2019 Peonies & Butterflies

I didn't capture a ton of butterfly photos in the peony garden this year, but I did catch a couple. I thought it was fun to research this moth & butterfly to see what their names were. The black and white spotted one is a Mournful Thyris Moth, and the brown one with orange and white markings is a Spotted Skipper Butterfly. It was so nice to have them in the garden too. There were several other butterflies enjoying the peonies, but some of them were too fast for me to get a photo. (If you want to take a closer look at these, just click the photo and a larger version will appear.) If anyone else was able to capture some butterflies on their peonies this year, please share. I'd love to see them! :-)


Peony 'Pastelorama'
Mournful Thyris Moth

Intersectional Peony 'Morning Lilac'
Spotted Skipper Butterfly

2019 Intersectional Peony Color Combinations

Intersectional Peonies 'Hillary' & 'Canary Brilliants'
I just wanted to share with you a few intersectional peony color combinations I captured during the bloom season this year (and no these are not on the same bush). These shots are on 2 different bushes that are planted next to each other. I don't want to get any of my varieties mixed up. So I always try to mix up the color combinations when planting my intersectional peonies out. Anyway when I saw these combinations in the garden, I just couldn't help but snap a shot of them. Some of them are complementary, some of them are contrasting, but any way you slice it they are all eye catching and gorgeous! I hope you enjoy!


Intersectional Peonies 'Sonoma Apricot' & 'Ballarena de Saval'

Intersectional Peonies 'Hillary' & 'Morning Lilac'

Intersectional Peonies 'Sonoma Apricot' & 'Ballarena de Saval'

2019 Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Blessing' a Tiny Blessing

Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Blessing'
I must say I was also impressed with Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Blessing' this year! This was also its first year, and although it didn't match the bloom count on 2019 Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour' Has 8 Blooms in First Year!, it actually did pretty well with 6 blooms in its first year. I really like the delicate pattern on the petals, a mixture of a pale pink petal with hot pink streaks! There's also some pretty hot pink flares in the center as well, that are kind of shaped like small rounded flower petals too. This plant seems to have a shorter stature as well (so far), making me think of this peony as a "tiny blessing"!


Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Blessing'
First Round of Blooms
The "blessing" in this peony also seems to be another round of blooms. After the first set of blooms had faded, another set quickly began to open, almost coming back to life! I purchased this peony from Adelman Peony Gardens, and I must say I always get very sizable peony roots from them. So I'm sure that had something to do with this plant's wonderful first year performance! This peony's second set of blooms seem to open a bit lighter than the first set of blooms, giving the blooms a more of a peppermint look than the first set.


Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Blessing'
From the 2019 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List, it doesn't look like anyone is offering this variety this year, but from the 2018 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List, it looks like both Adelmans and Solaris Farms both offered it for sale last year. So I would keep an eye out for their catalogs next year if you are interested in acquiring one of these petite beauties. It looks like this variety isn't registered with the American Peony Society. Hopefully it will be registered one day, though! It's too cute not to be! :-)


Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Blessing'
Second Round of Blooms

2019 Intersectional Peonies with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals
I could barely believe this eye-popping bloom on my Peony 'Kopper Kettle' plant this year, and it wasn't the only one. There were actually several blooms on my Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle' with varying degrees of color separation, but this one was by far the most dramatic. Usually my Peony 'Kopper Kettle' is a fun mix of orange, yellow, and coral. This year it was much different. Some of the blooms were the normal color, but several were not. Peony 'Kopper Kettle' was also not the only intersectional peony with color block petals on some of its blooms in my garden this year. Peony 'Singing in the Rain' and Peony 'Lemon Dream' both also have color blocked petals this year. If you don't yet grow any intersectional peonies, this might be another reason to add some to your garden! Enjoy!!


Intersectional Peony 'Singing in the Rain'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Lemon Dream'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

2019 Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour' Has 8 Blooms in First Year!

Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour'
I must say I was really impressed with Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour' this year! This was the very first growing year for me for this peony. I just planted it last fall 2018. So it was really a shock to me when this peony grew so large and had so many blooms on it the very first year! I don't think I've had any other peony grow so large and have so many bloom on it in its first year of growth. Sometimes I will get a first year bloom from the stored energy in the peony's root system, but that's just one bloom, maybe, but 8? That's just amazing!!! I can't wait to see what this Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour' does next year!


Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour'
I actually got this peony from Solaris Farms. So maybe that says more about the vendor than the peony variety, but I'm thinking it is probably some of both. This intersectional variety seems to hold a lot of promise. I'm wondering if it will come close to the performance of my 2019 360° View of Intersectional Peony 'Keiko' 愛幕 (Adored) - 'Pink Double Dandy', one of the best performing intersectional peonies in my garden. This peony was hybridized by Don Smith, and he mentions it in my 2016 interview with him as one of his "oldies but goodies", 2016 Peony Hybridizer Interview - Don R. Smith (I had been trying to get my hands on one of them ever since!)


Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour'
This peony actually goes through a range of colors, which seems to be appropriate as the name of the variety suggests not only that the hybridizer Don Smith is a fan of the Beatles, but that the peony goes through a rainbow like transformation during its bloom season fitting with the rainbow-like theme of the Magical Mystery Tour movie and album. The blooms of Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour' open as a beautiful coral pink color, fading to a variety of coral peach and pinky cream tones over time. The blooms also have almost 2 rounds of blooming each year as well, as hybridizer Don Smith likes to select for extended bloom season in his varieties.


Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour'
Right when you least expect it, a second set of blooms open on the plant. It's almost as if the entire plant reset itself for another round of blooming. The first set of blooms had completely finished, and then almost as if by surprise, another set of blooms begins to open like magic! It was so nice to see a whole other round of blooming after the first blooms had finished. It was like I got a bonus bloom season from this variety! I don't think I've ever seen any other peony plant behave quite that way. Maybe it was just the weather, but I'm guessing this one will extend it's bloom season again next year. Maybe it won't be in the exact same dramatic fashion as it was in its first bloom season, but I'm guessing it will be another "magical mystery tour"...


Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour'
If you have not yet gotten a chance to purchase this variety, check out our 2019 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List to see where it is available. It looks like it is sold out at Solaris Farms this year, as I don't see it on their web site anymore. However check back in January for our 2020 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List to see which vendors will be offering it next year. Also there a lots of other great intersectional peonies still available for shipping this year. If you still have a few spots to fill, I'd definitely recommend an intersectional peony, they are just great growers (especially in the South)!


Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour'

Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour'

Intersectional Peony 'Magical Mystery Tour'