2015 Southern Peony Reaches 100,000 Pageviews!

Wow! I can't believe it. Southern Peony reaches 100,00 pageviews! It seems like only yesterday I was posting about our first 20,000 pageviews in Southern Peony Milestones & Popular Topics. The Southern Peony site is successful because of all of you, and I am very grateful for each one of my readers - that's YOU! So to celebrate this milestone, Southern Peony is hosting a giveaway! The only thing you need to do to sign up for the giveaway is join us! If you enjoy reading about peonies, and would like to receive Southern Peony delivered right to your email address, please sign up "Subscribe via email" box on the left side of the page. All members of our email subscriber list as of October 31, 2015 are eligible for the giveaway. More details about the giveaway to come in the next post!
Southern Peony Celebrates 100,000 Pageviews

2015 Peonies for Fall Carolina Plant Swap

Peonies for the Fall Carolina Plant Swap
I was busy in the garden this past Saturday digging up plants for the Carolina Fall Plant Swap. I managed to dig up 5 peonies for the swap. I hope these babies will grow in thrive in their new owners' gardens. Fall is the perfect time to plant peonies. So if you're thinking about adding these gorgeous spring beauties to your garden for a spring show, fall is the time to get them settled into your garden. I cut the foliage off of the three largest plants that bloomed this year, and kept the foliage on the two smaller ones. The gardeners at the swap actually picked up the smaller plants with the foliage first, perhaps mistakenly thinking that these were the largest or most established peonies. When it comes to peonies, the root size is actually what matters most. To get a peony that will have the best chance of establishing itself in your garden, you'll want to select a peony with lots of eyes on it, and a good root system.

2015 Peony obovata Seed Pod with Explosive Red Color

Paeonia obovata var. willmottiae Colorful Seed Pod
Wow! WoW! WOW! This isn't the first year that Paeonia obovata var. willmottiae has bloomed for me, and I hope it's not the last! If you don't currently grow any species peonies, this is my argument for you to start! :-) Of all of the species peonies I've tried to grow, this is the one I've had the most success with. It did take some time for it to get established, but it was well worth the wait! Paeonia obovata var. willmottiae first bloomed for me in 2014 First Bloom on Peony P. obovata var. willmottiae. The white flowers are quite nice and will brighten up a shady spot that most peonies won't grow in. If you are looking for peonies with fall color, the red color of this species peony seed pod is just amazing!
Paeonia obovata var. willmottiae Colorful Seed Pod

2015 Fall Peony Seed Planting and Donation

Well, it wasn't a bumper crop of seeds this year, but I did get some varieties of seed that I haven't gotten seed from before. So I'm really excited to see those grow. A couple of the plants that produced seed only produced one seed - like Peony 'Cream Delight' and Peony 'Rose Garland', and also this very red semi-double peony that I got from Klehm's Song Sparrow, which was supposed to be Peony 'Paree Fru Fru' (a light pink bomb), but was not... Anyway, I'm excited to see what kind of children these plants will produce.

2015 Peony Seed Planting Labels
Since seed production was kind of low this year, I planted most of my own seeds. There were only two varieties that produced more than 10 seeds this year - Peony 'Pink Spritzer' which had 40 seeds and Peony 'Raspberry Firefly' which had 37 seeds. I planted 10 of the Peony 'Pink Spritzer' seeds and 7 of the Peony 'Raspberry Firefly' seeds. The rest of the seeds from these two varieties, I will donate to the American Peony Society Seed Distribution Program. From checking their seed list, they don't currently have any seeds of Peony 'Raspberry Firefly'. So that's exciting to be able to share seeds that no one currently has access to purchase.

2015 Intersectional Peony Seeds 'Lafayette Escadrille'

Seed and Seed Pod of Peony 'Lafayette Escadrille'
Of all the seeds I collected this year, I think the ones I am most excited about are from Peony 'Lafayette Escadrille'. Yes, that's right 'Lafayette Escadrille', an intersectional peony. I have only ever gotten one seed from an intersectional peony before, and that was from Peony 'White Emperor' in 2014. That one seed did not sprout. This time instead of just one seed, I got 9 seeds. However I am not sure if they are viable, but I am going to plant them anyway and hope for the best. Intersectional peonies do not usually set seed and are mostly infertile. So I'd love to be able to get one of their seeds to actually grow and get an intersectional seedling. I'll let you know if anything comes up!

Seed Pod and Seed of Peony 'Lafayette Escadrille'

2015 Peony 'Miss America' Hybridizing Unsuccessful

Remember that peony garden party with all of the Peonies in Their Party Hats? I think those peonies had too much fun at their party (or maybe not enough???) Well, anyway, it looks like I have another year of hybridizing attempts with no success. The two crosses I tried to make with Peony 'Miss America' did not produce any seed. However none of the flowers on this usually abundant seed producer produced any seed. I only tried to cross two of the flowers, and I left all of the other flowers to Mother Nature to hybridize. However none of the many flowers on this bush produced any seed. So I guess it wasn't just me. I guess next year I need to try many more crosses with many more flowers and many different mother plants. It seems that hybridizing requires more than just picking two suitable parents, but perhaps a little luck and cooperation from Mother Nature as well. It also seems like a bit of a numbers game. The more crosses you try, the more chances for success.

