Peony 'Bartzella' Donation for Historic Whitehall
Sunday, November 8, 2015
2015 Peony Donation to Historic Whitehall Gardens
On our 2015 American Peony Society Whitehall Mansion Tour this year, I was so impressed by the layout of their peony garden - both in the beautiful assortment of peonies grown and the care taken in their planting and upkeep. The only thing I felt was noticeably missing from their gorgeous peony garden was an intersectional hybrid peony and a yellow peony. Peony 'Bartzella', both an intersectional peony and a gorgeous double yellow, would be an awesome addition to their peony collection. So at the end of the tour, I spoke with their main gardener, Mike Hayman, and volunteered to donate one myself if they were interested. Of course they were interested! So here we are. I will be mailing out this package to them on Monday with their peony - what a great way to spread the love of peonies, while thanking Mike Hayman and the Historic Whitehall staff for such a great tour of their mansion and gardens!
Peony 'Bartzella' Donation for Historic Whitehall
Peony 'Bartzella' Donation for Historic Whitehall
Friday, November 6, 2015
2015 How to Cut Back an Intersectional Peony
There are two ways you can cut back an intersectional peony. You can cut the entire plant back to ground level or you can cut the plant back, leaving short stems with growth buds on them. In colder climates, it is preferred to cut the plant back to ground level. However here in the South, with our milder winters, these growth buds on the stems can often survive the winter just like the growth buds on tree peony stems.
Intersectional Peony in Autumn
View From Above
The first step is optional, but it helps me see what I'm doing. I just remove some of the lower foliage of the plant so that I can see what I'm working on. This is very easy to do. If you find where the leaf stem meets the main stem and just put a little bit of downward pressure on the leaf stem, the leaf segment will come off pretty easily. You'll want to have a trash bag handy for all of the foliage and stems you cut away. Peonies often carry botrytis blight. So it is best to trash the old foliage and not compost it to reduce future infections.
Intersectional Peony in Autumn
View From Underneath
To leave some short stems on the plant with growth nodules, you'll want to prune the stems back to the first or second growth nodule above the soil. Usually you will see a pink growth bud at the stem/leaf juncture. You'll want to prune the stem just above this point. If you don't see any pink growth buds on a stem, you can prune that stem all the way back to the ground, taking care to cut above the pink growth bud at the base of the stem, if present.
Cut Main Peony Stem Just Above Pink Growth Bud
After pruning the upper stem away, you'll be left with a short main stem and a foliage stem. Remove any remaining foliage on the pruned stem by applying a bit of downward pressure to the leaf stem. This will easily separate the foliage from the main stem. Make sure to remove and throw away all remaining foliage on each pruned stem.
Apply Downward Pressure to Peony Leaf Stem to Remove It
Intersectional Peony Being Pruned
Repeat this process on each of the stems until you have pruned all of them. After all of the stems have been cut back and all of the foliage has been removed, you'll be left with just a few short sticks sticking out of the ground where your intersectional peony once stood.
Intersectional Peony Stem Defoliated and Pruned
One advantage of this pruning method, leaving short stems, is that you'll know exactly where your instersectional peony is planted over fall, winter, and early spring. That way you won't accidentally step on it, dig into it, etc. However if you live in a colder climate where these growth buds likely won't survive anyway, or you prefer a cleaner look after pruning, intersectional peonies can be cut back all the way to the ground.
Intersectional Peony Defoliated and Pruned
If you want or need to prune your intersectional peony back to the ground, that's perfectly acceptable. Intersectional peonies are quite hardy once established, and they will definitely come back when pruned to the ground. You'll just want to make your cuts carefully to ensure the basal growth buds are not damaged.
Intersectional Peony Base
If you closely examine the base of your intersectional peony, you'll find where the stems meet the crown. If you have your peony planted even with the soil surface (hopefully you do - if you a Southern peony gardener!), you will likely see some pink growth buds near the base of most stems and on the crown.
Cut Peony Stem Back to Soil Level Just Above Pink Growth Bud
When you cut your intersectional peony stem back to ground level, you'll want to make sure to preserve these pink growth buds. So if there is a pink growth bud at the base of the stem, make your cut just above this growth bud. Also take care not to smash or cut any other growth buds on the base of your plant. Continue pruning each of the stems on the plant until you are left with just the crown and pink growth buds.
Intersectional Peony Pruned to Ground Level
Now you're all done cutting back your intersectional peony. Don't worry if you see the exposed pink growth buds. For Southern peony gardeners, this is a good thing! Don't bury them or cover them with soil or mulch! Those growth buds need to be exposed to as much cold as they can be over the winter to bloom properly in the spring. So leave them uncovered. You may want to put a plant marker near your peony if you don't already have one. That way you'll know exactly where it is, so you won't step on it or damage it over the winter.
