2023 January Tree Peony Growth

January Tree Peony Growth
Wow! A new year already? And the last day of the first month. Where does time go? The tree peonies keep time and have already begun their growth for the new year. I've been watching them all month go from fat buds into small shoots with buds! Although the weather is still cold-ish here (we have had quite a mild winter - 3rd warmest January on record), the tree peonies have begun their slow unfurling process - with some varieties farther along than others. Some types still remain in fat bud stage.

I am happy to see them greet me so early in the new year. Their blooms will be here by the end of March and beginning of April. So really they don't have much time left for those buds to fully mature, about a month and a half! Signs of spring will be here soon. Spring is coming!!!


January Tree Peony Growth

2020 Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk' Flower Bud is Really Black!!

Wow! That's all I could really say when I spotted this bud on my Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk'! The flower petals of this intersectional peony's buds really are black! I have never seen a bud quite like this before. So this was definitely a suprise when I found it. It is quite stunning! Now the wait is on to see it bloom! This will be the first year this peony has bloomed for me. I can't wait to see it in action.


Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk' Flower Bud
I just planted this Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk' last fall 2019, and it came from Oregon Perennial. I won it in last year's APS auction. (Oregon Perennial does not sell retail, but they do donate plants to the APS Auction.) If you're looking to purchase one, Brooks Gardens is definitely the place to be. They dropped the price on this plant this year, 2020 Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk' Price Drops Over 50%, and it looks like they still have some in stock. Now's your chance!

2020 Intersectional Peony Buds for ♥ Valentine's Day ♥

It's not quite peony season yet, but now seems like just as good a time as ever to pine for these lovely blossoms! What more could you ask for then a bunch of intersectional peonies in bud, ready to blossom inside a vase in your home on Valentine's Day? Wouldn't that be lovely? One can dream... Luckily for us peony season really is right around the corner. If you're thinking of buy some of those cut flowers sold in stores, maybe consider buying a new peony root or two instead. You'll get way more flowers out of it!! ;-) Here's wishing you a lovely and beautiful Valentine's Day!


Intersectional Peony 'Smith Family Yellow' Bud

Intersectional Peony 'Little Darlin'' Bud

Intersectional Peony 'Canary Brilliants' Bud

Intersectional Peony 'Cora Louise' Bud

Intersectional Peony 'Old Rose Dandy' Bud

Intersectional Peony 'Garden Treasure' Bud

Intersectional Peony 'Sugar Plum Fairy' Bud

Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' Bud

2019 Herbaceous Peony 'Lake o' Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth From 8 to 40 Buds!

Peony 'Lake O Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth
It's hard to believe how fast this Peony 'Lake o' Silver' has grown! It went from 8 buds in 2018 to 40 buds this year in 2019! I first purchased this peony during the 2016 American Peony Society Convention. We went on several tours during the convention, and this peony was one of my 2016 Peony Purchases from Klehm's Song Sparrow Tour. Going from 8 buds to 40 buds is a 400% growth rate!!! I don't think I've ever seen any other peony in my garden grow quite that fast! If you are looking for a peony that will grow well in the South and grow fast, I would definitely check this Peony 'Lake o' Silver' out! I can't wait to see it in full bloom!


Peony 'Lake O Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth

Peony 'Lake O Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth

Peony 'Lake O Silver' Achieves Explosive Growth

2019 Color Showing on Tree Peony Buds

Tree Peony 'Lavender Grace'
I was excited to see some color starting to show on some of my tree peony buds today. Purple and lavender are my favorite colors so I am definitely excited to see the blooms on Tree Peony 'Lavender Grace' again this year. I just purchased and planted Tree Peony 'Lavender Grace' last year, 2018 Spring Tree Peony Planting 'Kinkaku' & 'Lavender Grace' after seeing it in 2018 Klehms Song Sparrow Offers Tree Peony 'Lavender Grace' on Front Page of Web Site. I did get to see one bud open on it last year, and this year it seems to have 3 buds growing! Let's hope all three of those buds open!


Tree Peony 'Yao Huang' 姚黃 (Yao's Yellow)
Tree Peony 'Yao Huang' was the second peony to open last year, 2018 Second Peony Bloom of the Season - 'Yao's Yellow' 姚黃 (Yao Huang), opening on the same day as Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'. This year Tree Peony 'White Phoenix' has already bloomed, now 5 days ago! These colorful tree peonies are definitely biding their time a bit more this year. My Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' already lost 3 buds this year, 2019 Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' Snapped Off! At least there are still lots more buds left, though. I think it would have had 11 buds before those 3 were snapped off. So now I guess we're down to 8 buds for this year. Oh well, 8 is better than none! I still can't wait to see them open!!!


