2017 Tree Peony 'White Phoenix' Growing in January

Yes, this is a tree peony that is growing in January. It is only just starting its growth cycle, but it is starting. When I've seen tree peonies growing so early in the season in previous years, it was worrisome to me. I didn't and still do not have tons of experience with tree peonies. However, I am beginning to learn that these mighty beauties begin their growth cycle much earlier than herbaceous peonies. Also the buds of tree peonies seem to be much more impervious to winter weather (although not invincible). Since almost all of the tree peony's flower buds are above ground all winter long, these buds are built to withstand the cold temperatures and weather fluctuations that can be experienced in a winter to spring warm up transition.
Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'
Beginning to Grow in January
This is likely another reason that tree peonies have a reputation of growing well in Southern climates. Since tree peonies' flower buds are formed in the fall, and remain on the tree peony stem tips all winter long, they are able to accumulate more chilling hours on their buds than herbaceous peony buds, which are at or below the soil surface all winter long. This is yet another reason to plant your herbaceous peonies as close to the soil surface as possible in Southern climates. This allows the buds to accumulate the chilling hours needed to flower. So if you grow tree peonies in a Southern climate, and you notice that they begin to grow so much earlier than your herbaceous peonies, do not fear. The foliage will not be harmed and the buds will likely be just fine too...

2016 Paeonia rockii Purple Tree Peony Seeds

Try, try again. Remember those Purple Peony Rockii Seeds from Ebay Canada last year? Well, after the P. Rockii Seeds Arrived via Air Mail from Canada they seemed a bit dry, and some of the bonus seeds were cracked upon arrival. None of the Purple Paeonia rockii tree peony seeds I ordered or any of the bonus seeds actually germinated this spring. I was quite disappointed. However, I decided to email the seller to see if she might be willing to replace the seeds since none of the actually sprouted. I explained to her that none of the seeds sprouted and nicely asked if she would send me another set of 10 seeds from this year's harvest. She agreed as long I remembered to email her again in the fall with a reminder. I emailed her two weeks ago with my address, and this week I received another set of Paeonia rockii Purple tree peony seeds in the mail. She didn't have to replace them, but she did. I am really happy and excited to see if this set of P. rockii tree peony seeds will actually sprout. It is little things like this that renew my faith in people. I am off to plant these seeds right away!
Replacement Paeonia rockii Purple Tree Peony Seeds

2016 $20 Tree Peonies on Ebay from Hirt's Gardens

Tree Peony 'Hanakisoi' 花競 (Floral Rivalry)
I couldn't resist buying one of each of these $20 tree peonies on Ebay from Hirt's Gardens, Tree Peony 'Hanakisoi' 花競 and Tree Peony 'Houki' ('Hoki') 芳紀. Unfortunately some of the tree peonies I've purchased in the past on Ebay (from different sellers) were not the variety advertised. (Ebay peony seller's reviews still to come!) However, after receiving these, I could recognize immediately upon receipt that these were much better quality and seemed to be packed in a professional environment. Both of these are Japanese tree peony cultivars. They appear to be imported from overseas, and they come with a high quality garden tag with a nice color photo on it. So hopefully these tree peonies will be true to name. There are still a few left if you're interested in getting one or both of them at this awesome price point. Also the combined shipping for both of these together was only around $12.50 (about $6 each). You just can't beat that price point! If you are looking to expand your tree peony collection or get one started (like me), these tree peonies may be just what you're looking for!

Tree Peony 'Houki' ('Hoki') 芳紀 (Charming Age)

2016 Tree Peony Buds

I am really excited to see these tree peony buds bloom! I have 6 different tree peonies with buds on them this year, and I have only seen one of them bloom before - Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'. That means 5 of these I have never seen bloom before. Yippee! Two of these that I have labeled as Unknown are the first two plants from the 2013 Ali Express Chinese Tree Peonies $5.52 for 3! that have gotten a bud. So I am excited to see what mystery tree peonies I got from China! Also since these are the only 6 tree peonies in my garden with buds, that also means that several more tree peonies do not have buds and will not bloom this year including some tree peonies that have bloomed for me in the past. (I'm still getting the hang of this tree peony thing.) However, 6 distinct tree peony varieties with buds is the most I have ever had bloom in a single year before. So I am filled with anticipation to meet these new beauties...

