your family heirloom peony and be able to give it a proper name. You’ll learn how to grow these heirlooms successfully so that they can continue into the next millennium.
Historic and Heirloom Peonies from 1910-1928 New for 2012 (56 Slides) This is the era of rapid advancement in the development of the peony in America. During this time period the center of the peony world shifts from Europe to the United States. The controlled crossing of peonies and selection not only for cut flower but also garden qualities begins. All peonies presented in color are 84 – 101 years old making it possible for you to identify many “lost name” peonies handed down from your family.
Historic and Heirloom Peonies from 1929-1937 New for 2012 (58 Slides) This presentation covers a time of rapid advancement in the development of the peony in America. During this time period the center of the peony world shifts from Europe to the United States. The controlled crossing of peonies and selection not only for cut flower but also garden qualities begins. All peonies presented in color are 75-83 years old making it possible for you to identify many “lost name” peonies handed down from your family.
Historic and Heirloom Peonies from 1938-1948 New for 2012 (62 Slides) With the landmark hybridizing work of Dr. A.P. Saunders and other American breeders the center of the peony world shifts away from war torn Europe to North America. This was a pivotal decade in peony history. Selection and development was geared not only to the cut flower market but also the emerging home gardener market. The garden peony is second only to roses in popularity during this time in garden history.
Historic Peonies from 1949-1962 New for 2012 (65 Slides) With a shift in the focus of introducing peonies for the home gardener and less on the cut flower industry we see a great number of new peonies. This was also a time when mail order came to the forefront and peonies gained a widespread distribution. Never a large commercial enterprise like roses, except for the Midwest Nursery operated by the Klehm family, the future of the peony rested in the hands of amateur breeders, many with day jobs in unrelated fields. Popularity of peonies as well as other plants was strong through this period but demand would start to wane as the gardening public was looking for the new and exciting plants that were not grown by their grandparents. This time period bring us up to the modern peony breeding programs of today.
Favorite Fragrant Peonies - 93 slides. This program was updated for 2012 to include 15 new peonies rated for fragrance. Fragrance is only second to color in qualities that gardeners look for when they seek out peonies for their gardens. You’ll see colorful slides of 85 different peonies all rated for their quality of fragrance. Discover which peony flower forms and colors are more fragrant, we are sure you will be surprised to learn the answer!
Peonies for the Shade - 58 slides. Move over hostas - yes, there are some peonies that will grow in the shade. We’ll explore those wild peonies found in nature along woodland edges and in partially shaded woodland glades. Then we’ll look at the marvelous assortment of tree peonies available to gardeners today that can be grown alongside hostas successfully.
The Herbaceous Peonies of Dr. A.P. Saunders New for 2012 76 slides. Enjoy an unprecedented presentation of 72 of Dr. Saunders landmark and historic peony creations. Some so rare you would literally have to go overseas to find them preserved in botanical garden collections. Included are a large selection of rarely seen Saunders peonies . Their enduring beauty rekindles interest by each new generation of peony gardeners seeking unique and graceful colors and leaf forms for their gardens.
The Herbaceous Hybrid Peonies Part 1 New for 2102. 72 slides. This program focuses on the remarkable work of 4 peony hybridizers; Auten, Bockstoce, Glasscock and Hollingsworth. A sumptuous feast of brilliant color you’ll find out what makes hybrid peonies different from our garden peonies and some of the benefits of including them in the garden.
The Herbaceous Hybrid Peonies Part 2 New for 2012 89 slides. Meet the 17 men and women hybrid peony breeders with fewer but stunning peony introductions that are some of the most sought after peonies today. Learn a bit about these hybridizers and their creations of coral, yellow and a host of other fascinating colors and flower forms waiting for you to discover.
