Wednesday, February 27, 2019

2019 New Label Maker for Peony Garden Signs Brother P-Touch PT-D600

I finally bit the bullet and bought a new label maker for my peony garden signs (and all of my other garden plant signs), and I love it! My old Brother P-Touch PT-1500PC, 2012 Brother P-Touch Peony Outdoor Plant Labels, finally bit the dust. I was trying to buy a replacement used one of the same model on Ebay, but everyone wanted about $35 with shipping. That was just too high for me to purchase a used device.


New Brother P-Touch PT-D600 Label Maker

So then I decided to see what newer models Brother had available that could connect to your PC. The Brother PT-D600 seemed to be their newest PC connectable model, but it also has a keyboard and you can design the labels directly on it as well (with a color screen). However the price was like $76 on Amazon. So I just added it to my shopping basket, hoping that the price would come down. I've been without a label maker for a few months now, and the price on the label maker finally came down to the $50 range this past Sunday! For only $15 more (than the price of a used label maker), I could get a newer model that I could create labels on my PC or just on the machine itself. So I snagged one right away. I just got it set up last night, and I love it!


Brother P-Touch PT-D600 Label Maker on Amazon.
(This is not an affiliate link.)

It prints faster than the old label maker. It also internally cuts the tape for you automatically as soon as it finishes printing, and it doesn't waste as much tape at the beginning and end of the print. The old unit actually wasted quite a bit of tape on both sides of what your were printing. So this new unit should actually save me money in the long run since it uses the tape much more efficiently! I am also able to use the same Brother P-Touch Editor software I had installed for my old label maker, and all of the previous label templates I created still work beautifully on this new one. If you are looking for a new label maker (or don't have one at all yet), I highly recommend this one! (I'd also try to snag one while the price is still $49.99. I'm sure Amazon will raise the price again soon!


Monday, February 25, 2019

2019 Solaris Farms Adds New Hot Herbaceous Peonies


Peony 'Dreamtime'

I noticed something quite interesting when I was creating my 2019 Herbaceous Hot 100 Peony Catalog Price Comparison List this year. Solaris Farms has become the leader in the "hot herbaceous" category this year, adding 8 more high demand varieties than last year for a total of 22 offered this year. Hollingsworth Nursery is still right up there with 21 "hot herbaceous" varieties offered. These two have been trading the leader position for the last couple of years in this category, but no other peony grower even comes close to the number of pricey, next generation peonies offered by these two growers. Both Solaris Farms and Hollingsworth Nursery have offered hot peony variety selections in the double digits, while all of the other growers have single digit offerings. Somehow I was lucky enough to get a root of Peony 'Dreamtime' last year. I am really looking forward to seeing what it does this spring!


Peony 'Dreamtime' Offered at Solaris Farms 2019


Saturday, February 23, 2019

2019 Swenson Gardens $25 Intersectional Peonies!


Peony 'Prairie Charm' @ Southern Peony

When creating my 2019 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List this year, I noticed something I'd never seen before! A $25 Intersectional Peony!!! This is the first time ever that these gorgeous beauties have been offered for sale at this low of a price directly from a peony grower! Swenson Gardens is the vendor who actually was the first to offer this price drop, and it is not just one intersectional peony at this price point, but 3 of them! They are offering Intersectional Peony 'Border Charm', Intersectional Peony 'Prairie Charm', and Intersectional Peony 'Shining Light' for $25 each. It's definitely an exciting time to see the intersectional peony prices begin to approach the lower price points of standard herbaceous peonies!

Peony 'Border Charm' and Intersectional Peony 'Prairie Charm' were both hybridized by Don Hollingsworth (check out my interview with him here - 2016 Peony Hybridizer Interview - Don Hollingsworth), while Intersectional Peony 'Shining Light' has an unknown hybridizer of Japanese origin. I grow both 'Border Charm' and 'Prairie Charm' here in my Southern Peony garden. (See my photo of Peony 'Prairie Charm' above.) All three of these varieties are yellow flowering intersectional peonies. So if you don't yet have a yellow peony or you want to try a new yellow intersectional, this might be the time to do it!


Swenson Gardens Offers $25.00 Intersectional Peonies!


Wednesday, February 20, 2019

2019 Peony 'Miss America' Featured in Plant Delights Nursery February Flyer


Peony 'Miss America' in Plant Delights Nursery Flyer

I got a nice flyer in the mail this month from Plant Delights Nursery. It is advertising their upcoming open houses this weekend and next weekend. They are only open once a season for 2 weekends - so 8 total weekends a year. The flyer also features some special plants they'd like to highlight, and I couldn't help but notice the large photo of Peony 'Miss America' in the bottom right corner. Peony 'Miss America' is an American Peony Society Gold Medal Winner. It is a lovely semi-double white peony that can range from a few layers of white petals with a bright yellow center to a very full petalled semi-double where the yellow center is barely visible. I guess Plant Delights is making sure their customers remember to purchase and plant their potted peonies now for a good spring show! I am also thinking about the hellebore show they are going to have going on in their greenhouses in the next couple of weeks. If you haven't been before it's definitely worth the trip. :)

