2016 Mid Season Peonies Suffered Frozen Bud Blast

After finishing my 2016 Peony Data Entry in Winter Time, I remembered not just how many 2015 Early Peonies Suffered Frozen Bud Blast, but also how many mid season peonies suffered bud blast last year as well. It was painfully obvious during my data entry when Peony 'Red Charm' did not even have a bloom date since all of its buds were blasted (and Peony 'Red Charm's bloom date is usually used as the basis for the bloom date offset). I have already compiled the data on my early blooming Saunders peonies that suffered bud blast, 2015 Saunders Peony Varieties Frozen Bud Blast. So here are the midseason peonies in my garden that suffered bud blast from the late winter cold we received last year. Since midseason peonies develop a little later than early season peonies, most of their buds were very small when they were blasted by the cold. So there was not a large bud that had turned brown as evidence of the bud blast. Instead these varieties usually bloom reliably, and they either didn't bloom at all or their blooms were severely reduced. Also I'm listing a few more early varieties that are not Saunders varieties (so they weren't on my previous list).

Early Peonies with Buds Blasted by Late Freeze
Peony Variety	2015 Bloom	2014 Bloom	Blast Rate	Bloom Reduction
Peony 'Early Scout' (Early)	0 of 3	7 of 7	100%	100%
Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow' (Early)	3 of 15	10 of 12	80%	70%
Peony 'Coral Fay' (Early)	6 of 6	12 of 12	0%	50%

2015 Peony 'Coral Fay' Plant	2014 Peony 'Coral Fay' Plant

Midseason Peonies with Buds Blasted by Late Freeze
Peony Variety	2015 Bloom	2014 Bloom	Blast Rate	Bloom Reduction
Peony 'Red Charm'	0 of 4	5 of 5	100%	100%
Peony 'First Lady'	0 of 3	4 of 4	100%	100%
Peony 'Nymphe'	0 of 0	3 of 4	100%	100%
Peony 'Pink Princess'	1 of 4	7 of 7	75%	86%
Peony 'Pillow Talk'	2 of 4	11 of 12	50%	82%
Peony 'Kansas'	7 of 11	39 of 44	36%	82%
Peony 'Myra MacRae'	7 of 7	38 of 42	0%	82%
Peony 'Doris Cooper'	2 of 4	9 of 13	50%	78%
Peony 'Solange'	9 of 13	32 of 32	31%	72%
Peony 'Cherry Charm'	4 of 5	14 of 14	20%	71%
Peony 'My Love'	9 of 9	30 of 34	0%	70%
Peony 'Guidon'	14 of 17	44 of 63	18%	68%
Peony 'Lemon Chiffon'	1 of 4	3 of 3	75%	66%
Peony 'Many Happy Returns'	3 of 7	8 of 8	57%	63%
Peony 'Do Tell'	5 of 9	13 of 16	44%	62%
Peony 'Kelway's Glorious'	7 of 7	15 of 23	0%	53%
Peony 'America'	2 of 5	4 of 5	60%	50%
Peony 'Bowl of Cream'	5 of 8	8 of 10	38%	38%
Peony 'White Frost'	14 of 15	22 of 24	7%	36%
Peony 'Rose Heart'	4 of 7	6 of 6	43%	33%

2016 Ice Storm Peonies Iced!

I guess I was wrong about the 2016 First Snow of the Year (and Maybe Only???). Winter Storm Jonas hit us with quite a bit. It looks like snow in the pictures, but there's not really much snow. It's more like 1-2 inches of ice with a little snow mixed in. I guess that's why there's a big tree snapped in half in my back yard and our power was out for almost a day! I'm so thankful it's back on, and we can get warm again.
Intersectional Peony 'Yellow Crown' on Ice
The peonies look like they're taking whatever Jonas is dishing out. You can't really read their plant name tags anymore, but I think the ice will melt, and they will be okay. Most of my peonies are still tucked safely underground. However, there are a few intersectional and tree peonies with above ground stems. I think they're going to make it, though. With the extra layer of ice, the peonies take on a shiny sheen, making them almost jewel like.
Tree Peony on Ice
Remember that New Peony Breaking Dormancy Too Early? With our sometimes warm weather last week, it decided to peek out through the extra layer of mulch I put on top of it. Now, however, the ice has seemed to put a stop to its growth. The foliage still has not unfurled yet. If the foliage opens or the stem grows taller, it probably won't make it. Since it is still short, there's a chance this one could survive. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We'll see...
Intersectional Peony 'Prairie Charm' on Ice

