Anybody in this co-op? I'm expecting peonies I've paid for. They were supposed to arrive in October. I've emailed her, but haven't heard a word.
Magnolialovers Peony Co-op
I checked with her Oct 12 and she said Hollingsworth was in the process of filling the order. It would be shipped to her then she must break it down and reship the individual orders. Just guessing but I would assume arrival this week or early next week.
I can tell you from my experience the past two years that Hollingsworth is well worth waiting for but they are very busy this time of year and in past were a little off on their stated time of shipping those large orders (only a week or so). Hope that helps... have no idea about this year so cant say anything. In past Magnolia has been reliable, in my experience.
Oh - I have to mention that all but a few of mine from last fall bloomed with one to five flowers :-) (my fault on the ones that didnt bloom, planted in too much shade in heavy heavy clay that stayed saturated all winter, not a pretty sight) Hollingsworth sends out very large healthy roots, hope ya'll enjoy as much as I have.
I ordered five from her. Fragrans, Judith Eileen, Lavon, Roselette and Hot Chocolate. Along with Chestine Gowdy, Hermione and Wind Chimes from another source, these will be my beginning for correctly named peonies. I have several with lost or no names and a few fern leafs so they will replace a lot of my efforts in growing irises.
That's good news. Thanks for the feedback. I was just worried because she hadn't responded to my email. Do you guys wait and plant in the spring or go ahead and plant in the fall?
In the fall asap. I have had very good luck with transplants in late August/early September so this is a little late but anytime before cold weather is supposed to be ok.
I have had Hollingsworth tell me that so long as the ground is not frozen you can plant them... they already have stored most of their energy for next year, its just a dormancy period... I planted most of mine with in a week or two of receiving but so long as they are not soft or moldy you should be fine to wait if needed for a little bit. You may find Hollingsworth's are larger than your other source (not always but Hollingsworth are bigger than most sources)
Thank you! Our ground doesn't really freeze until January (if it's going to). But I always worry about the wet ground.
These are my first "real" peonies. I have a white one from a swap and a red one that belonged to my great aunt at least 70 years ago (it hasn't ever flowered for me). But these are the first ones I've selected and ordered on purpose. I'm excited because I ordered several smelly ones. Of course, for the life of me, I can't find the list of the ones I ordered . . .
They're full sun, right?
They do best here in full sun, so Id guess there too. I have to warn you on why I killed a few last year - I planted in clay holes - we have very heavy clay(so like a clay pot but with no drainage holes, they should have been lifted a bit above 'ground level' in a slight mound - I was being lazy) and then winter was very wet and cold - they rotted (very uncommon, but they sat in water that froze over and over... still feel 'silly')
How long have you had the one from your great aunt? If it was moved only in the past few years it could be 'mad' about the move or not like where it is, maybe someone on here can give you some advice on that. They do take a while to get established and decide to bloom in many cases. I wish you the best with that one - I love plants with history, the ones you can tell stories about and wonder what stories they could tell.
I just heard from Tracey and the peonies are being mailed out this week.
We have clay soil and lots of rain. This year is predicted to be wetter and rainier. I'll amend the soil with sand and ground up wood to get the best drainage possible. Our clay soil is why I usually have trouble with rotting (unless I'm planting natives - LOL). It's very nutritious, but doesn't drain well.
My aunt's peony was a piece from my brother several years ago and has been in the same pot since then. I haven't fed it much, so maybe that's also part of the problem. It always comes up and looks beautiful and leafy, but no blossoms. I, too, love plants from other people's gardens and especially ones with history. My Great Aunt was one of my favorite people and I miss her every day.
This is her as a young woman in Pennsylvania in the early 1900's.
It could be that it is considered 'young' depending on the size and such you got. Perhaps a different thread you can ask about it and someone with more long term knowledge can help you out... or maybe it just needs time :-)
She looks like she was full of life, that is a very old picture, good to see you have it on a different media to be able to share (and back up)
Twila was a wonderful person. The picture is pretty old - pictures with it are from 1920-25. My brother just scanned a whole album from my Dad (who's 92). Dad says he has several more . . .
I will move Twila's peony to the bed I'm creating for the Hollingsworth peonies and feed well (bone meal or alfalfa?) and see if next year isn't the year.
Thank you both. I look forward to seeing your pictures!
I'm soooo excited. My peonies arrived today. They are BIG and healthy and starting to bud (yikes!). Wow - I can see why everyone likes Hollingsworth so much.
And, from the looks of things, we got a pretty good price.
I really had to cull my choices in order to fit my budget, but I got what looked to me like very classic peonies:
Coral Sunset
Amalia Olson
Krinkled White
Color Magnet
I splurged and got some tulips today, too, so I'll be planting this weekend. I'm going to amend my peony planting holes (mostly amended clay already) with ground up fir and hemlock bark mixed with rotted chicken manure. I thought I'd add some bone meal. Does that sound like it will work?
I see from other threads that many of my questions have already been answered. So I'll keep some clay in the new soil and make sure the crown is high enough to keep it from standing in water.
Thanks!
Its great to hear your enthusiasm! Im glad you found your answers and I wish you the best with ALL your peonies:-)
I just heard from Tracey and am sorry to report that she feels that I may have been "trashing" her on this thread. She's no longer a subscriber to DG and so she can't read the thread, apparently. I'd just like to make sure that nobody thinks I was doing anything like that. She's been great about the co-op. I'm sure it was hard work and I'm very happy with the result.
So whoever might have been passing that message on, would you be sure to pass this message on, as well?
Thanks.