An Old Fashioned Favorite, Peonies are Still Stars in the Garden
Friday May 30, 2008
Who can resist smelling a peony blossom? For all their charms, peonies are remarkably easy to grow. They don't like to be disturbed by division and will keep on blooming for years, if they are made happy while young. The one maintenance chore would be staking. You can get away with not staking, but if a rain hits them while they are in bloom, your flowers are going to be ground level. The full double blossom varieties are gorgeous, but they are even more top heavy than the single blossoms.
As for those ants crawling all over the unopened buds, whether they help pollinate the plants is still a matter for argument. But everyone agrees they don't hurt the plant, so let the ants be. Just be sure to shake them off before you bring the blooms indoors to enjoy. Growing Great Peonies.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2008) licensed to About.com, Inc.
Comments
I remember growing up on the farm with my grand parents. My grandmother always had peonies along the walk way. then my mother continued on with having peonies too.
My tree peony just bloomed for the first time. I planted it in 2002, so I knew I needed to be patient. What a payoff. I have two giant, double, shell pink flowers. When they open fully, they are bigger than my head. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I want to plant more now!
I always loved these flowers, even long before I knew what they were. Maybe one of these days I’ll plant some…they’d make a nice addition to the garden!
Genie
The Inadvertent Gardener
It’s been cold here in the mid-Hudson Valley of NY, so the peonies haven’t been too eager to bloom. But the tree peonies are stealing the show. I’d always heard they were more temperamental, but it doesn’t appear so.
Genie, I took a peek at ‘The Inadvertent Gardener’. How could I not, with a name like that. I really enjoyed what I read and I’ll rotate you through my blog listings in the near future so other would be gardeners can be inspired.
My Grandmother had a peony plant. When I was a young child (many,many years ago) I loved to watch for the beautiful blooms. I would watch the ants gather around the buds. I had some kind of special connection with this plant. I have five plants in my yard today. They are magical and they bring me the same joy that it did years ago.
I have beautiful pink, white and almost a burgundy color bunch in my garden this year. How long do they bloom for?
Peonies sure are sentimental favorites. How long they bloom depends on the weather. I can usually get at least 3 solid weeks out of mine. A good rain can knock them out and a hot spell can shorten the bloom time, but about 3 weeks is my norm.
enchanting blog! auburn.awyoming.com