2019 Weak Peony Stems Knocked Down by Torrential Wind and Rain

Peony 'Lemon Chiffon' Stem Knocked Down
I'm not sure that I've ever seen a massacre quite like this one. Yes, usually the weakest stems that are most susceptible to botrytis blight will usually succumb to its stem withering powers. However we've had quite the rain these last couple of days and weeks (maybe for the last year). We've had a few thunderstorms that have been quite mighty with pummeling rain and punishing winds. So I have lots of peonies in my garden whose weaker outer stems have fallen in this tragedy. These two peonies, Peony 'Lemon Chiffon' and Peony 'Horizon', are just a couple of examples of the casualties.


Peony 'Lemon Chiffon' Outer Stems Knocked Down
Some of these buds may have opened had it not been as windy. Too bad that all of buds never seem to make it to opening day for one reason or another. It would have been nice to see these peonies in bloom with even more open flowers on each bush. Oh well, I guess I will cut them off before the weakened stems transmit the disease to the healthier parts of the peony plant. No sense crying over spilled milk, I suppose. There are still lots of other blooms in the garden waiting to open!


Peony 'Horizon' Stem Knocked Down

Peony 'Horizon' Outer Stems Knocked Down

2019 Spring Hill Nursery Peony Order Arrives

Spring Hill Nursery Intersectional Peony Order
I must say I was quite impressed when my Spring Hill Nursery order arrived that I had placed last fall, 2018 Strawberry Crème Brûlée Intersectional Peony at Spring Hill Nursery. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Honestly I think I was expecting bare root peonies that would have a hard time establishing themselves. However they actually sent growing plants that we in approximately quart sized pots, with several sets of leaves on each plant. The plants were packaged quite well, and I actually left them in the box a day longer than they should have been since I didn't open the box the first day it arrived. They still were doing well and had plenty of moisture in the soil.


Spring Hill Nursery Intersectional Peony Order
Some of the leaves were a bit bent. I'm not sure if that is from their shipping journey or perhaps just being grown in close quarters with their friends and getting a bit tangles up. Perhaps the packers had a hard time untangling them before boxing them up. I'm not sure. So they are a bit tired, and probably won't grow much more this year, but at least they have been grown well and have nice foliage on them. The black pots were bagged up with white bags and twist ties. One of the plants actually had a small immature leaf shoot trying to grow underneath the bag. I'm hoping it will still be able to grow now that I've unbagged them.


Spring Hill Nursery Intersectional Peony Order
I really am looking forward to seeing these bloom. I am hoping they are all the correct varieties purchased. One advantage of having these intersectional peonies shipped as potted plants with foliage growing already is that you can tell that they actually are intersectional peonies. So I know they've gotten one thing right. That leads me to believe that perhaps these will be the correct cultivars (fingers crossed). However these are definitely small plants (most likely cloned) because come on what peony root division is going to fit in a 4 inch pot? But I don't care if they are cloned, as long as they're the right plant! We shall see. Also the 'Strawberry Creme Brulee' Intersectional peony appears to have "strawberry" pinkish colored stems, while 'Oochigeas' and 'Pastel Lilas' do not. So it seems like I have more than one variety here as well. Since they are small plants, it may take several years for them to bloom. Let's hope it's worth the wait!


Spring Hill Nursery Intersectional Peony Order

2019 Peony Blooms Week 2 Early

I must say it has been a bit more challenging to snap photos now. We've also had some heavy rain this past week too. A few of these were pummeled in the heavy rain, depending on which day they opened. I can't tell if I got a great bloom on Tree Peony 'Yao Huang' or not yet. I'd like to see how it does next year as well. The P. Rockii Lavender Seedling's color was gorgeous again this year - it did not disappoint. I'm not sure if Tree Peony 'Sahohime' is the correct variety or not, as it doesn't match the photo of what I purchased it as, but I'm not sure what the correct photos is for this one anyway. However it is a lovely cultivar whatever it is and I am pleased to grow it. Tree Peony 'Shimadaijin' is a gorgeous dark purply color that really draws you in. This was the first year that Tree Peony 'Lavender Hill' bloomed for me, since the buds have been blasted by last freezes in the past, and I must say I was quite impressed. The color of Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' really surprised me this year. Maybe I don't have it's color memorized completely, but somehow the color seemed a bit more rich and maybe slightly more pinkish.


