2016 Colorful Spring Peony Foliage

Purple Spring Peony Foliage
Peony 'Garden Peace'
Wow! I can hardly believe Week 3 of my peony blooms season is over, and we're already half way through our peony bloom season here. While we're still in the early part of the season, I wanted to share one more reason to grow peonies (besides the blooms) - the gorgeous colors of peonies spring foliage! I know I've already mentioned the Beautiful Fall Peony Foliage Colors. However, I have not before mentioned their gorgeous spring foliage colors - purples, yellow greens, reds, and multi colors.
Yellow Green Spring Peony Foliage
Peony 'Golden Frolic'


Red Spring Peony Foliage
Peony 'Topeka Garnet'
If you don't yet grow Peony 'Garden Peace', you will soon find out that the uniqueness of its purple toned spring foliage far outweighs its numerous heavenly white single blooms. The leaves are large with good substance, and the bush multiplies well here in the South. Peony 'Golden Frolic' is known for both it's beautiful fall foliage, and its blossoms are some of the most attractive source of food for bees in my garden. However, the eye popping spring foliage is just one more reason to grow Peony 'Golden Frolic'. Not only is Peony 'Topeka Garnet' a 2012 American Peony Society Gold Medal Winner, the redness of its spring foliage will blow you away. From blooms, to the spring foliage, to the stigmas, this peony had red down! Peony 'Lovely Rose' has not only lime green spring foliage, but also contrasting red stems. When those multicolored stems pop open you'll get a nice coral pink surprise! So if you needed another reason to grow peonies (besides the blooms), you just got one more!
Lime Green Spring Peony Foliage with Red Stems
Peony 'Lovely Rose'

2016 Peony Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow Best Performer - Week 3

If you've ever really, really wanted a super early yellow peony for your Southern garden, then Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow' is it! No other early yellow outperforms this peony. The bright pastel yellow blooms are always a sight for your winter weary eyes. Their light yellow blossoms with bright sunny yellow centers bring a smile to my face each spring. Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow' was hybridized by Pehrson and registered in 1982. This peony increases well here, and comes back reliably year after year. Besides the rare color of this peony's flowers, the foliage really stands out. The huge leaves have a great presence in the garden and are a pleasing light green hue. If you don't grow this peony for its flowers, you may want to grow it for its colossal foliage!

Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow'
Southern Peony Best Performer


Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow'
Southern Peony Best Performer

2016 Intersectional Peony Blooms Early Mid - Week 3

Wow I can hardly believe it! The intersectional peonies are already starting to bloom here! Of course these two early blooming intersectional peonies are also two of my favorite because they both share a hint of my favorite hue - lavender! Peony 'Morning Lilac' has huge 6" blooms of a deep fuchsia color, while Peony 'Sonoma Amethyst's lavender pink blooms are a little more subtly sized. However, there are so many of them on the bush, their sheer numbers more than make up for the petite stature of the blooms. If you are looking to add a little lavender of the Itoh variety to your garden, both of these peonies are great choices for early blooming intersectionals.

Intersectional Peony 'Morning Lilac'	Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma Amethyst'

2016 Peony Blooms Early Mid - Week 3

It has been very dry this week which has slowed down the peony blooms a bit. However, the peonies' foliage happily continues to grow unaffected by botrytis blight which thrives in moist conditions. The lack of rain during the immature foliage growth stage will bode well for a low incidence blight year since the new developing foliage is most susceptible to blight infections. Peony 'Coral Charm' was quite a stunner this year as usual. You are missing out if you don't have this coral. It is the best performing coral colored peony in my Southern garden, 2015 Peony 'Coral Charm' Best Performer - Week 2. Peony 'Burma Joy' is a bright early red that lights up your garden. Peony 'Paula Fay' is a great hot pink early peony, and Peony 'Pehrson's Violet Frisbee' is a violet pink single that adds a punch of purple hued color. If your peonies still haven't popped open, try a few of these early bloomers for an appetizing extension to your peony bloom season!

Peony 'Coral Charm'	Peony 'Burma Joy'
Peony 'Paula Fay'	Peony 'Pehrson's Violet Frisbee'

2016 First Ever Southern Peony Garden Party

Yay! Our very first Southern Peony Garden Party is going to be one month from today! We are going to have light snacks, tea, and play yard games. And of course we'll have lots of gorgeous peonies to see (and add to your wish list)! Seeing a plant in person instead of in a photo, in a vase, or on the show table (especially a plant growing in a similar climate to your own) can be very helpful in determining plants that would be suitable for your own garden. This way you can see how vigorously the plant grows, what the garden habit of the plant is, how the blooms open, and how the foliage grows in your climate. This is very valuable information since these type of attributes vary greatly in different growing zones. Also I hope this will serve as inspiration to others to share their peony gardens with their friends and neighbors and perhaps have a peony party of their own! I have been growing peonies for a long time, and people are always asking me to see them or come over when they are blooming. So this year I decided to put it on the calendar and invite everyone over. I'm sure a least some of them may find a new addiction - the love of peonies!
Southern Peony Garden Party