2020 Peony Blooms Week 6 Late

We have had quite the season so far. This past week has stayed relatively mild, with temps in the 70s or below. There have only been a few days in the 80s all spring thus far, and while they are calling for an 80 degree day tomorrow, all of the days next week will be below 80! This has made for a really long peony season this year, quite unlike any I've ever seen, and for some really confused peonies. As you can see below my Peony 'Sweeet May' and Peony 'Garden Peace' both bloomed this week. Looking at my Southern Peony Bloom Dates, they usually bloom in Week 3 (Early Mid) and Week 4 (Mid), respectively. The out of order blooms don't bother me, I am just enjoying the extra time with the flowers in the garden. :-)


Peony 'Many Happy Returns'

Peony 'Garden Peace'

Peony 'Guidon'

Peony 'Super Gal'

Peony 'Coral 'N Gold'

Peony 'Sarah Bernhardt'

Peony 'Victoire de la Marne'

Peony 'Sweet May'

Peony 'Old Faithful'

Peony 'Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt'

2020 Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk' Flower Bud is Really Black!!

Wow! That's all I could really say when I spotted this bud on my Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk'! The flower petals of this intersectional peony's buds really are black! I have never seen a bud quite like this before. So this was definitely a suprise when I found it. It is quite stunning! Now the wait is on to see it bloom! This will be the first year this peony has bloomed for me. I can't wait to see it in action.


Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk' Flower Bud
I just planted this Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk' last fall 2019, and it came from Oregon Perennial. I won it in last year's APS auction. (Oregon Perennial does not sell retail, but they do donate plants to the APS Auction.) If you're looking to purchase one, Brooks Gardens is definitely the place to be. They dropped the price on this plant this year, 2020 Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk' Price Drops Over 50%, and it looks like they still have some in stock. Now's your chance!

2020 Intersectional Peony 'Joanna Marlene' from garden*breeze on Ebay

Well, after years of patiently waiting, I am happy to report that my Intersectional Peony 'Joanna Marlene' that I purchased from garden*breeze on Ebay, 2015 Intersectional Peony 'Joanna Marlene' on Ebay is authentic. The beauty and uniqueness of this one is unmistakeable and it matches it's original photo perfectly. This intersectional peony bloomed for me this past week. It wasn't the first time it bloomed, as it did bloom last year, 2019 Intersectional Peony 'Joanna Marlene' Update. However I missed the bloom completely and only got photos of the bud and the remnants of the bloom. However this year, I got some photos of this delicate beauty in all her ruffled, pastel two-toned glory, and I am in love! If you don't grow Intersectional Peony 'Joanna Marlene' yet, take a look at the gorgeous photos below to see what you're missing out on!


Intersectional Peony 'Joanna Marlene'

2020 Tree Peony 'High Noon' with 2 Kinds of Foliage?

Tree Peony 'High Noon' with 2 Kinds of Foliage - 3/27
Have you ever noticed your tree peony have 2 kinds of foliage? If so, you really need to remove one of them. Which one? The one that's not growing from the woody stems. You see, tree peonies are mostly grafted plants, meaning they take a branch from a very large and mature tree peony and graft or meld it to the root of an herbaceous peony. Usually those herbaceous peony roots are grown from some random no-good herbaceous peony seed. They just grow lots of those herbaceous peony seeds to get a large crop of very young (and hopefully vigorous) peony roots on which to graft their tree peony stems.


Tree Peony 'High Noon' with 2 Kinds of Foliage - 3/27

Tree Peony 'High Noon' with 2 Kinds of Foliage - 4/13
Still not sure which foliage to remove? Take a look at the photos. The herbaceous peony foliage is very shiny and slick. The tree peony foliage is more dull and softer. Also take a look at the leaves on each branch of the foliage. The herbaceous peony leaves are more pointed and usually come to a defined tip. The tree peony leaves are more spreading and usually have small cuts in them. Hopefully you've been able to identify which foliage is herbaceous and which foliage is tree peony now. So now all you need to do is cut the herbaceous peony stem or stems all the way down, right at or just below the soil surface.


Tree Peony 'High Noon' with 2 Kinds of Foliage - 4/16

Tree Peony 'High Noon' with 2 Kinds of Foliage - 4/16
If you're curious to see just what kind of flower that herbaceous peony nurse root might make, I have saved you the trouble. I decided to let the herbaceous nurse root bloom this year since it had an obvious bud on it that looked like it would mature. As you can see the flower is nothing to speak of at all. It is very small, very tiny, with very short petals, kind of sad actually. If you think about it, no one is going to graft a beautiful herbaceous peony (and valuable - that they could otherwise sell) to the bottom of a tree peony. So it is really best to remove this herbaceous peony foliage from your tree peony as soon as you notice it, so that any energy stored in that herbaceous root is not lost to the herbaceous foliage, flower, or seed development. You really want that herbaceous nurse root to use all of its energy to help the tree peony grow and become established. Happy Growing!!


Tree Peony 'High Noon' with 2 Kinds of Foliage - 4/21

Tree Peony 'High Noon' with 2 Kinds of Foliage - 4/21

2020 Tree Peony 'Koukamon' Blooms in Week 5 Late Mid Season!

Tree Peony 'Koukamon' 皇嘉門 (Floral Gate)
The weather must be really confusing the peonies this year. My Tree Peony 'Koukamon' 皇嘉門 (Floral Gate) bloomed in Week 5 this year! I have never had a tree peony bloom this late (that wasn't a brand new spring planted addition to the garden). Regardless, I am really enjoying the spacing out of this peony season. I kind of wish it could be like this every year! It looks like this tree peony first bloomed for me in 2018, and it bloomed in Week 2 Early season! So you can see what a difference it has had in the bloom season this year, almost 3 weeks later than normal! Regardless of when this Tree Peony 'Koukamon' blooms, I am grateful for it. This is such a gorgeous tree peony and an awesome shade of purple!


Tree Peony 'Koukamon' 皇嘉門 (Floral Gate)
Blooms in Week 5 Late Mid Season

Tree Peony 'Koukamon' 皇嘉門 (Floral Gate)