Started a new thread as the old one is awfully long. Please keep posting - my peonies are generally finished so we move on with all of your blooms! It is exciting watching the season unfold.
This is Itoh "Garden Treasure" on 4/27. Got 5 blooms this year (two last year) but the rain/heat/rain meant they did not last long. Deeper coloring than Bartzella.
Steve, I am so jealous of your Garden Treasure blooms! None on mine.
ooh, that's purty! ;) Thanks for starting the new thread Steve. I am definitely a "stuffer" in the garden. If there's a bare spot, I'm obsessed until I decide what I can put in there. Even worse, I run out of bare spots. Does that stop me from getting new plants? Nooooo. I'll be doing some digging and clearing here soon to make room for some new plantings. I also like to plan blooming periods in waves/cycles throughout the season. I try my best to have something blooming from February to December.
This season I've ordered or bought 11 new roses, 7 new peonies and many other perennials & grasses. It's absurd really but life is short and flowers make it better!
The peonies I ordered include President Roosevelt (the older one), Border Charm, Lauren, Early Glow, Show Girl and Legion of Honor. Most are coming this fall.
I've only experienced truly terrifying weather once, two summers ago. A line of storms moved through with 100mph straight line winds and fat hail. My ears started popping because of the rapid pressure change. The dogs and I ran for the basement! I'm glad all the Georgia and Texas peony folks are ok. I cannot imagine what it must've felt like in northern Alabama.
thanks, steve. think i've talked MYSELF into checking out that coupon at calloways. :-)
Glad you guys are okay. I keep reading about the weather down there and really worry about you.
My neighbor has two raised beds in his lawn full of peonies, iris, bulbs and I don't know what. Anyway he wants me to dig everything up and remove the raised beds so he can just mow. He wants to keep a couple peonies for his wife to enjoy the flowers but the rest is MINE!!. As they are starting to bloom right now, we're going to wait until the bloom season is over than I'll go to work. I've got to watch them and mark what color they are, as they are NOIDs. I'm really looking forward to getting them and am working on fixing areas on my property for them.
bungalow, are you some relation to me?? I suffer from the same problem, but have stated to my DH [who keeps telling me that I am an old lady] that I won't be starting so many plants in the house and greenhouse next spring. I am getting tired of transplanting, battling the quack and just weeding. Then I take a walk thru my flower beds and thank GOD that I am able to walk, smell [wouldn't it be great if we had smellvision on here] and have plants and flowers to give to friends who visit or drive in and ask to walk around. Fine, as long as you don't plant your no.9th on one of valuable plants. Don't mind if you step on the weeds or quack!! LOL
The sun is shining here after rain all week, and they are predicting rain again tonight.
Maxine
marti, noid's are great when you get them for nothing!!
Maxine
That's what I'm thinking. Especially being on a fixed income and peonies are expensive.
Lucky you Marti! My initial perennials a couple of years ago, were from a close friend in whose yard I went "shopping" (and digging) in. NOIDS, yes, but I was oh so thankful.
Steve, so which yellow do you like better? I have to admit, that Garden Treasure is beautiful ~j
Steve, thank you for the new thread. And you do have a beauty there!
Oh my Steve, that is one gorgeous peony.
Here is my "Lemon Chiffon" from last yr. 2nd yr. for it and looking good this yr.
Maxine, I surely hope mine look this good. It is the second year for two Lemon Chiffon, Coral Sunset, and MacKinac Grand. I see pips on all of them but that is as far as they go for now.
Thanks Steve for starting a new thread.
Thanks all for the nice words and no problem on the thread, the old one was crazy-long and took forever to load even with a decent connection :-)
Maxine, absolutely love your Lemon Chiffon...what a perfect capture!
Philljm, I have to say it is a tough choice between Bartzella and Garden Treasure. Bartzella in my opinion has a prettier bush habit with a more erect, perky form and is a strong grower. Flowers are beautiful and semi-upfacing but lighter yellow than Garden Treasure. Has almost perfect peony form for any garden.
GT has a loose, somewhat floppy, low form and flowers are low to the ground and generally outfacing. Blooms are about the same size as Bartzella's but GT's are deeper yellow and more accented with color and in my opinion, GT wins the flower contest just edging out Bartzella.
