I love peonies. They are beautiful, lovely vibrant colors in pink, rose, carmine and white, huge and fragrant. As a bonus the plants have lovely shapes and foliage, making them perfect plants to use as the foundation for your garden.
Peonies in Bloom Back Garden
I don’t know what variety this one is. It’s frilly, and in our old house was the last to bloom. Here with the warm weather and plenty of water it’s blooming right with the others.
Pink Frilly Peony June 8 2015
We had peonies in our old house and they bloomed beautifully despite being a little too shady. Here we have full sun and the plants are huge with lots of enormous blossoms. I fertilize each plant in the spring and then at least once more, usually twice, in the summer. Plus they get a foliar feeding with Spray ‘N Grow and Bill’s fish emulsion fertilizer every week to 10 days.
One of my favorites is Festiva Maxima, white with crimson flecks. We have more crimson in our flowers here, probably because the peonies are very happy and get full sun and lots of love. Here it is, in a bouquet on the dining room table with Billy Bob.
Peony Bouquet with Billy Bob June 2014
Peonies here start around the end of May and last a couple weeks, more if it is cool and the rain and wind are gentle. Unfortunately I was too busy enjoying my flowers to take pictures before a windy, rainy evening followed by some hot weather. That brought all the flowers out to bloom and they are nearly done.
Felix Supreme, White and Large Pink Peonies June 2015
When I walked out through the garden the scent was amazing. The white ones seem to have the most fragrance.
Red Peony Next to Yellow Iris June 2015
A few blossoms in a vase will perfume the whole room.
Peony Bouquet with Billy Bob June 2014
I’m pretty sure we have Felix Supreme and Edulis Superba, old varieties from the 1800s, a dark rose and huge pink. My Mom had those and it seemed like their blooms were the highlight of the summer.
Researching this post I found this interesting peony garden at the University of Michigan, about 2 hours away. Next year we must go.
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