2018 Peony Botanical Art Note Cards from Colonial Williamsburg

If you're like me there's just something magical about botanical art, and botanical art with peonies as the subject is just all that much better. So when I received botanical art note cards in the mail last week, I just knew I'd have to share them here with all of you. This piece is titled "Paeonia lactiflora, Paeoniaceae". The note cards are supposed to depict the kinds of flowers that were grown in Williamsburg, Virginia in the colonial era. The peony is of course my favorite. However there are also a few other note cards depicting Dahlia & Asters, Magnolia, Violas, and Tulips. I looked up the artist, Marcia Long, on Google, and apparently she has at least a few other botanicals featuring peonies, Botanicals by Marcia Long, all beautiful. She is also apparently a resident of Williamsburg, Virginia.
Peony Botanical Art Note Card
"Paeonia lactiflora"
"Paeoniaceae"
"Marcia Long"
If you have never been to Williamsburg, Virginia, it is a wonderful place for a family vacation or just a couples getaway. It is a nice, relaxing area with lots of history. My whole family (including my parents, brother, sister in law, and nephew) actually just took a week's vacation there last year. For a very reasonable price we were able to rent a large condo to fit all of us, and we had a great time. It was also nice to visit Colonial Williamsburg as well. Even though we didn't see any peonies (since we went in September), it was still nice to eat authentic cuisine from yesteryear, hear the organs of one of their original churches, see the architecture of their historic buildings, hear the ghost stories of the colonial area, and learn about the culture and traditions of long ago.
Peony Botanical Art Note Card on Letter
from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

2018 Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' Update

After my 2018 Intersectional Peony Garden Welcomes Me Home, I received a question asking about how my Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' was doing, or more specifically how it was growing. It is actually growing quite well. It's definitely not mature yet, but it certainly is very healthy and increasing in size and blooms. If you'll remember, I actually only got this plant last winter in January of 2017, and got my first bloom that spring as well, 2017 Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' Blooms! Last year I got 1 bloom on the bush, and it had 4 stems. This year, in its second year of growth, I have 10 stems and 3 blooms on the bush. I can't wait to see what it does next year! The foliage it quite lovely and very healthy too. This yellow intersectional peony is a real keeper. Take a look for yourself!
Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' 1st Day Bloom

Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' 1st Day Bloom

Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' 2nd Day Bloom

Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' Foliage

Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' Plant

Intersectional Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' 2nd Day Blooms

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'