You have some nice pictures there. Thanks for the look. Some I have; a couple others I would like to have, particularly High Noon. It is rumored to repeat bloom in the fall. Have you seen it do that?

No repeat bloom here on High Noon, but it is very reliable in the spring. My favorite yellow. The intersectional yellows bloom later, often in weather that is too hot.

Beautiful, thank you for sharing.

Wowee, Mantis! What a spectacular show! Hard to pick a favorite as they are all outstanding but your Old Faithful is MAGNIFICENT. I have heard that it is a finicky and hard to grow peony and yet yours looks very healthy and robust. Can you tell me how long have you had OF? White Ivory and Alexander Woolcott pics are so very nice. I really enjoy seeing your peonies. Thanks for sharing.

Just want to add that my peony bloom season is way behind you. Only my early bloomers are blooming right now. So sorry to hear about the damages to your early blooming varieties. Is that why I don't see a pic of Salmon Dream? I agree with you that this cool stretch of weather is really wonderful in prolonging the blooms of my early peonies. Some of them lasted five days.

Salmon Dream may have been affected by the March cold snap. At any rate, it had mostly deformed blooms, quite different from last year. Thus, no pics this year. Old Faithful is indeed robust. A big bush, but the number of blooms is limited. Has been very reliable. Have had it 5-8 years. Actually, have two plants, but one in an inferior location. So far, at least, hasn't been finicky. One bush is three feet wide. There were a few more blooms that were stolen by passers by.

Alexander Woolcott was very good, but did bloom partially in abnormally warm weather.

I don't understand that your bloom season would be behind, since your zone is warmer. However, many of my cultivars still haven't bloomed--midseason/late. You may have a more moderate coastal climate.

There is larkspur growing in the bed that really gives a nice airy contrast.

Note that the peony I labeled "Majestic Rose" is Mammoth Rose. Sorry, but I can't edit it.

I was going to ask you what the fernleaf foliage plants are. They look like the foliage of fernleaf peonies but that can't be since fernleafs usually bloom much earlier than the doubles that you have blooming. I agree that the larkspur gives a very nice contrast to the peony blooms. I love this combo and hope you don't mind that I copy your idea of this combo in my garden. Do you plant larspur from seeds? Are they annual or perennials in your zone? If you plant from seeds, do you directly sow them in the soil?

Thanks for sharing the gorgeous peony pictures!

Mantis, love your White Ivory & Mammoth Rose! Like your idea of interplanting with the delphiniums. Does the foliage of the peonies help keep the delphiniums a bit more upright (i.e. less floppy when windy)?

Karen, my peonies are behind as well (I'm in 6b in NJ). It's been really cool lately, which I've been really enjoying - it's been a mosquito-free & prolonged anticipation/bloom period, especially for the dogwoods which seem to be lasting forever!

Mantis zone only means what the average temperatures are over a period of either 3 or 10 years. Some years will be warmer some will be colder in any zone. There are only 10 degrees difference between zones. You also need to realize that zones are only temperature measurements and should not be relied on to tell you if a plant will or will not live in your area. A zone could be a peat bog or desert.

The larkspur just self-sowed. If it gets warm too early, they usually don't perform well here. But this year, the foliage alone is serendipitous. I suspect that spring is more gradual in the area you are in, Karen (because of coastal moderation), but winter temps less severe. Larkspur should be planted in the fall from seed. They don't transplant well. Princeton, delphiniums do terribly here--too humid and hot. Larkspur, however, can be quite attractive.