2018 Peony Hybridizing Season is Upon Us

Peony 'Martha W.' used for Hybridizing
It's that time of year again - time to cross pollinate your peonies. The peony pictured above is Peony 'Martha W.' with some blooms already pollinated. I was able to pollinate a few flowers before I left for my trip to China with some various tree peonies in my garden. There are also still a few more side buds that have yet to bloom that I can still pollinate now that I am back before the season is over. I cut off all of the open blooms yesterday and threw them away. Then I was able to cross a few of the unopened buds that were just beginning to show some color, with my new Tree Peony 'Lavender Grace' (2018 Klehms Song Sparrow Offers Tree Peony 'Lavender Grace' on Front Page of Web Site), which bloomed for the first time for me this year. Since I purchased it from Song Sparrow, and they are in a much colder growing zone, the tree peony developed and bloomed a bit later than the rest of my tree peonies, which have already finished blooming. If you haven't yet tried crossing peonies, it is a fun way to discover new varieties. It is not as hard as you think, and once you get the hang of it, it is really easy to make some of your own crossed seeds. Give it a try, and it if you don't succeed at first, just keep trying. It will come. Try, try again!

Tree Peony 'Lavender Grace' Pollen used for Hybridizing

2018 Peony Blooms - Week 4 Mid

Well I was pretty much gone for most of this week's blooms since I was on my trip to China. So they are basically the pictures I captured on my very first day back. The garden was so beautiful, and there were so many peonies blooming. The sweet scent of peony blossoms wafting in the garden was just heavenly. Most of the peonies pictured here are oldies but goodies. Several of these are Southern Peony Best Performers - Peony 'Do Tell', Peony 'Kansas', and Peony 'Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt' all bloom and grow really well in our Southern climate here. Peony 'Pastelorama' bloomed for the first time for me this year, and definitely possesses a unique pastel peach coloring that I have not seen in any of the herbaceous peonies I've grown before.
Peony 'Lemon Chiffon'

Peony 'Miss America'

Peony 'Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt'

Peony 'Do Tell'

Peony 'Kansas'

Peony 'Many Happy Returns'

Peony 'Pastelorama'

Peony 'Lake o' Silver'

2018 Peony 'Hillary' Best Performer - Week 4

Well, I believe the accolades for this beautiful peony are long overdue. This Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' is a stellar performer, and I feel very lucky to grow this plant in my garden. The colors on the gorgeous plant start out a beautiful shade of pink with a hint of coral. Over a few days the blooms fade to a paler peachy pink color, which is just as gorgeous. The effect of the new and old blooms on the plant creates a multi colored feast for the eyes on the bush. The blooms also feature a reddish flare in the center which becomes more prominent as the petals lighten in color. This intersectional peony was hybridized by Roger Anderson and registered in 1999. If you don't yet own this intersectional peony, I highly recommend it. It can typically be found in the $50 price range, and is listed from several sellers on my 2018 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List.
Intersectional Peony 'Hillary'
Southern Peony Best Performer

Intersectional Peony 'Hillary'
Southern Peony Best Performer

Intersectional Peony 'Hillary'
Southern Peony Best Performer

2018 Intersectional Peony Garden Welcomes Me Home

Southern Peony Intersectional Peony Garden
This was the sight I saw when I arrived home today. It was such a sight to behold, especially since when I left the only peonies that were really blooming were some early blooming Saunders hybrids. The tree peonies had already pretty much finished, and the intersectional peony bed was just full of buds. So to experience an almost instant transformation from full bud to full bloom was just amazing! The garden is just lovely and my whole family is very proud and happy to see it as well. I must say that when I first planted my intersectional peony bed I had hoped it would be beautiful, but these flowers have far exceeded my expectations - so full of life and easy to grow here in the South. If you don't yet grow any intersectional peonies, I highly recommend trying one, you'll definitely want more! Southern Peony Intersectional Peony Garden

2018 Those Are Some TALL Peonies!!!

No, this is not a tall tale. I really have noticed that several peonies have grown taller this year than I've ever remembered them growing before. I guess the weather created just the right mix of conditions needed to make them sprout higher than ever. One of my peony seedlings was almost up to my chest. That's pretty tall considering I'm 5'7''. Two of my peony seedlings in my peony seedling bed grew to be 44 inches. I'm not sure if being crowded had anything to do with the peony seedlings growing tall, but Peony 'Paul M. Wild' also grew very high this year, and that one is definitely not crowded. We must have had just the right mix of temperatures, amount of rain, combined with the daylight hours of the new spring season that some peonies really just liked. Has anyone else noticed any very tall herbaceous peonies in their garden this year?
Peony Seedling 44" Tall

Peony Seedling 44" Tall

Peony 'Paul M. Wild' 44" Tall

Peony 'Paul M. Wild' (on right)
Near Other Normal Height Peonies