Hi,

Well from what you said....a couple of things come to mind. First peonies take a while to settle in....some will take 3 to 5 years to settle in and bloom. Its a long wait for some but well worth it.

The second thing that comes to mind with your post is you say you have a large white peony that came with the house...you don't like it? What is it that you don't like? To stop the floppiness you can get a large peony ring or the very large tomatoe rings and this will help stop the plant from being floppy. Seems to me there was a post on here last year about different things to use to prevent peonies from flopping.

Peony roots with 3 to 5 eyes will bloom quicker than roots with one or two eyes.

As for choosing which ones to buy...can't help you much.....haven't met a peony that I don't like yet....and I have many.

Happy Gardening.
Sierra

Sierra, thanks for message. The white one I have, which I call floppy, is a large plant. I have it on a double ring to keep from falling. The floppy part for me is not a plant but a flower, the shape is sometimes round, sometimes not, sometimes it has high centre, sometimes not. So I call it floppy.
Which peonies are you favorites?
Ella

Zima, for sure if your planning on ordering Peonies, order from Parklands, everything they sell there is hardy for zone 2. Last fall I ordered 2 'Laura Dessert' and the roots were huge, already I see many buds that are ready to bloom.

How is your soil? Peonies are heavy feeders, I always scratch in some bone meal and top dress with homemade compost every spring and fall.

Sharon

I do love peonies! I can tell you what my favorites are. I tend to go for the semi-double or Japanese type of flower. I'm not as fond of the fully double or bomb style of bloom because they do need be staked well, and even then they tend to droop.

Two falls ago, I planted 'Miss America', and she is a beauty all right! There were only 2 flowers last spring, so I'm not sure if she'll need staking yet or not, but she's definitely hardy.

If you like 'Coral Charm' then you would also like 'Coral 'n Gold'. This one's fairly tall, so it does like a bit of support.

'Honey Gold' is a very heavy producer and definitely needs support.

I love 'Buckeye Belle'! It's colour is soooo deep and rich, that it's hard to capture in a picture. It's got very strong stems and needs no support.

P. tenuifolia hybrid 'Smouthie' is the first peony to bloom in my garden(it's pretty much all done now). It doesn't need staking and the scent is wonderful.
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I also have 'Pink Hawaiian Coral', which will be blooming for the first time this year(can hardly wait!). And I just received 'Leto' a couple of weeks ago, and it has flower buds on, so it'll be exciting to see. I also have what I think is 'Festiva Maxima' which was given to me. It's ok, but it's a little too fluffy of a flower for my liking.

Good luck in your search, and do let us know which ones you decided on.

Laurie

Very nice Peonies Laurie! Was it you that orders from La Pivoinerie D'Aoust? If so how is the service and quality?

Sharon

Yes, 2 years ago I ordered Miss America and Pink Hawaiian Coral from them(La Pivoinerie D'Aoust). The roots were a good size and I think had 3 eyes on them and they were shipped out at a good time as well. Coral 'n Gold came from Hole's. Buckeye Belle and Honey Gold, I believe came from McFayden's and Leto came in from Lindenberg's. So as you can see, I really shop around! I've had good luck with all of these places.

Very nice peonies Laurie. Thanks for posting. I was looking at Buckeye Belle before, now it is on the list. Is your Coral'n Gold realy coral/salmon coulor or more pink. It is very difficult to judge by the pictures. I choose Coral Charm, since I was told it is realy coral colour.
Another one I want is White Cap. Anyone has that one?
Sharon, I have now rich soil, since all my beds are raised and filled with a good garden mix. I always put some bone meal at the bottom of the planting hall. I have read in one of Jim Hall books ( not sure which one), that the tests have shown bone meal is not effective source as it was always believed. But I still put it in. Anybody knows about it?
I don't have home made compost and I know peonies don't like manure. Should I buy compost (I do, for my blue poppies) or just water with 10-52-10 or something like it for the roots.
Ella

Ella, Coral 'n Gold is kind of a pinky coral colour. I'll have to watch it more closely when it opens and see if it opens more coral and fades to a pink.

I've always planted my peonies with manure added. Mind you it's very well aged, probably 30+ years old. I haven't used bonemeal on them, only bought a box of it for spring bulbs. Oh, well, I don't think my peonies have suffered for it. Btw, Buckeye Belle is opening up today, yippie!

