Thanks for the link and related info Jerry. Now the man who grows these locally likely knows exactly what he's got but I'll be paying him another visit soon so I can prod for info then. If I were a betting man I'd bet what I saw were P.tenuifolia . I will certainly inquire to be sure.

He's a life-long gardener 30+ years my senior and retails many Hostas but he doesn't ship. Acres of flowers and seemingly a wealth of knowledge, it was the highlight of my Easter Sunday. I only picked up a dwarf Hosta and a (new to me) Hellebore. Can't wait to see his gardens this summer, I'll take my camera if he doesn't mind a few pics.

Unknown Fernleaf Peony hybrid

Just gorgeous!

Can't remember if I mentioned that mine is a fernleaf for sure judging by the -- well, leaves. Just like yours. And it is just about to pop into blooms. Right on time. Looks like yours.

Very nice, Ed.

Thanks Mary, Diann
this is my forever plant.

It's interesting to see the progress of the peonies - perhaps we aren't as far behind in zone 3 as we often think. Here is a picture of my fern leaf taken on June 3. I planted this fern leaf about 5 years ago as a wee plant. About 4 hours after this picture was taken, a hail storm ripped through and pulverized the flowers so I'm glad I took it.

Don't you hate hail storms, Dora? The same thing happened here this week. Came home to shattered blooms and bent/broken stems.

Hail storms

Better early in the season than later though. My double peony hasn't bloomed yet - I hope it didn't get bruised.

It's a good thing that peony season here is over for the most part. We got hail on Monday for 15 to 20 minutes straight. Not large stuff, but it did a number on my peony bed. Next year folks, next year!

And here mine is 40" tall and is loaded with flowers and buds. Just love it as it gets taller and more full of flowers each year. Second peony to bloom after Roselette. Athena just popped yesterday. I don't have may peonies but am so excited when each one blooms.

It is approaching the time for the fernies to become dormant and their foliage to die. The larger clumps seem to go first. The stems lose their turgor and collapse. I gave them a dose of MG and water to prepare them for the hot summer root growth. Never water them after the tops die.

Dug one of my older (5 yrs) clumps of my single red fl today.

My heavens. That is what mine must look like. How would you ever divide that mess??

I just cut this one in half for a gift to another person who wanted a new FL. I will probably replant my half as a single unit because I have several others in the developmental stage. They can be separated into smaller units but the eyes are easily broken off so it requires some advance planning before beginning to cut.

thanks. I will remember. I thought you could pretty much leave peonies in the ground and not worry about digging and dividing. Is that not so?

This particular clump was crowding and shading two small double FL and I had another single of the same age and size nearby so I decided to move this one. Most people just leave them in place but I like to experiment with them.

I guess I have too few peonies to take the risk. I lost three a couple of years ago due to wet conditions and to not knowing how hardy the roots can be. One I dug up (I thought) had deep roots that broke surface after being gone over one whole summer, the next summer. I am moving it this year as it is in the middle of a rhubarb bed that totally overshadows it. Or will until it grows larger. I wonder how deep the tubers will be.. lol

I have seen standard peony roots 12 inches and more for the large storage roots and another 12 inches for the feeder roots. I think a lot depends upon the soil, temps, and how well the initial hole was dug. Ticker and Magnolia had some good info concerning the correct way to plant peonies and how the preparation of the hole area was critical for successful growth. Perhaps they can repost the info since it can make a major difference in the survival of the peony.

How do you tell feeder roots from storage roots?