2016 First Snow of the Year (and Maybe Only???)

Snowing Hard During the First Snow of the Year
I can't believe it! It snowed yesterday! The temperatures the day before were almost 60°, and then the next day it was snowing like a blizzard. It snowed fast and hard for about an hour, and it did start to accumulate. However, it was gone as fast as it came. This snow event was a metaphor for our entire winter so far. Hot one day, cold the next. No wonder everything is confused, like this New Peony Breaking Dormancy Too Early. Hopefully most of my peonies will stay dormant until the proper time (at least a couple months from now), will receive enough chilling hours for bud set (since this has been kind of a warm winter so far), and spring will bring lots of brilliantly colored peony blooms!
First Snow of the Year

2015 Saunders Peony Varieties Frozen Bud Blast

Since I have a separate garden dedicated specifically to peony varieties hybridized by Professor A. P. Saunders, it was easily apparent to me that several of these varieties suffered from bud blast due to the late freeze we received in March of this year. Earlier this year I documented how my Early Peonies Suffered Frozen Bud Blast. Now that I have collected some more specific data on bud counts, I wanted to share those findings too. Most of these very early and early blooming Saunders peonies suffered some bud damage fromt the late freeze. However there were a couple varieties that came through unscathed. I have several Saunders peonies that are still a bit immature and or recovering from being divided. So I've chosen not to include all of the Saunders peonies I grow in this table.

Saunders Peonies with Buds Blasted by Late Freeze
Peony Variety	Buds Blasted	Total Buds	Blast Rate
Peony 'Halcyon'	2	2	100%
Peony 'Honor'	6	6	100%
Peony 'May Music'	5	5	100%
Peony 'Nova'	2	2	100%
Peony 'Paladin'	6	6	100%
Peony 'Winterthur'	3	3	100%
Peony 'Lustrous'	8	9	89%
Peony 'Horizon'	4	5	80%
Peony 'Firelight'	6	8	75%
Peony 'Early White'	1	2	50%
Peony 'Lavender'	2	4	50%
Peony 'Sweet May'	4	8	50%
Peony 'Garden Peace'	7	15	47%
Peony 'Lovely Rose'	3	10	30%

There were a few Saunders peonies whose buds werent' affected by the late freeze at all. So if your area regularly encounters late freezes, and you'd like to grow some early blooming peony varieties, these are the Saunders peonies I'd recommend.

Peony 'Grace Root'	Peony 'Great Lady'	Peony 'Rose Garland'

Saunders Peonies Unaffected by Late Freeze
Peony Variety	Buds Blasted	Total Buds	Blast Rate
Peony 'Grace Root'	0	9	0%
Peony 'Great Lady'	0	3	0%
Peony 'Rose Garland'	0	5	0%

2015 Early Peonies Suffered Frozen Bud Blast

Despite the gorgeous photos of my 2015 Peony Blooms Week 2 - Early, my early peonies suffered quite a bit of bud blast this year from our late winter weather and overnight freezing temperatures. During March we had 4 nights with freezing weather where the temperatures dipped into the 20s at night. The average night time temperatures for this area in March are in the 30s and 40s. The first three nights with 20° temperatures were on March 1st, 6th, and 7th. The peony buds probably would have been okay at this point, but on March 29th, we experienced a 22° low, after the lows had been in the 30s and 40s subsequently. There was even a low of 57° only three nights prior. All of this adds up to damaged buds on peonies that were preparing to bloom in early April. However the late freeze not only stopped the bud growth in its tracks, it even wasted a few stems on some early herbaceous peonies as well.