Tree Peony 'Angel Emily'

2019 Questions - Intersectional Peonies How to Cut Back Stems with Buds

Intersectional Peonies with Above Ground Buds
I received this question from Joy in zone 8a:

"First and foremost, thank you for having a most informative website on one of my most loved flowering plants."

"I am writing to you today, as I’m just now getting out into the garden and tidying up my peonies, which I usually cut them back in the fall. I noticed that my Itoh Peony Julia Rose (I have 2 and planted them in 2012) have developed eyes on last years dead stems and as normal, eyes also stemming from the ground. I’ve never seen this before and thought perhaps that it was a result of not cutting them back in the fall. I’m not sure how to proceed with spring clean up and thought to seek your most valuable advice."

"Thank you for your time and look forward to your guidance."


Intersectional Peonies with Above Ground Buds
Actually intersectional (also called Itoh) peonies can grow and bloom from woody stems grown in previous years (especially in our warmer Southern climates). I actually did an experiment to see what would happen with those stems, 2011 Peony Experiments - Intersectional Blooms. So when you are cleaning up your intersectional peonies that have woody stems in place, be sure to keep those stems where you can visibly see a red growth bud at the top. Then just pick off any old leaves or foliage from that stem. For all of the other stems, cut them back to the first red growth bud that you see. You can make the cut a little above the growth bud, leaving an inch or a half inch or so.

I usually wait to cut back my intersectional peonies later than the rest of my peonies, usually late winter (sometimes early spring if I'm really behind). It is possible that some of those above ground stems could get killed over the winter and some may not. By waiting to cut them back later in the winter season, you'll then know which ones will grow and which ones were killed. That way you can cut back any that didn't make it. If I do happen to cut my intersectional peonies back early (in late fall), then I generally leave all stems with buds on them, cutting them back to the first pink bud. Sometimes they don't all make it through the winter, though.

I hope you enjoy your 'Julia Rose' Intersectional Peonies this spring! Take Care and Happy Growing!


Intersectional Peonies with Above Ground Buds

2019 Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' Snapped Off!

Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' Stem Missing
Oh my! Imagine my surprise yesterday when I went to check on my tree peonies, and I discovered that my favorite tree peony, Tree Peony 'Angel Emily', had been snapped off! And not just in one place, but in three places! All three of those young branches had a bud and would have later had a bloom on them, but alas my tree peony will be at least 3 blooms lighter this spring! I'm not sure what did it, but I'm guessing it was the deer. Not only did they snap it off, they didn't even bother to even eat the tender shoots, they just left them there lying on the ground as evidence.


Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' Evidence aka Broken Shoots
I was planning to put some hair out anyway since my daughter had recently cleaned her brush for me. So now I knew just what I was going to protect with it. The funny thing is none of the other tree peonies in my garden had been "sheared", not even the Tree Peony 'Lavender Hill', which sits right next to Tree Peony 'Angel Emily', which has even bigger buds on it than 'Angel Emily' right now. (I may actually get to see a bloom on that Tree Peony 'Lavender Hill' this year. Every other year the cold has killed the buds, 2018 Cold Damage Tree Peony 'Lavender Hill'. Keep your fingers crossed for me!) Also the deer had never bothered this peony or any in this area before (close to the road), so I hadn't bothered to protect it previously. I guess now I know...


Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' Three Stems Broken Off
If you have a slight problem with deer, then this trick has usually worked pretty well for me. I'm guessing if you have several herds that visit your yard frequently it may not help, but if you only get occasional visitors, this seems to work for me. Just take a small bit of hair from your hairbrushes or combs and put it around any buds you'd really like to protect. I have never had a deer mess with a bud with hair on it (so far). My grandmother used to collect hair from beauty shops and put it in old stockings to hang up in her garden, which is where I got the idea from. It has helped me keep the deer off several things they like to eat like oriental lilies, rose bushes, hydrangeas, etc.


