2017 Peony Bloom Clusters - Late Season

Yes, these blooms are a bit late - in the peony season and for Valentine's Day, but better late than never! This is the third part of a three-part series of peony "Bouquet on the Bush" photos from my bloom season last year. If you missed the first and second parts of this series, be sure to check them out, 2017 Peony Bloom Clusters - Early Season and 2017 Peony Bloom Clusters - Mid Season.
Peony 'Guidon'
Peony 'Guidon' has always been a favorite of mine. It has always been an easy bloomer, and Peony 'Guidon' is also a Southern Peony Best Performer. It is not uncommon for this gorgeous looker to have 4 or 5 blooms on each stem. It is also a very nice shade of lavender pink that just catches your eye. The only downside to this beauty is that its blooms are so large, and there are so many of them, if a rain storm is approaching, you should pick them all! These flowers would be perfect for a real bouquet!
Peony 'Top Hat'
Peony 'Top Hat' is another peony with 4 or 5 blooms on each stem. Although the flowers are not as large as Peony 'Guidon's', the less weighty blooms allow them to stay upright on their own for the most part. Also the flowers have sharply contrasting, bright and pale colors that are exciting to see. The bright fuchsia pink guard petals open to reveal a mixture of pinks and yellows that beget a pale orange coloring.
Peony 'Vivid Rose'
Peony 'Vivid Rose' is a stalwart of the late peony season garden. It always blooms reliably very late in the season, and is a nice addition to extend your peony bloom season. It is a pretty fragrant pink double peony (if you fancy that sort of thing) ;-) I hope you've enjoyed these peony "Bouquets on the Bush" and hopefully gained a few ideas about some floriferous peonies for your own garden!

2017 Peony Bloom Clusters - Mid Season

Flowers for everyone! Peonies of course, since they're the best! This is the second part of a three-part series of peony "Bouquet on the Bush" photos from my bloom season last year. If you missed the first part of the series, be sure to check it out, 2017 Peony Bloom Clusters - Early Season. Also keep your eyes peeled for part three coming soon! You won't want to miss any of these peony "Bouquet on the Bush" photos!
Peony 'Do Tell'
Peony 'Do Tell' is an American Peony Society Gold Medal Winner. It has a pretty double layer of soft, baby pink guard petals with a center that is always interesting. It can be wild and crazy like your hair when you get out of bed or softened a bit and mixed with tiny, thin baby pink petals as you see here. The colors are clear and unique - baby pink, hot pink, white, and a bit of yellow. I can't think of another peony just like it in color and form. Since the flower looks different every year, half the fun of this peony is waiting to see what it will look like this spring.
Intersectional Peony 'Scarlet Heaven'
Intersectional Peony 'Scarlet Heaven' is rare in the world of intersectional peonies for it bright red coloring, a feature not often found in this group of peonies. The color is certainly eye catching and will definitely stand out in your garden. Peony 'Sorbet' is a classic peony that will bloom its heart out for you. With so many buds per stem on Peony 'Sorbet', the blooms just keep coming after the first round has faded away.
Peony 'Sorbet'

2017 Peony Bloom Clusters - Early Season

It being February and in honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to publish some peony "Bouquet on the Bush" photos from my bloom season last year. Everyone deserves flowers for Valentine's Day. So even if you don't have any live ones on the bush (neither do I), I would like to send some virtual peony bouquets out to my readers this year. This should definitely whet your appetite for the upcoming bloom season. This will be a 3-part series, with each part focusing on early, mid, and late varieties. Enjoy!
Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Amethyst'
Peony 'Sonoma Amethyst' has fast become one of my most favorite peonies. It is a Southern Peony Best Performer and always has loads of uniquely lavender pink blooms. Can you believe it had 5 blooms all together on the bush like that? Awesome! Also with so many side buds, this beauty just keeps the blooms coming! If this peony is not yet in your garden, it definitely deserves a spot! :-)
Peony 'Blue Lagoon'
Peony 'Blue Lagoon' is a peony I purchased from Walmart years ago in a bag with cardboard attached for probably something like $5. It is obviously not any real registered peony. However, it has beautiful, bright fuchsia pink blooms and loads of them. So it gets to stay! The Peony Seedling are some blooms from a peony I grew from seed. The flowers are a clear pink and remind me a bit of Peony 'Seashell'.
Peony Seedling