Peony 'Lemon Chiffon' Main Bud Blasted, Side Bud Grows	Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow' Main Bud Blasted, Side Bud Grows
Peony 'Lemon Chiffon' Main Bud Blasted	Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow' Main Bud Blasted

The photos of these two peonies, Peony 'Lemon Chiffon' and Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow' both show an example of something I noticed on several early peonies this year that usually have multiple blooms per stem. The main (and most developed) bud suffered bud blast, while the later developing side buds were not affected and were able to continue developing. So the stage of bud development definitely has some bearing on whether the buds will survive such cold weather. The more developed the bud when the cold hits, the less chance it has of surviving. There are also lots of examples of peonies whose main buds were blasted, leaving no survivig buds on the stem. These are usually on peonies that only have one bloom per stem like Peony 'Nova' and Peony 'Honor'.

Peony 'Nova' Main Bud Blasted	Peony 'Honor' Main Bud Blasted

Peony 'Lustrous' Main Bud Blasted	Peony 'Early Scout' Main Bud Blasted

Peony 'Firelight' seemed to suffer the most from the late freeze in my garden this year. Although it did manage to get a few blooms open, the majority of the buds on this plant were blasted by the freezing cold weather. Its foliage growth was even stunted by the cold air. On a couple of stems on this plant, not just the buds were blasted, but the actual stem was wasted by the frigid temps. You can see a couple of these wasted stems in the photo hanging limply with their blasted buds upside down. This tough peony was not to be defeated though, as it sent up and extra latecomer - a replacement stem with a bud ready to bloom on it!


Peony 'Firelight' Buds Blasted, Foliage Stunted, and Stems Wasted


Peony 'Firelight' Sends Up a Replacement Stem

2015 Tree Peonies in the Ice

The first winter storm hit yesterday. They are predicting another one tonight. The lowest prediction for the overnight low I saw was -4°F! They have now changed that prediction to 0°F. Hopefully if we do see temperatures that low, it is only for a very short period of time, and it doesn't do any damage to any of the peonies. It is now snowing quite a bit as I write this. I guess the only hope is that the snow will create a layer of protection from the cold temperatures. The tips of the peony foliage still look okay so far. I don't see any browning or blackening of the exposed foliage, but we also haven't encountered the lowest predicted temperatures. I'll keep you posted on how they fare!
Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun' Under a Layer of Snow & Ice

2015 Signs of Spring, Tree Peony Foliage

Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun'
I took these pictures just before the weekend, and as you can see the tree peonies are starting to show their first signs of spring. The foliage is beginning to sprout, which only makes me yearn for spring even more. However now is not the best time for the tree peonies to begin to sprout, since we have a big winter storm headed our way this week with some crazy low temperatures predicted for several nights as well. I am curious to see how this weather impacts all of my peonies, especially the tree peonies. I am new to growing tree peonies, so the ones I do have aren't very well established. So this may be a hard winter on them. I'm hoping none of them die, and they all make it! Perhaps if we have a decent groundcover of snow and ice that will help protect the lower halves of the peonies from the extreme temperatures. Right now the lowest prediction I've seen is -2°F! Yikes!

Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun'	Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun'

Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun'

2014 Carolina Gardening Peony Tip of the Month

I noticed a peony tip in my Carolina Country magazine this month. This is a free magazine sent out by my electric cooperative. It covers a Southern region and usually has gardening tips or a gardening section in it each month. This month the peony tip caught my eye, and I thought I'd share it with all of you.
Carolina Country Tip of the Month
"Late summer is prime peony planting time. Since peonies need a proper duration of chilly weather to bloom satisfactorily in the spring, look for older varieties such as 'Teresa', 'Sarah Bernhardt', 'Felix Crousse', or 'Festiva Maxima' that require less cold for bud set, or ask your local nursery for newer peony selections specifically bred for mild Southern winters. In addition, bury the crowns only about 1½ inches below ground so they will be less insulated from the cold weather. Finally, for stronger, sooner flowering peonies buy divisions that have at least three to four "eyes"."

