2014 Silk Tree Peony Paintings from China

Tree Peony Paintings on Silk by Zhong Shi
Well, it's not quite been a year since we went to China and saw Peonies in Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou China. I purchased these beautiful tree peony paintings there, and I finally got them framed and put on the wall yesterday. These Chinese tree peony paintings are painted on silk. The artist Zhong Shi, was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu in 1945. This painter is a member of Jiangsu Branch of Artist Association of China and a member of Suzhou Artist Association. This artist also belongs to the Professional Painter of Creation Room of the Weun Painting Institute. We purchased these Chinese silk paintings at the Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China. This garden has a very lovely gift shop with a huge selection of Chinese art, antique replicas, and souvenirs. They also have a beautiful entrance with a pictorial map of the entire garden. The peony garden is shown in full bloom on this pictorial map, which could be considered a work of art itself.
Entrance to the Master of the Nets Gardens in Suzhou, China


Pictoral Map of the Suzhou Gardens Depicting the Peony Garden

2014 Peony Mandala Art Images

While looking at peony photos on Google, I came across these stunning works of art using flower photos to create mandalas. Several of these works of art were created using peony photos. These peony mandalas were just so mesmerizing, I just had to share it with all of you. I obtained permission from the artist, David J. Bookbinder, to use one of his peony mandalas here. David began making the mandalas ten years ago from photographs he began to take after a near death experience. He says he now uses the mandalas as "a means for healing and personal growth." If you want to see the rest of the collection, you'll have to check out his web site, the Flower Mandalas Project. I hope you enjoy his art as much as I did! Also David has a book coming out this fall called Fifty-Two Flower Mandalas detailing his journey and his art. You can email David at licensing @ flowermandalas.org to find out more. :)
Pink Peony I
© 2005, David J. Bookbinder

2014 Giant Peony Blooms on Peony 'Myra MacRae'

Isabella Holding Peony 'Myra MacRae'
No, this is not an optical illusion. Yes, this peony bloom really is bigger than her head! This is a photo I took on my phone last May, and forgot to publish. These photos are of my lovely daughter Isabella and Peony 'Myra MacRae'. Peony 'Myra MacRae' is really a stellar performer as long as you provide her ample support for her large blossoms. :-) In fact Peony 'Myra MacRae' was a Southern Peony Best Performer this year. Late in my bloom season Peony 'Myra MacRae' was one of the last peonies blooming in my garden and she put on quite a show. So she was named Peony 'Myra MacRae' Best Performer - Week 6. So if you'd like a peony that could be a true Southern Belle, give Peony 'Myra MacRae' a place in your garden.

2014 Landscaping with Peonies

Peonies are a great plant for landscaping. They provide loads of blooms and color for several weeks in the spring. They also have great long lasting foliage that stays green for 3 seasons providing a great backdrop for other plants in the landscape when they're not in bloom. And in fall, the leaves on some peony varieties begin to change into eye catching colors for yet another show before the foliage begins to fade. If you're unsure where to plant peonies in your landscape, take a look at these photos for some ideas. Peonies can be planted singly or as a group of specimen plants in wide open sunny areas. They can also be used in border plantings around foundations, decks, and patios. They can be planted in mixed perennial borders around garden benches so their blooms and fragrance can be enjoyed up close.
Peonies in the Landscape - Garden Bench
The American Peony Society has a special award that is given to peonies that are especially suited for landscape use - strong stems, long lasting foliage, and of course lovely blossoms! This is the APS Award of Landscape Merit which is awarded to peonies with "reliable performance across North America". So if you're thinking of adding a peony (or several) to your home landscaping, check out this list of great landscaping peony cultivars!
Peonies in the Landscape - Specimen and Deck Plantings

2014 Questions - Peony Blooms Decrease Over Time

I received this question from Bob in zone 5:
"I live in northern Illinois, zone 5a -20 to -15 F. I bought a Bartzella in the late 1990s directly from Roger Anderson. So it has been planted in the same location for 16 years. The plant has bloomed well except the last two years. In 2013 I had only 5 flowers. This year 2014 I had no flowers. The plant looks to be growing well, it has many stems, good green color. All the stems are strong and tall no wilt. No signs of disease either. The base of the plant is about 14 inches across. In the fall of 2012 I trimmed the stems to about 1.5 inches. Thinking that might have been too short in the fall of 2013 I trimmed the stems to 4 to 5 inches tall. I have other herbaceous peonies in the same area and they bloom well."
"Any ideas on what I should do?"
"These are my ideas"
"1. Divide the plant and replant"
"2. Don’t divide the plant and add bone meal, slow-release nitrogen (Milorganite) and Triple Super Phosphate Plant Food to the drip edge on the plant"
"3. Don’t trim the old growth until the early spring 2015 instead of late fall 2014."
"4. Some combination of 1 and 2"

Bob's Peony 'Bartzella' that is Not Blooming
I would recommend option number one along with a few other ideas. A peony plant that is 16 years old should be divided and probably into more than two pieces. Once you have divided the plant, I would replant one piece in the current location and the other pieces in different locations, especially if you have a location that receives more sunlight than the current location. Also, I'm not sure what you have growing underneath your peony or how long it has been growing there, but it is possible that this groundcover plant could be having a negative impact on your peony, taking moisture and nutrients away from your peony plant. So I would recommend removing this groundcover and using some type of mulch instead. Peonies don't like too much fertilizer, so I would be careful with their use. Instead of constant fertilization, I would recommend amending your soil with compost and/or composted manure before replanting the divided peony pieces. If you don't have compost of your own, bagged compost and composted manure can usually be purchased at most home improvement or hardware stores. As for when to cut back the peony plants, this can be done anytime after the leaves have died back, so late fall vs. early spring should not make any difference in your peony blooms (except that removing the dead stems and foliage earlier may lessen foliar diseases the next year). I hope this information helps, and good luck with your Peony 'Bartzella'!