Unsuccessful Cross on Peony 'Miss America'	Unsuccessful Cross on Peony 'Miss America'

2015 Collect Late Peony Seeds

This week I made the last search through my garden for peony seeds. There were lots more seeds ready now at the beginning of September than there were about a month ago at the end of July. One month makes a big difference in peony seed production. In fact some of the seeds I went to harvest had already fallen to the ground. Luckily it was easy to identify which peony they came from since my peonies are not planted too close together and not all of them produced seed. So don't wait too long to collect your peony seeds in your garden so they don't get lost.
Seed Pod and Seeds of Peony 'Raspberry Firefly'
This year wasn't a stellar year for seed production. Some of usually most reliable and productive seed producing peonies failed to make any seeds this year. However I did get some seeds from peony varieties that I have never gotten seed from before. Some of those varieties that produced seed for the first time for me were: Peony 'Bowl of Beauty', Peony 'Green Halo', Peony 'Green Lotus', Peony 'Lafayette Escadrille', Peony 'Pink Spritzer', Peony 'Raspberry Firefly', Peony 'Rose Garland', and Peony 'Strawberry Wine'. I am really excited to have some different genetics in the peony seedlings I'm growing. I can't wait to see what these peonies grow up to be 5 years from now!
Fallen Seeds of Peony 'Raspberry Firefly'

2015 Vintage American Peony Society Annual Show Pin

American Peony Society 20th Annual Show Pin from 1923
I am really excited about another vintage find on Ebay this past week! I purchased an American Peony Society 20th Annual Show Pin from 1923. I had seen this pin listed for sale several months ago, but they wanted more than $40 for it. They recently dropped the price down to $25. I decided I could afford that. ;-) So now I have another American Peony Society collectible to add to my collection of Vintage American Peony Society Award Ribbons and American Peony Society Silver Medal. Just think, in another 8 years, this pin will be an antique! :-)

2015 Southern Peony New How To Section

I've added a new "How To" for peonies section to the Southern Peony web site. You can find this new section using this link, Southern Peony How To, and also by clicking on "How To" on the navigation bar at the top of any page. This page should be helpful for people with questions on how to do all kinds of gardening to dos for peonies. This page includes gardening activities like cutting back a peony, deadheading peonies, dividing peonies, fertilizing peonies, planting peony seeds, and planting the three different types of peony plants as well. There are more How Tos coming in the future so keep an eye on this page for updates. Also if you have an idea or suggestion for another How To that I haven't yet covered, please Contact Me. :-)
Southern Peony How To Page

2015 Vintage American Peony Society Award Ribbons

Vintage American Peony Society Award Ribbons on Ebay
I am so excited about this! I found some vintage American Peony Society ribbons on Ebay. These ribbons are from Wisconsin. The seller of the APS ribbons said they bought them at an estate sale in Milwaukee about 20 years ago. According to the auction description, the ribbons are from the 1953, 1954, 1963, 1978, 1981, and 1982. When I reviewed the American Peony Society's Best in Show Awards, there are only two people that have won the Best in Show Ribbon that are from Milwaukee, WI - A.J. Volz and M.C. Karrels. A.J. Volz only won the APS Best in Show Award once in 1946. M.C. Karrels won the APS Best in Show Award in 1946, 1951, 1956, 1988, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, and 1983. In fact Marvin Karrels is the winningest exhibitor in the history of American Peony Society exhibits for the number of Best in Show Awards.
Vintage American Peony Society Award Ribbons
I am thinking these ribbons may have belonged to Marvin Karrels. None of the dates match any of his Best in Show Awards, but the range of years for these ribbons and his Best in Show Awards overlap the same time period of activity in the American Peony Society. Judging by the photos of the ribbons in the auction, none of them appear to be a Best in Show ribbon. So perhaps these were some of his other winning ribbons. I see in the auction photos that several of the ribbons are APS Court of Honor ribbons. After doing a Google search, it appears that Marvin Karrels died in 1994. So since these ribbons were purchased at an estate sale, that would make the timing of the estate sale after his death right around 20 years ago. If these ribbons did belong to him, that would be quite a coincidence since I happened to find his American Peony Society Medal on Etsy a couple of years ago. How exciting! I will have to take more detailed photos of the ribbons when they arrive. :-)

