Tuesday, March 4, 2014

2014 Chinese Tree Peony Seeds Starting to Sprout

At the suggestion of one of my readers, I decided to check my Chinese tree peony seeds to see if they had started sprouting. Sure enough, they had! A couple of them are just starting to push through. So it's definitely a bit early to get a count for the germination rate. I'll have to wait a little longer to see how many actually sprout. The only ones that are starting to sprout so far are the Chinese Peony Seeds from Ebay that I planted on 3/15/2013. There are 6 different colors of the Chinese tree peony seeds that I bought on Ebay, which came labeled as P1-P6, and only 2 of them are sprouting now - P3 Blue & P4 Green. So there are 4 other types/colors of these tree peony seeds that have not yet sprouted. None of the Chinese tree peony seeds I purchased from Ali Express and planted on 4/1/2013 have started to sprout yet. So I will have to check on those Chinese tree peony seeds again later.

Chinese Tree Peony P3 Blue Seeds from Ebay Sprouting


Chinese Tree Peony P4 Green Seeds from Ebay Sprouting

Friday, February 28, 2014

2014 First Signs of (Tree Peony) Life


Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun'

Well even though it doesn't quite feel like spring yet, and it is still February, I am starting to see the first signs of life on some of my tree peonies (including some of the very cheap sticks / Tree Peonies I Planted from China!) I can't believe how much one of the more mature and Expensive Tree Peonies from a tree peony farm here in the US, Tree Peony Garden, has already started to grow. I'm guessing this one will have at least one blossom this year (or maybe more), and I can't wait to see its lovely pink flower. Also 3 of the Tree Peonies from China via Ali Express are already showing signs of life via tiny red buds originating at their base. I planted most of these as deep as possible hoping they would develop their own roots and prevent any possible grafted roots from sprouting. So we'll see when their leaves open whether these are tree peony sprouts or herbaceous peony sprouts.

Sprouting Tree Peony from China via Ali Express


Sprouting Tree Peony from China via Ali Express


Sprouting Tree Peony from China via Ali Express

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

2014 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List

So. I really like intersectional peonies (also known as Itoh peonies). I've collected quite a few of them, but I definitely do not have them all (especially some of the more expensive varieties). So I've been keeping my eye on their prices, and they have been coming down in price as they become more common in the marketplace. I created a spreadsheet with all of the available varieties for 2014 from nurseries that specialize in peonies. I haven't ordered from all of these vendors, so I can't speak for their quality or reliability, but I thought this might be helpful information for other gardeners out there looking to collect intersectional peonies as well or maybe just add the first one to your garden. Also if you have your heart set on a particular variety, get your order in early, because some of these will sell out (and some of them already have)! 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.)

Price Change from Last Year
Adelman - mostly same or higher
Bannister - lower
Birchwood - same
Blossom Hill - same
Brooks - mostly lower or same
Buck Canyon - same or lower
Cricket Hill - mostly same or lower
Fina - same
Hidden Springs - same
Hollingsworth - mostly higher or same
Peony's Envy - higher or same
Solaris Farms - same or lower
Song Sparrow - same or higher
Swenson - mostly lower or same

