gemini_sage said:

Today I remembered I hadn't checked Hollingsworth and ordered a few more.

I just got off the phone--had a nice talk with Cody at Hollingsworth. So nice! They seem to love helping people and are very open to feedback too.

Can't wait for our spring / summer pictures!

Joanna, I'm very much looking forward to spring too! ... hoping I have lovely images to capture! This is my 4th year adding a few named peonies to my garden, so while any that bloom from this years purchases will be a great surprise, those from previous years should start showing off next spring.

I was impressed Hollingsworth still have so many in stock this late, and doubly impressed that I've already received an email saying the roots have been shipped!

gemini_sage said:Joanna, I'm very much looking forward to spring too! ... hoping I have lovely images to capture! This is my 4th year adding a few named peonies to my garden, so while any that bloom from this years purchases will be a great surprise, those from previous years should start showing off next spring.

I was impressed Hollingsworth still have so many in stock this late, and doubly impressed that I've already received an email saying the roots have been shipped!

Yaay, and WOW! That was fast! I don't think I'll have any flowers this season, but hopefully, the roots I planted will grow.

The one difference I noticed about Hollingsworth is that they don't seem to have a guarantee (at least, none that I could find). Other sites do.

That is surprising. I imagine if anything is mislabeled or obviously flawed they would be likely to replace.

You never know, they can surprise you with first year blooms. Of the vendors I've tried thus far, Swenson's roots have given me more first year blooms. This could have been because of the cultivars I chose, but it was such a great surprise!

gemini_sage said:That is surprising. I imagine if anything is mislabeled or obviously flawed they would be likely to replace.

You never know, they can surprise you with first year blooms. Of the vendors I've tried thus far, Swenson's roots have given me more first year blooms. This could have been because of the cultivars I chose, but it was such a great surprise!

Keeping my !

Wow, you went on a buying spree, Neal! Wish I have more space to add Hot Chocolate but I need to first get rid some plants before I can add anymore. I will just have to settle to looking at your pics and Jerry's pics of it.

Nice choices for the reds Neal, I'm looking forward to seeing your plants when they start blooming! I hope your Easy Grow plants do well.

Joanna, I've never noticed that they don't have a guarantee! I've never had a mislabeled or damaged root from them, though, hopefully you'll have the same luck.

Hollingsworth does have a guarantee. Correct variety for sure. I do think even the growers are hesitant regarding failure to grow. It amazes me how people will refuse to follow instructions in planting. Peonies are particular about planting depth.

Still, I Would ask them about it.

magnolialover said:Hollingsworth does have a guarantee. Correct variety for sure. I do think even the growers are hesitant regarding failure to grow. It amazes me how people will refuse to follow instructions in planting. Peonies are particular about planting depth.

Still, I Would ask them about it.

So far, the only three sources I've dealt with all have a guarantee for everything. That's White Flower Farm, High Country Gardens, and American Meadows. They all have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. In email exchanges, they've all confirmed that even if you plant something in the fall and it fails in the spring, they will either refund or replace, as long as you've followed their planting instructions.

Hollingsworth looks like an amazing source. In speaking with Cody today, I felt very confident about possibly dealing with them. Cody is very knowledgable and helpful, and very patient. And of course, the very best way to know about any source is to get input from each other here!

It would be impossible for any reputable nursery to guarantee success with any plant. They will usually handle complaints for PR reasons though. I noticed one of Adleman's offerings specified no guarantee. It was a type which demanded a certain protocol for success which many people would not understand or follow. Wrong plants are another story since most people order with the assumption they are receiving that certain plant which they ordered. Adleman's Orphan is a case in point. I was perfectly happy with my plant where others expected a replacement or refund. We used to have the same debates with iris purchased by name. If I had a particular named iris, I surely did not want to plunk down coin of the realm for another just like it. One must cut the nursery some slack when there are hundreds of different named peonies and thousands of orders to process. I learned long ago to roll with the punches. It all works out in the end.

Jerry, I hear you, but still: http://www.americanmeadows.com...

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com...

http://www.highcountrygardens....

AND, all three of these are a complete pleasure to purchase from.

Karen, you're right- I did go on a bit of a buying spree, ended up ordering 24 this year! Funny how grabbing a few at the last minute turned into my biggest year of new additions!

Annette, I feel like the Easy to Grow Bulbs roots will probably survive, but I think they will take an extra year or 2 to show off much.

Joanna, most of the places that offer a "no questions asked" guarantee are buying and reselling masses of the same roots and they are typically not as high quality or size as the roots you get from the big peony growers/sellers like Adelmans, Hollingsworths and such. The growers have a lot more time/effort invested in their products than Michigan Bulb and others like that. I don't know about everyone else but I spend more time and effort with the roots I get from growers with their limited guarantee than I do with those that will replace dead plants with no quarrel. If there is honestly a problem with a root from one of the big growers they will replace it as Mary Stella can attest re Adelmans. If you don't plant them correctly though or do something that kills them though your own fault they won't. Thats fair, in my opinion.