Sunday, February 17, 2019

2019 Intersectional Peonies at Lowe's 3 for $29.98


Intersectional / Itoh Peonies for Sale at Lowe's

I'm not sure if I've ever seen a deal this good on Itoh / Intersectional Peonies before. If you haven't seen them yet, Lowe's Home Improvement is selling 3 Intersectional Peony roots in a box for $29.98! That's a really good deal considering the cheapest Intersectional Peony that I track on my price list, 2019 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List is $25 (plus shipping) for one (and that's the lowest price, the average price is $73)! Each "ITOH PEONIES" box has 3 peonies in it. The boxes all have 2 varieties in each box, with a mix of Intersectional Peony 'Bartzella' and one other peony. However I couldn't see how many you got of each. I'm guessing since it didn't tell you how many of each variety, that there are probably 2 'Bartzella's and 1 of the other variety in each box.


'Bartzella' & 'Scarlet Heaven' Peony Set

Intersectional Peony 'Bartzella' is a great peony to own anyway. It is an American Peony Society Gold Medal Winner and and American Peony Society Award of Landscape Merit Winner. It is also a Southern Peony Best Performer, 2012 Peony 'Bartzella' Best Performer - Week 5. From what I could see, it seems they are selling three combinations: Peony 'Bartzella' & Peony 'Cora Louise', Peony 'Bartzella' & Peony 'Canary Brilliants', and Peony 'Bartzella' & Peony 'Scarlet Heaven'. If you don't grow some of these varieties or if you think intersectional peonies have been too expensive for you to grow in the past, then this is an excellent opportunity to try them. Also if you do grow these varieties and you'd like to grow more of them, here's your chance to stock up!


'Bartzella' & 'Cora Louise' Peony Set


'Bartzella' & 'Canary Brilliants' Peony Set


Friday, February 15, 2019

2019 It's Starting! Herbaceous Peonies are Growing!

I can't believe it is starting already. I found a few of my existing herbaceous peonies that I've had for years that have decided to start growing. Spring will be here before we know it! The first three I've found so far this year are Peony 'Tropicana', Peony 'Pink Hawaiian Coral, and Peony 'America'. Also the Peony 'Glowing Candles' that sprouted super early, 2019 Peony 'Glowing Candles' Tries to Grow Again in January, has been hanging on for a while now. It is very determined and even has two foliage shoots now! However I'm not sure yet if I will see a bloom from it this spring or not. It is just so exciting beginning to see the first signs of spring. My hellebores are coming into full bloom now, and the daphnes have been heavily perfuming the air - what a gorgeous and good smelling preview of what's to come!


Peony 'Tropicana'


Peony 'Pink Hawaiian Coral'


Peony 'America'


Peony 'Glowing Candles'


Monday, February 4, 2019

2019 Herbaceous Hot 100 Peony Catalog Price Comparison List

I've been doing my Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison Lists for a few years now. However this will be only the third year that I list some of the pricey herbaceous peonies that people might be interested in. There are several up and coming hot herbaceous peonies that tend to be around or above the $100 price range. Some of these peonies can be hard to find and acquire because their stock is so limited (and some are sold out already). So this list will give you a heads up of where you can find them and who has them priced for what. You can also check out last year's 2018 Herbaceous Hot 100 Peony Catalog Price Comparison List, if you want to know the exact prices for these peonies last year. Even if you don't want to spend that much on one peony (yet!), at least you can drool! Enjoy! (Also if you'd like your company to be listed here, please join the American Peony Society as a Commercial Member, since this is where I obtain my peony grower information.)


2019 Southern Peony Herbaceous Hot 100 Peony Price List
Peony 'Lemon Chiffon'

I am missing a few prices from Hidden Springs Flower Farm this year since I didn't have a chance to collect it right away. If anyone ordered any of the sold out varieties, please email me or leave a comment to let me know what the price(s) were, and I will update the list.

Varieties
Offered
Peony Vendor
Price Change
from Last Year

6
Adelman mixed, lower, same, & higher
3
Blossom Hill same
4
Brooks some lower, some same
1
Cricket Hill same
1
Fina same
5
Hidden Springs same
21
Hollingsworth mostly lower
0
Peony's Envy same
5
Peony Shop Holland mostly lower
22
Solaris Farms mixed, lower, same, & higher
1
Song Sparrow same
7
Swenson higher