Intersectional PeonyPriceVendor
Al's Choice$75.00Brooks
Ballarena de Saval$70.00Adelman
Bartzella$45.00Solaris Farms
Bartzella$60.00Fina
Bartzella$60.00Swenson
Bartzella$75.00Brooks
Bartzella$75.00Buck Canyon
Bartzella$79.00Peony's Envy
Bartzella$79.99Hidden Springs
Bartzella$80.00Adelman
Bartzella$80.00Hollingsworth
Bartzella$85.00Birchwood
Bartzella$90.00Song Sparrow
Bartzella$99.00Cricket Hill
BartzellaC$150.00Blossom Hill
Berry Garcia$125.00Brooks
Border Charm$35.00Swenson
Border Charm$40.00Adelman
Border Charm$44.00Hollingsworth
Border Charm$45.00Birchwood
Border Charm$60.00Song Sparrow
Callie's Memory$75.00Solaris Farms
Callie's Memory$75.00Swenson
Callie's MemoryC$130.00Blossom Hill
Canary Brilliants$60.00Swenson
Canary Brilliants$70.00Adelman
Canary Brilliants$70.00Brooks
Canary Brilliants$79.00Peony's Envy
Canary Brilliants$90.00Solaris Farms
Chief Black Hawk$225.00Brooks
Chief Black Hawk$350.00Swenson
Copper Kettle$80.00Solaris Farms
Copper Kettle$150.00Swenson
Cora Louise$60.00Adelman
Cora Louise$60.00Birchwood
Cora Louise$60.00Brooks
Cora Louise$60.00Buck Canyon
Cora Louise$60.00Swenson
Cora Louise$74.95Hidden Springs
Cora Louise$79.00Peony's Envy
Cora Louise$99.00Cricket Hill
Court Jester$60.00Swenson
First Arrival$45.00Solaris Farms
First Arrival$60.00Adelman
First Arrival$60.00Brooks
First Arrival$60.00Swenson
First Arrival$75.00Buck Canyon
First Arrival$125.00Bannister
First ArrivalC$130.00Blossom Hill
Garden Treasure$40.00Solaris Farms
Garden Treasure$55.00Fina
Garden Treasure$60.00Swenson
Garden Treasure$65.00Buck Canyon
Garden Treasure$68.00Birchwood
Garden Treasure$69.99Hidden Springs
Garden Treasure$80.00Adelman
Garden Treasure$80.00Bannister
Garden Treasure$80.00Brooks
Garden Treasure$84.00Hollingsworth
Garden Treasure$89.00Peony's Envy
Garden Treasure$99.00Cricket Hill
Going Bananas$40.00Adelman
Going BananasC$130.00Blossom Hill
Hidden Treasure$35.00Solaris Farms
Hillary$50.00Adelman
Hillary$50.00Brooks
Hillary$50.00Swenson
Hillary$60.00Buck Canyon
Hillary$60.00Fina
Hillary$64.95Hidden Springs
Hillary$75.00Solaris Farms
HillaryC$130.00Blossom Hill
Japanese Itoh$35.00Swenson
Joanna Marlene$80.00Adelman
Joanna Marlene$100.00Swenson
Julia Rose$50.00Swenson
Julia Rose$75.00Adelman
Julia Rose$75.00Brooks
Julia Rose$75.00Solaris Farms
Julia RoseC$130.00Blossom Hill
Kaleidoscope$75.00Buck Canyon
Kaleidoscope$75.00Swenson
Kaleidoscope$90.00Brooks
Kaleidoscope$125.00Hidden Springs
Kopper Kettle$99.00Adelman
Lafayette Escadrille$60.00Song Sparrow
Lemon Dream$44.00Buck Canyon
Lemon Dream$45.00Adelman
Lemon Dream$45.00Solaris Farms
Lemon Dream$50.00Brooks
Lemon Dream$50.00Swenson
Lemon Dream$79.00Peony's Envy
Little Darlin$60.00Birchwood
Little Darlin$60.00Song Sparrow
Lollipop$75.00Solaris Farms
Love Affair$156.00Hollingsworth
Luxuriant$175.00Brooks
Maroon Dragon Claw$89.00Cricket Hill
Momo Taro (Peach Boy)$45.00Solaris Farms
Morning Lilac$64.00Buck Canyon
Morning Lilac$70.00Adelman
Morning Lilac$70.00Brooks
Morning Lilac$100.00Swenson
New Millennium$120.00Solaris Farms
New Millennium$250.00Swenson
Old Rose Dandy$35.00Swenson
Old Rose Dandy$44.95Hidden Springs
Old Rose Dandy$45.00Adelman
Old Rose Dandy$45.00Solaris Farms
Old Rose Dandy $89.00Cricket Hill
Pastel Splendor$35.00Solaris Farms
Pastel Splendor$35.00Swenson
Pastel Splendor$45.00Adelman
Pastel Splendor$47.95Hidden Springs
Pastel Splendor$70.00Song Sparrow
Pastel SplendorC$80.00Blossom Hill
Prairie Charm$35.00Swenson
Prairie Charm$50.00Birchwood
Prairie Charm$50.00Brooks
Prairie Charm$54.95Hidden Springs
Prairie Charm$60.00Bannister
Prairie Charm$60.00Hollingsworth
Prairie Charm$65.00Song Sparrow
Rosy Prospects$99.00Adelman
Rosy Prospects$99.00Brooks
Rosy Prospects$200.00Swenson
Royal Blush$150.00Swenson
Saffron Innocence$200.00Swenson
Scarlet Heaven$35.00Swenson
Scarlet Heaven$40.00Adelman
Scarlet Heaven$45.00Solaris Farms
Scarlet Heaven$79.00Peony's Envy
Scarlet HeavenC$80.00Blossom Hill
Scarlet Heaven$89.00Cricket Hill
Sequestered Sunshine$45.00Solaris Farms
Sequestered Sunshine$75.00Swenson
Shining Light$35.00Swenson
Singing in the Rain$125.00Brooks
Sonoma Amethyst$65.00Adelman
Sonoma Amethyst$65.00Buck Canyon
Sonoma Amethyst$75.00Solaris Farms
Sonoma Apricot$80.00Adelman
Sonoma Blessing$80.00Adelman
Sonoma Floozy$80.00Adelman
Sonoma Halo$350.00Adelman
Sonoma Rosy Future$125.00Adelman
Sonoma Rosy Future$150.00Solaris Farms
Sonoma Sun$80.00Adelman
Sonoma Velvet Ruby$80.00Adelman
Sonoma Welcome$75.00Adelman
Sonoma Yedo$200.00Solaris Farms
Unique$48.00Buck Canyon
Unique$50.00Swenson
Unique$60.00Adelman
Viking Full Moon$40.00Solaris Farms
Viking Full Moon$40.00Swenson
Viking Full Moon$44.95Hidden Springs
Viking Full Moon$45.00Adelman
Viking Full Moon$110.00Song Sparrow
Watermelon Wine$150.00Adelman
White Emperor$150.00Swenson
Yellow Crown$45.00Solaris Farms
Yellow Dream$100.00Brooks
Yellow Emperor$40.00Swenson
Yellow Emperor$55.00Solaris Farms
Yellow Heaven$90.00Brooks

