Peonies: My peonies are breaking dormancy!, 5 by DonnaMack

DonnaMack wrote:
Wow, what a compliment!

Ok, for roses, here is a teaser. Some roses can simply be grown as freestanding shrubs. Here is Zephirine Drouhin, a Bourbon rose usually grown as a climber. A rosarian in St. Loius told me to grow it despite it being labeled a zone 6 rose. He was right. This first picture lots of people have seen, perhaps because I've posted it before as a great illustration of a climber being grown as a shrub. This is in my old yard. I have TWO in my new one (if it ain't broke)....

The flowers can be quite full. The scent is outrageous. It tends to get some blackspot if it is unevenly watered, which I solved by putting a soaker hose around it and running it on a timer for 15 minutes a week if there was no rain. It also takes about three years to bloom, because it spends so much enery getting big - but it's worth the wait. And it blooms extravagantly in spring, a;ways has some flowers, and then springs into action again in fall until a hard frost.

So rambunctious a rose can beat off any competition in terms of showiness, so its companion is Geraniium Biokovo. (picture 3)

But I always like to think of effects, so here is Nepeta Souvenir Andre Chaudron as positioned, the photo, between Zeph to the right, Constance Spry in bud to the left, a young Greenspire linden, and my NEIGHBOR's arbor (never hesitate to consider expensive backdrops you can't afford!)(Picture 4)

Since this is a peony thread, let me show you what I do for the times when peonies are OUt of bloom: The peonies are finished, but the blue cynoglossum (reseeds with no help), the nicotiana alata (ditto), verbena bonariensis (yep!) all come back with NO assistance. The pink flower was mistakenly sent to me by Bluestone. I asked for 3 Salvia Rose Queen and was sent thre sapnaria Bouncing Bett. It took me a while to realize it. It has to be controlled, but if you deadhead it , it blooms all seasona. It must simply be hacked back from time to time.

My peony bed was lawn. I had a ten foot easement on one side of the property, and my community said that I could grow wnything I wanted as long as they didn't have to take care of it. As if!

2 $15 roses - but what an effect!!!