My Pink Hawaiian Coral is dying back. We had some really cold weather a few weeks ago and it doesn't look like it took it very well.....Same thing with Coral Magic. Guess there's always next year!

@Oberon, you list is incredible. It shows that peonies may be late for a whole month; that is, the spring may be late. I wasn't aware of this.

Usually, my TP Hoki bloomed first, but after the horrible winter 2013/2014, High Noon bloomed first, Hoki second. At first I didn't believe; I thought that I made a mistake. Then I found the pictures and compared the dates. Yes, the peonies had decided to changed the order. That year, Hoki decided to wait a bit and bloom after High Noon. I am curious what will happen this year.

Another interesting thing happened last year. High Noon started opening buds in the fall. Now I understand how High Noon may bloom twice (in spring and later in the fall.) The plant needs a bit colder summer or early fall weather to go dormant and, then, if the weather gets milder, it will rebloom. Last year High Noon had started opening the buds in the fall, but the frost came, and several buds got damaged. I'll have to wait and see if the blooms from these buds will be disfigured.

The weather is getting better ovehere, and the peonies are growing fast now. Snow Lotus's flower buds are already swelling. The biggest surprise is the Guardian of the Monastery. Its buds are big and purple and they look like little monsters. I'll post pictures later today.

I've heard about High Noon reblooming for some. It makes sense that it would happen under those conditions. Very interesting.

Here's my Shimadaijin tree peony shortly after some flash snow/sleet/hail today:



I have a quick question for my fellow zone 3'ers - Do your tree peonies die back to the ground every year? I decided to try out a tree peony two years ago, and for two years straight the woody growth doesn't seem to tolerate the cold here and the peony starts from the ground each year. One of my co-workers has had the same thing happen for several years and I'm wondering if anyone else has any experience with them this far north. I think I've actually lost a two year old TP this year as well, which is a crying shame.

My High Noon tree peony rebloomed last year. So strange to see a peony bloom in the middle of August. Anyway, I thought that this rebloom might have set the plant back with used energy. Nope, not at all. In fact it came back stronger this year with 5 buds.

Nick, I have a Rockii tree peony that dies back every year. I believe it is a variety whose growths are not hardy for my zone. I think I am going to move it to a location southern side of my house to protect it from the cold and wind in the winter. Perhaps then, I may get a bloom from it. Anyway, some tree peonies are more or less hardy than others. Yours maybe one of the less hardy one.

NMay said:
I have a quick question for my fellow zone 3'ers - Do your tree peonies die back to the ground every year? I decided to try out a tree peony two years ago, and for two years straight the woody growth doesn't seem to tolerate the cold here and the peony starts from the ground each year. One of my co-workers has had the same thing happen for several years and I'm wondering if anyone else has any experience with them this far north. I think I've actually lost a two year old TP this year as well, which is a crying shame.

I don't have a tree peony, but my understanding is that this is quite common. Also, the buds for next year on tree peonies are on the shrub, not on the root so when the shrub dies back, the plant loses its flowering capability. They are zone 4, so they are sometimes able to make it here if there is a good microclimate though.

I've read that in China, both herbaceous and tree peonies were/are often grown in pots. I was thinking it might be worthwhile to try winter a tree peony over inside - leave it outside until the foliage starts to die back and then pop it in the basement until spring. Of course I'll have to keep the cats from using it as a litter box.

NMay said:I've heard about High Noon reblooming for some. It makes sense that it would happen under those conditions. Very interesting.

Here's my Shimadaijin tree peony shortly after some flash snow/sleet/hail today:



I have a quick question for my fellow zone 3'ers - Do your tree peonies die back to the ground every year? I decided to try out a tree peony two years ago, and for two years straight the woody growth doesn't seem to tolerate the cold here and the peony starts from the ground each year. One of my co-workers has had the same thing happen for several years and I'm wondering if anyone else has any experience with them this far north. I think I've actually lost a two year old TP this year as well, which is a crying shame.

Hi Nick,
You can try to put some straw on the TP to help them winterized, mulch lightly, see that will help or not. but remember remove them when spring comes.

Nick,

You can try with smaller TPs, such as Blue Sapphire. They are small enough to cover them under a pile of, for example, oak leaves. I cover my roses with oak leaves, and, sometimes the lower braches even manage to keep their green leaves.

Can TP bloom if the branches are frozen? Perhaps they can bloom form the buds that are undeground.

Could TPs be buried like some people do with tender roses?
Or could a shorter variety be over wintered under a rose hut?

