2013 APS Peony Convention Longwood Garden Tour

Longwood Gardens Entrance
The 2013 American Peony Society Convention started today, and I arrived to the garden tour a little late since I had an early flight this morning. However Longwood Gardens was magnificent, and their staff took great care of me - arranging someone to transport me directly to my APS group who were enjoying the Longwood Gardens "Behind the Scenes" tour.

APS Convention Attendees Examining the Display Garden	APS Convention Attendees Listening to the Tour Guide

Lunch was in the Longwood Gardens' The Founders Room dining room, and it tasted fabulous. We dined on gourmet sandwiches, salad, pasta salad, fresh fruit, and brownies. Yum!
American Peony Society Lunch in Longwood Gardens' Founders Room
After lunch there was a bit of free time to explore the gardens before the APS Board Meeting. The gardens were awesome. There were endless views of open fields that made you want to just run and sing and play. There was a bell tower with harmonious chimes, a waterfall, a large display fountain, an almost endless conservatory, a topiary garden - the list goes on and on. An entire weekend is not enough time to explore the vastness of Longwood Gardens.
Longwood Gardens Fountain
The Longwood Garden "Peony Garden" was a bit of a disappointment since there were only tree peonies that were past their bloom season. Longwood Gardens did have 3 sections dedicated to herbaceous and intersectional peonies that were donated by the American Peony Society last fall. Surprisingly, many of these plants were in bloom! They also had several wonderful and more mature selections of some existing herbaceous peonies in their perennial border which were just gorgeous.
Me Exploring Longwood Gardens
(I Found the Purple Flowers!)
After the board meeting we enjoyed a "Taste of Philly" picnic dinner with Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and chips for the meal and baked goods and Hershey (PA) chocolate for dessert. All in all, Longwood Gardens is a great place, one I hope to visit again in the future. :-)

2013 American Peony Society Convention Preparation

Wow, I can hardly believe that another peony bloom season is coming to an end. Also tomorrow I will be in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania for the 2013 American Peony Society Convention. It seems this spring has gone by so fast. There's been a lot to do this spring garden wise and life wise. So things have definitely been pretty busy. I am excited to get to the convention, though. I am curious to learn more about the DuPont family and their estate, museum, collections, art, and especially their gardens. I'm also excited to see all of my peony family, to hear the stories of their bloom season, see some of their favorite flowers from their gardens, and hopefully meet some new seedlings that may be introduced in future years. I'm also looking forward to the APS banquet, seed sale, and of course the APS auction! Hopefully some of you will be there too! :-)

Kennett Square, PA

2013 Peony Experiments - Intersectional Divisions Grow

I thought you might like an update on my intersectional peony divisions from my 2012 Peony Experiments - Intersectional Divisions. I was surprised to find last week, that even the division with no roots and old wood has started to grow!!! I am just amazed by this plant's earnestness and vitality. All of the divisions have really taken off. Peony 'Bartzella' has proven to be just a stellar plant in my garden. The tiny red growth from early spring in my 2013 Peony Experiments - Intersectional Divisions has turned into flourishing plants. One of these small divisions even has a flower bud on it! I have since given that one to my grandma, but the rest of them are doing great and still growing! I am also planning to donate another one of these Peony 'Bartzella' divisions to the 2013 American Peony Society Fundraiser Auction. So if you'd like a chance to bid on a stellar peony for Southern gardens, please join us at the 2013 American Peony Society Convention at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania!

Peony 'Bartzella' Divisions with Small Roots Growing 4/12/2013
Peony 'Bartzella' Divisions with Small Roots Growing 5/27/2013
Peony 'Bartzella' Division with Tiny Roots Growing 4/12/2013
Peony 'Bartzella' Division with Tiny Roots Growing 5/27/2013 Gave the Peony 'Bartzella' Plant on the Right to My Grandma
Peony 'Bartzella' Division with No Roots Growing (New Wood) 4/12/2013	Peony 'Bartzella' Division with No Roots Not Growing (Old Wood) 4/12/2013
Peony 'Bartzella' Division with No Roots Growing (New Wood) 5/27/2013	Peony 'Bartzella' Division with No Roots Growing! (Old Wood) 5/27/2013
Close Up of Peony 'Bartzella' Division with No Roots Growing! (Old Wood) 5/27/2013

2013 Peony Blooms Late - Week 6

This week, Week 6, has been a nice week as far as the weather goes. The rain was sprinkled with sunshine. However most of the peonies have bloomed by now. I think Week 4 and Week 5 were probably the height of my peony bloom season, which was nice since I hosted a baby shower for my brother and his wife last weekend. Lots of friends and family got to see my garden in bloom and everyone was asking what kind of flower they were and how they could grow them. It is always nice to share the love of peonies. They are just such a great plant and beautiful flower! Currently there are only a few plants that haven't opened yet, and some plants that still have some side buds opening. This is one advantage of peonies that have multiple buds per stem. Usually the multiple buds on one stem will open on different days, extending the bloom period of that peony variety. This is especially nice near the end of the bloom season when there are only a few blooms left and the season is almost over. You can still get some small flowers to enjoy or bring inside.

Peony 'Feather Top'	Peony 'Eden's Perfume'
Peony 'La Tendresse'	Peony 'Myra MacRae'

2013 Questions - Herbaceous, Itoh, or Tree Peony

I received this question from Tom in zone 9:
"Hello, Was wondering if you have heard from anyone in the Houston, Texas area (zone 9) that has had success with any of the three kinds of peonies: herbaceous, Itoh, or tree peony. I am experimenting with a couple tree peonies, as well as Festiva Maxima and Sarah Bernhardt. (their second year). Have not tried any of the Itoh's yet, but they are reputed to grow and bloom in zone 9 according to some sources. I had a Duchesse de Nemoir which bloomed for me this past March (10 big blooms) from a field run clump grown and dug in North Carolina. I am presuming it received some winter chill in Dec., early January before I planted it late January. Will see what it does next year since it is a blooming size clump. Any information would be appreciated."


Tree, Intersectional, or Herbaceous Peony
I personally have not spoken with anyone else in the Houston, Texas area. However I did find a question on the Texas A&M web site (which is pretty close to Houston) that seems to imply that some herbaceous peonies can grow there. "Q: Why doesn’t anyone grow peonies here? I just returned from Michigan and while perusing the photo album was reminded of how beautiful and bountiful the peonies are every spring. A: The summer is too hot for most peonies in our area. There are a few heirloom selections that will survive if they are planted in good soil in morning sun. [Note: do an internet search for heat tolerant Paeonia species]" So I feel quite confident that you can grow most peonies there. Herbaceous peonies are usually the least heat tolerant of the three types you mentioned. Tree peonies are generally considered to be the most heat tolerant, then intersectional (Itoh), and then herbaceous being the least heat tolerant. When planting your peonies I would make sure to plant the roots as close to the surface as possible in order to allow them to get as much winter chill as possible. I have had some herbaceous peonies stop blooming for me, only to start again the next spring after I had lifted their roots closer to the surface. It sounds like you are starting quite a collection of peonies. I would definitely recommend adding an intersectional peony as well. I have been very impressed with Peony 'Bartzella'. She is just such a stellar grower, very heat tolerant, loves the sun, multiplies rapidly once established, and divides well too. Also you may want to check out some of my other Southern Peony Best Performers for ideas on other plants that might do well for you. I would love to get a report on your peonies and some pictures too in the future. I would say first and foremost to be patient. Peonies take a long time to establish themselves initially. So give them some extra care and time to adjust to your growing climate. Once they feel at home, they will make a nice plant.