I would like to add some tree peonies to my garden. I have over 100 herbaceous, 8 Itoh hybrids and 4 tree peonies. Tree peonies have always been kind of an after thought.

I have room, so I think I would like tall. Besides, trees are usually tall, right?

I think maybe not yellow, I have several yellow peonies. Side note: I would not have to see another yellow daylily. Also, pure white is virgin boring.

Bare root or potted? 2,3,4 year old plants? Note: I am old as dirt, so time is in the equation. However, cost is also a factor.

What vendors? I have no experience here. The only tree peonies I have are from el-cheapo suppliers... if you wait, they will grow.

Specific varieties? Not the latest intros, but reasonably priced classics. OK, forget the classic part. Lets go for charming:)

Comments please:)

Well, since you have four tree peonies then you know they are not tall like trees. More like large bushes I guess. And not even that large compared with some really huge hydrangeas. That being said, do you like the large bomb blooms or singles or what is in between.

Oberon46 said:Well, since you have four tree peonies then you know they are not tall like trees. More like large bushes I guess. And not even that large compared with some really huge hydrangeas. That being said, do you like the large bomb blooms or singles or what is in between.

I do like singles.

Another forum member suggested Tree Peony Garden, http://www.treepeonygarden.com... , especially their end of season sale. His pictures of the trees he received has me convinced; I think I'll order a couple soon and try to hit their sale this fall.

There are some really good TPs on that site. I looked at their Collector's Corner and found 140053. Lovely flower. The price is ok for Rockii. They are usually much more expensive. I like Rockii peonies because they are so dramatic.

Unfortunately, Tree Peony Garden doesn't export to Canada, so I cannot order. However, I called them several times; they were happy to answer all my questions. They know what they are talking about.

I ordered from Cricket Hill last September. The plants were really good, but they were not cheap. They will also follow up and advise. You can check their site; there are some really good articles there. They might help you decide.

In general, there are several tree peonies properties that you might want to consider:
1. size - from 3' to 8'
2. shape - spreading, upright, vase
3. bloom type - single, double, etc.

You might also want to consider longer lasting blooms, for example, my High Noon (American hybrid) blooms much longer than Hoki (Japanese hybrid.) There are some types whose flowers sink into the plant so you cannot see them. Kinkaku (French hybrid) is one of them.

Good luck! Keep us posted please.

My favorite places to buy tree peonies are Solaris Farms and Klehms Songsparrow. It is better to have quality than quantity. It also allows you to look at the different types lutea, rockii and suffruticosa and see what you like. Both of those places grow their own and stand behind what they sell, also will be true to name and provide you will extremely detailed instructions for success.

Good luck and do let us know what you choose

Submitted an order to tree peony gardens:



Ordered over the phone, the checks in the mail

I mentioned that they had 'Court Jester' misspelled on their webpage... 'Court Juster'

Corrected now:)

I am the person mentioned previously that ordered from them last year. I am completely satisfied with TreePeonyGarden. This year, the website only has about 1/3 of what was listed last year. This is probably due to a rotating schedule of which TPs are available. And the previous post was correct. In September, they will add a click on icon for their fall special sale. It is a great sale to get TPs at $5/$10/$15/$20/$25/$30/$35. I got a total of 9 TPs from them last fall and they are all doing wonderfully. 7 of 9 bloomed this spring. I can't say enough good things about them and their products. Chateau Charmarron is also a great place to get good TPs at a reasonable price. I have 3 from them also. They have done well. They have the best and cheapest varieties of rock tree peonies I can find. They also have a great variety of many types of Chinese Tree Peonies. Solaris Farms also looks great and has very reasonable prices. But unfortunately, they are closed for orders for 2014. When a vendor closes sales that early, it usually means they offer a good product at a reasonable price. Good luck to you with TPs and remember, patience is a virtue when you are talking about TPs. I think you saw some pictures of my TPs this past spring on this forum.

I ordered 3 from them already, graycrna4u! I'll be watching for their fall sale, too!