Human Hair on Tree Peony 'Angel Emily'
I tried to cover at least a few buds on almost all of my tree peonies. So hopefully they won't get any more ideas about trying to munch on (or play with) my tree peony buds. Good thing they don't eat herbaceous peonies!!! Since I had a few broken tree peony stems with buds on them, I decided to open one up to see what an immature bud looks like during development. All of the petals are green. I guess they get their beautiful colorings later as they mature/age. Even the anthers are a bit yellowish green as well. Oh well, I guess that was neat to see. I never would have ruined a bud to look at that otherwise...


Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' Immature Bud Opened Up

2019 Tree Peonies Starting to Peek Out

Unknown White Tree Peony
It's been a month since I first snapped a few photos of my tree peonies in January, 2019 New Year Holds (Peony) Promise! Although it is only February, I can already see some movement in the buds. I'm not sure if it is the temperatures or the length of our days that they are responding to (or maybe a combination of both), but they are definitely starting to grow a bit. Although tree peonies have been slow to start taking hold for me, I am starting to enjoy growing them a bit more. Also you get to watch them come to life long before the herbaceous and intersectional peonies start to wake up. If you don't yet grow any tree peonies, I'd definitely recommend trying one or two. They are certainly entertaining in these long winter months...


Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'

Tree Peony 'Chojuraku'

Tree Peony 'Yao Huang'

Tree Peony "Chinese Pink" Seedling

Tree Peony 'Sahohime'

2019 New Year Holds (Peony) Promise!

Wow! Happy 2019! I can't believe another year is done, and another one has already begun! Although time passes quickly I am always trying to make the most of it. There is always something to tidy up (in the house or garden). Since I've had the trees removed, 2018 More Light for Tree Peonies, Sweet Gum Ball & Poplar Trees Gone!, I've finished up putting out the beautiful bright colored mulch that was left behind, 2018 Mulch for Peonies from Tree Removal, found a bit of time to move a few tree peonies, 2018 Peony Experiments - Move Mislabeled White Tree Peonies, and also tuck a few last minute peony roots into the ground. I hope you've had time to clean up your garden and finish up any last minute gardening tasks you wanted to complete as well. If not, then you've got a whole new year!


Pink Lateral Tree Peony Bud

Yellow Terminal Tree Peony Bud
Now the waiting game has begun. I am so looking forward to seeing how my tree peonies perform this year, now that they have more sun. While I'm waiting I decided to take a few photos of some of the fat tree peony buds in my garden. Yes, it is only January 1st, and some of them are already a bit fat (actually I took these photos on New Year's Eve - December 31st). By the time April rolls around, the will be about to burst. It's so nice to see the different shapes, sheath colors, and bud colors on the tree peonies. Since we don't have any actual peony blooms yet, I thought I'd entertain you with a bit of anticipation and promise for peonies in the new year, not to mention these tree peony buds are a colorful lot too!


Tree Peony Lateral Bud

Tree Peony Lateral Bud
It's also kind of neat to see how different tree peonies have different shapes and colors of buds. The yellow bud it actually from Tree Peony 'Yao's Yellow'. So its buds kind of match its flowers since they are both yellow hued. Most of these tree peony buds pictured here are white flowering tree peonies, having pink buds. The middle tree peony bud photo is of the lavender P. rockii tree peony seedling that I am starting to watch. It's buds appear to be the lightest pink of this lot. The flowers on that tree peony open a lovely shade of lavender pink. I can't wait to see it bloom again! Happy New Year!


Tree Peony Terminal Bud

2018 Third Peony Bloom of the Season - P. Rockii Lavender Tree Peony Seedling

P. Rockii Lavender Seedling
The 3rd peony bloom of the season opened today, well, almost. It didn't quite open all the way. So I guess a bit of the excitement will be saved for tomorrow, but I got to see the full bud on this peony today, and the beautiful lavender color of its petals. The awesome lavender color on this one excites me, as well as the fact that it seems to be so vigorous, blooming much sooner than its siblings, and growing much taller and faster as well. This P. rockii seedling is actually from some seed I bought on Ebay, 2013 Tree Peony P. Rockii Seeds on Ebay, which turned out to be 2013 P. Rockii Peony Seeds from Cricket Hill Garden. It is the first P. rockii tree peony to bloom for me ever. It first bloomed last year, but I mostly missed it, just saw a few petals dropping after the bloom. I have been growing P. rockii's that I bought as plants (from 3 separate sources) longer than this seedling has existed, and they've still never bloomed. This P. Rockii lavender seedling actually has 2 buds on it this year. So I will get the chance to see two blooms on it!
P. Rockii Lavender Seedling with 2 Buds

2018 Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' Goes from 3 Buds to 10 Buds in One Year of Growth!

