2015 American Peony Society Banquet & Auction

American Peony Society Convention Banquet
The 2015 American Peony Society Convention Banquet & Auction were the best I've attended so far. Perhaps it is the familiarity and friendships you develop with the other "peony people" over time. Perhaps it was the numerous hours of volunteer work that went into planning and implementation for the convention, especially by APS Vice President Lore Sampson. Perhaps it was the almost endless number of items that were donated to the APS Auction. Perhaps it was the lovely peonies that decorated each banquet table in multi colored Fiestaware vases. Oh, there were so many things that made the APS banquet and auction great this year. The food was excellent. The auction items were numerous - a just right mix of rare and affordable peonies for your collection. Let's not forget the general member meeting led by APS President Scott Parker was informative, yet short and sweet! In the end, I think people's stomachs, hearts, and even gardens went home full last night!
Jim & Lore Sampson Run the APS Convention Auction


Scott Parker Gives the President's Message at the APS General Member Meeting

2015 APS Convention Exhibit Peony Preparation

American Peony Society Convention Preparation
Peony 'Grace Root' Opens in a Stainless Steel Pitcher
Well a few of them have opened this morning, but not all of them. This process is quite nerve-wracking especially when you have no experience and you've cut several of your buds way too early! LOL! As you can see Peony 'Grace Root' is starting to open pretty well this morning. However there are several others that are still in their steam bath this morning with lots of very warm water in their stainless steel pitcher. :-) Let's hope they do what they're supposed to before 11:00 am this morning. That's the deadline for the exhibit entries, and afterwards they'll start the judging. The peony exhibit opens this afternoon to the public at 1:00pm. The show is at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, KY. If you're in the area, you should definitely come check it out!
American Peony Society Convention Exhibition Preparation
Peonies Get a Steam Bath to Speed their Development

2015 American Peony Society Exhibition Preparation

American Peony Society Convention Exhibition Preparation
Wow. I feel really naive and ignorant today! It turns out I brought 54 cut peony stems for the American Peony Society Convention Exhibition show. It has been 3 weeks since I Cut First Stems for APS Peony Exhibition. I threw away 2 of these cut flower stems as soon as I unwrapped them because they had started to mold. The rest of them did not have any mold. However 15 of them are in my bathroom taking a steam shower as I write this because the buds are so tight they did not start to open at all even after I had taken them out of the cooler, recut the stems, and placed them into water. Of the rest of the flowers that did start to open, it seems like several of those are limp, with crinkled petals. I'm not really sure what happened to those. I can only surmise that they were not stored properly, but the exact reasons for the damage are still unknown to me.


Field Trip Outside for Peonies that Weren't Opening
I must say I was nervous about this already, and I think my worst fears are realized. I can only learn this art by participation, and today's experience was my first hard lesson! I already took several of the peony stems outside for a field trip today. Only two of them responded sufficiently to the warmth and light of the outdoors. The rest of them were transported to my room so they could freshen up with a steam shower tonight before their big show tomorrow (if they make it open and are presentable). I guess I'll let you know what happens tomorrow...
Steam Bath for Peonies that Weren't Opening

2015 American Peony Society Whitehall Mansion Tour

American Peony Society White Hall Mansion Tour

			The first tour stop of the 2015 American Peony Society Convention was the historic Whitehall Mansion in Louisville, Kentucky. The historic Whitehall Mansion was awesome, only outdone by its fabulous gardens. The blue dining room of the home was definitely my favorite with its blue walls and intricate blue rug. The house was filled with antique furniture, original paintings and collectibles. The original wallpapers has been reproduced, and the original hardwood floors had been restored. It was nice to tour a historic house still decorated with its period furnishings.
	Whitehall Mansion Blue Dining Room

We explored the gardens with one of their gardeners who was quite familiar with the grounds, having worked there for 20 years. He gave quite a nice tour, and it made you feel like you were walking with him in his own backyard. He knew every tree and bush planted there. There was a very nice walkway lined with perennials including lots of mature clumps of Siberian irises which were just beautiful. When we finally made it to the peony garden, it was breathtaking. They had curvy, wide, mulched paths lined with brick, and the beds between the paths contained so many carefully labeled and well cared for peonies. Historic Whitehall Mansion definitely has a great garden to visit for viewing peonies.

American Peony Society Whitehall Mansion Garden Tour


American Peony Society Whitehall Mansion Peony Garden Tour

2015 American Peony Society Convention Packet

Well, I made it to Kentucky. The 2015 American Peony Convention has started. I must say I am really impressed how organized it is this year. Upon check in we were given APS reusable tote bags, a folder with all of the convention details and schedule in it, an APS name badge and badge holder, a pen and mini notebook, and lots of peony promotional materials. This is so much better than the last meeting I attended two years ago. I am so excited about the convention this morning. I feel much better after getting a good 8 hours of sleep. I was a bit tired at yesterday's ALM Judge's Training workshop after driving for 10 hours and only getting 4 hours of sleep the night before. I am well rested now and so ready for the garden tour today. This morning we are going on a tour of Yew Dell Gardens and practicing our new ALM judging skills in the garden this afternoon. I can't wait! :-)
American Peony Society Convention Packet