2017 Rough Winter on Early Peonies

I'm hoping for a bit steadier weather this late winter / early spring than we had last year. Usually everyone shares the pretty peony photos. Here I wanted to share the ugly ones. What happens when an early spring warm up meets late winter temperatures? Well, take a look... ugly peonies. Is it still worth it to grow these early peonies? I think so. I really enjoying seeing their neat looking foliage pop up from the ground and their palette of colors brighten up my very early spring garden. Yes, it is sometimes disappointing to feel like you've missed seeing some blooms when they get busted by a cold snap, or wish that the bright yellow stamens weren't mixed with gray or brown. However not all years experience such weather, and sometimes the peonies' blooms are just dandy. And sometimes the bad is not all that bad... :-)
Winter Damaged
Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'


Winter Damaged
Peony 'Halcyon'


Winter Damaged
Peony 'Firelight'


Winter Damaged
Peony 'Nova'


Winter Damaged
Peony 'Sweet May'


Winter Damaged
Peony 'Mahogany'


Winter Damaged
Peony 'Raspberry Charm'


Winter Damaged
Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow'


Winter Damaged
Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow'


Winter Damaged
Peony 'Flame'

2017 American Peony Society Convention in Raleigh, NC

I'm guessing you might have noticed... The American Peony Society Annual Convention is coming to Raleigh, NC this year, right in our own backyard - figuratively and literally! I am really looking forward to seeing everyone again this year, and I can't wait to help host the convention. If you have taken a look at the convention agenda, you might have seen that the APS tour buses will be making a stop here! So I would like to personally invite all of you to join us for the 2017 American Peony Society Convention. Now's the time to get your registration in and start making your travel plans (if you haven't done so already). You can register online or by mail. The APS Convention is open to all APS Members. So please make sure your APS Membership is up to date or if you haven't yet joined the APS, please join us!
2017 American Peony Society Convention
We are going to have everything you love about attending the conventions again this year - hundreds of peony cultivars on display (so you can make your wish lists), peony seminars (to learn more about growing peonies), peony friends and fellowship (so you can catch up on the latest APS Member's peony garden news), and of course the always exciting banquet and auction (where you'll be able to bid on and purchase herbaceous, intersectional, and tree peonies - with everything from garden favorites to highly sought after and rare peonies that might not even be offered by growers this year or may already be sold out)!
Photo Courtesy of Mindful Supply
Plus, we'll have all kinds of local NC goodness like NC Barbeque, local NC Nursery and Garden Shops to peruse, a tour of Duke Gardens and Duke Chapel, NC's own JC Raulston Arboretum, and Plant Delights Nursery and Juniper Level Botanic Gardens from NC's plant hunter, Tony Avent. I hope to see you there! :-)

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...

2017 Questions - Dividing an Herbaceous Peony in Winter

I received this question from Gwendolyn in zone 7b:

"Hello,

I have an 8 year old Sarah Bernhardt peony that I would like to divide. I live in Raleigh, NC and I was wondering if it is too late to divide it? Thank you for any advice you can give me.

Best,
Gwendolyn"


Herbaceous Peony Buds Still Dormant
(End of January)
Actually you are in luck. Since the ground never really experiences a hard, long freeze during the winter here in growing zone 7b, you have some extra time to divide your herbaceous peony plant (especially with the warmer temperatures we've been experiencing here recently). Ideally peonies are divided in the fall season. However, digging and dividing a peony now in our growing zone should be no problem, as long as there is no snow cover (which is rare here anyway) and the ground is not frozen at the time. I would definitely get it done now, though. January and February would probably be the limit on when to divide a peony in a Southern growing zone.
Herbaceous Peony Buds Beginning of Growth Cycle
(End of February)
By March the peony's foliage will begin to start an active growth cycle, and that foliage would be stunned by a division during that time. The plant may still recover. However, completing the division now, before that active growth cycle starts is your best bet. Also if you need some step by step instructions (with pictures) on how to divide an herbaceous peony, please take a look at my How to Divide an Herbaceous Peony guide on my How To page. Good luck with your dividing your peony!
Herbaceous Peony Foliage Active Growth Cycle
(Middle of March)