2012 Peony Blooms Late Mid - Week 5

The blooms for week 5 have been awesome. The single and semi-double midseason blooms really shined in my garden this year. Peony 'Bartzella' is always beautiful and quite the showstopper with its bright yellow blooms. Peony 'Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt' always has such a delicate and feminine shape to her blooms, which is complemented by the delicate pink color of her petals. Peony 'Pink Princess' is a tall and proud peony with pale pink blooms that fade to white near the center and have beautiful spots on the petals that are so interesting to the eye. Peony 'Scarlet O'Hara' is the classic southern belle of a peony, with bright red petals surrounding a golden yellow center and pink tipped carpels.

Peony 'Bartzella'	Peony 'Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Peony 'Pink Princess'	Peony 'Scarlet O'Hara'

2012 Peony 'Do Tell' Best Performer - Week 4

If you want to see the pictures from my favorite individual blooms from week 4, you can find them in my post 2012 Peony Blooms Mid Season - Week 4 . As for my favorite overall performer for the bush as a whole for week 4, there is no contest. It is definitely Peony 'Do Tell'. This peony has a multitude of pink blooms with an interesting pink and white center of tiny wavy petals. It almost looks like a hairdo that Ke$ha would wear! The blooms open on different days. So they will usually last for a couple weeks. The plant is a consistent bloomer and grower year after year in this climate, multiplying steadily at a rapid pace. It seems to be very happy here in my southern climate. It definitely earns its 2004 American Peony Society Gold Medal every year in my garden!
Peony 'Do Tell'
Southern Peony Best Performer

2012 Peony Blooms Mid Season - Week 4

The double and bomb type peonies really made their debut this week in the Midseason of the peony bloom season, Week 4. With bright colors and giant blooms how can anyone resist? Peony 'Kansas' did really well this year for me. The hot pink blooms really stood out. Peony 'Many Happy Returns' has such a nice red color and form. Peony 'Red Charm' is an awesome bomb type peony and the most true red you'll find. Peony 'Rose Heart' bloomed for me for the 2nd time this year, and the bloom was so much larger with the characteristic pink heart (center).

Peony 'Kansas'	Peony 'Many Happy Returns'
Peony 'Red Charm'	Peony 'Rose Heart'

2012 Peony Blooms Best Performers - Weeks 1-3

I already posted pictures of my favorite peony blooms from Weeks 1-3 of the peony bloom season in my post 2012 Peony Blooms Very Early to Early Mid - Weeks 1-3. However I thought it might also be beneficial to post some of my favorite overall performers from Weeks 1-3 here in my Southern growing climate. The best two peony bushes overall were Peony 'Seraphim' and Peony 'Honor'. Peony 'Seraphim' is just so lovely and has a multitude of blossoms on tall stems with multiple blooms per stem. The bright white flowers just look so lovely and feminine and the foliage is very sturdy and a nice dark green color. Peony 'Honor' is a plant of much shorter stature, but no less lovely. The dainty pink blossoms are one to a stem, but with a staggered opening, which showcases the beautiful range in color of the petals as they open. The foliage also seems sturdy here, and the green is a bit lighter in color, a nice contrast with the pink blooms.
Peony 'Seraphim'
Southern Peony Best Performer


Peony 'Honor'
Southern Peony Best Performer

2012 Peony Disease Bud Blast

I've had several peonies with buds that weren't able to develop. I think it has to do with the weather, which has been a bit weird this spring. It was really rainy right before the foliage and buds started to develop, and then it was dry for quite while they were growing. I could tell that there was some bud blast and blight on some of the foliage, but I think the succeeding dry period prevented it from developing further (which could have been much worse). Established plants seemed to make out with only a bit of brown near the edges of leaves or a rotten stem or perhaps a bud or two that succumbed to the disease. However some peonies that I ordered just last fall were really taken over by blight and disease. I planted these roots in brand new locations. So no other peonies had been planted there. It was previously just organically maintained lawn. It makes me wonder if the peonies had been sprayed with fungicides by the growers to keep the diseases at bay. Then perhaps when they were planted here in my garden, the plants succumbed to the disease that had been previously kept in check by chemicals. Maybe the peonies will come back next year or maybe they will die. I have had both outcomes with new plants from reputable vendors. Let's hope for the best...

Established Plant - Peony 'Do Tell'

Established Plant - Peony 'Scarlet O'Hara'

Newly Planted - Peony 'Carina'

2012 Peony Blooms Very Early to Early Mid - Weeks 1-3

Wow! I can hardly believe the peony bloom season is already more than half over here! I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far this year. I have seen a couple new varieties bloom this year, plus I've seen some of my favorites really increase and flourish. Here are some of my favorite blooms from the first 3 weeks of my southern peony bloom season. The color on the 'Coral Charm', 'Lavender', and 'Morning Lilac' peonies is intoxicating. Peony 'Coral Fay' has such a sweet nodding form, Peony 'Firelight' has really nice dark pink flares against its lighter pink petals, and Peony 'Paladin' looks almost double before it fully opens. Enjoy!

Peony 'Coral Charm'	Peony 'Coral Fay'
Peony 'Firelight'	Peony 'Lavender'
Peony 'Paladin'	Peony 'Morning Lilac'

2012 Peonies in the Landscape

Growing peonies is great because of the flower size, colors and forms available, and lots of them even have a nice fragrance. Their bloom period can be short, but it can be extended with different varieties of peonies that bloom in different periods. Some people may find it challenging to integrate peonies into their landscape, but peonies can be used everywhere! They are great in mixed perennial beds with other flowers that bloom at different times. Their foliage is quite sturdy and makes and excellent backdrop for other flowers and even bulbs, and the foliage will usually last until frost. Peonies can be planted alone as accent plants or en masse in a large bed or border. However and wherever you decide to plant your peonies, you can look forward to years and perhaps even generations of flowers from a sturdy and long lived plant. :)

Peony 'Morning Lilac'	Peony 'Scarlet O'Hara'

Peony Landscape Beds