Tree Peony 'Black Lotus' Bud	Tree Peony Unknown White?
Tree Peony 'Tria'	Tree Peony Unknown
Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'	Tree Peony 'Lavender Hill'

2016 Japanese Tree Peony 'Chojuraku' from Ebay

Tree Peony 'Chojuraku' 長寿楽 Garden Label	Tree Peony 'Chojuraku' 長寿楽 from Ebay

I just bought this Japanese Tree Peony 'Chojuraku' 長寿楽 from Ebay two weeks ago. It came quickly through the mail, and I got it planted quickly too. I must say I am really impressed by the size and age of this grafted plant. It is huge. I definitely feel like I got my money's worth from this Ebay seller - garden*breeze. This is the second peony I have purchased from them, and I have been happy with both. However, this isn't the case with all Ebay sellers, so I am planning on creating and Ebay peony seller's review. Hopefully I will be able to get to it this year! Another reason I am excited about this peony besides its large size is its color - lavender, my favorite! This Tree Peony 'Chojuraku' 長寿楽 looks like it may be a double flowering P. rockii hybrid since it has dark purple flares, and I really have been wanting a peony like that. I tried buying some Purple Peony Rockii Seeds from Ebay Canada last year, but they haven't sprouted yet. I'm not giving up hope on those yet since many of my own 2015 seed have not sprouted yet. However, I'm sure this Tree Peony 'Chojuraku' 長寿楽 will provide me with blooms much sooner!

2016 Tree Peony 'Rou Fu Rong' (肉芙蓉) Still Alive

Since this peony was given to me as a gift at the last American Peony Society convention, I tried to take extra good care of it. However, in doing so, I may have inadvertently overwatered it last summer. According to this Caring for Tree Peonies article on the Kelways UK site, the biggest cause of failure for tree peonies is overwatering. Their site states in large, bold letters, "DO NOT OVERWATER NEWLY PLANTED PEONIES, THIS IS THE BIGGEST CAUSE OF FAILURE." Since the Kelways web site says they been growing peonies since 1851, I'm guessing they know what they're talking about.
Tree Peony 'Rou Fu Rong' 肉芙蓉 (Pink Hibiscus)
Our summers can get very hot and dry at times, and I wanted to make sure this tree peony had enough moisture. All three of the existing tree peony branches on it died, and I was worried that the plant may have died altogether. However, one small tree peony shoot has come up this spring from the base of the plant. I am so happy it is still alive. I had never been given a peony before, nor a tree peony. So this was a very nice surprise for me to receive this plant. I also received another peony as a gift at that convention, 2015 Hybridizing Peony Martha W., which arrived in the mail a couple of months after the convention. I am very excited and hopeful to see this tree peony, 'Rou Fu Rong' 肉芙蓉 (Pink Hibiscus) grow and prosper!
Tree Peony 'Rou Fu Rong' 肉芙蓉 (Pink Hibiscus) Sign

2016 It's Starting... Tree Peonies are Waking Up!

OMG! I am so excited. My tree peonies are starting to wake up! There are even a couple of coral peonies that have started to sneak a little stem out of the ground. Peony season is coming! After three 70° days in a row, how could they not wake up? I am so happy to see many of my tree peonies are coming back from last year - sorry to say I have killed a few (and there may more casualties this year). I only have a small number of tree peonies, even though they supposedly grow very well here. I am trying to grow my tree peony collection, and still trying to figure out how to grow them. They're a little different than the herbaceous peonies that I'm used to growing. However, I think I am *starting* to get the hang of it - by no means an expert, but I'm starting to get them to come back year to year. ;-) I can't wait to see what my tree peonies do this year. I think a few of them have tips that look like bud tips on them. So some of the tree peonies that I have not yet seen bloom, might give me a flower this spring - very exciting!!!

Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun' 李园春 Leafing Out	Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun' 李园春 Leafing Out

2016 Ice Storm Peonies Iced!

I guess I was wrong about the 2016 First Snow of the Year (and Maybe Only???). Winter Storm Jonas hit us with quite a bit. It looks like snow in the pictures, but there's not really much snow. It's more like 1-2 inches of ice with a little snow mixed in. I guess that's why there's a big tree snapped in half in my back yard and our power was out for almost a day! I'm so thankful it's back on, and we can get warm again.
Intersectional Peony 'Yellow Crown' on Ice
The peonies look like they're taking whatever Jonas is dishing out. You can't really read their plant name tags anymore, but I think the ice will melt, and they will be okay. Most of my peonies are still tucked safely underground. However, there are a few intersectional and tree peonies with above ground stems. I think they're going to make it, though. With the extra layer of ice, the peonies take on a shiny sheen, making them almost jewel like.
Tree Peony on Ice
Remember that New Peony Breaking Dormancy Too Early? With our sometimes warm weather last week, it decided to peek out through the extra layer of mulch I put on top of it. Now, however, the ice has seemed to put a stop to its growth. The foliage still has not unfurled yet. If the foliage opens or the stem grows taller, it probably won't make it. Since it is still short, there's a chance this one could survive. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We'll see...
Intersectional Peony 'Prairie Charm' on Ice

2015 P. Rockii Seeds Arrived via Air Mail from Canada

The Purple Peony Rockii Seeds from Ebay Canada that I ordered three weeks ago arrived earlier this week. They arrived sooner than Ebay expected them to get here. Ebay's system said "Estimated delivery Tue, Jan 26 - Mon, Feb 01". I'm sure glad they were wrong. It's already a bit late here, since I planted my own peony seeds 4 months ago in September, 2015 Fall Peony Seed Planting and Donation. These peony seeds may not have enough time to germinate this year, but I hope they will or at least some of them will. People often say that it takes two years to germinate a peony seed. However, the majority of the seeds I plant will germinate the first year, especially if they are from my own garden (that way I know the seeds are fresh, and I can plant them right away).
So I got these P. rockii seeds planted right away. The seller was kind enough to send some extra of the Purple Paeonia Rockii seeds and 3 Pink Double Paeonia Rockii seeds as a gift. However, it seems the Pink Double Paeonia Rockii seeds were crushed in shipping or had been in the plastic too long, as the shell of the seeds had been broken and some of the shell pieces were stuck to the plastic bubble wrap. One of these seeds was missing its shell entirely, leaving the inner white part of the seed exposed. I planted all of them anyway. I will be especially curious to see if all 3 of these Pink Double Paeonia seeds germinate. We shall see what spring will bring! :-)

2015 Yellow Tree Peony from the UK Arrives

Yellow Tree Peony From UK Mailing Tube
The Yellow Tree Peony Seedling from UK on Ebay arrived this past week, and I got it planted right away, which was good since its packaging wasn't very secure. It arrived in a half tube with a small pint sized plastic plant pot taped to the bottom of the tube. When I cut the tape to separate the tube from the plastic pot, I discovered that the rootball of the tree peony was no longer inside the plastic pot. It had apparently been jostled during shipment and there was no plastic, tape, or rubber bands - nothing to keep the plant inside its pot. The rootball was dry and the foliage obviously no longer looked like the foliage in the auction picture. However I got it planted straight away the same day it arrived. Since it has been raining here for several weeks now, the soil is nice and moist. So hopefully this will give the plant an opportunity to get some much needed nutrients and adapt itself to our climate before our harsh summer weather hits.
Yellow Tree Peony from UK
On the bright side, it looks like its roots are quite a bit more established than the Purple Tree Peony Seedlings From Ebay UK that I got in 2013. Those purple tree peony seedlings appeared to be first year seedlings. This yellow tree peony looks to be at least a second year seedling, as its roots system is much more extensive. Hopefully this extended system of moisture and nutrient absorbers will give this tiny tree peony a much better chance of survival. The bent and broken foliage looks a little roughed up from shipment. However I'm guessing the foliage won't last much longer here anyway. So I'll probably remove that soon anyway and let this plant concentrate it efforts below the soil.
Yellow Tree Peony from UK Planted

2015 Yellow Tree Peony Seedling from UK on Ebay

When I happened to see this Yellow Tree Peony from the UK on Ebay, I couldn't resist buying it. I put it on my watch list last week and decided to purchase it yesterday. I'm hoping it will have a better chance of surviving than the Purple Tree Peony Seedlings From Ebay UK I purchased in 2013. I purchased two of those hoping at least one would survive. However they arrived in the middle of our Southern summer, which did not give them an adequate chance of survival. They were unable to settle in and become established before experiencing our heat and sometimes dry conditions during summer. Sadly they did not survive. Unfortunately those purple tree peonies went dormant right away when they experienced our hot summer, and one of them got New Fall Growth on Purple English Tree Peony. This new growth was killed in the fall/winter, and unfortunately neither of these seedlings came back in the spring. I am hoping this yellow tree peony will have a better chance since it is arriving in the fall. Hopefully it will go dormant and stay dormant until spring. This yellow tree peony also looks a little larger than those purple tree peonies were, which seemed to be first year seedlings. This one looks like at least a second year seedling. Let's hope the size of the plant and the season help this one live!