Species and Rock Garden Peonies 71 slides. This presentation focuses on some of the botanical peony species and small growing hybrid peonies suitable for the rock garden or even a small growing space. You will be treated to wonderful views of these dwarf growing peonies in nature and the garden. Learn how to grow them successfully and get a good look at those available to fill that special spot in your limited garden space. Some of these are rare and precious gems of the plant world, but oh so rewarding to grow. Much less technical than the Peony Species of the World presentation it is appropriate for all levels of gardeners from beginning to advanced.
Bio for Harvey Buchite (Please edit to fit your space) Harvey Buchite and his wife Brigitte are the owners of Hidden Springs Flower Farm in Spring Grove Minnesota. They introduced the now famous hardy Wisteria Blue Moon to the gardening world which was a chance seedling given to them as a wedding gift. Harvey is a popular speaker and garden writer and has spoken to groups from Portland Maine to Portland Oregon and both Canada and Europe. His plant interests include peonies of which he grows over 600 varieties, alpine plants, daylilies, martagon lilies, hostas, and a wide range of other perennials and flowering woody plants including magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons. He has a horticulture degree from the University of Minnesota and was an extension educator before working as a partner at Rice Creek Gardens in Blaine, MN a nursery well known for its 2,300 different alpine plants and unusual perennials. He has been an active member of many local and national plant societies and is the recent past president of the American Peony Society. He has grown alpine plants for many years and visited their native habitats in the Austrian Alps and the Canadian Rockies. His publications both on the web and in print are well researched allowing him to have a great depth of knowledge about the subjects he speaks on, but more than that he loves sharing garden information from actually growing the plants and in many cases breeding them for better adaptability to the northern landscape and gardens.
Speaker Fees - For presentations within driving distance of 10 – 250 miles: $150 for garden clubs - $300 for larger venues plus mileage calculated at current Federal rate. For speaking engagements further than 250 miles, out of state and multiple day venues speaker fee is $300 plus travel expenses including; lodging, mileage at above rate if driving or actual airfare, airport parking, meals and transportation to and from destination airport. Lodging at a sponsoring club members’ home is acceptable to help defray your costs. Equipment Needs: For local venues I can bring a digital projector but ask that extension cords and a screen be provided unless prior arrangements are made. For out of state programs a digital projector and computer capable of operating a PowerPoint Presentation is required as well as a PA system for larger groups.
Programs being revised this coming season for fall 2012 or winter 2013 presentations.
A World of Plants in Miniature – Under revision and not available currently. 45+ slides. Rock gardens and their plants from around the world are waiting to be discovered as we go from Europe to Canada to the US seeing real rock gardens and miniature worlds created in specialized containers perfect for showing off these miniature wonders of the plant world. Types and styles of rock gardens are explored as well as information on how to create your own container, planting instructions and soil mixes. Time is allowed for a few questions and answers at the end of the program.
A Guide to Daylily Hybridizing –Under revision and not available currently. 63 slides. Creating your own $100 daylily is easy. This program guides you through the steps to creating your own daylilies for a fraction of the cost using many daylilies available today for only a few dollars. Especially important since many new daylilies are not adapted to our northern climate having been bred in Central Florida. Find out what tetraploid and diploid mean and how to get a jump start on getting your seedlings to maturity. You’ll see real results of crossing different parents and what you can expect from your own daylily breeding efforts.
Peony Breeding, Seed Germination and Accelerated Seedling Growth. Under revision in 2012 to include more up to the minute details on peony breeding this coming bloom season. This program is a full 60-90 minutes depending on the level of interest and number of questions asked. This program is illustrated with ++ slides that make this more technical program easy to understand. Presented with real life examples you’ll be on your way to creating new peonies in no time. We’ll share insider tips on parent selection and a proven method for getting faster bloom results from your new seedlings. This program is geared for moderately advanced gardeners interested in breeding peonies. Resources available on the web are given for further study on proven parents. Special discounts are offered to registered participants for breeding plants ordered the day of the presentation, which will be handed out at the presentation. Some of the plants offered that day may not be on our web site listing.
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