About the Plants We Sell
True to Name, Disease Free, Premium Quality Field Grown plants
Hemerocallis | Herbaceous Paeonia | Intersectional Paeonia |Woody Paeonia | Lilium
Solaris Farms grows the plants we offer in open field conditions, without special seasonal protection or care. We typically do not provide extra water, fertilizer or other growing enhancements for our plants. Conditions can be quite adverse in our fields, but the resulting trialed and selected plants are more likely to provide excellent subjects for northern tier gardens than greenhouse propagated cultivars. Our customers know we ship only PREMIUM QUALITY plants compared to other sources. You can expect superior planting material for your garden. As a specialty nursery we know our plants well and believe this is revealed in our products (premium quality plants). See below for specific information about our product sizes and characteristics at the time of shipping or farm purchase.
Hemerocallis (Daylilies)
We guarantee correctly named, disease free cultivars! Bareroot daylily plants are shipped, via the United States Postal Service, during the month of July. We no longer ship in spring or later in the season due to the growth cycles of this plant in our climate. Daylily plant division sizes range from 2 to 4 fans (more when possible) and all are blooming size. Foliage is generally cut back to create an 8″ height, which is suitable for shipping and will result in a plant that will establish correctly. Some yellowing of foliage may be noted upon delivery, but this should be of no concern, as the plants will grow new leaves and recover within a few weeks. See our Culture and Care page for further information.
Bareroot daylily plants maybe purchased at the farm during open houses for later shipping or pick up. Plant sizes are variable, but we always dig the customer the largest plant available in the sales field. Visitors generally receive many more than two fans when we dig for pick up, but sometimes only single fans of a cultivar are available. Plants will have much of the soil removed from the root ball, are labeled and placed in bags for customers to pick up at a scheduled time. Plan a shopping trip during the summer months to Solaris Farms-you won’t be disappointed.
Herbaceous Paeonia (Garden Peony)
We guarantee correctly named, disease free cultivars! Herbaceous peonies are harvested in the fall of the year and this is the only time that we ship. The roots we send are divisions from larger plants that are dug and divided. Our divisions have 3 to 5 eyes or more with a root system that will support healthy growth the following year. Some peony cultivars do not yield 3 eye divisions, not unusual with some of the hybrids and species which produce irregular crowns. In any case, they will be healthy divisions that will prosper in your garden. Our root divisions are carefully proportioned, so attached roots can support the number of eyes. The major concern we have is a healthy division that will establish and be productive in your garden, not large size (which means little with herbaceous peonies). We do not sell micro-propagated plants, only originators stock. See our Culture and Care page for further information. All Paeonia must be ordered using our online shopping cart due to inventory control. Late September to mid October delivery only.
Intersectional Paeonia (Itoh Peony)
Intersectional peony roots, like their herbaceous relatives, are harvested in the fall and are only shipped at this time. Again, only originators stock is sold by Solaris Farms; no micro-propagated plants! We guarantee correctly named, disease free cultivars! Intersectional divisions can be quite far ranging in size and configuration. Because of their rather unusual pedigree (herbaceous x woody), the root structure is a combination of woody and herbaceous tissue. The divisions we sell are from larger clumps that are divided. Division often requires that we saw plants into pieces. All growers do this and the plants respond quite well to this type of treatment. Most stem tissue is cut away, leaving only root and colorful eyes. You can expect 3 to 5 eyes or more on a supporting healthy root. See our Culture and Care page for further information. All Paeonia must be ordered using our online shopping cart due to inventory control. Late September to mid October delivery only.
Woody Paeonia (Tree/Shrub Peony)
We guarantee correctly named, disease free cultivars! Solaris Farms supplies quality woody peony plants in two age groups, when available and noted in our catalog options. All grafted plants are are joined to non-adventitious root stock, which means they will not produce herbaceous peony suckers. Additionally, all plants are propagated and grown at our farm (we are not resellers). Read more below…
2 Year Grafts. These are two year old grafted plants from our graft beds. While these are young plants, they are vigorous and are the preferred size to start with. The grafted plants may have grown some woody peony roots, but may require more time to do so. If a grafted plant has grown an acceptable amount of their own roots, we will remove the nurse root or trim it back before shipping. Three year grafted woody peonies are young enough to have a youthful vigor and old enough to bloom within a year or two. Woody stems may be trimmed back at the time of digging for shipment and better garden establishment. Our 2 year old plants are of great quality and value compared to other nursery’s offerings, which are usually only a year old. We believe you’ll be most satisfied with the resulting growth in your garden. Plants in this size have previously bloomed at least once and may produce flowers the year after planting, but may require an additional year or two. No herbaceous root suckering is guaranteed on our grafted plants, as we use non-adventitious root stock.
4+ Year Field Grown. Plants in this age option will be anywhere from 4 to 7 years in age. They will have a well developed root system which may be their own roots, but may also include larger grafted plants and divisions. The 4+ Year plants we offer are sturdy field grown individuals and have more mass than what is available from other nurseries. Like the “2 Year Graft” plants we sell, nurse roots may be trimmed away if sufficient own roots have grown. Stems will also be trimmed back for shipping, but also to insure proper proportion for re-establishment. These plants are flowering size, have bloomed previously and often bloom the year after planting, but may take an additional year to settle in . No herbaceous root suckering is guaranteed on our grafted plants, as we use non-adventitious root stock.
Stems on all sizes are trimmed back for shipping and planting. Most of a woody tree peony’s energy lies within its crown and root system. By partially removing stems the plants more easily establish in a new garden. After planting in the garden, plants readily grow new roots and produce commensurate stem growth the following year. Without partial removal of older stems, plants often flounder for a number of years and are less productive. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by their performance. This practice is used on all of our own transplants and is the only way we will ship them. Plants are marked with a ‘tie’ to indicate planting depth. See our Culture and Care page for further information or the News and Articles sections for further information about planting, care and types of woody peonies.
All Paeonia must be ordered using our online shopping cart for inventory control. Late September through mid October delivery only. This period of time is the optimum time for root growth and establishment. Spring planting should be avoided as peonies do not produce roots in warming soils and generally more negative planting results occur (thus we do not sell peonies in spring).
Lilium (True Lilies)
Lilies are shipped as dormant bulbs in mid October. Our lilies are disease and pest free. Our offerings are of premium size, grown in our fields and will be sure to please. Unlike many Lily suppliers, we do not resell bulbs directly from a wholesale source. Instead, large mature bulbs are harvested from our own growing areas after they have achieved the size our customers would most like to grow. Mid October is the preferred planting time in most locations, thus they are shipped during this period. We grow a limited number of each cultivar, which allows us to concentrate on quality over quantity. Many Asiatic cultivars and some Martagon cultivars produce small mature bulbs, but will produce outstanding results. See our Culture and Care page for further information. Plan a shopping trip during the summer months to Solaris Farms-you won’t be disappointed. Please note that lilies are quite attractive to deer, rabbits and other herbivores, thus may not be suitable additions to all gardens. Additionally, the insect pest, the Lily Beetle, is finding its way into garden across North America, making these beautiful plants more challenging to grow in affected areas.