I've never heard of the peony variety 'Teresa', and actually there is not one registered under this name. However I do grow all the rest of the varieties - 'Felix Crousse', 'Festiva Maxima' and 'Sarah Bernhardt', and they do grow and bloom well here in the South. There is one part of the tip I do disagree with however, and that is the planting depth. The author of this peony tip suggests planting your peony "eyes" 1½ inches below ground. However I would not plant them that deep. I usually plant my peonies even with the ground and put a tiny bit of mulch on top (½ inch or less). Even ½ inch would probably be okay, but 1½ inches would be too deep especially if you live even farther South than I do (zone 7). The depth of the peony directly affect how many chilling hours it receives, and as the author notes the more shallow they are planted the "less insulated" they are from the cold weather. Peonies need this cold weather to bloom and grow properly. It is definitely possible to plant your peony to deep and prevent it from blooming. So if you have your peony planted too deep or buried under too much mulch, dig it up and plant it much shallower or remove most of your mulch. This is a common problem in the South, and one I made myself (planted too deep) as a little girl growing my first peonies. I also visited my neighbors peony at their request this year to determine why it was not blooming. They had it buried under 4 inches of pine straw. The leaves still grew beautifully, but there were no blooms. I suggested they remove most or all of the pine straw so that it would get enough chilling hours this winter to hopefully bloom next spring!

2014 Peonies on Ice

Ice Coating on Tree Branches
When I awoke yesterday morning, everything was covered in a thin layer of ice. This has been a particularly long and cold winter for us this year. Tomorrow is the first day of spring, and winter just wanted to make sure we knew it wasn't over yet! We've already had a couple of 70 degree days (on the weekends usually - thank goodness), but they have been rare. This weekend we should have another 70 degree day, and I can't wait. Luckily yesterday was very cloudy all day so the sun shouldn't have caused any frost damage to the foliage.

Peony 'Li Yuan Chun' with a Coating of Ice
As you can see there are already a couple of swelling buds on this tree peony since the last time I photographed it in February - 2014 First Signs of (Tree Peony) Life). Even the peony sign has a layer of ice on it. I'm not sure how much longer it will be until this tree peony blooms, but I am ready for it. I can't wait to see its blooms for the first time. Come on spring!!!
Peony Sign 'Li Yuan Chun' with a Coating of Ice

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

2013 Snow on Peonies

It is supposed to be 64 today, which is amazing since I took this snow picture a week ago today. It has actually snowed a couple of times this winter. Last winter there was no snow at all, and the weather was especially mild. Even my energy bill can tell the difference. I used 30% more electricity this winter compared to last year! Even with the warmer winter last year, we still had an excellent show of peony blooms in the spring. So I'm curious to see what the difference the extra cold will do this year. Peonies need the cold weather to form the blooms. If your winters are too warm (or your peonies are planted too deeply) they won't get enough chilling hours to generate a blooming cycle. So with the extra cool weather this year, the peonies here should have an abundance of blooms! I'm looking forward to it.
Peony 'Hillary' in the Snow

2011 Peonies on Ice

Well, I have heard of some extreme peony enthusiasts putting ice on their peonies in rather warm growing zones, like zones 9 and 10, in order to encourage their peonies to bloom. I guess they are trying to meet the required number of chilling hours needed to develop the blooms. I've never tried that myself, but last night Mother Nature put my peonies on ice. I think this has been the coldest and most snowy fall and winter that I can remember. I am really curious to see how this cold weather will affect the peonies in the spring...

2010 Peony Winter Weather

The weather! It has been so cold all of a sudden, and it isn't even really winter quite yet. We had a pretty good snow that blanketed most surfaces besides the roads (thank goodness) with quite a coat of snow cover. I'm sure the peonies are loving the cold temperatures. I hope the new plantings and seeds have had enough time to get their roots growing or established and ready for the next growing season. The snow cover has melted now, but the temperatures are remaining quite low. Hopefully all of this cold weather will equal lots of blooms come spring!