This is Jan Van Leewen
Some of my peonies this year
Evening World
Afterglow - very well named!
And this one I don't know. It was supposed to be Laura Dessert which is yellow. I do like it though.
Just beautiful!!! Wonderful peonies!!! Great pictures!
Diann
I particularly like Jan van Leewen, G. Your pictures, and the ones you have posted before of your peonies are lovely- I wasn't prompt with the picture taking this year, and have missed that opportunity this year for peonies! but I went through the same dilemma as years before- do I really want all those double peonies in the garden?? I love the flowers cut and in a vase- absolutely adore them- or touring around the garden, putting my nose in them to remember how they smell- but looking at them from a distance can be so aggravating....flopping over, or kinked over the hoop I've put up. I find myself relieved when peony season is over and I can trim all the stems and have upright bushes again. I've put a few of the worst in my cutting garden- (which is a converted vegie garden in a field- rows and no frills-) I do love the singles, which hold their blossoms like goblets, though they - and the species peonies- are over so early....so that is the issue! this year maybe a few more floppy ones will be moved to the field- and if my staking efforts were more effective....we'll see. life without peonies would be unbearable!
You'd love Jan Van Leewen then as it doesn't need staking at all. I'd like a few more singles if only I had room. A cutting garden sounds wonderful. Thanks for your kind comments.
Those are all so gorgeous! I especially like Afterglow, and was thinking when I saw it- what a great name! and then I saw your caption. :) Good job growing them! Susanne
what gorgeous pics! i like the mysterious version of laura dessert. i had 7 new flowering varieties this year that for whatever reasons were unlabeled and for which i have no memory and i have been on an obsessive campaign to identify them so i will add this one to the list. it looks to be a deep pink; is it? i love so many of the kelway cultivars or at least, pictures of them, and have been on a mission to locate some of the more uncommon. do you have any suggestions for resources in the uk or for that matter, anywhere?
Have a look at www.peonysociety.org.uk/ - then go to information then suppliers - they have details of peony sellers worldwide. There are some wonderful varieties and Kelways are one of the best growers. Paul Christian Rare Plants sells some more unusual species. Happy browsing!
thanks for the references. i have checked out kelways and was surprised that they only offer appr. 25 varieties, although they do have 2 that i would like. as an interesting side tibit: the aps held their annual convention this summer 10 minutes from my home, which, needless to say, excited me to no end. when i first walked in a gentleman was sitting at a table with a stack of books. i noticed he had an english accent and so, giddy with excitement to be in the mist of all those peonies and peony people and in an attempt to connect over what i thought might be a mutual source of interest, i began babbling about my esteem for kelway's peonies or least, for pictures of kelway's peonies. his response did not match my enthusiasm but then, ordinary people would have had to have partaken in some very special substances to be on the same plane as i was that afternoon; he noted that kelway's photographer was very adept in his profession and that many of kelway cultivars had weak stems that was typical of the breeding in that era and he noted several varieties that he thought to be quite nice. sometime later i discovered that the gentleman was allen page and the stack of books on the table were copies of his newest book, the gardeners peony. didn't i feel foolish as i reflected on the gushing torrent of neophyte babble that eschwed from my mouth to one of the world's foremost peony writers! oh well, it was genuine. amazingly, he has only been into peonies for ten years but does have a very strong background in botany. first time in my life i've spent $40 for a non-text book but i do have a nice autograph!
How amazing! If you'd have known who he was at the time you'd have probably babbled a great deal more!
sweetsisterandi- good story! wanted to quickly share the peony grower I have respected a great deal here, and should order more peonies from--hollingsworth nursery-he has many many peonies, and seems to describe their growing habits more accurately than most..the roots you receive are large and healthy- all around a good buy. he has a group he calls "best landscapers" that i am going to pay more attention to. galanthophile-can we really order peonies from UK? i suppose we can...hmmmmm
Yes you can order from the UK although I suspect it would have to one of those "I can't live without" plants!
sjms - you're absolutely right about don hollingsworth! i, also, had the pleasure of meeting him at the convention (fortunately, my 'babbling' was under better control by that point). he is such a lovely gentleman and extremely knowledgable. in another peony thread i referred to him and recommended his nursery. when i called to place my order several weeks ago, he was kind enough to patiently answer my list of questions. i enjoyed a lengthy chat with him; not only is he gracious and an expert on anything peony related, he is a very good teacher.
i agree with you that his new system of coding good landscape varieties is very helpful and i told him i was appreciative of it, as well as the informative descriptions that you referred to. i'd say we have a fan club going and deservedly so!
i'm glad to hear about the quality of his plants but i knew they would be good. i've been on an all-out peony rampage this summer; i've placed orders with 4 other nurseries,as well. speaking of which, do know of any good sources up here in our neck of the woods? there is a great nursery, fieldstone, in vassalboro, that i visited last year and purchased some unusual plants of various species, including a few peonies. they have a free catalog and sell mail order. although they don't have a large selectionof peonies, they do offer some uncommon ones and at decent prices. one place in new england that i would love to visit is countryman's in vermont. they, also, are reputed to have an incredible collection. mr. hollingsworth said there are wonderful specialized peony gardens and although there isn't a website listed in the watchdog, he said they do have a catalog. i emailed requesting one but haven't received one yet.
in addition to lady g's wonderful pictures, i'm curious as to what other peonies she might have, as well as anybody else. any specific collections or interests or recommendations and/or warnings? although i've been a dg member for almost two years i haven't joined in at the peony forum until very recently and i am very interested in anything and everything anyone would care to share about their peony history and life.
ssa-what a treat to have had that conversation- i actually recommended don h to terry from dg as the peony forum "expert"--she has been looking for sort of mentor people to be part of the forums- don't suppose he'd have time though. i'd love to go to a convention of peony fanatics! I guess i should join the aps...but it will be a while before the annual meeting is so close, i'm sure. fieldstone does have lots of peonies- but they are getting roots from somewhere to sell, i think...though they sure have a lot of interesting plants for new england- hmmm-i will track down countryman's in vt, thanks for the tip!
galant, i remember you mentioning the species peonies, or was it p.mlokosewitschii (did i get the spelling right?) and you have a particularly beautiful specimen! I have P. japonica which has gotten quite large and blooms from its big egg shaped buds for a very fleeting, but long anticipated spring moment! my baby P obovata is too young to bloom yet...but the sweetest one I ordered just last fall, P.veitchii, had one lovely little flower this spring, though the plant was just barely 6 inches tall! looking forward to it growing up . the species peonies are really hard to find here- i'm looking for a reliable source for moly the witch-----
It amazes me how expensive Molly can be - I'm so pleased I got mine when I did. She is so worth it though!