Tree Peony 'Yao Huang' 姚黃 (Yao's Yellow)

Tree Peony P. Rockii Lavender Seedling

Tree Peony 'Sahohime' 佐保姫 (Princess Saho)

Tree Peony 'Shimadaijin' 島大臣 (Island Minister)

Tree Peony 'Lavender Hill'

Tree Peony 'Angel Emily'

2019 Questions - Gardens with Lots of White Peonies

I received this question from Linda in Zone 7b:

"I’m a watercolor artist living in Charlotte. My absolute favorite subject is peonies, especially white ones. I’m looking for an area near me that grows a lot (LOT) of peonies that might let me come to take photos to paint. Any leads you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I’ve attached photos of two of my paintings to give you an idea of my work.

"Thank you and have a great weekend."


White Single Peonies Art by Linda Fossum
I'm not sure of a local place where they will have lots of white peonies blooming. Duke Gardens in Durham may be a good option. They do actually have quite a lot of herbaceous peonies growing there. I'm not sure how many are white vs. pink or red, though. Also I know the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh has a white garden with a very large white tree peony in it. There may be some white herbaceous peonies growing there too. The Biltmore House has lots of nice gardens, and I do remember seeing many peonies there, but I did not see them in bloom (just in bud). So I'm not sure what colors they have, and they may be a bit closer for you too. It might be a good idea to call ahead to the garden to ask about their peonies, potential bloom times, and whether artists are allowed. Now would be the time to go for tree peonies. Herbaceous peonies will be blooming in a couple weeks.

Good luck!


Double White Peony Art by Linda Fossum

2019 I Finally DID IT! My First Intersectional Peony Seedling-s!

I can't believe it. I think just when you finally give up on something, it actually happens. Self doubt creeps in, you start second guessing all of your steps, trying to figure out where you went wrong, and begin to wonder if you will ever reach your goal. You start to think it may never happen, and then it does. All of the hard work you've put in all along begins to pay off. Those thoughts of failure suddenly turn into realizations of success! As soon as that goal is reached, the next one starts to materialize. There is always something new to strive for...


Intersectional Peony Seedling
'Martha W.' X Nate Bremer's Rainbow

Peony Seedlings 2017 Sign
'Martha W.' X Nate Bremer's Rainbow
Somehow after years of trying, an intentional peony cross of mine finally succeeded. These two particular intersectional seedlings started out as just a happen chance idea in 2016. During the 2016 APS Peony Convention Tour of Solaris Farms, I was learning quite a lot from Don Smith, and he asked Nate if he would allow him to collect tree peony pollen from his farm, and Nate graciously invited us to collect as much pollen as we liked. Don shared a few of his envelopes with me, and I went to work, following his lead. My eyes and heart led me towards the lavender and purple colored tree peonies. Tree Peony 'Wisteria Reflections' was blooming at the time of our visit, and this was one I collected pollen from and saved it in a separate envelope. Since Don Smith didn't have many envelopes to spare, I collected lots more pollen from a wide range of tree peony colors and put it all in one envelope, which I later labeled "Nate Bremer's Rainbow". :-)


Intersectional Peony Seedling - 'Martha W.' X 'Wisteria Reflections'

Intersectional Peony Seedling
'Martha W.' X 'Wisteria Reflections'
Since my bloom season was over by the time I got home, I froze the pollen in my freezer for use the next year. That was almost 3 years ago now, and I am just now seeing the fruits of that pollen. Also it looks like I planted the seeds a bit late that year in late November, 2017 Intersectional Peony Hybridizing Efforts. So maybe if I'd planted them sooner they would have sprouted a year earlier, but who knows? I am just happy I actually got it right this time, unlike the first year I got a seedling to sprout. The only thing that sprouted that year was an accidental herbaceous peony, 2017 First Intersectional Hybrid Seedling Sprouts!. The foliage of that first sprout and these is very obviously different. That 2017 sprout had very rounded foliage with a few "pest" notches where something had eaten a few bites out of each leaf, whereas these 2019 sprouts clearly have deeper cut notched foliage that is reminiscent of tree peonies. The coloring is also different. The 2017 seedling had more red colored foliage upon sprouting with a thicker substance. These 2019 seedlings have a very intersectional grayish colored overcast to them. Very exciting! Also you never know what that first herbaceous sprout from 2017 might be good for, perhaps a good future parent. Sometimes things happen for a reason...