LizinElizabeth said: If there is honestly a problem with a root from one of the big growers they will replace it as Mary Stella can attest re Adelmans. If you don't plant them correctly though or do something that kills them though your own fault they won't. Thats fair, in my opinion.

Liz, you just described the 100% satisfaction guarantee perfectly. Anyway, I'll be able to compare their products to Hollingsworth's soon enough. I'm expecting!

So which ones did you get from Hollingsworths, Joanna?

LizinElizabeth said:So which ones did you get from Hollingsworths, Joanna?

Garden Treasure from Hollingsworths. I got Bowl of Beauty from American Meadows, and Henry Bockstoce from White Flower Farm. It's my first time ever for peonies and I am totally in love with them. I don't expect any blooms the first year, but I'm looking forward to admiring the new growth and am hopeful that all will go well.

If I had more land, I'd have more peonies, to be sure!

All wonderful selections, Joanna! Garden Treasure took 2 years to bloom for me but it's gorgeous when it does! Seems to be the very last Itoh to bloom for the season so I'm partly sad to see it open....I had Bowl of Beauty at my last house and loved it. Got a tiny root from somewhere a couple of years ago, hasn't bloomed for me yet here. I'm SUPPOSED to have Henry Bockstoce--one of the oldest ones in my current garden and one of 3 or 4 NOID red doubles that I'm trying to figure out....maybe one year I'll have some luck!

Having more space is a double edged sword--I have plenty of room but you have to be able to weed, feed and take care of all of the plants you acquire. I'm madly trying to figure out more efficient ways to keep my beds up. Created 4 new 5X50 beds this summer that will need to be emptied and replanted later since I didn't get them done in time to raise the soil level as much as I wanted. 3 of the 4 are filled already with new peonies and ones that have done poorly in different established beds. I have 14 new peonies to plant this afternoon and will finish out any remaining space in the 4th new bed with peonies that have been poorly located elsewhere, that have too much shade or poorer soil than that in the new areas...These are the first beds that I created that I have no intention of mixing other perennials in. I put a heavy weed cloth down in hopes of minimizing maintenance on those, if it works I'll do the same for any future beds. The established beds need better edging and some need to be raised in areas that have poorer drainage--the jobs never cease!

LizinElizabeth said:All wonderful selections, Joanna! Garden Treasure took 2 years to bloom for me but it's gorgeous when it does! Seems to be the very last Itoh to bloom for the season so I'm partly sad to see it open....I had Bowl of Beauty at my last house and loved it. Got a tiny root from somewhere a couple of years ago, hasn't bloomed for me yet here. I'm SUPPOSED to have Henry Bockstoce--one of the oldest ones in my current garden and one of 3 or 4 NOID red doubles that I'm trying to figure out....maybe one year I'll have some luck!

Having more space is a double edged sword--I have plenty of room but you have to be able to weed, feed and take care of all of the plants you acquire. I'm madly trying to figure out more efficient ways to keep my beds up. Created 4 new 5X50 beds this summer that will need to be emptied and replanted later since I didn't get them done in time to raise the soil level as much as I wanted. 3 of the 4 are filled already with new peonies and ones that have done poorly in different established beds. I have 14 new peonies to plant this afternoon and will finish out any remaining space in the 4th new bed with peonies that have been poorly located elsewhere, that have too much shade or poorer soil than that in the new areas...These are the first beds that I created that I have no intention of mixing other perennials in. I put a heavy weed cloth down in hopes of minimizing maintenance on those, if it works I'll do the same for any future beds. The established beds need better edging and some need to be raised in areas that have poorer drainage--the jobs never cease!

Oh, Liz! That all sounds wonderful! I read somewhere (don't remember where) that a study was done on people who lived longer and were healthier than the majority of the population and the one thing they all seemed to have in common was a garden that they tended themselves. Sounds like you're in for a very long, healthy life! Hope you'll post pictures as things come around.

Oooh, Garden Treasure is on my want list too! Until this year my only ITOH was Bartzella, that I absolutely love. Added Canary Brilliants with my Adelman's order and received a generous gift from a garden buddy here of a fat division of Julia Rose this year. So my plan is to add one ITOH each year.

Liz, I feel your pain- lots of space here, but my ability to keep up the gardens diminishes with the passing of time. I think you're on the right track with beds of only peonies- that certainly does make for easier maintenance. I love my mixed beds, but they do make it more challenging to keep up.

I've been considering a nursery bed for new peonies and another for irises. Both would benefit from having space to themselves, at least till they mature.