Saunders Peony Garden - April 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
2013 Where are the Peony Blooms???
Where are the peony blooms this year? According to my records from last year my peonies started blooming on March 26, 2012. I think I must have gotten spoiled last year, because now I feel like my peonies are a couple of weeks late. So I decided to look back at all of my peony start Bloom Dates back to 2006, the first year my Early Scout peony bloomed. That year my peonies started blooming on April 7, 2006, which is 96 days into the year. So I decided to find out the average and mean start dates for my peony bloom season thus far. We had a really long winter this year. Weather-wise, winter really only ended 2 weeks ago - the temperatures for the high were in the 50s every day. Then we had one week of spring, with moderate temperatures. This past week has been summer, with the highs in the 80s! So the weather changed really fast this year. We had an extended winter that turned right into summer! Anyway the mean (average) peony bloom season start date for my area with the data I've collected so far is 91.85, and the mean is 94. So that means the average start date and the mean start date for my area this year is April 2, 2013 and April 5, 2013. So the peony blooms are about a week and half to 2 weeks late this year! This year will be the latest peony bloom start of any year since I've been keeping track. The latest date I've had before this year was April 11, 2009 (100 days). Today is April 14th, and they haven't bloomed yet. They should be blooming soon, though!
Saunders Peony Garden - April 2013
Saunders Peony Garden - April 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
2013 Intersectional/Itoh Peony Buds
OMG! This is going to be an exciting year in my garden for intersectional peony blooms. I am super excited! I tried to count all of the buds I could find on the intersectional plants that I have, and it looks like there will be more varieties of intersectional peonies blooming in one year in my garden than ever before. Even some of the new plants from the 2012 Peony Experiments - Intersectional Divisions have buds on them. I took some pictures today of as many different intersectional peony buds that I could find. It looks like I have blooms developing on at least 11 different varieties! There may be more to come. I have been eagerly reviewing the intersectional peonies almost daily for buds, and each day I find more and more. Here are the pictures of the ones I have so far. They are in various stages of development...
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Thursday, April 11, 2013
2013 P. Rockii Peony Plant Arrived
Well, the P. Rockii Species Peony from Edelweiss Perennials that I ordered last week arrived today. It looks like a nice size plant, although the leaves looked a little wilted, presumably from its trip through the mail system. So I decided to let it take a dip and rest in the shade this afternoon. The plant was well protected in its box except for its dirt, some of which was dispersed inside the package. The roots of the tree peony were showing since the top soil has been displaced. (This could have been prevented by putting the pot in a plastic bag and using a twist tie to close the plastic bag around the stem. I've gotten several other plants in the mail this way, and it seems to work very well.) So anyway I added a little potting soil and water to the top of 4" pot, that was supposed to be a quart - which I plan to contact the company about. So we will see what they say about that. Otherwise, the plant seems to be a good one with nice foliage. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, which is good since it's so hot all of a sudden. Hopefully it will cool us down a bit and keep the ground a little moist. Then I should be able to plant out this P. rockii on Saturday. :-)
P. Rockii Peony Plant
P. Rockii Peony Plant
Sunday, April 7, 2013
2013 P. Rockii Species Peonies at Edelweiss Perennials
Wow. Google is my friend. :-) I found a P. rockii peony using Google offered by Edelweiss Perennials. I've never heard of this nursery before, but I thought I'd take a chance. It seems like they a large variety of plants. They even have several other species peonies to choose from (Paeonia delavayi, Paeonia intermedia, Paeonia lutea var. ludlowii, Paeonia mairei, Paeonia mascula subsp. arietina, Paeonia mlokosewitschii, Paeonia obovata var. willmottiae, Paeonia peregrina, Paeonia potaninii, Paeonia rockii ssp. rockii, and Paeonia tenuifolia). Some of them I've not seen offered elsewhere (like Paeonia intermedia, P. mairei, P. potaninii, P. triternata), and their prices are very reasonable. If the P. rockii peony I purchase from them does well, I may order some additional species plants from them later this year or next year. I'm really excited to see the white and purple blooms of the Paeonia rockii!
