Welcome to ‘In A Vase On Monday’ when I am linking up with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden to join her challenge to fill a vase for the house from the garden every week.
This week I am making the most of my Cutting Garden peonies, which are producing new blooms on a daily basis. After the surfeit of Sarah Bernhardt, I am now cutting Bowl of Beauty and Duchess De Nemours. Once again I have chosen a simple arrangement in a plain jug. These blooms are so sumptuous that I like to enjoy them on their own.
Bowl of Beauty has flowered for the first time since planting two years ago and has only produced two blooms this year, both of which are in my jug! This is a very well known peony with a beautiful pink anemone-like flower. The centre is filled with tiny creamy yellow petals and the flower is very fragrant. Now that it has started to bloom I am looking forward to lots more flowers in future years as this plant matures.
Sarah Bernhardt is still producing new blooms, so she has made another appearance today!
The peony for me speaks of the romance of early summer – glamorous, fragrant and blowsy it is no wonder that these flowers are so popular at weddings. In my dreams I would like to host a summer party using only peonies to decorate the tables.
Also in my jug today is the aristocratic Duchess de Nemours. With ivory white flowers tinged with yellow at the base, this peony has a scent similar to Lily of the Valley. I have lots of buds on this plant and am planning a vase full on the hall table later this week – I can just imagine the combined scent of the numerous blooms greeting me as I come downstairs in the morning.
I have been doing a little research into the theory that peonies should not be moved. It would seem that the peony was named by the ancient Greeks after Paeon, the physician to their gods. They believed that if you tried to move a peony a woodpecker would come and peck out your eyes, which seems a very good reason to me to leave them alone! This superstition has stuck with the plant although my experience of splitting and moving peonies is that they survive very well (and I have never had a problem with a woodpecker). The Duchess de Nemours came with me from my previous garden as a small section of a much bigger plant and she has been flowering for the last two years. This year she must have at least twenty flowers waiting to open. The key to moving a peony is to plant the tuber shallowly. Peonies need a period of cold to produce buds and if you plant too deeply the warmer soil actually hinders the production of flowers.
I have mentioned before that I like to feed my peonies with rose food in the spring. As my plants are coming into flower it is very clear which beds I managed to feed and which were omitted due to spring time pressures. The plants that were fed not only have far more flowers – they also have much better foliage. Although peonies can cope quite well with neglect, I would certainly recommend annual feeding if you are keen to have plenty of flowers to cut.
There are three types of peonies. The early flowering, short plants that produce red flowers in mid May are the original cottage peonies (P. officinalis). The next to flower in my garden are the Tree Peony varieties. Finally in late May to mid June the cut flower varieties that I am featuring now start to bloom. These are P. lactiflora hybrids and originated in China. Many were bred specifically for the cut flower industry. The often French names are the result of French breeders getting involved with these peonies and more recently many introductions have been bred in America.
Since I made my vase this morning I have already picked a few more varieties as I collected some broad beans for supper. It has long been my dream to fill my house with peonies and for the first time I am coming close to realising this dream!
I hope you will pop over to Cathy’s blog to see what she and the others have found in their garden today.
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Heady, voluptuous beauty! Faithfully shared through heavenly photography!
Paradise will be full of these. Thank you Julie.
Amen Pam!
Your peonies are exquisite and the information is helpful too. I have always heard about the problems of moving peonies and am happy to have that theory debunked. Your Duchess De Nemours is a treat to see. I tried growing one last year but it failed to survive. Susie
It is such a shame that your peony failed Susie. I tend to buy from specialist growers – the tubers are more expensive but are larger than the dry ones available in the garden centres and supermarkets. Larger tubers planted very early in spring seem to get away the best. If a new peony is struggling I move it to a pot for a year whilst it forms a root system. Do have another go – once they are established they are remarkably trouble free.
Oh wow Julie these are stunning (as were yesterday’s “Sarahs”).
I’ve never had enough peonies to pick, and so didn’t even realise they were scented!
As time goes on I’m more and more attracted to scented flowers, so I think I’m going to have to find space for some more peonies (and remember to feed the couple I’ve inherited to get the best from them).
Many peonies are not scented so check the growing details when you choose your varieties to make sure they will be fragrant. I have never really noticed the scent before either as this is the first year I have had enough to pick. A large bunch of Sarah Bernhardt is delicious!
These peonies are lovely, Julie! Thank you for sharing your beautiful photographs and knowledge about growing them. I am planning to fertilize mine with rose food next year and hope for a few more flowers. Peonies do not grow easily here so they need all the help they can get!
Thank you Lisa and hopefully feeding your peonies will make a difference. In the UK they flower best in full sun, but perhaps where it is hotter and drier they would cope better with a little shade.
I think I’ve already said it, Julie, but I am SO envious….
As I have said on your blog – the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!! My peonies will be all over in a couple of weeks and you will have a garden full of blooms I would love to grow but can’t.
They are lovely and as you say they they need a plain jug because they are so sumptuous they don’ t need anything else to show them off.
You are gradually convincing me I need a cutting garden because I can’ t bear to cut my peonies from the garden but they do look wonderful in a vase. If I have a flower arrangement in the house I have to confine myself to things that I can spare and not special blooms like this.
You really must start a cutting garden Chloris! You have plenty of space and will love having the freedom to pick all you want.
You can’t fault them, can you? They are absolutely perfect in every possible way – no wonder you love them! And it’s good to see what other varieties there are out there. Thanks for this very lovely contribution.
You are very welcome Cathy and I am glad you are enjoying them. I must get out in the garden this week and photograph the peonies in the borders. Now that I finally have peonies flowering in this garden it is starting to feel like it is approaching maturity!
Your peonies are so beautiful. I love Bowl of Beauty, but Duchess de Nemours is one I haven’t seen before and I have fallen head over heels for it! 😀 Lovely photos!
Your peonies are the most beautiful peonies I have ever seen! Love the colors 🙂
check out my recent post on Japanese Iris blooming!
Michael
http://michaelswoodcraft.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/japanese-iris-in-bloom/
These are all so beautiful, Julie! You’ve done really well to get them blooming and some of the most gorgeous varieties, too!
The one with a creamy center is mind blowing. Loved every bit of your garden.julie I want to know when you plant peonies on the ground when should I do it both bare root or a fully matured plant.If I bought a flowering peony should I wait for the blooms to be over and then plant in the ground.