2016 Extended Dry Period Makes Some Peonies Crispy

We've been lucky with the rain so far this year - until now! This has been the first completely dry 10 day period we've had all summer! Some years my grass is crispy in June! (and more often by July). However, this year my grass hasn't gotten crispy until now, well into August, (and only some of it is crispy) which is great. However, I think all of the plants in my yard have gotten used to the adequate supply of water in the form of rainfall. I rarely water my peonies unless they are already drooping in early summer - in which case I'll sometimes give them a drink so they can make it to the next rainfall.

Peony 'Flame' and Peony 'Prairie Moon'
I think I noticed foliage on this Peony 'Prairie Moon' had become crispy a bit too late. As you can see the foliage on it already looks wilted and crispy. So I did try watering it a couple days in a row, hoping it would perk up a little, but so far it hasn't. As you can see the foliage on the peony next to it, Peony 'Flame' looks just fine. So right now only a very few peonies have been affected. We just got our first rain after this extended dry period last night. However, we only got enough to wet the back deck, but not enough to measure in the rain gauge. So I am hoping for some more rain tonight. It looks like there's about a 50% chance of rain in the forecast today, and then another extended stretch of dry weather. It seems like I'll be watering again this coming week!

Crispy Peony 'Prairie Moon'

2015 Rain on Peonies Relieves Drought

Well, we finally did get some rain for the peonies. We actually got almost an inch and half of rain. That rain gave the ground quite a good soaking. The extended drought we experienced definitely affected all of my peonies, some of them more than others. The peonies that were affected were young peony plants that are only 1-2 years old, peonies that are planted at the edge of a tree canopy, and smaller leaved peony varieties. It also affected some established intersectional peonies in full sun. Peonies that are near competing tree roots and young peonies that are not yet established were affected the most.
Southern Peonies in the Rain
Most of those herbaceous peonies near competing tree roots that wilted have come back up now. A couple of them were so bad off some of the foliage actually browned and did not revive. A couple of the young plants dried up entirely for the year. If these are still alive (hopefully) they will come back next spring. The established intersectional peonies actually wilted in a different way. Some of the intersectional peonies' foliage turned sideways, almost upside down. After the rain, most of the foliage has righted itself. Fall is fast approaching. So let's hope this is the only drought my peonies will have to endure this year!
Southern Intersectional Peonies in the Rain

2015 Dry Conditions Make Peony Foliage Wilt

Peony Wilted from Dry Spell
I think it has been about 3 weeks since we've gotten any measurable rain. Before this dry spell, it had been raining pretty regularly this summer, which was great. The continuous rain kept the grass green, and all of my flowers happy, including my peonies. However now that it's been weeks since it's rained, everything is looking sad - grass, trees, flowers, even the peonies. Peonies are usually pretty resistant to dry spells unless there is an extended dry spell like this one. I usually don't give any extra water to my peonies other than what nature provides. However when it gets this dry, I do try to water the wilted looking ones. There's a 90% chance of rain tonight. So I'm hoping some of that water hits my property! The peonies and all of the plants in my garden could use some relief!
Peony Wilted and Dying Back from Dry Spell

2013 Peonies and Too Much Rain

Wow! Take a look at this forecast! It is already raining today, lots! It also rained yesterday and the day before yesterday. This weather forecast is pretty much a death knell for my peony bloom season - rain for the next 5 days! The peonies have been holding up okay for the last 2 rainy days with some periods of part sun. However most of the full doubles are now open or opening up, and any double peony plant without the strongest of strong stems is laying on the ground or close to it! Wet mushy blooms do not make for good pictures. I guess that's just as well since my Nikon camera stopped working last week. I tried removing the bottom plate of the camera in an attempt to fix the shutter gear to no avail. So I have another camera body on order, and in the mean time I have been using my Canon point and shoot camera, with very sad results. I guess the only way to salvage this week will be to bring the peonies indoors. I have cut so many peony blooms this year for enjoyment inside and to decorate for our reception and my brother's baby shower. All of the cut peonies were very beautiful, and everyone who saw them was so impressed. So if you're facing a very wet week during your peony bloom season, cut away, and bring the joy and sweetness inside!
My 5 Day Weather Forecast

2012 First Peony Bloom of the Season!

I can hardly believe it! My first peony bloom opened this week on Monday, March 26, 2012. It was Peony 'Early Scout', a single red peony of short stature. Many of the single peonies bloom first, and 'Early Scout' is usually one of the first peonies to bloom here for me. I knew it had been an extremely warm spring, and that it could have been any day for the peony blooms to start opening, but somehow I still feel like it snuck up on me. I hope this year will be a good one for the peony blooms. It has already rained quite a bit right before the bloom season, so maybe it will be a bit dryer this year during the bloom season. Last year it was so wet during our peony bloom season that most of the flowers turned to mush which didn't allow for very many pictures taking opportunities. So hopefully this year the rainy weather will be a bit more even tempered instead of continuous! I've volunteered to host a family gathering next weekend. So I'm hoping that several peony varieties will be in bloom then because my mother and grandmother (who was a big influence in my love of gardening) also love peonies. Spring has sprung! :)
Peony 'Early Scout'

2010 Peonies in the Rain

Wow! It's raining. September was shaping up to be the driest on record because we'd had little to no rain all month. I think the official measurement is 0.13 inches for the month. It looks like we've had 0.80 inches so far today, and it's still raining. I hope this helps the peonies. I don't really know what this drought is going to do to next year's blooms. Next spring the bud and stem counts are likely to be lower than they would have been. I was also hoping to plant peony seeds, but have delayed that since it has been so dry. Maybe now we'll be getting a steady supply of rain, and the seeds would actually sprout instead of dry up!

2010 Summer Watering Peonies

Wow. We are only 1 week into the summer, and it is already bad. It is soo hot (100 degrees yesterday), and it hasn't rained in over two weeks, since June 13th. I felt so sorry for some of my peonies that I had to water a couple of them today. A few of them were drooping, and on some of them the leaves have turned yellow. This is not good. I hope we get some rain soon!

2010 Rain on Peonies

Rain sure can put a damper on things. I am so grateful for the rain, though. Everything was drying up around here. The grass was getting so dry. So I am sure the peonies appreciate the rain since I don't usually give them any extra water besides what Mother Nature provides. I have watered them on rare occasions in the summer when they've looked so droopy and desperate. Let's hope they don't get that way this year. Right now however we are dealing with a wet spell... I'm curious to see what affect this rain has on the foliage, since it seems most of the peonies have been disease free in the dry spell. Here's a picture of what were some lovely blooms all turned to mush from a couple days of rain...