This is my collection of named peonies purchased from major nurseries so they should be correct.

Wow Jerry, your stuff is so much farther along than mine. It was a horrible cold winter and I was afraid that I had lost my newly planted tree peonies, but it looks like they have firm buds and seem to want to grow... We'll see though, nothing is really popping up here just yet... Except my pink ferny.

We are supposed to hit the freezing mark tonight and if everything survives I should have a couple of early bloomers popping open within 10 days or so.

Looking forward to seeing the pictures, Jerry! Peonies are so tough I have no doubts your blooms will come through the freeze with no problems!

Jerry, I hope your plants are fine as well. We are also getting below freezing tonight, and some of my blooms have started opening. I'm tired of this crazy weather! It will be survival of the fittest here tonight and tomorrow night, and the wind had been ridiculous all day!

My noid






Command Performance, with the biggest bud I've ever seen



Eliza Lundy


Merry Mayshine


Raspberry Charm


Bowl of Cream



Do Tell

The 5th picture looks familiar as an opening bud but it will change a bit when it opens. The basic structure and color seem to favor my Hot Chocolate. Another night of freezing then we should be in a warming trend. I am ready for some color.

I'm ready to see some peony blooms as well.

Clem, how cold did it get on you?

I have two more herbaceous popping. More each day. Course that means just that they have little pips coming up. No flowers til probably the middle end of May. Trees don't look too great yet.

Hi Diann, it got down to 29 degrees last night. The plants did fine, I did not cover them, it was survival of the fittest here.

Mary, I'm glad you're starting to see some peony growth, I look forward to seeming your blooms this summer.

Me too. After last summer's debacle I am really thrilled at how robust some of the pips are that were so wimpy last year. I always plant in the fall, and move things (as we all do) with hope that I have now found the perfect arrangements. Which of course will never happen. But getting close.

Annette, I would've lost the chicken competition and cut those buds for inside, glad they made it though the freeze for you! I've never had it get that cold after they were showing color; all of our freezes have happened with just stems or tiny buds.

Your peonies are monstrous and beautiful, oldgardenrose! My goodness. I saw the picture of your fern leaf sandy area and I wonder: when those plants grow to full size over the years, will they just about cover the area?

I just saw Merry Mayshine at the nursery. It was a big one for a small pot. The flowers have a very pretty hue with a slight iridescence.

LOL Liz, I always play "chicken" in my garden, especially with this crazy weather we've had this winter.

Pwin, I love Merry Mayshine, I'm so excited to be getting 3 blooms this year.


I'm also being teased by a few of the peonies, and of course when they're about to bloom, it's starts raining profusely.

My noid


Raspberry Charm

We had sunshine and a nice warm day, and finally I have some blooms that opened.

Raspberry Charm



My noid

I am a sucker for red peonies. Whites are nice but the reds just reach out and grab me.

Beautiful peonies Annette and I LOVE your mixed border! Peonies just really stand out and complement so many other flowers, love the combination of irises, lilies and peonies! Just one question, what is the tall, really dark plant, looks like a single stem to the left of the left most lily? Like that dark color, really different.

Thanks Jerry and Liz. The red of Raspberry charm can be seen across the garden.

Liz, if your talking about picture #1, it's a metal trellis that has a clematis that is not yet visible. The trellis looks like leaves, I got several of them from Lowes last year.

Wow, that would be a plant that I could grow other than peonies!! And I bet the deer would leave it alone!!!!

Early Scout beginning to bloom.





Roselette preparing for the big show.