2018 $1.69 'Sarah Bernhardt' Peony Not True to Name

$1.69 Peony from Aldi's - Not 'Sarah Bernhardt'
This seems like an appropriate story for Halloween. Is the $1.69 'Sarah Bernhardt' Peony a Trick or Treat? I guess that depends on how you look at it. This peony I purchased in 2016 Peony 'Sarah Bernhardt' for $1.69 at Aldi's! did not turn out to be the correct variety, Peony 'Sarah Bernhardt'. It look more like Peony 'Paula Fay' to me (hot pink in color instead of light pink and single to semi-double in nature instead of fully double), but who knows what cultivar it really is, if it is even a named cultivar. I originally planted and purchased 3 bags of this peony. The first one bloomed this year. I'm guessing the other two will bloom next year. I did see it fully open, but I didn't get a picture of it. This was right before my trip to China, 2018 Southern Peony Visits China National Flower Garden 中国国花园. So I guess I was just busy getting ready for the trip and missed taking the open bloom photo. Hopefully I will get a picture of it this coming spring when the rest of them bloom. As for whether this was a Trick or a Treat, I guess it could really be both. It was definitely a Trick since it was not the correct cultivar, but it could also be considered a Treat since the peony was so cheap, just $1.69 and the one of the plants bloomed on its second spring! Happy Halloween!


Sign for Peony 'Sarah Bernhardt'

$1.69 Peony from Aldi's - Not 'Sarah Bernhardt'

2018 Peony Growers Root Size Comparison

I haven't really compared peony vendors since my 2009 Fall Peony Orders article. So it has been almost 10 years! Since I ordered a couple peony roots from so many different vendors this year, I thought it would be nice to do another comparison to see what people are sending out nowadays and how they stack up. Also a couple of caveats here. Different peony cultivars could have larger or smaller roots, so this is just a general guide - although some vendors do routinely sent much larger roots. (HINT: Check the box sizes - they usually correspond to how large or small the peony growers trim their roots.) Also the length of the peony roots is measured, but not the width (which does matter too). Perhaps next time, I will weigh them to see how "much" peony you're actually getting -- too late now since most of these have been planted. I think most people have measured peony roots on the number of eyes they have, but the more root they have to go with it, the better they will grow!

* These peony growers are listed in alphabetical order.

Adelman Peony Gardens

Adelman Peony Gardens - 10.5" Root Size
Size of Root: 10.5 inches Packing Material: Peat Shipping Carrier: USPS Priority Mail (1-3 Days) Box Size: large, 12 x 12 x 6 Large Flat Rate Box Shipping Cost: $12.95 Peonies in Box: 2 (1 APS Auction root shipped free in the same box)

Brooks Gardens

Brooks Gardens - 9" Root Size
Size of Root: 9 inches Packing Material: Peat Shipping Carrier: USPS Priority Mail (1-3 Days) Box Size: small, 10 x 7 x 5 Regional Rate Box A Shipping Cost: $8.00 Peonies in Box: 2

Fina Gardens

Fina Gardens - 8.5" Root Size
Size of Root: 8.5 inches Packing Material: Peat Shipping Carrier: USPS Priority Mail (1-3 Days) Box Size: small, 10 x 7 x 5 Regional Rate Box A Shipping Cost: $14.00 Peonies in Box: 2

Hidden Springs Flower Farm

Hidden Springs Flower Farm - 8" Root Size
Size of Root: 8 inches Packing Material: Wood Chips, Shredded Newspaper Shipping Carrier: USPS Priority Mail (1-3 Days) Box Size: small, 10 x 7 x 5 Regional Rate Box A Shipping Cost: $18.00 Peonies in Box: 3

Hollingsworth Peonies

Hollingsworth Peonies - 11" Root Size
Size of Root: 11 inches Packing Material: Peat Shipping Carrier: USPS Priority Mail (1-3 Days) Box Size: medium, 11 x 8 x 6 Medium Flat Rate Box Shipping Cost: $18.50 Peonies in Box: 2

Solaris Farms

Solaris Farms - 7" Root Size
Size of Root: 7 inches Packing Material: Peat Shipping Carrier: USPS Priority Mail (1-3 Days) Box Size: medium, 11 x 8 x 6 Medium Flat Rate Box Shipping Cost: $18.00 Peonies in Box: 4

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow - 7" Root Size
Size of Root: 7 inches Packing Material: Sphagnum Moss Shipping Carrier: UPS Ground (4-7 Days) Box Size: small, 8 x 8 x 8 Shipping Cost: $27.25 Peonies in Box: 4

