2011 Peony Propagation

I went to the Carolina spring plant swap this weekend. I got lots of nice plants, but there was only 1 peony there. I guess it inspired me to get some peonies together for the next plant swap. If we want to spread the joy of peonies, it is the responsibility of us peony lovers to share what we have with others. In past years I have brought peony roots to the fall swap. Next time I will be sharing peony plants. Here are a few of the seedlings I potted up yesterday so that I can bring them to the next plant swap. So if you love peonies share them! Give a seedling to a neighbor or a piece of your root to your friend or family member! Help us grow the love of peonies!

2011 Heaven on a Peony Flower

Wow! I just went out in my garden this afternoon, and I saw it. Heaven on a flower! Peony 'Lavender' is actually in bloom in MY garden!!! I have been wanting this peony for quite some time, and it is beautiful. I planted it in the Fall of 2009, and this is the first spring it has bloomed with 3 blossoms - well worth the wait. It also seems to be growing quite well in this climate.

Peony 'Lavender'

Peony 'Lavender'

The Great Peony Massacre of 2011

So today I was cleaning up my peonies (late again, I know!), and I actually chopped off one of their heads. If you look at the pink bud in the middle of the picture, you'll notice that it has been decisively severed from its root. So here's the lesson for all of you. If you haven't cut down all of last year's peony stems yet, do it now before this year's stems and blooms are sacrificed. Don't wait too long so that you can prevent unnecessary bud loss. :-)

2011 Peonies on Ice

Well, I have heard of some extreme peony enthusiasts putting ice on their peonies in rather warm growing zones, like zones 9 and 10, in order to encourage their peonies to bloom. I guess they are trying to meet the required number of chilling hours needed to develop the blooms. I've never tried that myself, but last night Mother Nature put my peonies on ice. I think this has been the coldest and most snowy fall and winter that I can remember. I am really curious to see how this cold weather will affect the peonies in the spring...

2010 Peony Winter Weather

The weather! It has been so cold all of a sudden, and it isn't even really winter quite yet. We had a pretty good snow that blanketed most surfaces besides the roads (thank goodness) with quite a coat of snow cover. I'm sure the peonies are loving the cold temperatures. I hope the new plantings and seeds have had enough time to get their roots growing or established and ready for the next growing season. The snow cover has melted now, but the temperatures are remaining quite low. Hopefully all of this cold weather will equal lots of blooms come spring!