P. rockii Peony at Edelweiss Perennials
P. rockii Peony at Edelweiss Perennials
Thursday, April 4, 2013
2013 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List
So. I really like intersectional peonies (also known as Itoh peonies). I've collected quite a few of them, but I definitely do not have them all (especially some of the more expensive varieties). So I've been keeping my eye on their prices, and they have been coming down in price as they become more common in the marketplace. I created a spreadsheet with all of the available varieties for 2013 from nurseries that specialize in peonies. I haven't ordered from all of these vendors, so I can't speak for their quality or reliability, but I thought this might be helpful information for other gardeners out there looking to collect intersectional peonies as well or maybe just add the first one to your garden. Also if you have your heart set on a particular variety, get your order in early, because some of these will sell out (and some of them already have)! Enjoy!
| Intersectional Peony | Price | Vendor |
| Al's Choice | $89.00 | Brooks |
| Ballarena de Saval | $70.00 | Adelman |
| Bartzella | $45.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Bartzella | $60.00 | Fina |
| Bartzella | $75.00 | Swenson |
| Bartzella | $79.00 | Brooks |
| Bartzella | $79.00 | Buck Canyon |
| Bartzella | $79.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Bartzella | $80.00 | Adelman |
| Bartzella | $80.00 | Hollingsworth |
| Bartzella | $85.00 | Birchwood |
| Bartzella | $95.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Bartzella | $99.00 | Cricket Hill |
| Border Charm | $39.99 | Hidden Springs |
| Border Charm | $40.00 | Adelman |
| Border Charm | $40.00 | Swenson |
| Border Charm | $45.00 | Birchwood |
| Border Charm | $45.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Border Charm | $59.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Callie's Memory | $59.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Callie's Memory | $75.00 | Brooks |
| Callie's Memory | $95.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Callie's Memory | $100.00 | Swenson |
| Canary Brilliants | $59.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Canary Brilliants | $70.00 | Adelman |
| Canary Brilliants | $75.00 | Swenson |
| Canary Brilliants | $90.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Chief Black Hawk | $285.00 | Brooks |
| Copper Kettle | $150.00 | Swenson |
| Cora Louise | $60.00 | Adelman |
| Cora Louise | $60.00 | Brooks |
| Cora Louise | $60.00 | Hollingsworth |
| Cora Louise | $75.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Cora Louise | $80.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Cora Louise | $99.00 | Cricket Hill |
| Court Jester | $100.00 | Swenson |
| First Arrival | $45.00 | Solaris Farms |
| First Arrival | $60.00 | Adelman |
| First Arrival | $75.00 | Buck Canyon |
| First Arrival | $75.00 | Song Sparrow |
| First Arrival | $75.00 | Swenson |
| First Arrival | C$130.00 | Blossom Hill |
| Garden Treasure | $50.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Garden Treasure | $55.00 | Fina |
| Garden Treasure | $65.00 | Swenson |
| Garden Treasure | $68.00 | Hollingsworth |
| Garden Treasure | $69.99 | Hidden Springs |
| Garden Treasure | $79.00 | Brooks |
| Garden Treasure | $80.00 | Adelman |
| Garden Treasure | $80.00 | Buck Canyon |
| Garden Treasure | $85.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Garden Treasure | $89.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Garden Treasure | $90.00 | Bannister |
| Garden Treasure | $99.00 | Cricket Hill |
| Going Bananas | $40.00 | Adelman |
| Going Bananas | C$130.00 | Blossom Hill |
| Gordon E. Simonson | $250.00 | Adelman |
| Hidden Treasure | $35.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Hillary | $48.00 | Hollingsworth |