Intersectional Peony in Autumn
View From Above
The first step is optional, but it helps me see what I'm doing. I just remove some of the lower foliage of the plant so that I can see what I'm working on. This is very easy to do. If you find where the leaf stem meets the main stem and just put a little bit of downward pressure on the leaf stem, the leaf segment will come off pretty easily. You'll want to have a trash bag handy for all of the foliage and stems you cut away. Peonies often carry botrytis blight. So it is best to trash the old foliage and not compost it to reduce future infections.
Intersectional Peony in Autumn
View From Underneath
To leave some short stems on the plant with growth nodules, you'll want to prune the stems back to the first or second growth nodule above the soil. Usually you will see a pink growth bud at the stem/leaf juncture. You'll want to prune the stem just above this point. If you don't see any pink growth buds on a stem, you can prune that stem all the way back to the ground, taking care to cut above the pink growth bud at the base of the stem, if present.
Cut Main Peony Stem Just Above Pink Growth Bud
After pruning the upper stem away, you'll be left with a short main stem and a foliage stem. Remove any remaining foliage on the pruned stem by applying a bit of downward pressure to the leaf stem. This will easily separate the foliage from the main stem. Make sure to remove and throw away all remaining foliage on each pruned stem.
Apply Downward Pressure to Peony Leaf Stem to Remove It
Intersectional Peony Being Pruned
Repeat this process on each of the stems until you have pruned all of them. After all of the stems have been cut back and all of the foliage has been removed, you'll be left with just a few short sticks sticking out of the ground where your intersectional peony once stood.
Intersectional Peony Stem Defoliated and Pruned
One advantage of this pruning method, leaving short stems, is that you'll know exactly where your instersectional peony is planted over fall, winter, and early spring. That way you won't accidentally step on it, dig into it, etc. However if you live in a colder climate where these growth buds likely won't survive anyway, or you prefer a cleaner look after pruning, intersectional peonies can be cut back all the way to the ground.
Intersectional Peony Defoliated and Pruned
If you want or need to prune your intersectional peony back to the ground, that's perfectly acceptable. Intersectional peonies are quite hardy once established, and they will definitely come back when pruned to the ground. You'll just want to make your cuts carefully to ensure the basal growth buds are not damaged.
Intersectional Peony Base
If you closely examine the base of your intersectional peony, you'll find where the stems meet the crown. If you have your peony planted even with the soil surface (hopefully you do - if you a Southern peony gardener!), you will likely see some pink growth buds near the base of most stems and on the crown.
Cut Peony Stem Back to Soil Level Just Above Pink Growth Bud
When you cut your intersectional peony stem back to ground level, you'll want to make sure to preserve these pink growth buds. So if there is a pink growth bud at the base of the stem, make your cut just above this growth bud. Also take care not to smash or cut any other growth buds on the base of your plant. Continue pruning each of the stems on the plant until you are left with just the crown and pink growth buds.
Intersectional Peony Pruned to Ground Level
Now you're all done cutting back your intersectional peony. Don't worry if you see the exposed pink growth buds. For Southern peony gardeners, this is a good thing! Don't bury them or cover them with soil or mulch! Those growth buds need to be exposed to as much cold as they can be over the winter to bloom properly in the spring. So leave them uncovered. You may want to put a plant marker near your peony if you don't already have one. That way you'll know exactly where it is, so you won't step on it or damage it over the winter.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
2015 Fall Peony Sales - Free Shipping, B2G1F, 50% Off
It always happens. I get that last minute feeling... Time is running out. The peony vendors are closing up shop. Did I get all of the peonies I wanted for the year? If I wait much longer, I'm going to have to wait until next year until I can get any more. So I checked out all of the peony vendor's web sites on the American Peony Society's Buy Peonies page. Many of them have already closed up shop for the year (Fina, Hidden Springs, Peonies from the Field, Solaris, Swenson). However there are several that are still open, and of those that are, a few of them are running a last minute sale to help make your peony buying decision that much easier! So check out this list of peony sales because time IS running out!
2015 Fall Peony Sales
| Vendor | Promotion | Ends |
| Bannister Garden Center | Going Out of Business 1/2 Off Sale | 11/15 |
| Birchwood Farms | 50% Shipping with $100 Order | |
| Brooks Gardens | Order 2 or More, Get Free Shipping | 11/8 |
| Cricket Hill Garden | 25th Anniversary Specials | |
| Song Sparrow | Buy 2 Get 1 Free | 11/5 |
2015 Fall Peony Sales
Monday, November 2, 2015
2015 Yellow Tree Peony Seedling from UK on Ebay
Saturday, October 31, 2015
2015 Beautiful Fall Peony Foliage Colors
Lime Green Fall Peony Foliage Brightens up the Autumn Garden
This year my garden is filled with the gorgeous colors of fall. Usually you have to drive to the mountains to see fall foliage colors like this. I guess Mother Nature provided just the right temperatures, moisture, and sunlight in our area this year. Not only have the trees been gorgeous, so have the peonies! The depth of color on display is amazing!
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