Monday, June 09, 2008

The Beauty of Peonies

I've noticed while perusing through flickr that many people have peonies and have been posting photos of them. Some of my favorite pics are here, here and here. ..and also this one here. Our peony season here in the midwest is going on right now, so I figured it's my turn now to show you my pretties. This bed of Coral Charm peonies is about 27 years old. Yes, peonies plants live a long time. You cut them down at the end of the season and without fail they spring back up the next year.
This is the first sign of the flower buds, all tightly wrapped.
You always see ants hanging around peony plants. They say the ants help to open the flower buds. Just be careful to shake them off when you cut the flowers to bring inside your home, otherwise you'll have a bunch of those guys crawling on your diningroom table...yes, that happened to me but only once!
She's slowing waking up to Mr. Sunshine.
Come on, I see you peeking out from in there.



Ah, there is that sunny yellow center. Did you notice how the color of the flower changed? That is where she gets her name, Coral Charm.
I wanted to show you a picture of the whole bed in bloom, but we had a torrential rainstorm here last night, so things aren't looking too pretty in the peony bed anymore. But you can see how the color of the petals is fading now.

And soon they will begin to drop their petals and turn a creamy white color.

There are lots of places to get your own peonies. My husband used to work for a peony grower when we first got married. That's where my plants of Coral Charm came from. You can get more information about purchasing peony plants here.

9 comments:

Maija said...

When I had a garden in Maryland, I remember my peonies grew like weeds! Here in the desert, I pay at least $8 a stem!

PJ said...

I just love the 'ball' the peonies come out of...so beautiful!

Alison Gibbs said...

Your peonies are gorgeous. Seeing everyones peonies has made me want to plant some here in Australia when it is the right season to plant them
Have a great week
Alison

dianna said...

How beautiful*!*

My Camelias are always filled with ants...I too made that mistake once :)

Anonymous said...

I love peonies, too! I wish they were as abundant in my area as hydrangeas (which I love, too) are. Your blog is lovely. ~Arleen

Becky Bunn said...

Oh I love peonies. Sadly they don't grown in the desert. So I love looking at everyone's prize flowers

Dede Warren said...

I have always wanted to have these plants, I just love them. But alas they will not grow in our warm California climate. sigh... thanks for showing yours and sharing a few of those found on flickr.

Jeanne said...

How beautiful and lovely is all that you share.
Love Jeanne

Anonymous said...

I love your peonies. My neighbor's have already bloomed. Mine haven't even opened up. The only thing that seperates us is a driveway. I can never figure out why mine bloom so late.

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