2015 Rain on Peonies Relieves Drought

Well, we finally did get some rain for the peonies. We actually got almost an inch and half of rain. That rain gave the ground quite a good soaking. The extended drought we experienced definitely affected all of my peonies, some of them more than others. The peonies that were affected were young peony plants that are only 1-2 years old, peonies that are planted at the edge of a tree canopy, and smaller leaved peony varieties. It also affected some established intersectional peonies in full sun. Peonies that are near competing tree roots and young peonies that are not yet established were affected the most.
Southern Peonies in the Rain
Most of those herbaceous peonies near competing tree roots that wilted have come back up now. A couple of them were so bad off some of the foliage actually browned and did not revive. A couple of the young plants dried up entirely for the year. If these are still alive (hopefully) they will come back next spring. The established intersectional peonies actually wilted in a different way. Some of the intersectional peonies' foliage turned sideways, almost upside down. After the rain, most of the foliage has righted itself. Fall is fast approaching. So let's hope this is the only drought my peonies will have to endure this year!
Southern Intersectional Peonies in the Rain

2015 New Popular Topics, Exhibiting and Tree Peonies

The current popular topics for last month has been updated. I *try* to update this section every month with the previous month's most popular topics. So if you're interested to see what other people are reading about, check it out. Also I have made the topics chart a little easier to read, and added two new topics - Exhibiting and Tree Peonies. This was the first year ever that I brought peonies to the 2015 American Peony Society Exhibition. I've also started growing a few Tree Peonies. Hopefully everyone will find this Popular Topics table helpful, and make it easier to find what you're looking for!

2015 Dry Conditions Make Peony Foliage Wilt

Peony Wilted from Dry Spell
I think it has been about 3 weeks since we've gotten any measurable rain. Before this dry spell, it had been raining pretty regularly this summer, which was great. The continuous rain kept the grass green, and all of my flowers happy, including my peonies. However now that it's been weeks since it's rained, everything is looking sad - grass, trees, flowers, even the peonies. Peonies are usually pretty resistant to dry spells unless there is an extended dry spell like this one. I usually don't give any extra water to my peonies other than what nature provides. However when it gets this dry, I do try to water the wilted looking ones. There's a 90% chance of rain tonight. So I'm hoping some of that water hits my property! The peonies and all of the plants in my garden could use some relief!
Peony Wilted and Dying Back from Dry Spell

2015 How to Fertilize a Peony

There are two main times of the year to fertilize peonies, before your peonies bloom in early spring and after they have bloomed in the later summer / early fall. This is a good time to add a slow release organic fertilizer or composted cow manure around the drip line of your peony plants. Slow release, organic nutrients will be available throughout the season for your peonies. This includes the early spring when they are expending lots of energy to push up new shoots of foliage, and even into the fall when they are storing energy and nutrients to produce next year's foliage and blooms.
Peony Plant to be Fertilized
The first step in fertilizing your peony is to remove the layer of mulch covering your peonies. This layer of mulch is just another barrier between your peony and the nutrients you are trying to give it. If it is not possible or perhaps too time consuming, you can put the fertilizer on top of the mulch. However the peony will have easier access to fertilizer that is directly applied to its soil. Also less of the fertilizer is likely to get washed or blown away.
Peony Plant with Mulch Removed
Since peony plants only produce one set of foliage per year, you will want to make sure to keep it green and healthy. I don't recommend any quick release water soluble chemical fertilizers. These fertilizers will actually 'burn' the leaves of your peony plant and make them turn yellow. Avoid those types of fertilizers and look for something slow release, natural, or organic instead. Since peonies are not continuously producing new above ground growth throughout the season, they do not need a high nitrogen, quick release fertilizer.
Organic Slow Release Fertilizers are Best for Peonies
Some fertilizers that I like to use are Espoma Organic Plant-tone or EcoScraps Natural and Organic Rose & Flower Plant Food. Both of these fertilizers are slow release and organic. They can both be found at local super stores and hardware stores, or you can purchase them online. I also like to use Black Kow composted manure as a fertilizer for my peonies. If you have your own compost pile, then homemade compost is also a great fertilizer. When using compost, you will want to make sure that you use a very thin layer and don't bury your peony with the compost. Most of the time, I will use the bagged organic fertilizers for herbaceous peonies, and the compost for tree peonies since herbaceous peonies's are sensitive to planting depth.

You can use a garden scoop or measuring cup, whatever you're comfortable with to apply the fertilizer. I like to use a measuring up so I know exactly how much I am putting on each plant. Sprinkle the fertilizer lightly over the soil. Make sure to apply the fertilizer around the drip line of the peony's outer most leaves in a round circle like shape. Be careful not to dump the fertilizer directly on the peony's crown. It likely won't do as much good in this location since most of the storage roots are under the crown, and the feeder roots are generally around the outer edge of the foliage drip line. Optionally you can work the fertilizer into the soil a bit with your fingers or a small garden cultivator, taking care not to disturb the peony's roots. If you are short on time or you are worried about disturbing your peony, you can skip working the fertilizer into the soil.
Replace the Mulch Around Peony
After you have applied your fertilizer, the last thing to do is to replace the mulch around your peony. This will keep the fertilizer from washing away, and give nature a chance to incorporate the fertilizer into the soil during your next few rainstorms. If it has been particularly dry lately, you can also water in the fertilizer yourself with a garden hose or watering can. Now you're all done. This should give your peony a great start to the next growing season!