Saturday, February 1, 2014

2014 Tree & Herbaceous Peonies in the Snow

Wow! This is a rare year for us. It snowed 4 days ago, and the snow is still here. We got about 3-4 inches of snow! Usually we have either no snow or only an inch that melts away by the very next day if not the same day. The weatherman was actually pretty accurate about the snow totals this time (just not the timing). The snow came about 6 hours later than they originally predicted - which caused some unnecessary school closings. My daughter was out of school Tuesday - Friday! We had lots of fun in the snow - going for a walk, sledding, and making snow angels.

Snow Forecast for NC

While I was out there I snapped a few pictures of my peonies in the snow. We got so much snow this time, the peony signs that stick up out of the ground were almost completely covered! Since the herbaceous peonies were buried, I took a few pictures of the tree and intersectional peonies in the snow since these are the only ones visible above the snow line. I know the snow is good for the herbaceous peonies since their buds are below ground and they need the chilling hours, but I'm not so sure how much the intersectional and tree peony buds appreciate the snow. I guess we'll find out in the spring. All of the tree peony buds are above ground and several of the intersectional buds are too, since I don't trim my intersectional peonies all the way back to the ground. :-)

Tree Peony 'Fragrant Jade' in Snow


Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun' in Snow


Intersectional Peony 'Bartzella' in Snow

Sunday, January 12, 2014

2014 First Peony Order of the Year

I took a moment this past week to make my first peony order of the year. This year I placed my first order with Solaris Farms. I am really excited about this order. I instantly fell in love with Peony 'Angel Emily' last year when I saw the photo of it on their web site. Its lavender color and loads of blooms on a rockii species plant with its signature purple flares just made me giddy. I really wanted it. Even though that was only April of last year, it was, sadly, already sold out. So I was delighted to see that they were offering it again this year. Even though the price hadn't gone down any since last year, I still wanted it. I also found the listing for Peony 'New Millennium' in their intersectional peony offering, with a price half of what it was available for last year. So even though the price tags were still hefty, I decided to order both! I am also curious to see the size and quality of the roots they send as well as their packaging and shipment method. I am hoping that I will find another good, quality peony supplier in Solaris Farms. If you've never seen their site before, perhaps you should check it out to see if anything catches your eye! :-)

Peony 'Angel Emily'
Photo Courtesy of Solaris Farms


Peony 'New Millennium'
Photo Courtesy of Solaris Farms

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013 Peonies in Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou China

Recently my husband and I took a trip to his home country of China. This was my first visit there, and naturally my interest in peonies extended to peonies in China as well. We took tours in several Chinese cities, and everywhere we went I looked for peonies. They weren't too hard to find! I found them in their palaces, gardens, temples, and botanical gardens! Even though it was late fall and most of the peonies were dormant, I still searched for their barren sticks, trying to gather any information about Chinese peony cultivation that I could. Over 95% of the peonies I found were tree peonies. There were very few herbaceous peonies to be found. The majority of the tree peonies I saw had already had their leaves removed from their stems. Also the dirt was mounded around the base of the tree peonies stems. I'm not sure if that was in preparation for winter or if they leave it this way all year round. There was no mulch on any of their tree peonies. They were all grown in soil that appeared to have been heavily and continuously cultivated. The soil was never flat or smooth. It was always uneven, like mounded globs of dirt and soil all around the peonies.