So to answer your question, I am torn. Was thinking about which one I like better just last week and I like Bartzella's form and Garden Treasure's blooms. How's that for being non-committal?? LOL
I also have Goldilocks (I think that's a herbaceous, not an Itoh) and have been unimpressed so far. Bart and GT are both Itohs. Goldilocks is not aggressive a grower as the other two and I got one bloom this year and one last. Hollingsworth says it takes time to develop nice form and show what it can do, so - I am patiently waiting! :-)
This message was edited Apr 29, 2011 7:29 PM
Bungalow and Maxine, agree with you on all counts on your gardening habits :-) Life too short not to enjoy it. And Marti, how terrific is that - something that is an obstacle for someone else becomes your treasure. How lucky you are!
This is Bartzella for comparison's sake...4/19
Big Ben
Hot Chocolate. I have another one in another bed. One of them were from you Steve! So pretty. A deep deep burgandy color!
Raspberry Sundae
Lili! Beautiful choices, hehehe. I have both of those and you are quite welcome. My Big Ben had a different form than yours and somewhat different from last year but I absolutely love it. My BB is very fragrant...is yours? Terrific shots!
Sarah Bernhardt
Yes, it's a different smell from the other peonies. May be a little spicy? I have to smell it again tomorrow morning.
Love your Rasp. Sundae...I do not have that one....very pretty!
Not for peonies other than tree peonies that are of the upright form but those of you running out of space need to start thinking of planting upward. A wall can contain planters or as at the Wichita Kansas Botanica have a stone or block wall that is made with holes in wall for plants. The wall is open at the top so materials and water can be added as needed. The holes depending on the plant's in them have various types of wire or none at all.
One of the things I have seen recently are pallets wrapped with wire where the wire is either holding potting medium or landscape fabric with growing medium sandwiched between pallet and fabric. Most have held sedums but at least one had various herbs growing on the sides and sticking out of the top.
I may need to try to implement some of your ideas. I am out of room.....and IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!! (collectively speaking) I just placed an order with Adelman's. Carol said that even if I paid for the plants in pots, her customers don't pay any attention when there are ribbons or names on a plant -- they will take it anyway. So to ensure I got what I wanted I ordered on line and will have to wait til fall. (insert words of disgust here). Here is my order:
Miss America
Sword Dance
Roselette
Nose Gay
Border Charm
I had Border Charm once before and killed it by moving it too many times. I want it to drape down the rocks on the high end of my pond.
I just couldn't stand seeing all your beautiful peonies, so many of which I did not have. Heck. I don't have that many - ten I believe with dup's on Lemon Chiffon. Four trees, two itohs, four herbaceous - now five more herbaceous. And I will need that palette to plant some in unless I dig something up. :(
Sorry about not being able to take peonies back with you but now you have room for other plants. One of the other peony growers uses a silver pen on the pots as a label. I may have to suggest when I am there.
You still need to visit the growing fields of Carol and Brooks Gardens for the tree peonies that should be blooming now.
I goofed and hit the order button twice on one plant. I sent carol a note and asked if I could substitute Border Charm for one Nose Gay, and I would send a check for the $4 difference. She said she would do it when she received my check for the $4 . She is, if nothing else, charming.... I know --- business. I guess I am just used to Scott Reath. I doubt he does the volume, but for warmth and personal connection, he gets my vote.
Steve, when I saw you had posted a photo of Bartzella I went back and looked at both photos - of Bartzella and Lemon Chiffon - and was wondering "how do I choose?" Then I read your post. Thanks for the information. I am still not sure which one to get, may have to wait and get both later this summer.
I like dark bold colored flowers - with an emphasis on red, it is surprising to me that I am dreaming of yellow peonies. I guess that is because one of my friends has had a yellow for years- and I fell in love with them then - even though I grew up with the more traditional red and pink. I have never owned a tree peony, and never even knew they existed until looking into the yellows on-line & here at DG. Have never even seen one.
Thank you for the description or the differences. This was the information I needed, because it's hard to compare with the descriptions on-line.
Geez, another group of enablers! On the other hand, the more yard I dig up, the less I have to mow - right?!!! ~Jan
Marti: I'm just plain ol' jealous! Well, my knees and back aren't but my spirit is ;)
Maxine: you gave me a good grin. Steve's in with us too. Perhaps we're all cousins? Cousins in spirit, no doubt. My plant obsessions defy most logical and rational explanations. Most of my friends and family have pointed this out, albeit lovingly. I just find a crack in one of my beds, point and say, "uh uh, see, look right there- I could get a in there".
