2013 Peony Experiments - Intersectional Divisions

I am happy to report that 5 of the 6 Peony 'Bartzella' root divisions that I planted last fall, in the 2012 Peony Experiments - Intersectional Divisions, have come up! Even one of the divisions with no roots sprouted. I didn't apply any rooting hormone or fertilizer, and I gave them very little supplemental water. Mother Nature did her thing! Some of the peony divisions even have multiple stems sprouting from the base! The only one that didn't sprout at all was the division that had no roots and the stem was old wood. The other division that had no roots came up, and that one had new wood. So it seems that the intersectional peony divisions can generate roots when there aren't any, if the division is a new stem. So get out there and start dividing your peonies! Fill up your yard, and then fill up your friends and neighbors yards too! :-) Share the love!

Peony 'Bartzella' Division with Small Roots Sprouting
Peony 'Bartzella' Division with Tiny Roots Sprouting
Peony 'Bartzella' Division with No Roots Sprouting (New Wood)	Peony 'Bartzella' Division with No Roots Not Sprouting (Old Wood)

2013 Ali Express Chinese Tree Peony Seeds

I got the Tree Peony Seeds from China a couple weeks ago that I ordered from Ali Express, but I finally got them all translated and labels made for them today. It certainly helps to have a Chinese husband who can read the characters and translate them for me, since they didn't come with any English names. I ended up getting 7 seeds of each of 15 different varieties. Here are the names in English of the Chinese tree peonies that I received: Black Bouquet, Black Sea Scattered Gold, Blue Field Jade, Champion Dark Jade, Colorful Bell, Dark Black Purple, Entangled Golden Jade, Green Fragrant Ball, Fledgling, Golden Attic, Red Clouds in Hundred Garden, Red Guardian, Smoky Dragon's Purple Jewelry Plate, Splendid Dark Gold, and Wei Purple. Now I just need to soak them and get them planted! I'm guessing that most of these will not germinate this year since it is already spring here now. So I guess I'll be waiting until next spring to see if any of them sprout. My husband said that Wei Purple is supposed to be named for a famous family in China, and he said he couldn't wait to see what that one looked like. I can't wait either since purple is my favorite color! :)

Chinese Tree Peony Seeds from Ali Express

2013 Spring Peony Catalogs

I was sad to receive an email this year saying that Klehm's Song Sparrow will no longer be publishing a print catalog. The internet, that I love and with which I publish this blog, has created a different & cheaper way of communicating with customers. It is with great sorrow that I let go of these printed catalogs that I could read at my leisure, without having to pay an electricity bill to view them! I hope all of the other peony catalogs do not go this way. The only catalogs I've received this year were from Adelman Peony Gardens, Gilbert H. Wild, and Homestead Farms. Also I just received my American Peony Society bulletin last week, and in it there was a letter stating that Hollingsworth Peonies was sold and they will no longer be mailing a print catalog either. It seems they will only be publishing their catalog online now too. How sad. I hope the nursery continues to offer great peonies as it has in the past. I have gotten some great peonies and some great advice from Hollingsworth Peonies.

2013 Peony Experiments - Peony Seeds in Bags

After ordering some Peony Seeds from Hirt's Gardens, I decided to grow the seeds in plastic bags based on some interesting instructions the seeds came with. I've never grown any peony seeds in bags before. So I decided to give it a try to see what would happen, whether they would sprout, and what the germination rates would be following this method. It has been three weeks now, and as you can see, there are no peony seeds sprouting in any of my plastic bags. In fact the only thing sprouting in my plastic bags is mold. As you can see in the second picture below, the two P. ludlowii seeds are both covered in mold. The rest of the bags appear to be mold free, but they are also root free as well. I am still going to plant these seeds in the ground, and hopefully some of them will still sprout anyway. For me this method did not work. I'd be curious to know if anyone else has been successful with this method, and if they have any tips. Sometime I think keeping things simple is the best way, let Mother Nature work her magic...
Peony Seeds in Bags with Moist Vermiculite


Mold Growing on Peony Seeds in Bag

2013 Half Price Peony at Local Nursery

Wow! Did I get lucky! I went to get my oil changed this week, and I always take my car to a place that's near one of my favorite local nurseries. I usually walk over there to check to see what they have on sale while my car is being worked on. Well yesterday when I went there I found a Peony 'Coral Sunset' that had an orange sale sticker on it, and all of their sale items were 50% off. The original price was $24.99. So that made it only $12.50! Yes, I already have Peony 'Coral Sunset', but who could resist another one for 50% off? So of course I bought it, and I got it planted today. So keep your eyes open when shopping at your local nurseries. They may have some peonies from last year's stock on sale! Since this Peony 'Coral Sunset' was growing in a pot, I actually planted it more shallow in the ground than it was growing in the pot, as evidenced by the whitish color at the base of the stems. This portion of the stem was previously under the soil when it was growing in the pot, but due to our climate here, I knocked off a bit of the soil from the top of the peony root, and planted the roots close to the surface. This way the peony roots will get the chilling hours required to generate bloom here.
Half Price Potted Peony 'Coral Sunset'


Planted Peony 'Coral Sunset'