Nick,

Below is the link to the video on TPs in Song Sparrow Nursery. They say TPs are hardy up to Zone 3. You might contact them and ask about TPs than are hardy in Zone 3.

http://wpt.org/Wisconsin-Garde...

Thanks for all the tips and advice, it's very much appreciated. I think I will contact Song Sparrow and see what they have to say, Jasmin.

I guess I'll try this TP thing a couple more years and see how it goes. I'd hate to remove the plant but I think that the goal of anyone that plants peonies is to, at some point, see blooms. My co-worker says that his TP that dies back will bloom at random from year to year. It's my understanding that buds form on the woody growth from previous years, so I would wager that it flowers from buds that have formed near or under the ground. Thanks again, everyone.

I had two tree peonies that it took two-three years for them to bloom. I stupidly thought I should prune them in the fall which explains why not flowers for a bit. But then they started growing from the woody stem several inches above the ground. The blooms were gorgeous. Three on one and one on the other. We get a reasonable amount of snow to protect them plus I was covering them with burlap. I don't know if the burlap was necessary. Never found out. The next winter mice moved in and wintered over on my garden including eating the azalea babies to the ground and stripping the TP's of their bark which of course killed them. I have finally planted a new on last fall, late. It has buds all over it. Well, might just be leaf buds, not flower buds. Time will tell.

Oh Oberon, I'm so sorry you lost your tree peonies. That really stings when you lose something like that.

It's too late now but there can be problems when mulching the base of a woody shrub or tree or covering it with insulating material. It makes a natural cozy bed for mice and they will eat the sweet bark during the winter. I have always read where one should keep mulch or any type of packing several inches away from the base.

Guess what? We're expecting night time temps down to 28 and snow for Mother's Day! I'm so excited! NOT!! I have buds on most of my peonies now, 3 showing color. I'm hoping they open tomorrow before the cold snap rolls in so I don't lose those entirely for this year....I'll probably try to cover some of the smaller ones but the larger shrubs are pretty much on their own.

Best of luck, Liz. I know the feeling and it's a horrible one. This is what it looked like Wednesday morning here, and it proceeded to heavily snow for a solid 8 straight hours after this:




I covered my peonies with some large pails and have been away since that day. I'm anxious to check on them on Monday.

Thanks, Nick. We had severe storms last night with hail, looks like no major damage yet. I'll probably throw a few big pots over some of the most cold sensitive but will have to leave the rest on their own, too many and some are too large to do anything with. I have some that were severely damaged by the last snow that surprised me, I'll probably cover 6 or 7 instead of the 3 I covered last storm. I have to use large, heavy pots though--we normally get crazy winds with the storms, too, so I have to use something that can't blow away easily.

OMG, Liz! That is so awful! I don't know how you can take it. It is just so heartbreaking to have to lose buds to a late freeze. Don't you ever have a good year when the weather is favorable? Gosh, i certainly hope you get a break soon.

And Nick, what terrible weather you have. That is why I am here and not in Edmonton. I have relatives who live in Edmonton. They are probably in their late 60's now. I don't know how they do it, dealing with the cold. My area is not mild but it certainly is nothing like yours. I guess probably no green is showing yet for you.

Oldgardenrose said:It's too late now but there can be problems when mulching the base of a woody shrub or tree or covering it with insulating material. It makes a natural cozy bed for mice and they will eat the sweet bark during the winter. I have always read where one should keep mulch or any type of packing several inches away from the base.

I've been told agricultural sulfur sprinkled on the mulch can deter them somewhat - I did this last year and the only rose that was damaged by mice didn't get any sulfur because I'd run out. It makes the soil more alkaline, but that isn't a problem with peonies.

Speaking of tree peonies, this little shoot is coming up in the approximate spot I planted my tree peony last year and I can't think of what else it could be. Unless it is a tulip, but it doesn't look like one. Do you think it looks like a tree peony? I'll be delighted if it is, because it didn't even last the summer last year.

Karen, the peonies do surprisingly well with the late snows, I just have a few that aren't as hardy. I really should put them in large pots and overwinter them in the garage but I'm not that dedicated--by the time fall rolls around I'm DONE with anything garden related! I'm sure I'll lose a few buds to the cold but I'm more concerned with the flowering deciduous trees, we got 2 hours of HUGE heavy snow--probably 3-4 inches of snow on the deck now, murder on tree limbs once they've leafed out. Probably my only peony casualty in this storm will be that Lovely Rose will be Lovely Laying on the Ground Rose!

This is the 2nd year in a row that it has actually snowed significantly on Mother's Day. Mother Nature isn't very nice, is she?