Tree Peony 'Angel Emily'
Triples Bud Count From Previous Year
I cannot believe it! This is so exciting! I have not grown another tree peony that has grown this well and this quickly. If you like purple (and I do), you really must add this tree peony to your purchase list. Most of the other peonies I have grown have struggled along trying to become established with 1 bud or no buds, trying to send up a shoot, but this peony, this tree peony, Peony 'Angel Emily', is much different. It is so vigorous, and grows so well here in my Southern climate too. Last year this peony had 3 buds and blooms in it's 3rd year of growth, and now it has increased to 10 buds in it's 4th year of growth. That is more than triple the number of blooms than the previous year, very impressive! I can't wait to see how this peony looks when it blooms this year. I will make sure I capture all of its beauty to share here with you all. If you aren't yet convinced this tree peony belongs in your garden, perhaps the spring bloom pictures will do it. They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

2018 P. Rockii Peony Seedling Has 2 Buds in Second Year of Bloom

Paeonia rockii Seedling with 2 Buds
A Paeonia rockii seedling from a batch of seed I got in 2013 from Ebay, 2013 P. Rockii Peony Seeds from Cricket Hill Garden, has 2 buds on it. The rest of the seedlings from this batch of seed have yet to bloom. It had one bud and bloom on it last year in 2017, but I missed seeing it and photographing it until the flower was mostly gone. So I can't wait to see what it actually looks like this year. Considering this P. rockii tree peony is still growing in my peony seedling bed very close to its siblings and is still growing so well and so quickly, speaks very highly of its vigor. Hopefully I will get a chance to move it to a better home this fall, so that I can allow it to mature with more space for its roots to grow in. I will keep you posted on its flowers. Spring will be here before we know it!

2017 Cutting Peony Stems for the APS Convention & Exhibition

Cut Peony Stems for APS Exhibition
I finally found a bit of time to cut a few stems for the American Peony Society 2017 Convention. I've been so busy that I've almost let this slip away from me. Most of my early peonies have already opened and are too far past the point needed to cut them for the flower show. So I guess I won't be showing any Saunders hybrids this year. However my mid season peonies are starting to bloom as well as my intersectionals. So there are still several choices left to cut. If you are new to showing flowers and feel a little intimidated about it, don't worry. I made all the mistakes two years ago. Remember the steam bath many of my peony stems needed for my 2015 APS Convention Exhibit Peony Preparation?
Cut Peony Stems with Soft Buds
This year I am cutting the blooms a little less "hard" than I did last year. I guess I was worried if there were any petals showing the flowers would go bad, but now I've learned that if you cut the buds too small and hard, they just do not open. Also single flowers will open faster than double flowers. So you want to make sure your huge double flowered buds are mature enough when you cut them. As you can see this years cuts are a bit larger and showing a bit more petal than the cuts I did 2 years ago, 2015 Cut First Stems for APS Peony Exhibition. We'll see how it works out. Hopefully I don't get any more mold, and the blooms open well without a steam bath!

2016 Intersectional Peony Buds

If intersectional peonies are a favorite flower of yours like they are mine, then I hope you've noticed the beautiful flower buds they produce before the blooms actually open. It is so exciting to watch those tiny buds appear out of almost nowhere and grow and grow, and then swell and swell, until you finally see the first color appear when those swollen buds just begin to reveal their colorful petals beneath. In shades of yellows, pinks, lavenders, reds, and corals. What a beautiful rainbow of anticipation! I know it is only just winter, but spring will be here before you know it. If you blink you might miss these gorgeous intersectional peony buds since they usually will not even last more than a day, sometimes only a few hours! So keep an eye out for the growing buds and check your peonies daily to get a glimpse of these colorful beauties!

Intersectional Peony 'Morning Lilac' Bud	Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' Bud
Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Amethyst' Bud	Intersectional Peony 'Pastel Splendor' Bud
Intersectional Peony 'Keiko' Bud	Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Velvet Ruby' Bud
Intersectional Peony 'Copper Kettle' Bud	Intersectional Peony 'Lafayette Escadrille' Bud
Intersectional Peony 'Lil' Darlin' Bud