2019 White Peonies En Masse in Front of the House

White Peonies, Dianthus, Lamb's Ear in Front of House
Well, I must say that my project 4 years ago, 2015 Move Single White Peonies to Front of House, has been quite successful. I don't quite yet have the solid mass of flowers that Don Smith had amassed, but I do think my peonies are getting larger each year, and I'm sure I'll have another update with even more blooms in future years. The first year I planted these peony divisions, not all of them even bloomed the next spring. So we are steadily seeing growth and progress in these peony plants each year with more and more blooms. I can say that I really enjoy coming home and seeing my house at the end of each day. It is so nice to appreciate being home, and these bright white single peonies are quite the welcoming sight! Welcome home!


White Single Peonies and Lamb's Ear

White Peonies, Dianthus, Lamb's Ear Beside Front Walk

Dianthus and White Peonies

White Peonies, Dianthus, Lamb's Ear on Front Sidewalk

2019 Intersectional Peony Blooms Week 4 Mid

The intersectional peonies really came out in force this week. The quick rise in temperatures created quite the show, with many different colors opening this week. Most of these are peonies that have bloomed for me in the past, but it is always nice to see them reliably each year. Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Blessing' is one of the intersectional peonies that bloomed for me for the first time this year, and it was a blessing to meet such a unique flower. Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour' is another peony that bloomed for me for the first time, and it was quite a surprise to see how rich the color is upon opening. The blooms fade over time leaving multi-colored blossoms on the plant over time. Peony 'Berry Garcia' actually bloomed for me for the first time last year while I was gone to China. So seeing it for the first time this year, I really fell in love. Something about the complementary pastel color scheme just really excites me. The blooms are like a lovely shade of yellow cream with pink picotee edges, really charming!


Intersectional Peony 'First Arrival'

Intersectional Peony 'Takara' 慈悲 (Treasure) -
'Smith Opus 2'

Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Blessing'

Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma by the Bay'

Intersectional Peony 'Yumi' 由美 (Possess Beauty) -
'Yellow Doodle Dandy'

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'

Intersectional Peony 'Callie's Memory'

Intersectional Peony 'Morning Lilac'

Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour'

Intersectional Peony 'Berry Garcia'

2019 Peony Blooms Week 4 Mid

It was a really nice week for peony blooms this week, and I finally got some sunny time on the weekend to take some gorgeous pics!!! We had several days in the 80s. So our spring weather is disappearing quickly. Let's hope we get a few cool temps back so the peonies don't all melt/wilt on opening! There were several new peonies that opened for me for the first time ever this week. Well, Peony 'Pastelorama' technically bloomed last year, but I was on my China peony trip at the time. So this was the first year I actually got to see it bloom. Peony 'America' is a dependable stand by, and Peony 'Faithful Dream' actually did bloom for the first time ever this year. Peony 'Many Happy Returns' had a hard time with all of the rain this year, making its stems even more wavy/diseased than usual, but it was still able to open a few nice flowers. Peony 'Red Red Rose' bloomed for the first time ever as well, and I was very happy to see how much substance these bright red flowers have. The vivid colors of Peony 'Skylark' and Peony 'Lustrous' are just attention grabbing. Both Peony 'Coral Sunset' and 'Coral 'N Gold' each have their own enchanting shade of coral. Peony 'Zuzu' has been quite floriferous for me so far, and it is interesting to look at some of the shorter pointy petals on the interior of the bloom.


Peony 'Pastelorama'

Peony 'America'

Peony 'Faithful Dream'

Peony 'Many Happy Returns'

Peony 'Red Red Rose'

Peony 'Skylark'

Peony 'Lustrous'

Peony 'Coral Sunset'

Peony 'Coral 'N Gold'

Peony 'Zuzu'

2019 Herbaceous Peony 'Lake o' Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth From 8 to 40 Buds!

Peony 'Lake O Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth
It's hard to believe how fast this Peony 'Lake o' Silver' has grown! It went from 8 buds in 2018 to 40 buds this year in 2019! I first purchased this peony during the 2016 American Peony Society Convention. We went on several tours during the convention, and this peony was one of my 2016 Peony Purchases from Klehm's Song Sparrow Tour. Going from 8 buds to 40 buds is a 400% growth rate!!! I don't think I've ever seen any other peony in my garden grow quite that fast! If you are looking for a peony that will grow well in the South and grow fast, I would definitely check this Peony 'Lake o' Silver' out! I can't wait to see it in full bloom!


Peony 'Lake O Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth

Peony 'Lake O Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth

Peony 'Lake O Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth

2019 Intersectional Peony Blooms Week 3 Early Mid

There was actually only one intersectional peony in bloom this week, and only one single bloom has opened on the bush so far. It almost looks a bit like a rose opening up. I am always happy to see the blooms on Intersectional Peony 'Hillary'. This is quite a reliable peony bush, and quite a reliable bloomer as well. I have divided this peony into several pieces, and it has just shrugged it off, and zoomed back to its original size. The extra smaller pieces from it have grown as well. It was our giveaway prize last year to celebrate how much we've grown, 2018 Southern Peony Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' Winner Selected.