Peonies don't like fresh manure, but if you can get yourself a load of well-aged manure from a farmer that is perfect for side dressing, but do make sure it is aged, you can tell if its age, there is no order and its dry and crumbly, not wet and stinky ;)

You can use synethic or organic, thats up to you...they canÂt tell the difference, just that they like to be fed on a yearly basis ;)

Sharon

Laurie, I understand your peonies took 2 years to look that fully developed on your pictures. Did they flower the first spring after fall planting?
How big does Buckeye Belle gets?
I will be waiting for more onthe Coral'n Gold colour.
Ella

Only Miss America in the pictures is going into it's second year. Coral 'n Gold and Honey Gold are into their fifth year. Smouthie and Buckeye Belle I've had for at least 7 years. BB gets to about 3 feet tall and wide. And btw, BB doesn't seem to have much of a scent, but I'll have to check again this evening.

Boy, you really are testing my memory aren't you?LOL As for blooming the spring after fall planting, hmmmm.......I know that Miss America did and for some reason I remember that one Smouthie did(I have 2). Now the Leto that was sent to me this spring, who is still in a pot waiting for me to finish up the new bed, does have a flower bud on it. But, for the most part, I would say they usually didn't flower until the second year.

Hope that helps.

Laurie

I know, I know, you supposed to wait for your peonies, but I am in the instant gratification stage of my gardening life. I left an established garden 4 summers ago. I have been relandscaping this yard eversince. I finaly got my mixed beds for flowers, and I badly want then NOW. Plus I have always been a rose girl. Had been growing tender roses mostly. It is a very gratifying flower. You put bush into a ground in a spring, water, fertilize and it gives you armloads of flowers all summer long. Instant gratification.
If only peonies could be like that.....
Ella

I agree about the gratification factor Ella, plus the fact that peonies are so darn expensive!! Why so expensive? Compared to other perennials of similar value, such as roses and daylilies, they are four times more expensive. This is why I only have two peonies; one was a gift (forgot the name, might be Karl F.) and one was a bargain basement tiny root (Sarah Bernhard) that is still too small to bloom after 2 years.

I keep meaning to accumulate another peony or two, but end up opting for delphs and lupines, which also have large, attractive foliage and are more quick to gratify.

The one peony I actually really do want is Festiva Maxima, I see Laurie's point about the bombs but I still like em. Laurie your pics are beautiful!

Ella, that's gotta be tough to leave an established garden behind. Don't think I could do it. After putting in thousands of hours of work..........they'll have to take me out in a box!lol

Ok, here's my advice to help with instant gratification. For every peony you put in, you plant a rose beside it. That way when you're waiting for the peony to bloom, you'll have the roses to get you by. Does that help?? Works for me!lol

Gillian, yeah, I totally agree that peonies are WAY too expensive. Especially any of the less well known types. I have yet to see a single, semi-double, or Japanese type in Wal-mart or other box store. It seems like all you can get are Festiva Maxima or Sarah Bernhardt, etc. It drives me crazy to see the same old peony roots in bags every year.

Btw, if anyone knows where I can get an Itoh hybrid peony for under $100 let me know. I would love to try one of these........but how to justify it, hmmmm....

Laurie, that is exactly what I am doing. Peonies will go behind the roses. I was just wondering, since I fertilize roses few times during the summer, how will it afect peonies? Will it be too much nitrogen for peonies>. I was always carefull about what I plant next to roses, whatever is next never goes hungry. I lurned my lesson when I planted nasturtium to edge my vegi beds. They were never hungry and overrun my vegies, huge leaves, long trailing plants and as expected not many flowers. Now I always think who am i feeding!
As far as itoh hybrids, saw Garden Treasure and Bartzilla at Halls this year. One was $169 and other $200. So I am with you in a search for 'cheap' itoh. Garden Treasure had a flower on it. It can still your heart.
Ella

If I fertilize my roses twice a summer, they're lucky! I really don't know if too much nitrogen will affect peonies. I've heard that they are heavy feeders, but on the other hand, look at how many old homesteads still have peonies growing strong after years of neglect.
Maybe someone else has the answer to that question. I wonder if lots of nitrogen might make the stems longer and possibly weaker? Just a guess on my part.

