Garden

[on the bay]

I haven't seen ants as much as beetles on them 😬

[jannabelle1]

I don't think there is anything so luscious as the smell of a peony! I grew up in Iowa and every single member of my family had peony bushes, including my mother. I had 4 bushes at the last home I owned in St. Louis and couldn't wait for spring for my peonies to bloom. If I had more sun at my town home, I'd have them here as well! If you live in the right climate, they're very easy to grow.

[JustJazzmom]

@MarnieRez3 Ants like the peonies because of the nectar they exude before opening. If you want them in a vase from your garden, cut them when the bud feels like a marshmallow instead of a golf ball. Peonies if cut with golf ball feel buds will not open if in a vase.

Ants aren’t needed to help pollinate or to get buds to open either. That is an old wives tale.

[jlkz]

@millieshops

When we bought our home in 1972, the driveway was lined on one side with huge peonies.  Loved them until the rain came and they splat over the grass.

I rescuedsome of the blooms and put them in my “ 1950’s” style bathroom:  and then, the multitude of ants dancing on the sink’s counter.   Never again !!!

Had DH mow them down:  he was very happy to not have to drive the tractor around and around them !!!!!!

Thank you for reminding me !

[BirkiLady]

@x Hedge  Beautiful peonies! I also have peonies in my yard from my grandmother and mom. They began in the 1930's and have been divided and shared with me in each home we've owned. My current plants have been here 31 years and are big and brilliant! I use them for Memorial Day flowers (if still in bloom) for both sets of grandparents, my dad (buried in Omaha), and mom & step-dad (buried in Lincoln). With so many bushes of pink, burgendy and white peonies, I still have plenty for the neighbors (and my family) to enjoy. It's a win-win, easy to grow flower and the greenery is gorgeous the rest of the season.   

[MarnieRez3]

@JustJazzmom
Oh that's a great tip...I will look for marshmallows and not golf ball buds! Thank you.
I love all these peonies that so many of you have had for years...they are truly heirloom flowers.

[SuperShopper]

Peonies are my favorite flowers.  I wish we could grow them on the Texas Gulf Coast, but it is too hot here.  Peonies require freezing winters, so there are many parts of the country where they do not grow, and their blooming season is very short .... both factors probably contribute to making them expensive.  

I lived for several years in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  There would still be snow on the ground in May when the peonies bloomed.  They are very hardy in cold climates, and there they would be, pushing up through the snow, blooming their hearts out.  They were particularly lovely in a large bed in a city park, surrounding a World War I remembrance cenotaph.   

Cut peonies can be dried so you can enjoy them year round.  I have purchased cut stems from a florist while visiting family members in Oregon and hung them upside down until they dried (the flowers, not the family members LOL!!!).  They lasted for years, although the color faded over time.  

I have also seen very lifelike faux stems at Michael's and Hobby Lobby, and have created beautiful lush arrangements for my home.  The Peony brand florals from England sold on QVC are also lovely and very lifelike.  

Our consolation in the South for not having peonies are the azaleas and hydrangeas, also beautiful.  Those of you who have natural peonies are so blessed.  Enjoy!

[proudlyfromNJ]

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@JustJazzmom wrote:

@MarnieRez3 Ants like the peonies because of the nectar they exude before opening. If you want them in a vase from your garden, cut them when the bud feels like a marshmallow instead of a golf ball. Peonies if cut with golf ball feel buds will not open if in a vase.

Ants aren’t needed to help pollinate or to get buds to open either. That is an old wives tale.

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@JustJazzmom.  Thank you for this information. I cut my peonies in the golf ball stage and wonder why they never open!

[violann]

I LOVE Peonies, DH SAYS he is allergic to them.

SO- I have some beautiful plants outside, but never as arrangements inside. 

Some battles worth fighting, some I let go........

[millieshops]

@MarnieRez3  My silk peonies are just artificial flowers -  but the ones I have are made of silk.  As long as you're not touching them or standing right on top of them, you could think they're real -   although thank heavens the ants don't!