The Mid-Atlantic Peony Society meets annually for a general meeting and planning session. The election of officers will occur every two years. Events may include garden tours and special offers of peony seedlings or roots. The following events are scheduled during 2011:
Tuesday, April 26, 5-7pm “Tree Peony Walk at the Scott Arboretum and MAPS Reception” with Jeff Jabco, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA. Free event.
Come see what’s in flower in late April. Hopefully there will be Chinese and Japanese tree peonies, along with some early American hybrids. Learn about tree peony care and plan for planting these wonderful plants in the autumn. Meet in the Scott Arboretum’s Wister Center. For directions, see the Arboretum’s website at: www.scottarboretum.org
Sunday, May 15, 1-3:30pm “Walking Tour of Hortulus Farm, Garden and Nursery” with Jack Staub, Wrightstown, PA, Bucks County. $15 fee per person. Unfortunately, Cancelled because of limited enrollment.
We have the special opportunity to experience the wonderful, 30-acres property created by Jack Staub and Renny Reynolds. As well as beautifully landscaped gardens, we will see the peony fields where blossoms are cut for the fresh flower market in New York City. Each year, approximately 12,000 blossoms are cut for market. We will tour with Jack Staub, one of the owners and creators of the garden. You will be free to shop in the nursery following our tour—the day before is “Tomatofest”, so there will be lots of tomato varieties to purchase for your vegetable garden. To see images of this beautiful garden, go to: www.hortulusfarm.com.
This tour has a cost of $15 per person. Please register for the tour by May 13 with Jeff Jabco,
jeff@midatlanticpeony.org. Payment can be made the day of the event. This tour is open to MAPS member s and guests. No-shows will still need to be responsible for the $15 fee. There is a limit to the number of people for this event, so please register early.
Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18 MAPS Peony Sale at the Associates of the Scott Arboretum Plant Sale, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA. Free event.
MAPS peony society will be again holding its every-other-year sale. This is a great opportunity to buy herbaceous, Itoh hybrid (intersectional), and tree peonies at the perfect time of year for planting! We will have many hard-to-find cultivars and a nice selection of the best landscape varieties for our area. It’s also a great time to talk to other members of the society and to learn about peonies from the experts working the booth. The sale is open on Saturday, September 17, from noon to 4pm (opens at 10am for Scott Arboretum members); and open on Sunday, September 18, from 11am to 3pm.
Sunday, October 9, 2-4:30pm Mid-Atlantic Peony Society “Dig and Divide Demo/Peony Auction/and Fall Social”, Wister Center, The Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA. Free event.
We will start off our fall event with a demonstration and discussion of digging and dividing both tree and herbaceous peonies in the Scott Arboretum collection. Come talk to the experts about how to grow peonies and how to plant, site and care for them. Attendees always go home with some free unusual, rare divisions to grow in their own garden. Following the demo, we’ll have an informal auction of choice peonies—some purchased for this event and others donated by members. This will occur during a social with refreshments. This event welcomes all—members, guests and the public. There will be a special sale to MAPS members only of plants that MAPS purchased at bargain prices—and wants to pass the savings on to members! Anyone is welcome to join MAPS this day to take advantage of the sale.
In general:
- All events are open to guests of MAPS members, and many events so noted are open to the public. We do encourage all to join MAPS for the reasonable cost of $15 per year. It is this membership fee that supports our educational programs. Membership information is available on-line at the Mid-Atlantic Peony Society website.
- Look for updates on these events at the Mid-Atlantic Peony Society website home page.
- Directions to the Scott Arboretum and Scott Associates Plant Sale: www.scottarboretum.org
