Looking Forward to Spring – Peonies

Every year, I somehow make room on the farm for more peony plants. The addition is fueled by customer demand and my personal obsession for collecting plants.  There are hundreds of different varieties out there  so my collection will  never be complete.   Now that it is cold and dreary out there I would like to inspire you with some of the varieties we grow.

Buck-eyed Bell (maroon), Monsieur Jules-Elie (pink) Shirley Temple (white)

Buck-eyed bell is one of my favorites. It is an early bloomer and the deep burgundy against the yellow anthers is stunning.

Coral Charm

Coral and Gold

Cytherea

Gardenia

Garden Treasure

Until I saw Garden Treasure in real life  I thought a yellow peony was not very interesting…but its gigantic size, amazing color and texture have convinced me. Now it is one of my favorites. The bare root is very expensive so we only have 8 plants.

Lilian Wilde

Moonstone

Sarah Bernhardt

Kansas

Red Charm

 Being “The Flower Lady” I give away many flowers but sometimes my selections are very special and heart felt. This past June I gave a huge single stem of Monsieur Jules Elie peony to a man who absolutely loved it and took the flower home with delight.  He shared its beauty with his close friends.  Its always fun to see a man receive a flower and really connect with it, as our culture typically aligns flowers with women rather than men.

Nothing I am writing about in this post would be possible without Ed Pincus from Third Branch Flower Farm. He sold us many of his bare rootstock. As he just passed away, his plants will be treasured on our farm. I will always think of him when picking peonies. As well as Melissa Bounty who is the biggest peony fan I know, good friend and is the editor of all these blog post.  Huge Thank You Ed and Melissa two wonderful inspirations in my life.