2018 Song Sparrow Peony Sale 30% Off All Herbaceous Peonies

Song Sparrow End-of-Season Sale
30% Off All Herbaceous Peonies
It looks like they're putting on another great sale at Klehm's Song Sparrow, an End-of-Season Peony Sale - 30% off all herbaceous peonies. If you've still got a few more peonies on your wish list, now's the time to nab them before they're gone! Song Sparrow usually offers a buy 2, get the 3rd peony free sale (with the lowest price of 3 free). So this sale should be an even better deal than usual, especially if you are buying peonies with different prices. They have several great APS award winning peonies on sale (which are easily noted by the "☆AWARD WINNER" designation they have on their web site). They also have a few Saunders peonies for sale (search for Saunders) and lots of Krekler and Klehm selections to choose from. There are even a few Reath peonies on sale, including Peony 'Lemon Chiffon', which if you don't own, you really should! The sale ends November 12, 2018, and some coveted peony varieties will start to sell out. So place your order early for the best selection! Check it out!


Peony 'Lemon Chiffon' on Sale
at Klehm's Song Sparrow

2018 Peony Experiments - A Tale of Two 'Kansas'es (Peonies That Is)

There once was a peony named 'Kansas' who lived in a garden in North Carolina, but there were actually two of them. One lived in full sun in the middle of the garden and was quite happy. The other one lived in part sun / part shade, and was always a grump. The 'Kansas' that lived in part shade was always jealous of the 'Kansas' that lived in full sun. That full sun 'Kansas' had everything it needed to grow and bloom beautifully - full sun, plenty of water, and no competition from tree and shrub roots. The part shade 'Kansas' wanted to grow and bloom as big and beautifully as the full sun 'Kansas', and it put forth a great attempt, even getting 7 blooms one year. Sadly the full sun 'Kansas' just could not sustain the growth or blooms. Each year the competition got more fierce, the sun's rays became dimmer, and there was less and less water available. One day the full sun 'Kansas' suggested the part shade 'Kansas' find a new home - one with more sun, more water, and no competition. The part shade 'Kansas' had never thought of this before, but liked the idea. It was sad to leave it's home after 10 years, but decided to go and live in the sun with some other peony friends at Grandma's house.


A Tale of Two 'Kansas'es (Peonies That Is)

BLOOMS
Year	'Kansas' #1 Blooms Partial Sun	'Kansas' #2 Blooms Full Sun
2009	0	1
2010	3	27
2011	3	35
2012	1	14
2013	7	28
2014	7	39
2015	0	7
2016	1	22
2017	2	18
2018	2	30

Needless to say I decided to dig up one of my 'Kansas' peonies and give it to my Grandma. My grandmother lives on a bit of farmland with plenty of sun. She loves the dark colored peonies, and since this one, Peony 'Kansas', is an APS Gold Medal Winner and a Southern Peony Best Performer, I thought it would be nice to share it with her. As you can see from the charts here, the full sun 'Kansas' grew to full size rather quickly. (I'm sure I should divide it.) However the part sun 'Kansas' never got more than 4 stems and 7 bloom, and has since declined. The full sun 'Kansas' records are 16 stems and 39 blooms, quite a difference! So if you have any doubts about where to plant your peonies this fall, - FULL SUN!!! Pick a nice spot in the middle of your yard with no trees or shrubs nearby, and if you need more ideas on where to plant, check out our Top 5 Spots to Plant a Peony. If you're interested in checking out some of our past experiments, you can check them out here, Peony Experiments.

STEMS
Year	'Kansas' #1 Stems Partial Sun	'Kansas' #2 Stems Full Sun
2009	2	3
2010	4	13
2011	4	12
2012	3	13
2013	4	16
2014	4	15
2015	3	15
2016	2	14
2017	2	14
2018	2	14

2018 Southern Peony 'Hillary' Ships to Winner - Jill in MN

The first of this month, October, I shipped out the prize to the 2018 Southern Peony Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' Winner Selected in April. The winner was Jill from Benson, Minnesota. The growing zone in Benson, MN is 4b. That's 3 whole growing zones colder than ours. I'm sure the Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' will settle in nicely, and I can't wait to hear how it does. Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' is one of our Southern Peony Best Performers. This intersectional peony was given away to celebrate an amazing milestone for us, 2018 Southern Peony Hits 250,000 Pageviews!!. Next year will be our 10 year anniversary, so keep your eye out for another great giveaway to celebrate our 10 years of writing about peonies! Thanks again to each and everyone of our loyal Southern Peony readers!


Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' Ships to Winner
in Benson, MN, Growing Zone 4b