2016 APS Peony Convention Picnic at Bay Beach

Well, I made it to Wisconsin. I must say Green Bay is much different than I expected. I was thinking that since they have a professional football team, the city would be large, but it is actually kind of small. However, the welcome picnic at Bay Beach park was very nice. The people were all very friendly and the picnic food very tasty - fried chicken, cole slaw, and green beans. We also got to sample some Wisconsin cheese in the cheese potato casserole.
APS Welcome Picnic at Bay Beach Park
The best part of the picnic was being able to meet friends new and old. Plant people are always the nicest people, and an APS Member you haven't yet met, is just a new friend waiting to be made. We arrived at the Bay Beach Park a little after 5pm, and most people were already there. We stayed until after 8pm when it was wrapping up and starting to get a little chilly. Everyone seemed to be excited about the upcoming tours and of course the flower show! APS Convention Registration at Bay Beach Park

2016 American Peony Society Convention in 3 Days!

The biggest and best peony event all year starts in just 3 short days! This year the American Peony Society Annual Convention is convening in Green Bay, Wisconsin. If you haven't booked your trip yet, it's probably too late to register for all of the convention tours and activities. However, the Peony Exhibit and educational Peony Seminars on Saturday are FREE and open to the public! So there's still time to join us for those! If you are coming to the convention, I hope to see you there. If you're not attending this year, don't worry. I'll have full coverage of all of the APS Convention Events right here for you to enjoy just like I did last year in these Southern Peony Convention Articles. Hopefully you'll see how much fun you're missing and join us all next year! :-)

Southern Peony APS Convention Collage

2016 Peony Blooms Very Very Late - Week 8

Wow! This is definitely a first for me! We had our first every Week 8 of peony blooms! (And there are still a few stragglers left on the bushes in Week 9!) I think it is safe to say that we had really weird weather during our spring warm up this year. Most of these peonies are normally Week 6 peonies. Except for Peony 'Guidon', which is normally a Week 5 bloomer and Peony 'Kelway's Glorious', which is normally a Week 7 bloomer. Usually by Week 7 we don't have too much left here. However, this year's 2016 Peony Blooms Very Late - Week 7 had many types still opening, and also there were many peonies still opening into a full Week 8. Amazing! This year's very cool and very slow warm up, with many cloudy days and plenty of rain later in the peony season gave us just the right weather needed to extend the peony blooming this year! Awesome! I hope you enjoyed your peony bloom season this year (or are still enjoying)! :-)

Intersectional Peony 'Garden Treasure'	Peony 'White Frost'
Peony 'Raspberry Sundae'	Intersectional Peony 'Yellow Crown'
Peony 'Guidon'	Peony 'Kelway's Glorious'