2021 Cutting Back Peony Stems

Merry Christmas Eve!! 🎄 I spent some time in the garden yesterday afternoon cutting back dead peony stems. So if you've still got some dead stems in the garden, please know that you are not alone! Sometimes I don't even get them cut back on in the same calendar year! So I'm considering myself lucky to at least have gotten a start on clearing out the dead foliage from this year.


Cutting Back Peony Stems
I am actually doubly lucky this year since my little boy offered to help me in the garden yesterday. I have learned by now that you never refuse help (especially from a child)!, as they might not offer it again if you turn them down. Even if kids don't do things exactly as you would do them, it is an awesome opportunity to have them be useful and teach them something! He actually did a great job, not only helping me cut back several peonies, but he also helped me clear out all of the dead vinca that was growing in the middle of my peony garden bed (another great Peony Companion that I'll have to write an article on later).


Putting Dead Peony Foliage in Bags for Garbage
If you, like me, are still clearing out the dead foliage and you want a pointer or two on "how to", please check out our Peony How To section. We have articles on How to Cut Back an Herbaceous Peony and How to Cut Back an Intersectional Peony. Even if you don't get it all done in one day, it will be okay. I will be spreading my work out over weeks (or maybe even months!!) 😉 And those gorgeous peony blooms will be here again before we know it!!

2021 Peony Companions Dianthus

Peony 'Lady Alexandra Duff' and Hot Pink & Red Dianthus
Dianthus are a great companion for peonies, especially here in the South, as most of my dianthus come back every year. Sometimes one or two of them will give out (usually from the hot summer heat), but most of the time they are perennial flowers for me. Dianthus seem to keep their roots pretty shallow, so they won't compete too much with the super deep roots of the peonies. Dianthus also come in so many colors from solid fire engine red to white to pink (hence their nickname "Pinks") to even pinky lavenders! There are also many varieties of bi-color Dianthus, with pretty patterns on the petals too!


White Single Peony and White Dianthus
Another great thing about Dianthus is that many garden centers sell them each spring as annuals, for a relatively inexpensive price! If you live in the South and haven't given Dianthus a try yet, you should definitely consider planting some this upcoming spring. In my garden my dianthus plants usually have a huge spring flush of flowers on the plant, but then the blooms keep coming (although fewer of them) all the way up to frost for me. (Although the plants do look a bit more worn as the season goes on, it is still nice to see some continuous spots of color in the garden!) You may remember the white peony and white dianthus from my 2019 White Peonies En Masse in Front of the House article. Writing this post makes me think where else can I tuck a few more "Pinks" (aka Dianthus) into my own garden this spring? ;-)


Peony 'Lady Alexandra Duff' and Hot Pink & Red Dianthus

2021 RHS Color Codes for Peony Blooms

Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk'
I managed to collect a few more peony bloom color codings this year despite mostly taking a break from peony "responsibilities" this year. There were 2 new RHS colors that I added to my Peony Colors page this year. Dark Purple Brown 59A and Yellow Orange 18C were the new colors I hadn't recorded for blooms before. When this happens I have to create new PNG images of the colors to add to the Peony Colors page, so that all of you know what the color "looks" like. I decided to update the RHS Color images codings from the Azalea RGB to the Lilac RGBs, which seemed to be more accurate to me. Look for an upcoming post on that!

	Chief Black Hawk - Dark Purple Brown 59A *
	Houki - Purple 58A
	Lavon - Pink Violet 75C
	Pietertje Vriend Wagenaar - Pink 68C
	Scrumdidleyumptious - Yellow Orange 18C *
	Shimane Cho Juraka - Purple Pink N74C
	Viking Full Moon - Light Yellow Green 2C
	Yankee Doodle Dandy - Dark Pink Red 51B

Also in case you hadn't noticed, I also added Intersectional Peony "Chief Black Hawk" to my Peony Photos page (and it's also the featured peony for this month on our Southern Peony front page!)

2021 Peony 'White Cap' Southern Peony Best Performer - Week 5

Peony 'White Cap'
Southern Peony Best Performer
I must say that this peony 'White Cap' does have one flaw, its stems like to lay flat on the ground. So if you don't mind staking it, and you love the colors, then this is one peony you'll want to grow. This Peony 'White Cap' is growing in some of the most unamended, unloved soil in my garden, and it is still growing like there's no tomorrow! There aren't a lot of peonies that have the kind of rapid growth and tenacity of this peony while growing here in the South. With a huge number of blooms on every stem, making an explosion of color, this peony is a hit!


Peony 'White Cap'
Southern Peony Best Performer

Peony 'White Cap'
Southern Peony Best Performer
Peony 'White Cap' is an herbaceous lactiflora peony, hybridized by Winchell and registered in 1956. The blooms just keep coming and coming on this peony due to the numerous side buds it produces. The bi-color anemone form of the bloom creates an eye-catching color-contrasting combo (hot pinky/purple & white) that really grabs your attention. If you want a peony that stands out in the garden this is it!


Peony 'White Cap'
Southern Peony Best Performer
As you can see from the photos, I have this peony staked up, and it seems to be very happy with the additional support. Some of you may remember last year, I decided to add this article on How to Make a Peony Support Ring from a Tomato Cage (specifically for Peony 'White Cap' as it neared the end of its bloom period). This year as it grew I just tried to make sure I tucked the peony stems into the tomato cage as the stems grew. As you can see it made a huge differnce!


Peony 'White Cap'
Southern Peony Best Performer

Peony 'White Cap'
Southern Peony Best Performer

2020 Peony Blooms Colors on RHS Colour Chart

This is a post that I drafted back in May of 2020. I was able to collect quite a few color codings last year (and a few this year too - look for that post coming soon!) I figured I'd sneak in a couple photos of Intersectional Peony 'Berry Garcia' from 2020 since it was the first peony on this alphabetical list. There are several new colors here that I'd not seen before and needed to add a category for on my Peony Colors page. Some the new colors added for 2020 are: Light Yellow Orange 19D, Pink Purple 72B, and Purple N79C.

Intersectional Peony 'Berry Garcia'

Berry Garcia - Light Yellow Orange 19D
Carl G. Klehm - White N 155B
Chiffon Clouds - Light Pink 56C
Glowing Candles - Light Pink 56C
Gordon E. Simonson - Pink Purple 72B
Joanna Marlena - Light Yellow Orange 19B & Red Pink 49A
Koukamon - Purple N79C
Lake o' Silver - Pink Purple N74B
Leda - Purple Red 55B
Lois Kelsey - White N999D
Lunar Glow - Light Yellow Green 2D
Mock Orange Yellow - Light Orange 26D
Renown - Dark Pink Red 51B
Sarah Bernhardt - Pink 70C
Shimane Cho Juraka - Purple Pink N74C
Smith Family Jewel - Red Pink 48C
Sonoma Welcome - Light Yellow 8C
Super Gal - Purple Pink 68A
Ursa Minor - Purple 71A
Victoire de la Marne - Purple 67A
Westerner - Pink Violet 75C & Light Yellow 8C