Dormant Peonies at the Imperial Palace in Beijing, China

The first place I encountered peonies in China was at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The Forbidden City served as the imperial palace in China for almost 500 years. The peonies there were grown in an outdoor garden, almost like a courtyard. They were growing in partial shade through the filtered sunlight nearly underneath a canopy of mature evergreen trees. These tree peonies had already been defoliated and were growing in an unmulched, cultivated bed surrounded by stone walkways and very low concrete and metal fences for protection.


Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China

The next location I happened upon peonies during my trip to China was in the Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China. The Master of the Nets Garden is one of the 9 classical gardens in Suzhou recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The peonies here were grown in a small cultivated bed next to the central pond of the garden. The bed also contained a mature pine tree that created some filtered shade for the peony plants. Underneath the peonies grew a type of evergreen grass-like perennial, similar to mondo grass. These tree peonies had also been defoliated and grew inside the bed surrounded by a low, curved bamboo fence that had been painted green.


Dormant Peonies at the Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China


"Only in the sun of civilization can trees maintain evergreen."
Sign in the Peony Garden at the Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China


Longhua Temple in Shanghai, China

The third place I encountered peonies in China was at the Longhua Temple in Shanghai, China. The Longhua Temple is a Buddhist temple in Shanghai where my husband and his relatives were visiting the Buddhas. I found the peony garden near the back of the temple complex. The peonies there were grown in globular cultivated soil surrounded by a decorative low concrete wall. The garden was surrounded on three sides by temple buildings and stone walkways. Four herbaceous trees were grown in the courtyard surrounding each of the four corners of the peony garden, creating a canopy of filtered shade over the peonies. This was the first peony garden I found that contained herbaceous peonies as well as tree peonies, though the tree peonies vastly outnumbered the herbaceous ones. This was also the first peonies garden I'd encountered where the tree peonies has not yet been defoliated. The herbaceous peonies also had not yet been cut back. A few of the peonies still has some green foliage, although their season was nearing the end since their growing climate is similar to my own.


Tree Peonies (P. suffruticosa) at the Longhua Temple in Shanghai, China


Peony Garden at the Longhua Temple in Shanghai, China


Peony Garden Sign at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China
"The 3.24-hectare Peony Garden was established in 1980. As peonies prefer deep, fertile, well-drained soil with medium moisture and full sun to part shade, shrubs and trees such as winter sweet (Chimonanthus praecox), camellia, Tilia spp., and camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) were planted to create a suitable growth environment and a beautiful landscape. The garden specializes in tree peonies (the Flower King) and peonies (the Flower Prime-Minister). Approximately 10,000 tree peony plants, including 102 cultivars, are collected here. Most of the cultivars are from the China central plains (Zhongyuan) cultivar group, such as 'Luo Yang Hong' and 'Wu Long Peon Sheng.' Other cultivars are from Ningguo and Cixi, which belong to the China Southern Yangtse (Jiangnan) cultivar group. The precious Japanese cultivars 'Yachiyotsubaki' and 'Jitsugetsu-nishiki', the French cultivar 'Chromatella', and the American cultivar 'High Noon' are all included in the garden. In addition, approximately 35 peony cultivars, including 'Da Fu Gui', 'Zhao Yuan Feng', and 'Zi Feng Chao Yang' are grown here. So many gorgeous and antique peonies make the garden the best place in Shanghai for visitors to enjoy spectacular peonies in late April."


Dormant Peonies at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China

The last place I encountered peonies was during a planned visit to the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China. Although I had been happy to see what peonies I'd seen in China thus far, when I finally arrived to the peony garden inside the Shanghai Botanical Garden, I sorely wished it were spring!!! There were more tree peonies in their peony garden than I had ever seen in my life! The sign at the entrance to their peony garden claimed "10,000 tree peony plants, including 102 cultivars." What a site this garden must be to behold in springtime!