Herbaceous PeonyPriceVendor
Bethie$300.00Hollingsworth
Black SwanC$75.00Blossom Hill
Blood Moon$300.00Solaris Farms
Bob$?.00Hidden Springs
Dreamtime$150.00Solaris Farms
Dreamtime$?.00Hidden Springs
Early Canary$100.00Hollingsworth
Faithful Dream$150.00Hollingsworth
Fire Bomb$150.00Swenson
Garden Gem$90.00Hollingsworth
Gena Marie$350.00Hollingsworth
Golden Angel$90.00Solaris Farms
Golden Angel$125.00Song Sparrow
Golden Wheel$79.00Cricket Hill
Good Cheer$90.00Solaris Farms
Heather$350.00Hollingsworth
John's DreamC$350.00Blossom Hill
Juliska$65.00Solaris Farms
Juliska$?.00Hidden Springs
Kathy's Touch€75.00Peony Shop Holland
Kathy's Touch$85.00Brooks
Kathy's Touch$90.00Hollingsworth
Kayleigh Ann$300.00Hollingsworth
Kim$450.00Solaris Farms
KimSue$300.00Hollingsworth
Lavender$100.00Swenson
Lavender$120.00Hollingsworth
Lemon Chiffon€24.00Peony Shop Holland
Lemon Chiffon$70.00Hollingsworth
Lemon Chiffon$75.00Brooks
Lemon Chiffon$?.00Hidden Springs
Lemon Chiffon$75.00Solaris Farms
Lemon Chiffon$80.00Adelman
Lemon Chiffon$115.00Fina
Little Corporal$160.00Solaris Farms
Lois' Choice$75.00Brooks
Lois' Choice$80.00Solaris Farms
Lois' Choice$100.00Hollingsworth
Lois' Choice$120.00Adelman
Manitowoc Maiden$70.00Solaris Farms
Necromancer$70.00Solaris Farms
Old Soldier$75.00Solaris Farms
Old Soldier$80.00Hollingsworth
Omega Centauri$450.00Solaris Farms
Origin of Serenity$150.00Solaris Farms
Paeonia mlokosewitschii$80.00Adelman
Pastelegance€175.00Peony Shop Holland
Pastelegance$175.00Solaris Farms
Pastelegance$180.00Hollingsworth
Pastelegance$199.00Adelman
Pastelegance$200.00Swenson
Pastelorama$200.00Solaris Farms
Pastelorama$300.00Hollingsworth
Peachy Rose$75.00Brooks
Pink Bubbles$70.00Hollingsworth
Plum Surprise$100.00Swenson
Roger's Red$400.00Swenson
Romantic Elegance$?.00Hidden Springs
Queen Rose$100.00Swenson
Quitzin€65.00Peony Shop Holland
Quitzin$200.00Hollingsworth
Seidl's Super$280.00Solaris Farms
Stephen E Ambrose$250.00Swenson
Summer GlowC$50.00Blossom Hill
Summer Glow$30.00Solaris Farms
Sunny Day$40.00Hollingsworth
Sunny Day€75.00Peony Shop Holland
Sunny Boy$200.00Solaris Farms
Tropicana$70.00Solaris Farms
Tropicana$100.00Adelman
Tropicana$100.00Hollingsworth
Valkyrie (Seidl #74H120-2)$80.00Solaris Farms
Valkyrie (Seidl #74H120-2)$100.00Hollingsworth
Vanilla Schnapps$115.00Solaris Farms
Vanilla Schnapps$150.00Hollingsworth
Vanilla Schnapps$185.00Adelman
Virginia Emerson$100.00Hollingsworth

Sunday, February 3, 2019

2019 Planting Open Pollinated Seed from Last Fall


2018 Open Pollinated Seeds in Bags

I know it is a little late, but I guess I just got back around to it. I finally got my seed planted from 2018. Maybe it was because I wasn't very excited about the seeds that I got, or maybe it was because I wasn't that excited about the number of seeds that I got. Whatever the reason, at least I finally got them planted. I guess I was a little disappointed that none of my intersectional crosses worked last year, 2018 Dismal Seed Production Year. Also it was actually a bad year for seed overall. Usually I have enough seeds that I am able to donate some to the American Peony Society Seed Distribution Program (which is a great program if you are looking to grow peonies from seed). This year, however, I only got 18 seeds, not just from one variety, but total - 18 seeds in total. It was a terrible year for seed production.


2018 Open Pollinated Seeds Planting Bed

I guess I finally decided to be thankful for what Mother Nature has given me (plus I got my label maker working again, well, working enough to print out a few seed labels). So I made a few signs for the seeds and got them planted on this nice 60 degree day in February (another thing to be thankful for, especially after the cold arctic blast we got this past week). I highly doubt these peony seeds will sprout this spring since I planted them so late, but at least they're in the ground. Hopefully I'll see some lovely peony blooms from them a few years down the road...


Friday, February 1, 2019

2019 Tree Peonies Starting to Peek Out


Unknown White Tree Peony

It's been a month since I first snapped a few photos of my tree peonies in January, 2019 New Year Holds (Peony) Promise! Although it is only February, I can already see some movement in the buds. I'm not sure if it is the temperatures or the length of our days that they are responding to (or maybe a combination of both), but they are definitely starting to grow a bit. Although tree peonies have been slow to start taking hold for me, I am starting to enjoy growing them a bit more. Also you get to watch them come to life long before the herbaceous and intersectional peonies start to wake up. If you don't yet grow any tree peonies, I'd definitely recommend trying one or two. They are certainly entertaining in these long winter months...


Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'


Tree Peony 'Chojuraku'


Tree Peony 'Yao Huang'


Tree Peony "Chinese Pink" Seedling


Tree Peony 'Sahohime'