Gillian I agree peonies are expensive, but at least you get a plant that lasts. Growing tender roses on the praries is not cheap either, since you always have to replace something (I never covered my roses). How about perenials. I bought this year 'Jack frost' brunella, Plum...something huechera and semisifuga Brunette (thanks for advise from forum). That was expensive and I don't know if these plants will be with me next year. But the most expensive flowers are annuals. You pay and pay and pay every year ...
Aren't we gardeners a crazy lot.
Ella

I have a few peonies that were here when we bought the acreage. The original owner of the acreage was quite the gardener and loved to shop at the nurseries and buy shrubs and trees and peonies. I have slowly been trying to identify them. I think I have a Festiva Maxima. As I look through the pictures in Google and all the places that advertize peonies for sale I have come across none with the same markings as this one has. When it first bloomed I thought that there was something wrong with it cause every bloom had the little splash of red. It is quite a tall peony, probably the tallest one I have in the yard.

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Gil, if you want a piece, just let me know. I could divide mine quite easily.

Brenda

Brenda that is definitely Festiva Maxima. There's something about the pure white with little red splashes that I just love! I would definitely take you up on a division but only if I can trade you for something.

I used to grow my peonies with my roses and I fertilize my roses heavily through early summer, and the peonies loved it! Too much so, they got so big they were swamping out the roses, so the more portable one got moved... yep, the peonies.

Actually I have to remember to go fertilize the peonies soon, they are a bit mad at me and I notice their leaves aren't very big this year. But they have some buds.

Gil, how far apart the peonies and roses were? Thats what I am afraid, that peonies outgrow everything else. There is never a perfect world.
Ella

Gil, I do not know what you have for trade, want to email me separately.

I also identified the dark red shiny rich looking peony I originally found beside the greenhouse. My DH likes it so much I had to plant it in front of the front steps. It's name is Mons. Martin Cahuzac. Sounds so French. And that is what it is. It is a French intro back in the 1800's and was the darkest red that they had at that time, apparently.

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Anyone have this peony? I transplanted it out of the grass here on the acreage and put it along the side of the retaining wall. I love the large pink flat petals with the poof in the center. Any suggestions for its name?

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Brenda

Brenda, your unknown Peony looks like Gay Pare, very pretty!

Brenda, my other peony might be Mons. Martin Cahuzac. I do remember that it was a foreign sounding man's name, but the first year I planted it, it got peony virus and I thought it was dead so I threw out the tag. Anyway it bounced back and looks a LOT like yours. Was there a particular feature that helped you identify it? Maybe you can tell by my blurry pic from last year?

Any ideas?

Gil, is the picture of the peony you have the true color of it? I posted some closeup pictures of the Mons. Martin Cahuzac Peony so you could see better. It is so shiny and such a deep red. Mine also does not fade to whitish on the tips as the petals get older. These pictures were taken in the sun so they are actually darker yet than they look like they are. Also the leaves are a lot darker green, not so yellow looking. I will try to get a better picture in a few weeks when they bloom this year.

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Brenda

The website link below is very useful, will help you with selecting Peonies determining bloom times.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Peony Bloom Time Project

Cool site Sharon! Brenda, I guess that's not it because mine never shows its stamens. Oh well! I will get in touch with you about a possible trade, when I have figured out what I am going to divide. Thanks for the offer! :0)

Sharon,Thank you very much for the link. It is exactly the info I've been looking for. I have checked D'Aoust site and Heartland Peony society site. One uses weeks as indication of bloom time and the orher calculates it relative to Red Charm bloom time. Just yesterday I spend an hour trying to calculate bloom times of the varieties I consider, looking at two methods and trying to marry them. The Peony Bloom Time project have done it already. The data is already summarized and presented in a way which is so easy to use. Excelent job. And thanks again.
BTW I have e-mailed BoB Yaremko from Parkland Perinnials about visiting their flowering peony gardens. He will advise me as to the best time to visit. He thinks it will be another couple of weeks, before there is enough blooming to warrant the trip. If anybody is interested , e-mail BOB.

