2012 Peony 'Feather Top' Best Performer - Week 7

By far my favorite this week has been Peony 'Feather Top'. The blooms on this peony are huge and the variation in petals and color makes this flower a real winner. There's an outer layer of hot pink guard petals topped by yellow tipped petaloids with a crown of hot pink. Peony 'Feather Top' was hybridized by Wild & Son and registered in 1967. It is not currently a Gold Medal winner, but I definitely think it should be considered for it. This peony took a little time to get adjusted to my southern climate, but now it has really taken off in growth and in blooms. This peony definitely deserves a spot in your garden!
Peony 'Feather Top'
Southern Peony Best Performer


Peony 'Feather Top'
Southern Peony Best Performer

2012 Peony Blooms Very Late - Week 7

This has definitely been one of the longest peony blooms seasons I've ever had. I think the weather really helped or cooperated with the peonies this year. It warmed up rather early in the spring with no late frost and it's been a temperate spring so far. It hasn't really jumped straight from winter into the 90s like it usually does! :) I think the only complaint I have with many of the late season peonies is they seem to have floppy stems so their flowers really need staking! Peony 'Kelway's Glorious' has huge symmetrical white blooms. Peony 'Moonstone' was a real star in my garden this year with beautiful pink flowers that seem resistant to bud blast and bud rot. Peony 'Uncle Tom' has a deep red color that is hard to find. Peony 'Yellow Crown' has so many bright yellow petals that it is a real treasure.

Peony 'Kelway's Glorious'	Peony 'Moonstone'
Peony 'Uncle Tom'	Peony 'Yellow Crown'

2012 American Peony Society Convention Registration

OMG! I am so excited!!! I just booked my trip for the 2012 American Peony Society Convention. So if you're going too, please say hello to me. I'd love to meet you! The excitement is almost overwhelming! I can't wait to see all the beautiful peonies, pick the brains of the hybridizers, chat with the convention attendees, find out which peonies are going to be selected for the Gold Medal and Award of Landscape Merit. And who could forget about the Best in Show? This is going to be awesome! Plus I've never been to Nebraska, and it sounds like they've got some interesting sights for us to check out on the tour - Joslyn Castle and the Sass Memorial Iris and Peony Garden at Lauritzen Gardens in Mahoney State Park. If you've never been before and are interested, you should come. It's definitely a peony lover's vacation! I can't wait!

2012 Peony 'Angel Cheeks' Best Performer - Week 6

Week 6 was another great week in the peony bloom season here in the South! It's been amazing how many peonies have been blooming and the number of blooms. Peony 'Angel Cheeks' was definitely the winner in my garden this week, and the cheeks on this peony were too cute to resist! This peony started blooming on April 22, and still has a few blooms left today, May 9th! The varied form of the double blooms and the variety of colors in each bloom make this plant very attractive. Each bloom is unique in form and color, and it's always a pleasant surprise! Peony 'Angel Cheeks' is also an American Peony Society Gold Medal winner from 2005, and this hard working and beautiful peony really earns its medal!

Peony 'Angel Cheeks'
Southern Peony Best Performer


Peony 'Angel Cheeks'
Southern Peony Best Performer

2012 Peony Blooms Late Season - Week 6

Wow, I think this is going to be the best late/very late season I've ever had in my garden. I actually have enough mature varieties to keep the blooms going a bit later this year. That and the weather has been much more cooperative this year. The rain has come only a day at a time, giving the blooms time to dry out after a shower. Peony 'Myra MacRae' has a lovely lavender tint to her pink double blossoms. Peony 'Solange' has a complex coloring with hints white and salmon in a pale pink very full double bloom. Peony 'Vivid Rose' has a nice medium pink shade with casual petals arranged in a symmetrical shape. Peony 'Walter Mains' has hot pink guard petals around central yellow tuft with sometimes small hot pink petaloids in the center. Nice!

Peony 'Myra MacRae'	Peony 'Solange'
Peony 'Vivid Rose'	Peony 'Walter Mains'