| Hillary | $50.00 | Adelman |
| Hillary | $55.00 | Brooks |
| Hillary | $59.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Hillary | $60.00 | Buck Canyon |
| Hillary | $60.00 | Fina |
| Hillary | $75.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Hillary | $75.00 | Swenson |
| Joanna Marlene | $75.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Joanna Marlene | $80.00 | Adelman |
| Joanna Marlene | $100.00 | Swenson |
| Julia Rose | $65.00 | Swenson |
| Julia Rose | $75.00 | Adelman |
| Julia Rose | $75.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Julia Rose | C$130.00 | Blossom Hill |
| Kaleidoscope | $75.00 | Swenson |
| Kaleidoscope | $99.00 | Buck Canyon |
| Kopper Kettle | $99.00 | Adelman |
| Lafayette Escadrille | $48.00 | Hollingsworth |
| Lemon Dream | $45.00 | Adelman |
| Lemon Dream | $48.00 | Hollingsworth |
| Lemon Dream | $50.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Lemon Dream | $59.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Lemon Dream | $75.00 | Swenson |
| Little Darlin | $60.00 | Birchwood |
| Little Darlin | $65.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Lollipop | $90.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Love Affair | $150.00 | Adelman |
| Love Affair | $150.00 | Hollingsworth |
| Maroon Dragon Claw | $89.00 | Cricket Hill |
| Morning Lilac | $64.00 | Buck Canyon |
| Morning Lilac | $70.00 | Adelman |
| New Millennium | $200.00 | Adelman |
| New Millennium | $250.00 | Swenson |
| Norwegian Blush | $95.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Old Rose Dandy | $45.00 | Adelman |
| Old Rose Dandy | $45.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Old Rose Dandy | $45.00 | Swenson |
| Old Rose Dandy | $59.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Pastel Splendor | $35.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Pastel Splendor | $40.00 | Swenson |
| Pastel Splendor | $45.00 | Adelman |
| Pastel Splendor | $65.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Pastel Splendor | $79.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Pastel Splendor | C$80.00 | Blossom Hill |
| Prairie Charm | $40.00 | Adelman |
| Prairie Charm | $50.00 | Birchwood |
| Prairie Charm | $50.00 | Hollingsworth |
| Prairie Charm | $50.00 | Swenson |
| Prairie Charm | $54.95 | Hidden Springs |
| Prairie Charm | $59.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Prairie Charm | $60.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Prairie Charm | $75.00 | Bannister |
| Prairie Sunshine | $80.00 | Hollingsworth |
| Rosy Prospects | $200.00 | Swenson |
| Royal Blush | $150.00 | Swenson |
| Saffron Innocence | $200.00 | Swenson |
| Scarlet Heaven | $40.00 | Adelman |
| Scarlet Heaven | $40.00 | Swenson |
| Scarlet Heaven | $55.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Scarlet Heaven | $59.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Scarlet Heaven | C$80.00 | Blossom Hill |
| Scarlet Heaven | $99.00 | Cricket Hill |
| Sequestered Sunshine | $50.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Smith Family Yellow | $99.00 | Adelman |
| Sonoma Amethyst | $65.00 | Adelman |
| Sonoma Apricot | $55.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Sonoma Sun | $80.00 | Adelman |
| Sonoma Velvet Ruby | $80.00 | Adelman |
| Sonoma Welcome | $55.00 | Adelman |
| Sunshine Sensation | C$130.00 | Blossom Hill |
| Unique | $48.00 | Buck Canyon |
| Unique | $60.00 | Adelman |
| Unique | $75.00 | Swenson |
| Viking Full Moon | $40.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Viking Full Moon | $45.00 | Adelman |
| Viking Full Moon | $50.00 | Swenson |
| Viking Full Moon | $95.00 | Song Sparrow |
| Watermelon Wine | $150.00 | Adelman |
| Yankee Doodle Dandy | $59.00 | Peony's Envy |
| Yellow Crown | $55.00 | Solaris Farms |
| Yellow Emperor | $50.00 | Swenson |
| Yellow Emperor | $55.00 | Solaris Farms |