2016 Southern Peony Photo Series

With the addition of this month's gorgeous, red, Southern peony 'Scarlet O'Hara', I completed my goal of getting at least one peony picture per month on my web site. These photos grace my main page for about a month's time each, and then they are added to my Photos page. The list of peony photos is steadily growing (as is my inventory - so I'm not sure my photos are keeping up, but we're making progress). :-) I am happy to say I've added these twelve beauties over the past year to share with all of you. This may seem like an easy feat, but it does take a bit of time to select the right photo, editing for consistency, and updates to the site. I hope you all enjoy seeing them as much as I do, and I am very excited to continue to share my garden with everyone in the coming year!
2016 Southern Peony Photo Series

2016 Herbaceous vs. Intersectional Fall Foliage

If you are looking for fall color in your peony landscape, then herbaceous peonies are definitely your best bet! The range of colors is amazing - there are reds, golds, oranges, lime greens, and even a few that are still a lovely dark green. Of course not all herbaceous peonies have fall foliage. Some herbaceous peony varieties do die back early. For information on those, check out my post about Peonies with Early Dormancy Foliage. To see which peonies have created colorful foliage for me in the past, check out some of my fall foliage colors from previous years - 2015 Beautiful Fall Peony Foliage Colors, 2014 Enjoy Fall Peony Foliage Colors, 2012 Colorful Fall Peony Foliage, 2011 Peony Fall Foliage Colors, 2010 Peony Fall Foliage.
Herbaceous Peony Fall Foliage Colors - Orange, Red, & Gold
The beauty of the fall colors of these three herbaceous peonies really struck me, and I just had to snap this photo to share. These peonies are (from left to right) Peony 'Green Lotus' (orange foliage), Peony 'Pink Spritzer' (red foliage), and Peony 'Raspberry Clown' (gold foliage). I also could not help but notice the contrast of this herbaceous peony flower bed to my intersectional peony flower bed (and my tree peony flower bed as well). As you can see the herbaceous peonies are proudly displaying a range of autumn colored foliage, while the intersectional peonies are all brown (and they've been brown for weeks, actually). It seems that intersectional peonies are much more like tree peonies than herbaceous peonies in the fall. The leaves on herbaceous peonies last much longer than either of the other two types (intersectional and tree). So if you want to add beautiful spring blossoms and bright fall foliage to your garden, then herbaceous peonies are where it's at!
Intersectional Peony Brown Fall Foliage

2016 Peony Companion Chrysanthemum Garden Mums

I couldn't help but take this picture today. The gorgeous pink-purple mums really pop against the bright yellow fall foliage of my peony. It also reminds me that even in this dank darkness and degradation of fall, there is still light. There is still hope. Winter has yet to arrive, but Spring will always come again. If you don't yet grow any Chrysanthemum in your garden, you are missing out. Nothing else lights up the fall garden like Chrysanthemums, also known as Mums or Garden Mums. They are like lots of little, fluffy lollipops of color just bursting open come fall, and just like lollipops these blooms last a long, long time. These particular Mums in the photo have been blooming for weeks! Chrysanthemums are perennials that are usually hardy in Zones 4 through 8. So if you need some autumn pops of color, head to your local garden center for mums in all shades of reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, whites, and purples!
Peony with Yellow Fall Foliage and Pink-Purple Chrysanthemum

2016 Last Chance Fall Peony Orders

I was waiting to see what Harvey would be listing in his Last Chance Sale at Hidden Spring Flower Farm this year. When the list came out yesterday, there were several on his "Last Chance Sale" list that I wanted. I'd worked up a basket of over $330 in peonies (Peony 'Edward Steichen', Peony 'Plainsman', Peony 'Sugar N Spice', Peony 'Summer Carnival', Peony 'Vanilla Schnapps', and Peony 'Court Jester'). However, there are so many more to choose from (over 100 varieties). The sale only lasts through tomorrow - October 15th, and the full list of sale peonies can be found on the Hidden Springs Flower Farm web site under "Last Chance Sale". Since I'd just won a couple peonies in the fall auction this past weekend, I decided I'd better scale it back a little. So in the end I decided that I really "needed" ;-) Peony 'Vanilla Schnapps' and Peony 'Summer Carnival'. If you didn't win some certain peonies you were hoping to win in the fall auction, you might find them here (or perhaps you may find an even better replacement).
Hidden Springs Flower Farm Last Chance Sale Peony Wish List

2016 American Peony Society Fall Auction Starts Today!

Yes, I've been a little busy lately, and if you've been wondering what's been taking up a bit of my time, it's the American Peony Society Fall Auction - which starts today! I just added two last minute additions to the auction this morning - Peony 'Bartzella' - which is an awesome Southern Peony Best Performer and Peony 'Dinner Plate', which there are now two of this peony in the auction this year. So don't miss your opportunity to grab one! Bidding is from 12:00 noon Central time today, Saturday, October 8th until 5:00 pm Central time tomorrow, Sunday, October 9th. There are lots of nice peonies up for auction and something for every peony lover - tree peonies, herbaceous peonies, and intersectional peonies too! I've got my eye on a few of these beauties myself! Check out the full list of 39 peonies up for auction this year on the APS website. You can find it under Events, Online Fall Auction. The American Peony Society Fall Auction is open to APS Members Only. So if you're not yet a member, now's a great time to Join the APS! Happy Peony Bidding!
American Peony Society Fall Auction
Two 'Dinner Plate' Peonies Up for Auction