I share the gratitude you express. I gripe about aching joints, bugs, unwanted critters and the heat but appreciate that everything still works well enough to get me out there each spring, in defiance of my winter laziness, to go at it again. Anticipating and counting on those first shoots bring me joy. Many of the lessons and principles I've learned while gardening apply to all aspects of my life. Wouldn't a "scratch and sniff" PC monitor be great?!
Lilli: those blooms are stupendous! You north Georgia folks must be just a day or two ahead of us here in western NC.
ah: you come build me one of those plant walls. I'll fill it up and take some pics to share. Deal? (wink)
The photo is not a peony, of course. It's Sundrops evening primrose. He's just so cheery, I thought his charm needed to be shared.
I'm with ya Phil!
Thanks Bungalow - now I know I am not alone, it makes me feel much better! My kids are just shaking their heads when I proudly show off my daylily seedlings I have growing in one of their old bedrooms every time they come home.
I have been thinking of the Sundrops - that is quite a clump you have there. A friend gave me a Stemless Evening Primrose a couple of years ago, which I just love. It is so neat that it opens at night, I have it underneath my yard light. Even though it was mulched last winter, it looks like it is a bit worse for the wear this spring - but so far is surviving.
Thanks for posting that clump photo, much better than seeing a single flower in the catalogs, OK, it's on my 'list' ~j
I would love to get all of you over to my house with your gardening zeal. We have a bit of space left, but the preparation for peonies requires us to dig, dig dig...amending the sandy soil forever. We got some of the tails of storms (I'm thankful this forum's southern crowd is well) and the day after, several of my bushier peony bushes were wilting with thirst! During the storm my DH slipped on our shed ramp and broke his leg, thus ending my helper's spring digging. I have been able to plant the potted species peonies though the other perennials are sadly waiting for their soil. My already made purchases for fall number about twenty peony roots of different colors from white to lavender, fuschia, the deep reds and even spotted-- The Fawn, double my current number. I doubt a professional garden designer would recommend so many colors. The gorgeous pictures are very encouraging. Thanks!
Rosemary - so sorry to hear about your DH. Hope he is home and doing OK.
I was just thinking about the color thing this morning - and my desire to plant yellow Peonies among my Iris - and the fact that I have not limited myself to just 3 main colors.....
Oh well, this is for MY enjoyment, not Better Homes & Gardens! ~j
Steve, thank you for the comparisons between Bartzella and Garden Treasure. I'm leaning toward GT. Although, if I make room, I coullllldddd get both? [innocent who-me look here]
This thread is such fun to read, thank you to everyone posting. :-)
Philljim, thanks for asking. DM is handling it fine and no surgery. He installed a box on his crutches for carrying things.
On the color selections, I am trying to segregate them a bit into zones for a few compelementary or adjacent colors at a time. My Bartzilla is near dark reds, lilies and other hot colored iris, helianthus and rudbeckia, which I think is still chancy. Yours will be smashing with iris, I am sure. I had to learn NOT to plant too near near bee balm--too much mildew with the way I water.
You guys have helped me make the decision to have a putting green in my yard dug up and converted to garden area, hence the second and third order launched for peonies. I have always wanted Guardian of the Monastery. DH has only used the green once when it first went in. It is either to be converted to a pond or a garden and a garden is far less expensive. Uh, unless you consider the plants. Ordered Sweet May and Prairie Afire from Minnesota, and GoftheM from Adelman's.
Rosemary: so sorry to hear of DH's injury. I hope he mends quickly!
Personally (and this is definitely a matter of taste) I don't think there's ever really such a thing as too much color in a garden :) I have a spot that features purple and blue irises, a deep crimson rose, blue baptisia, an apricot colored rose, orange, blue and pink hyssop, pink dianthus, multicolored asiatic lilies and a cream peony with some herb lavender thrown in for good measure. I love the color clash! Again, it's all a matter of taste.
Debra: I agree, definitely a great thread.
Jan: off topic, I know... but I definitely like the Sundrops. It's much better behaved than its pink species cousin that is running amok in another bed of mine.
Sure, I subscribe to the "3 color limit" ~ red, blue and yellow.... and every blend between them. ;)
Very off topic!!
Dear Bungalow, I am in Raleigh and it is glorious here. You were right about the roses - they are in full bloom. Lovely place, the state of NC.
Now back to the peonies!
Donna
