Phoenix Flower Farm

06/30/2022

A nice enough picture, but kinda buries the lede- the closeup in the second picture of Spigelia marilandica, SE US native, where it is said to like moist shady places… I was never able to grow it well until I moved it to the sun. You really should tap these pictures and get them full screen, with a nice black background… you can even zoom…I work the original images pretty hard for your viewing pleasure, don’t leave them thumbnails…

06/29/2022

Got O***m? Papaver somniferum.

06/29/2022

03/28/2022

Six inches of snow on these beauties since I took these yesterday, (As an aside, where are we in the series- Winter, Son of Winter, l Married a Winter, I Was a Teenage Winter?) but I’m sure they’ll look just as great when it melts off again during The Return of Spring.

03/28/2022

After thirty years, the sign gets a new paint job! We’ll be opening Saturday, April 23, then commencing regular hours- Thursday- Sunday, noon til six in the evening. I’m there more than that, you can call 315 695-6777, that’s a
land line, but it forwards to my mobile.

11/04/2021

A Bald Cypress… I planted that tree, it’s not unreasonable to think it might be right there a thousand years from now….

11/03/2021

One of the greats, our native Witch Hazel, H. virginiana. Flowers of ethereal loveliness, October(!) to November(!), can be obscured by the excellent yellow Fall color of the foliage… this is a beautiful small (15’-25’) tree, vase shaped, graceful branching, clean foliage, unloved by Bambi… in any wild stand, something less than 5% will bloom after leaf fall, allowing fullest appreciation of Fall color AND flowers, unfortunately, Witch Hazel is very difficult to propagate vegetatively, so no one can introduce a clone that does it consistently… that would be a powerhouse plant!
Still, a plant of subtle beauty in all seasons, nice in multi stemmed or tree form, we have both…

10/26/2021

A Few Fall Flowers

10/03/2021

Not the bloom of Heptacodium… the bract that held the bloom…you can see the last lingering white flowers in the second picture. An awesome small tree, to 30’ or so with white and grey peeling bark, a gawky/craggy-magnificence growth habit. I have several spectacular specimens for sale. Great late fall bloom, four season interest with the cool bark and habit. Underplant with Beautyberry for a great Fall combo…
Don’t sleep on that sunflower‘Maximilian’ shooting up eleven or twelve feet in the background…it’s the most striking of the perennial sunflowers, if you zoom a little you’ll get a sense of the cool leaf structure… a specimen plant that never goes unnoticed!
I’m officially closed for the season, but I have mountains of work to do, so call Phoenix Flower Farm on 315 695-6777, I might well be there, or we can arrange to meet…I’ve planted into December some years, be not afraid….

09/22/2021

Who you callin’ a Turtlehead?

As we proceed down the autumnal tunnel, my hours become more aspirational… best to call 315 695-6777 before, I’m here a lot, but I don’t keep to a schedule…

08/25/2021

Rudbeckia ‘Henry Eilers’, in clump and growing through a Caryopteris’Snow Fairy’, another great plant that deserves its own post.. Henry makes a graceful, upright clump, 4’h x 2 1/2’w. Woodchucks, bunnies, and deer make regular visits to the sites of each of these photos….

07/18/2021

The flower of the Bottlebrush Buckeye- 12-18”…I’ll try to get a picture of the mother plant tomorrow, it’s at least 12’ x 12’ and covered with these blossoms. One of the great native shrubs, and I have GREAT pots of it