"ADIRONDACK CUTTING GARDEN" 

Alchemilla (Lady's Mantle)         A. mollis

        This plant received its name because of its popularity with alchemists of old and was reputed to have many healing powers.  It is a wonderful, low-growing, shade-tolerant plant with sprays of small yellow flowers in late spring.  A wonderful bouquet filler.

Achillea (Golden Yarrow)       f. 'Coronation Gold'

        This always-dependable performer is an essential long-blooming perennial for any landscape or cutting garden. ‘Coronation Gold’ is taller than many yarrows, has greener foliage and a large, dark yellow flower cluster. This is a sterile selection, meaning it will not make a nuisance of itself and crowd out its neighbors like tall, yellow "seed-grown" varieties.  Stems have an earthy fragrance.

Baptisia (False Indigo)        australis

    The name comes from the Greek word bapto, meaning "to dip," referring to the flower extract once used as a substitute for indigo.  Here's a history lesson... when true indigo of the West Indies was in short supply, the English government contracted with farmers in Georgia and South Carolina in the mid 1700's to "farm" false blue indigo (B. australis) to increase the supply of the blue dye.  This was one of the first recorded examples of agricultural subsidies.

    B. australis is the most cold hardy of the species.  In the early spring, it is one of the first plants to emerge, and the gray-gren leaves quickly fill out into a substantial sized bush.  The flowers are typically violet-blue and, looking a little like lupine flowers, arise on long stalks in early spring.  They prefer full sun and need plenty of room.  The blossoms are delightful as a cut flower, but the foliage is a most unusual and lovely green for the bouquet.

 Dr. Alexander Fleming          Festiva Maxima                 Karl Rosenfeld

Paeonia (Peony)

    The popularity of the peony rests upon its hardiness, ease of culture, plant life (can be up to 50 years) and variety of flower color, forms and plant habits.  All three of the peonies offered by Stork Road Farm are doubles, meaning the petals are so plentiful that there is often no trace of the stamens.

    Peonies are often classified as early, mid, and late spring blooming:  Festiva Maxima is the earliest bloomer of the three above; Karl Rosenfeld is midseason and Dr. Alexander Fleming blooms mid to late spring.

Campanula (Clustered Bellflower) glomerata superba

    This popular cut flower is becoming more familiar to American consumers and gardeners.  Intense violet-purple flowers, massed in rounded clusters of up to 15 flowers, appear as one giant bloom from a distance.  The plant forms clumps that increase by rooting shoots and new colonies form through self-sowing seeds.  The 'superba'  grows about 2 1/2 feet tall and grows multiple stems per plant.

Heliopsis (False Sunflower)

    This is a wonderful plant for naturalizing, or for the back of your border.  It self-sows freely and can therefore be a bit pesky in an organized garden.  It flowers profusely from midsummer until fall and the more you cut (with long stems), the more side shoots you get with long stems.  The color is a warm buttery yellow and is wonderful in a bouquet.

Centaurea (Armenian Basket) macrocephala

    In other forms, the Centaurea is known as the cornflower.  Actually the name comes from the Greek culture, and it is said that the plant healed Chiron the Centaur.  Many of the centaureas make good cut-flowers, but I like this one especially.  It sets a big bud that looks a bit like a golden pineapple and then bursts open with a bright yellow punk hairdo!  It makes a wonderfully unusual blossom for a summer bouquet.  The plant takes a couple of years to mature enough to produce multiple stems.

Lysimachia (Gooseneck Loosestrife)  clethroides

    Just looking at the above photos tells the story of its common name:  Gooseneck.  Gooseneck loosestrife is actually commercially grown as a cut flower in northern Europe and parts of the United States.  It lasts a long time in the vase.

    As a garden plant it is also gorgeous...but give it room...it's a vigorous spreader just like many of loosestrifes.  It likes sun and moist soil, and will keep growing to fill the space you give it!  It is one of my top 5 favorite perennials and cut flowers.

Echinops (Globe Thistle)    bannaticus 'Blue Glow'

    The unusual steely-blue color and globe-like flower make this a wonderful addition to both the garden and the vase.  The foliage is tricky... it's grey-green and has fairly sharp little prickles along its edges.  I recommend wearing gloves when you cut and strip these gems.  The good news is these flowers retain their color when dried.  Cut when the color is fresh and keep them in a dry, warm environment for beautiful dried arrangement all year long.

Monarda (Bee Balm)    didyma 'Jacob Cline'

    Monarda is named for Nichola Monardes, a Spanish botanist who authored the first book on medicinal flora of North America in 1571.  With its relationships in the mint family and its own very distinct scent, the wild variety known as wild bergamot is said to have been used as a substitute for tea after most of that being imported was dumped overboard during the Boston Tea Party.

    The 'Jacob Cline' variety is one of my favorites for cutting - not only for its startling red blossoms, but also for the fresh minty scent of its leaves.  In the garden, this one is a great attracter of hummingbirds and bees for nectar.  It prefers a sunny to partially shady, moist place in your landscape.  'Jacob Cline' is one of monardas least susceptible to mildew - they all have a tendency to it if too crowded or left to dry out.  Divide every 3 years or so to maintain a good healthy clump.   Here's a trick...  before they set buds, cut about a third of the height off part of your stand of bee balm.  This section will blossom later than the first part, giving you longer bloom time for cutting or for enjoying in your garden!

Rudbeckia Triloba (Branched Coneflower)

    Many are familiar with the wild brown-eyed or black-eyed susan.  This is in the same family but has a bushier growth with multitudes of little 1" yellow flowers with purplish black, raised central disks.  This is a late summer bloomer and provides many, many stems of long-lasting flowers for the vase.

    Technically this species is a biennial (that is, it lives only 2 years).  But mine have lasted more than three and have self-seeded sufficiently so that I do not need to grow more.  This is a great plant for naturalizing an area.  It grows tall, so it's suitable for the back of the border.  The seedlings can just be transplanted back near the mama plant for consistent design.

Aconitum (Monkshood)

A. napellus (Common Monkshood)  or  

A. carmichaelii 'Arendsii'

     The stately spires of deep blue to purple Aconitum are unforgettable.  Commonly called 'monkshood' because each blossom so closely resembles a helmet or hood, it is sometimes also called 'wolfsbane' as its poisonous roots, leaves and stems were once used as poison bait for wolves in old England.  Aconitum is a wonderful cut flower but care should be taken when handling it for this reason.

    Aconitum is a remarkable and tall plant (3' - 5') for the back of the midsummer garden (A. napellus) or for its late season blossoms and frost hardiness (A. carmichaelii).  These plants prefer to settle in where they're planted rather than being moving around, and like full sun with sufficient moisture, but will tolerate a bit of afternoon shade.

"Super Start" Soil Mix (Gallon)

    We call our very own Stork Road Farm mix of all the ingredients to help your new plants flourish, "Super Start".  Good soil is absolutely the first step to successful perennial gardening.  Buy it by the gallon baggie to mix with your own soil, to give each plant the early boost it needs.

STORK ROAD FARM

Perennials available on

Saturday mornings (May - September) at the 

Glens Falls Farmers Market, 

downtown Glens Falls

or

Thursdays (3pm-6pm) (June - September) at the 

North Creek Farmers' Market

downtown North Creek

just give us a call:  251-2142 or email:  storkroadfarm

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TWO FOR ONE-AND-A-HALF Specials  

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 Perennial Cutting Garden

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