Paeonies

[Lori S.]

I realize that peonies are probably done blooming in most of the northern hemisphere but here goes...
The first flower open on P. mlokosewitschii:


P. officinalis 'Anemoniflora' (I've always wondered about this cultivar name?) in bloom:
 

What I assume now to be P. intermedia(?) (from the ID of Anne's plant at the SRGC forum); this name is a bit confusing though, as it seems to be used for quite a different plant in Halda's Paeonia... ?

[McDonough]

Lovely Paeonies everyone, I should grow more of these as I'm a big fan.  One that just finished up is 'Buckeye Belle', a shocking deep red one.  This year the plant is smaller than last year, and with fewer blooms, I believe showing the effect of last summer's draught on a number of plants that seemed weakened this spring.

[Lori S.]

Okay, not done blooming yet!  Excellent!  'Buckeye Belle' is an exquisite colour, Mark.

[Peter George]

My hybrid Peonies are just beginning to bloom, but all the species except one have gone by. The one that IS blooming, P. lactifolia, is spectacular, and I think it's the best one I have. I have two plants, each 4 years old, and the one in the slightly raised western portion of my rock garden has been blooming for 4 days. The flowers are so bright that I've had difficulty photographing them and given my utterly primitive level of skill, I'm not sure I'll be able to take any decent photos, so these will have to do. The first is from yesterday, and the second photograph is the 2nd plant blooming last year, because it's still waiting to show its stuff this year.

[Lori S.]

Wow!!    I don't have any that are so brilliant as that!  Stunning!

[McDonough]

That's a beauty Peter! Need to wear sunglasses looking at that day-glo pink.

One that bloomed a couple weeks ago is Paeonia wittmanniana.  The flowers are nice but not that showy; the foliage is bold and heavy-textured, I like it better for the foliage than the the flowers that only last 2 days.  Here again, fewer flowers this year, no doubt set back from last year's summer drought.

[Hoy]

Well, Lori, your assumed intermedia is a lovely plant whatever the name be.

Mark, that 'Buckeye Belle' has a brilliant colour!

Peter, I think you do fine taking pictures in full sunshine isn't easy. And the motif isn't bad either

I think I have to look for more deep coloured forms. When I see all your nice plants I realize mine are bleak

[Tim Ingram]

I grow a number of species paeonies and I think the highlight in the garden is P. tenuifolia, probably the most requested species on the nursery. Did anyone grow plants from Jim and Jenny Archibald? Jim had a fantastic collection planted out in one of his polytunnels, including the extraordinary and rare P. parnassica with purple flowers like no other. I didn't buy seed but it was a lost opportunity. Another grower I know with a passion for these plants is Robert Pardo in France, where there is a big interest, and probably good climate, for growing tree paeonies - but he also grows many species and gave me P. mairei, which I hadn't come across before (as well as a very generous gift of P rockii). Gardeners are great people!!

[Lori S.]

I only have P. tenuifolia 'Plena' (though I'd prefer to have the single form, actually) - unfortunately, its flowers have been somewhat spoiled by rain this year:


The first flower on P. veitchii has opened - interesting that the flowers are nodding, unlike on my other peonies:


Here is the mislabelled P. japonica... the leaves seemed to be "off" and I assume the pink flowers (vs. white) further confirm that it is not P. japonica.  Can anyone suggest an ID for it?
 

[Hoy]

Interesting that you mention nodding flowers on veitchii, Lori. One of my unknown species has nodding flowers and I assumed it is a veitchii. Now am more certain of that.

Although your tenuifolia 'plena' is lovely, I do agree and prefere the single form. Unfortunately I have never acquired any

[Lori S.]

Unfortunately, my double form of P. tenuifolia is incapable of producing viable seed, so I can't send you any even of that, Trond.

I did dig up some seedlings today of P. officinalis 'Anemoniflora' to pot up to give away - I thought they looked sort of interesting:

[Hoy]

Thanks for the thought Lori!

I dig up several of seedlings from my P. lutea and do use the mower of the rest of them!
Here is a late flowering type peony not unlike P. delavayi but yellow.

[RickR]

My kind of botany, Lori...

Typical hypogeal growth, where the root develops first, and then the root (not the seed) sends up a true leaf.

[Lori S.]

Ah ha, I thought there was something interesting about the shiny black seed still being attached!  Thank you for the explanation, Rick!

[Hoy]

Peonies germinate like the common peas! The cotyledons have taken the role that the endosmerm has in many other seed.