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Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,776
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.

Peonies are rhizomes.    Actually, I have never seen a "single" peony blossom, only doubles.

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Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.

[ Edited ]

@Desertdi wrote:

Peonies are rhizomes.    Actually, I have never seen a "single" peony blossom, only doubles.


I am quite taken with the Japanese flowers peonies -- some of my favorites are Port Royale, a burgundy flower with burgundy stamens, White Cap, burgundy flowers with whitish stamens, Fancy Nancy, hot pink/fuchsia flowers with fuchsia stamens, Cora Stubbs, pink flowers with whitish/pinkish stamens.

 

See photos below:

 

Port Royale

 

 

White Cap

 

 

Fancy Nancy

 

 

Cora Stubbs

 

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.

We had about 20 peonies making a nice hedge in our yard in Pa. They are my favorite flowers and I miss them now that I no longer can grow them.

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Registered: ‎10-14-2010

Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.

I have many peony plants that are old (55 yrs old) & beautiful & fragrant.   The roots look like tubers (not bulbs) & you plant them just below the surface of the soil.   About 1 or 2 inches of potting soil on top of them.   They love a sunny location.   The ants are good for the flowers so don't try to get rid of them.   My flowers are huge...white ones & two new red ones that I boulght this year.    Good luck.    P.S.   I would want my $$$ back from Brecks since they sent you the incorrect peony.    Oh I forgot to say that a couple of years ago, I separated two of my plants & replanted them.   My neighbors now have some of my plants & they bloomed this year!    Yay!!!

Honored Contributor
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Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.


@conniebird wrote:

I have many peony plants that are old (55 yrs old) & beautiful & fragrant.   The roots look like tubers (not bulbs) & you plant them just below the surface of the soil.   About 1 or 2 inches of potting soil on top of them.   They love a sunny location.   The ants are good for the flowers so don't try to get rid of them.   My flowers are huge...white ones & two new red ones that I boulght this year.    Good luck.    P.S.   I would want my $$$ back from Brecks since they sent you the incorrect peony.    Oh I forgot to say that a couple of years ago, I separated two of my plants & replanted them.   My neighbors now have some of my plants & they bloomed this year!    Yay!!!


Generally the ants are just attracted to the nectar of the flowers. They are not needed to pollinate or to help them open up. That is an old wive's tale.

 

When I pick mine for indoor vases, I shake them first so all the ants fall off. 

 

They generally can be divided in early fall and you will notice less and less flowers over time which will tell you they need division. I divided a non fragrant 'Kansas' peony in the spring for a plant sale and got 11 divisions out of it! They hadn't been divided in about 20 years! The Extension made about $10 per division for their sale!

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
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Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.

@JustJazzmom, the Japanese peonies are just gorgeous!!!  My father had huge beautiful red peonies on his property.  They must be at least 70 years old now.  As the trees got bigger, my brother moved them to his cottage where they got full sun.  Still going strong.  LM

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Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.

20170604_113530-1.jpg

 

 

This year we had tons of rain while the peonies were coming up and forming buds. Then it stopped raining and the buds opened.  They were more beautiful than ever! I did something new and withheld waterings while they were blooming.

 

 

 

20170604_113518-1.jpg

 

 

It seems to me the peonies were extra gorgeous and lasted at least 4 or 5 days longer than usual.

In the future I'll withhold watering during blooming. 

My parents planted these in the early 1940s.

 

 

 

20170604_113008-1.jpg

 

 

20170604_113440-1.jpg

 

20170604_113440-1.jpg

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,652
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.

@x Hedge, wowza ❤️❤️❤️.  The last photo looks like the peonies at my father's home.  Gorgeous!!!  Thanks for posting.  LM

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Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.

@JustJazzmom, just breathtaking.  I need one of these in my yard.  LM

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Re: My peonies are weird. Need advice.


@Lilysmom wrote:

@JustJazzmom, just breathtaking.  I need one of these in my yard.  LM


Which one? 😄 

 

My favorite is 'Port Royale', followed by 'White Cap'. 

 

They are also very fragrant too.

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