Sculpture in the Peony Garden
at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China

The peonies at the Shanghai Botanical Garden were grown in mounds of loose, cultivated soil, which appeared to have been recently top-dressed with compost. The garden was made up of beautiful meandering stone pathways between the huge peony beds. The beds were edged by mounds of gorgeous green grass like perennials that gracefully overhung the solid stone block walls which lined the walkways. The light in the garden ranged from full sun to partial shade created by large, mature herbaceous trees interspersed and surrounding the garden. The foliage had also been removed from all of their peonies, quite a large job for a team of gardeners, I'm sure! The peony garden contained a beautiful statue of a woman or goddess and a traditional Chinese building and garden wall. I will have to visit there again sometime in April! :-)


Dormant Peonies at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China


Tree Peony Garden at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China

Sunday, December 29, 2013

2013 American Peony Society Bulletin Article -
Public Gardens Peony Donation Project

As promised here is the article I wrote for the December 2013 issue of the American Peony Society bulletin...

"When I first joined the American Peony Society board, I was asked to become the Publicity Chair for the APS. Unsure of the duties and responsibilities for the role, it seems I assumed by default a role that no one else claimed. This year my goal has been to get peonies planted at a local arboretum here in Raleigh, NC. The project is going well, and in the back of my mind I was hoping to continue the program, finding a new arboretum or public garden in need of peonies each year. The APS president, Dana Tretheway commented to me that I was doing a great job as a Publicity Chair working on this project to get peonies installed at a public garden. I guess I never thought of it as a part of my Publicity Chair duties. I just wanted to spread the love of peonies everywhere, but I guess that does kind of fit.

When I first approached Mark Weathington of the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC, he seemed a bit reluctant and not quite as enthusiastic as I’d hoped about the prospects of so many new and free (to him) peonies. After several email exchanges I was able to set up an in person meeting with him to discuss the possibility of a peony donation on behalf of the American Peony Society. Since I am a board member local to his garden, I was willing to donate several varieties myself, and wanted to ensure the project would be a success.


The JC Raulston Arboretum

When I met Mark in person at the JC Raulston Arboretum, we got along fabulously, and after our discussion he seemed much more excited about the prospects of a large peony donation to his garden. The mission of his Arboretum is to educate the public on varieties of plants that perform well in the garden that they may have not have seen or been introduced to before. I thought that was perfect and informed him of the American Peony Society’s Award of Landscape Merit program which selects peonies “chosen for superior ornamental value, overall appearance in the landscape and throughout the growing season, and reliable performance across North America”.

Mark was quite excited to hear about this APS award and didn’t realize we had such a program. I also talked with him about our Gold Medal selections, and we discussed how and where these peonies might fit into his landscape. There are several different garden sections or rooms at the JC Raulston Arboretum, and Mark seemed to be interested in trying to fit peonies in all of them. He inquired about Itoh intersectional peonies since he’d heard how these were the latest and greatest peonies. However he did not have any in his collection. There is an Asian Valley garden that he was interested in adding some Asian tree peony cultivars and a rock garden that he wanted to add rock garden peonies too. For someone who didn’t have very many types of peonies currently represented at his garden, he sure was interested in all the different type of peonies.

After walking the garden together, I believe we only found 5 different types of peonies in the garden. After our meeting I asked Mark how many peonies he could plant if the APS board members were able to donate peonies for him. He said he could plant 40 or 50! Wow, that was great news! So off I went to solicit donations for the JC Raulston Arboretum. With the collaborative effort and good will of several APS members and a local plant nursery, we were able to donate over 40 peony varieties to him including APS Award of Landscape Merit selections, APS Gold Medal selections, Itoh Intersectional varieties, and several herbaceous peonies that would grow exceptionally well in North Carolina.

I’d like to thank the following donors for all of their help with this year’s Public Gardens Peony Donation Project: Adelman Peony Gardens, Adriana Feng, Homewood Nursery, Hollingsworth Peonies, Klehm’s Song Sparrow, and Jim & Lore Sampson of Rarity Gardens. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the peonies in bloom, and sharing those blooms with everyone! I’m also looking forward to the next Public Garden Peony Donation Project! :-)"

Since the publication of this article, the JC Raulston Arboretum has received an additional donation from Cricket Hill Garden. So on behalf of myself and the American Peony Society, I'd also like to add our thanks and appreciation to Cricket Hill Garden as well!