Intersectional Peony 'Hillary'
This plant is also a Southern Peony Best Performer. It was selected last year as a week 4 Southern Peony Best Performer, 2018 Peony 'Hillary' Best Performer - Week 4, which makes sense since it has only opened one bloom thus far in week 3. It will be awesome in Week 4 again this year! If you haven't yet added this intersectional peony to your collection, I highly recommend it! Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' has come down in price quite a bit too. So you can easily find this one around or below the $50 price point (as low as $35). Check out our 2019 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List for more pricing info.


Intersectional Peony 'Hillary'

2019 Peony Blooms Week 3 Early Mid

The very early herbaceous peonies have definitely started to come out this week (mostly single and semi-double). It was nice to see a beautiful bloom on Peony 'Nova' this year, as I often don't get to see it (due to cold bud blast) or only get to see cold damaged flowers. Peony 'Coral Fay' offered her bright and deep reliable, early color again this year. 'Coral Sunset' just started to pop this week, and this bloom on Peony 'Paladin' was more gorgeous than usual with so many petals. Peony 'Horizon' went nuts this year with so many blooms! Peony 'Dreamtime' is just as I expected, and I am so grateful to see this one bloom for the first time. It really is "Dreamy"! Peony 'Roselette's Baby' didn't disappoint with her very dark and moody petals. Peony 'Juliska' also bloomed for the first time this year as well, and it was a nice early surprise to have such a large double blooming much sooner than the rest.


Peony 'Nova'

Peony 'Coral Fay'

Peony 'Coral Sunset'

Peony 'Paladin'

Peony 'Horizon'

Peony 'Dreamtime'

Peony 'Roselette's Baby'

Peony 'Juliska'

2019 Tree Peony 'KC Red' Blooms for the First Time

Tree Peony 'KC Red'
Wow! I must say I was thrilled to see the blooms open on my new Tree Peony 'KC Red'. I actually won (by bidding on) this peony in the 2018 American Peony Society Convention Auction. It was donated by Adelman Peony Gardens. The root they sent was huge, and the growth it has put on this year is evident in the high quality root they sent. It has two huge buds in its first year! I just had to capture the color of the bloom. It was a little hard to match its color to just one card, but I think the RHS "Dark Pink Red" 53C is the closest match. It's also a little hard to capture the true color of the flower. The top photo is the best representation, as the white card in the photo, helps white balance the camera. All together it is a gorgeous flower, and I would highly recommend bidding on it if it comes up in this year's APS Convention Auction, as it looks like it is already sold out at Solaris Farms this year, and I don't see it as an offering at Adelman Peony Gardens.


Tree Peony 'KC Red'

2019 Peony Blooms Week 2 Early

I must say it has been a bit more challenging to snap photos now. We've also had some heavy rain this past week too. A few of these were pummeled in the heavy rain, depending on which day they opened. I can't tell if I got a great bloom on Tree Peony 'Yao Huang' or not yet. I'd like to see how it does next year as well. The P. Rockii Lavender Seedling's color was gorgeous again this year - it did not disappoint. I'm not sure if Tree Peony 'Sahohime' is the correct variety or not, as it doesn't match the photo of what I purchased it as, but I'm not sure what the correct photos is for this one anyway. However it is a lovely cultivar whatever it is and I am pleased to grow it. Tree Peony 'Shimadaijin' is a gorgeous dark purply color that really draws you in. This was the first year that Tree Peony 'Lavender Hill' bloomed for me, since the buds have been blasted by last freezes in the past, and I must say I was quite impressed. The color of Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' really surprised me this year. Maybe I don't have it's color memorized completely, but somehow the color seemed a bit more rich and maybe slightly more pinkish.


Tree Peony 'Yao Huang' 姚黃 (Yao's Yellow)

Tree Peony P. Rockii Lavender Seedling

Tree Peony 'Sahohime' 佐保姫 (Princess Saho)

Tree Peony 'Shimadaijin' 島大臣 (Island Minister)

Tree Peony 'Lavender Hill'

Tree Peony 'Angel Emily'

2019 Peony Blooms Week 1 Very Early

Since my Tree Peony 'White Phoenix' bloomed so early this year, there were only 2 peonies blooming in week one this year (aside from several other P. ostii seedling that also bloomed and a p. rockii seedling that bloomed for the first time this year). So that means there are lots more tree peony blooms to look forward to next week! I apologize that the photos are not as sunny as I'd like, but with my new job, I can only snap photos after 6pm or on the weekends now. Maybe I will take a half day of vacation here and there when the blooms really start coming! Of all of these peonies, the P. Rockii seedling is definitely the most fragrant, and it smells wonderful! If you don't yet grow any tree peonies, I would start now. Tree peonies are great growers in the South, and since they bloom very early, they can really extend your peony bloom season!


Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'

Tree Peony 'Lavender Grace'

Tree Peony P. Rockii Seedling