I am snowed in today. Is the winter storm hitting anybody else? It is rare that I have this day off to enjoy peony pics. I have been looking through my peony photos trying to remember my bloom season for 2023. Is anyone doing the same? If you have some extra time, won't you share some of your best peonies of 2023? Would love to see your "Winners" of these categories:

Best Overall Performer
Best Herbaceous
Best Itoh
Best Tree
Best Photo
Most Memorable
Most Beautiful
Nicest Color
Nicest Fragrance
Most Consistent Bloomer


They can overlap. Pictures are very much appreciated. THanks!

My Best Performer and Most Memorable is Ofuji Nishiki. Didn't bloom a lot in previous years but it totally blew me away this past spring with many buds and perfectly formed flowers. It was planted in fall 2019.

Most consistent bloomer and best tree peony is Josephs Rocks TP. It blooms prolifically every year and most carefree shrub. Buds don't suffer from late freezes or pests.






My Nicest Color Peony is a tie between Pastelegance and Manchurian Promise. Really like them both.
Pastelegance


Manchurian Promise


Manchurian Promise would have been a fantastic TP if its blooms would open above foliage. Some are at foliage but unfortunately some are under foliage as seen below.

kousa said: ...Would love to see your "Winners" of these categories:

Best Overall Performer
Best Herbaceous
Best Itoh
Best Tree
Best Photo
Most Memorable
Most Beautiful
Nicest Color
Most Consistent Bloomer

They can overlap. Pictures are very much appreciated. THanks!

I wold only add one more category; Nicest Fragrance love them with their perfumes

Thank you, Jasmin! Nicest Fragrance category is added. This coming bloom season, I will make a point to take notes on fragrance of my peony blooms. At this moment, I don't recall which one was the best smelling peony this past year. I think maybe my Rockii NOID. It has a pleasant sweet scent.

Most beautiful peony for me this past year has to go to Walter Faxon. I had a few perfect blooms on it that just took my breaths away. I wish I have better camera skills to capture its beauty. I think the form and color is so exquisite on this flower.

Scene stealers:

Schaffe

Raspberry Sundae

Best tree peony:
Shimane Otone Mai

Best unknown (taken in a cemetery garden). Can you identify? Maybe Mikado. Only specimen of this I saw in the cemetery.

Most fragrant: Mother's Choice

Best photo combo:
Minnie Shaylor and Gay Paree


or: Serebrinyi Velvet with Felix Crouse and Old Faithful in background

Favorite photo: Charles Burgess with Hakonechloa grass

Most memorable color among newer ones:
Chocolate Soldier

Tree peony's FAVORITE's



Tree peony fav


Tree peony favorite great fragrance


Tree peony favorite great fragrance


ITOH peony old fav







ITOH


ITOH

Thank you Mantis and Bea for sharing your bests!

Mantis, your Raspberry Sundae and Shimane Otone Mai are amazing! Love the mix of the pink and white and full and anemone form blooms of your RS bush. SOM is just spectacular, the photo says it all. I too really like your photo of Charles Burgess with Hakonechloa grass. The colors and textures just compliment each other perfectly. Chocolate Soldier's color is very striking - looks almost like velvet. I can't wait to smell my Mother's Choice peony. I hope that I get a flower from my root this year.

Bea, such lovely colors on your tree peonies! I love the intense pink flower with the chartreuse foliage. Is that a seedling of yours? I have never seen it before. The white/blush flower with the pink flares is so sweet and dreamy. They all are beautiful!

Kousa
for the compliments and acorn.

What a great thread I will rate only my tree peonies, because I have no fancy herbaceous peonies, just common varieties that you could find in any garden.

Best Overall Performer and Most Consistent Bloomer: Hoki
In my garden since 2004, and it has never skipped a blooming season. It has to compete with other roots in this harsh climate. I also rarely feed it, but it blooms every year




Most Mysterious: Snow Lotus
This one is close to the wild species, and I cannot help but wonder how and why nature created such a beautiful flower. It has hypnotic effect on me




Best Photo: The Guardian of the Monastery
Absolutely the most photogenic one. This one in the picture got sick two years ago and might not survive but I planted two new ones last fall I simply cannot imagine my life without the Guardian

Let's continue...

Most Memorable: Black Dragon Holds a Glorious Flower
Love this one from the first moment I saw it on the Cricket Hill website. Perhaps because the name fits so well, I cannot 'unsee' this flower anymore.




Most Beautiful: Souvenir de Maxime Cornu or Kinkaku (Golden Pavilion)
Have to give this one to Kinkaku. I know, I know it nods, but that size, substance, colours...

And one more post...

Nicest Colour: Cup of Shining Night
Deep shades of mauve with almost black blotches, the white stripe on the back of the petals is a nice touch that complements the magic My camera does not do it justice. If possible, plant it so that the sun shines through the petals for the striking effect.






Nicest Fragrance: High Noon
It fills the whole garden with its lemony fragrance

Beautiful peonies, pics and wonderful commentary, Jasmin! Snow Lotus is such a simply shaped flower but absolutely beautiful.

Jasmine… Adore them all… great blooms on all the tree Peaony.

Wow, thank you for sharing your TP blooms, Jasmin! Your TP blooms are as beautiful as they come! Like Liz, I really appreciate the commentary that accompanies each cultivar. It makes me feel like I am there seeing and smelling your tree peonies with you. The Cup of Shining's color is so striking! I think all of the above would have a hypnotic effect on me too.

Here's my best herbaceous peony: Gay Paree blooms like this every year eventhough I do not treat it any differently than other peonies.



Sometimes it sports a pink center.


I have no best Itoh this past year. None put on a good show. Duchess De Lorraine did put in a decent performance but its number of blooms were half of the year before.



Best Tree Peony winners in my garden this past year would be Ofuji Nishiki and Joseph Rocks.

Most favorite photo is this one because it looks like a flower arrangement.