2015 APS Auction Winnings - Peony Love Affair

Hollingsworth Peonies' Peony 'Love Affair'
I am so excited about my 2015 American Peony Society Convention auction wins. Not only was the convention a blast, but the auction also gave attendees and opportunity to add new and possibly rare peony selections to their gardens! If there was one peony that I really wanted from the auction, it was Don Hollingsworth's Peony 'Love Affair'. I have been wanting this peony since 2013 when Hollingsworth Peonies was selling it for $150, and I have been waiting for the price to drop. However instead of the price dropping, they actually increased it this year. Also I did try to purchase it on Ebay last year, but it turned out to be Fake Itohs on Ebay - 4 (Not) Intersectional Peonies which was very disappointing. So I was prepared to pay $150 for it in the APS auction. However I was able to win it in the APS Auction for the lucky price of $90! I am so excited. I finally have the real one. I can't wait to see this peony bloom, and I'm curious to see how its foliage and blooms compare to my other white intersectional, Peony 'White Emperor'.

Intersectional Peony 'Love Affair'	Tree Peony 'Rou Fu Rong' (Pink Lotus)

I won a Peony Gift Basket for $35, which I think was probably worth at least $50. So that was awesome. I also won one other peony, Peony 'Defender' a red colored Saunders hybrid for $35, which will fit nicely in my Saunders peony garden. I won a flower arrangement which I gave to my Mom for her birthday. Her birthday happened to be the exact same day as the APS auction, so I was thinking about her that day. :-) There was one more item from the auction that was gifted to me, Tree Peony 'Rou Fu Rong' (Pink Lotus). It is apparently a double pink tree peony. My tree peony garden is still very small with only a few selections. So this will be a nice addition as well. :-)

2015 Peony Blooms Week 1 - Very Early

The very early peony season this year had only a few contributors. We had a very late cold winter, and it apparently harmed many of the early blooming peonies. Peony 'Early Scout', usually one of the first peonies to bloom in my garden, didn't even make an appearance this year. The buds developed about half way, and then stopped, never to open. The only two tree peonies that had buds this year both bloomed. (My tree peony garden is very immature, and most of the plants are still very small.) So apparently the Tree Peonies in Ice with the foliage and buds exposed to freezing cold didn't bother them at all, but hurt the early herbaceous peonies quite a bit. Tree Peony 'Kamata-fuji' was a New Peony Color Light Violet 76B in my garden, and Tree Peony 'White Phoenix' was the First Peony Bloom of the Year! Near the end of the week Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow' opened, which is always a delight. Peony 'Coral Fay' also joined the party, and no, that photo is not upside down. This bloom was nodding quite a bit, so much so that it looks upside down! :-)

Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'	Tree Peony 'Kamata-fuji'
Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow'	Peony 'Coral Fay'

2015 New Peony Color Light Violet 76B 'Kamata-fuji'

Tree Peony 'Kamata-fuji'
The second peony of the year bloomed in my garden today, and it was another tree peony, Peony 'Kamata-fuji'. As soon as I first saw the petals emerging from the swollen bud, I was in love with its color! And what a beautiful color it is - the most wonderful color of lavender - unlike any other peony in my garden so far. According to the RHS (Royal Hortircultural Society) Colour Chart it is a Light Violet 76B. Lavender is my favorite color, and I am so happy to have a tree peony blooming in this color. It is also exciting to be able to add another color category to my Peony Colors page where I track all of the bloom colors of the peonies I grow according to the RHS Mini Colour Chart.
Comparing Tree Peony 'Kamata-fuji' to the RHS Mini Colour Chart

2015 First Peony Bloom of the Year 'White Phoenix'

First Peony Bloom of the Year
Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'

First Peony Bloom of the Year
Tree Peony 'White Phoenix' Bloom
The first peony to bloom this year in my garden was actually a tree peony! Peony 'White Phoenix' or 'Feng Dan Bai' is actually a Chinese tree peony, and this is the first time I have ever had it bloom for me. So that is a nice surprise to see the blossom for the first time ever in my garden and for it to be the first peony to bloom in my garden in 2015.


Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'
Underneath a Dogwood Tree
I grow my Peony 'White Phoenix' underneath a dogwood tree in my back yard. Both the tree peony and the dogwood tree happened to bloom at the same time this year. I hope that will happen again in future years since both of the white blossoms look very nice together. Peony 'White Phoenix' is supposed to take full sun to part shade. I was worried that the dogwood tree might provide too much shade for this tree peony, but it seems happy so far, and it has even sprouted a new tree peony shoot from the base this year. So next year it will hopefully have even more branches on which to bloom! :)


Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'
Side View

Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'
Side View of Bloom

2015 Tree Peony Moon Garden Progress

Of all the tree peonies in my tree peony garden, only one of them has a bud on it! It is also a peony that has never bloomed for me before. It is Peony 'Kamata-fuji', and I am excited to see its blossom. Last year two of them bloomed, Peony 'Fragrant Jade' with one flower and Peony 'Li Yuan Chun' with three flowers. Neither of those two tree peonies has a bud this year. I guess they spent quite a bit of their energy on those blooms last year, and are spending this year spreading their roots, and getting used to their new home. I hope next year I'll have more blooms on my tree peonies.

Chinese Tree Peonies from Ali Express	Peony 'Black Lotus'

Also as you can see in the first picture, of the 8 original Chinese Tree Peonies from Ali Express, only 3 of them are still living. However the three that are still alive are growing larger and increasing in size. So this seems like a good sign for their future survival. Peony 'Black Lotus' is growing taller.

Herbaceous Root Stock of Peony 'Fragrant Jade'	Peony 'High Noon'

Unfortunately it looks like Peony 'Fragrant Jade' has died, at least the top tree peony portion of the plant. It looks like the bottom herbaceous root that was grafted onto the tree peony stem is still living and has now sprouted. Perhaps I didn't plant this one deep enough? Peony 'High Noon' is still living and is a little larger than it was last year, but not much. Perhaps I'll put a little Black Kow composted around it to encourage its growth.


Dead Peony 'Kamata-nishiki'
Peony 'Kamata-nishiki' appears to be dead, both the top tree peony portion and the bottom herbaceous graft. I'm not sure why this one didn't make it. We did have a very cold winter, and this one did have some competition last year - some herbaceous peonies that I didn't get around to moving until last fall. The only thing left is a small violet growing in its place.


Peony 'Kamata-fuji' with Bud
Peony 'Kamata-fuji' is the only tree peony with a bud on it in my garden this year. So it will definitely be the star! Also this tree peony is supposed to have lavender purple flowers on it, and that is my favorite color. So this bloom is especially exciting!


P. Rockii
This P. rockii plant came from Ebay, and I am quite disappointed in it. I'm not sure if the seller just decided to sell of one of his most diseased plants or if this peony is just not adapting well to my climate. I am not happy with my Ebay peony purchases right now. I will tell you all more about that later...


P. Rockii Foliage
As you can see from the second P. rockii picture, the close up view of the foliage is very sad. I have a couple other P. rockii plants, and their foliage doesn't look this bad, especially this early in the season. I also have lots of P. rockii seedlings whose foliage is awesome compared to this one. If I ever get a bloom on this one, and they aren't spectacular, this tree peony may be headed for the trash bin!

Peony 'Li Yuan Chun'	Peony 'Kinkaku'

Peony 'Li Yuan Chun' is growing much larger this year. When I received it, I was tempted to divide it into two plants since it was so large, and it seemed to have a natural place to divide it. However considering my inexperience with tree peonies, and the fact that a few of them didn't make it through this past winter, I'm glad I didn't divide it. Since it had three blooms on it last year, I'm hopeful to see several of them next year since the plant seems to be growing well. Peony 'Kinkaku' is also growing much larger this year.


Peony 'Tria'
Peony 'Tria' is growing a tiny bit this year, but not much. This tree peony is at the back of the tree peony moon garden. So it receives a bit more shade than the rest of the other tree peonies. Perhaps I will add a little Black Kow compost to this one as well to try to give it a boost.