Hi Peony fans--I have several Peonies in my perennial garden, have been there for 20 or more years. I have Festiva Maxima, Karl Rosenberg, Sarah B.(a beauty), My Love, Gay Paris, and others. They do not like to be moved, can stay in one location for many years. I don't fertilize--hubby just throws some 16-10-20 fertilizer granules over all in the fall. Do you know how to get beautiful big blooms on your Peonies? Each stem on the plant puts forth 2,3 or 4 buds. Well, now what I do is break off all but the main bud on this stem, and voila, all the energy goes into producing one huge bloom. Don't be afraid to try it--I do it all the time. Marg

Marg, I think I will try that on a few peonies...maybe do an experiment and do it to one and not the other of the same kind next to each other and compare the bloom sizes.

I also want to take off a few buds like Laurie was mentioning in another thread in the gallery section and put them into the fridge. Force them later when all the other peonies are done.

Brenda

Brenda, I kept my peonies in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel in with them, of course, after I sealed the ends with wax. I kept them for about 2 and a half weeks in the fridge and some were starting to develop a fuzzy white mold on them. But I washed the mold off and they still all opened up fine. Good luck!

Laurie, can you post a picture of how advanced the peony needs to be when you cut it to put it into the bag. How long is your stem? Are you floating the peony afterwards?

Brenda

This bud would be ideal for cutting.

They could be slightly less advanced too, but may take 2 days to open after the cooling period. I cut the stem at about 10-12" as we wanted them to go into bud vases, but I'm sure they would look awesome floating too.

Your peonies are so beautiful that I'm turning green with envy!!!

I love peonies but only have one Sarh Bernhart. I planted her four years ago in part sun and knew I would have to be patient. This is the second year I have flowers...five, the same number as last year.

I want to plant more but have to build another flower bed in the front yard which is the only place that has full sun.

Thanks Laurie,

Now, I will go and see how my peonies are doing.

Which peony is that bud from?

Brenda

Brenda, that's Buckeye Belle. It was in bloom on Saturday, maybe you noticed it?

Yesterday I fooled around with the scanner and got this pic of Buckeye Belle with other stuff. I think it turned out well and am thinking of getting it printed and hang it on a wall somewhere.

Kuzariprincess- I think I also have Sarah Bernhart from a division given by my mom and it has to be one of the slowest peonies I've got. I've had the thing for 6 or 7 years and it took 4 or 5 years before it bloomed at all. All of my other peonies bloomed 1 or 2 years after planting, so maybe it's just Sarah's nature to be slow.

Laurie

Laurie, Thnks for letting me know that Sarah Bernhart is slow for you too and its not just me. I'll just have to try some other varieties!

Any suggestions for what does well in part shade/part sun?

kuzari princess

Peonies for part shade.........that I can't help you out with as all of mine are pretty much in full sun, getting at least 8 hours a day. What kind of part shade is it? Dappled? East exposure? West exposure? How many hours of sun per day? I'm thinking that if you can get a few hours of the hot mid-day sun in there you'd have a better chance of the peony blooming well.

My friend grows peonies in light shade - against the north foundation of her house. I would never recommend it but they were there when she bought the place and they do ok. There's one that maybe gets 4 hours of evening sun and it's the biggest. But they do bloom and she was actually able to divide them a couple of years ago. They are light pink, old fashioned and could be Sarah Bernhart.

My Sarah is really slow too, it's on its second year and no sign of blooms. My dark pink unknown (which I have gone back to thinking is Karl Rosenfeld) I moved this year to part shade (probably 4 hours around noon) and it's got buds but less than last year. The leaves look smaller & skinnier too if that's possible. It could just be mad because I moved it.

I saw Festiva Maxima at Walmart on the weekend and it was only $6 so I broke down and bought it... so Brenda I guess I don't need you to divide yours. Thanks anyway!!

Laurie awesome scanner pic - it's beautiful!

Kuzari princess, happy belated birthday for June 7! You should go into the conversation side/forum and input your name in our birthday list. My birthday is 4 days before yours and I got 2 birthday cakes!!!

Brenda

Brenda

Thank you for the b'day greetings, you too eh!

I didn't know about the conversation side of the forum. What a good idea, see you there...

kuzari princess

I bought my second peony last night, it was labeled "double red". They were pretty picked over and this was in my price range. I better start snooping out walmart and canadian tire for better prices!