2018 Intersectional Peony Blooms - Week 4 Mid

Now that I decided to move two of my Intersectional Peony 'Singing in the Rain' plants out of the shade, they have decided to grow larger and grace me with some blooms, of a lovely peach shade. Intersectional Peony 'Smith Family Yellow' is just gorgeous this year, finally settling in and send out lots of blooms. Intersectional Peony 'Old Rose Dandy' has been here a long time, it is an interesting peony, but not one of my favorites. It definitely has a bloom that changes color (fades) over time, though, which can be interesting to look at. Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' is always a beautiful plant and was just named one of our Southern Peony Best Performers this week, 2018 Peony 'Hillary' Best Performer - Week 4. The blooms of Intersectional Peony 'Ballerena de Saval' don't impress me much. They are very small blooms with irregular petals. However it does have a unique coloration. Peony 'Pastel Splendor' is another long time favorite that always does well here. Intersectional Peony 'Unique' and Intersectional Peony 'Canary Brilliants' both have rare colored blooms, but I like the petal count on 'Canary Brilliants' much better than the single flowered 'Unique'. We are still waiting for someone to develop that double red intersectional peony...
Intersectional Peony 'Singing in the Rain'

Intersectional Peony 'Smith Family Yellow'

Intersectional Peony 'Old Rose Dandy'

Intersectional Peony 'Hillary'

Intersectional Peony 'Ballarena de Saval'

Intersectional Peony 'Pastel Splendor'

Intersectional Peony 'Unique'

Intersectional Peony 'Canary Brilliants'

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