Bellegallica, what zone do you live in? Your roses look very forward. I hope you get flowers from your peony, they're a plant I love. My single white tree peony has already flowered and faded, while the other tree peonies and 'Mollis' are getting ready to bloom. Late winter and early spring have passed; now high spring is here!

Thank you, Sheila! I'm in zone 9a, Melissa. Very mild winters. We usually only get a couple of weeks where the temps drop down to freezing. It seems like we had even less this past year. Peonies look so beautiful. I'm just now looking into what types might be good here. I Googled "Mollis" and it's an adorable dwarf.

I realized when looking at the picture again that the black pot to the left is Tuberrose which I bought last year. I forgot it also dies back to the ground. In the photo you can see a few leaves that persisted, but I pulled a mass of dead ones out before taking the picture, and the new green shoots are coming up. This year I planted Oriental Lilies, Stargazer and Muscadet. So now I'll have more things that disappear for the winter.

Bellegallica,

Wow, no wonder you're zone pushing. Mind you, are you paying attention to what does grow easily in your zone? I grew up in north Florida, possibly with similar conditions, though it was colder at that time. Do you grow ginger lilies? Datura (angel's trumpets)--not sure if they'd be too tender for you, but I suspect they'd do. If you're in the deep South, there are a lot of plants adapted to those conditions that no one else can easily grow. And warm climate roses, naturally.

P.S. Yes, I love 'Mollis', though its flowering is quite brief. It has the lovely virtue of self-seeding. Also, in my conditions it grows in poor soil and without watering or any additional care, except for occasional weeding.

Hi Melissa. Yes, I know the Chinas, Teas, Noisettes, and other repeaters are best for the South, and I tend to stick to those. But I like to experiment and throw in a once-bloomer now and then. So, next week I'll be receiving Nastarana and Spong. I know Nastarana will be fine here. Spong probably not, but it will be fun to try.

Good luck with your experiments! In my case I do, not so much zone pushing, as soil pushing. Can't say I've ever had a lot of luck. But I occasionally make another try.

@bellegallica, I have the same Marie Pavie version from ARE. In addition to scent, another upside of the less fluffy MP is that bees can easily access the open blooms! Note the bumbler in the bloom at the center…. Carol

Hi, Carol. It's great to see you posting again. My Marie Pavie also comes from ARE. I think it might also be a little more vigorous than the double one. Love the bee!