Friday, August 7, 2015

EARLY PEONIES FOR SPRING ARRANGEMENTS - Extra long-lasting in the vase makes these easy-to-grow flowers a must in the garden!


Each spring I am always happy when the herbaceous peonies bloom!  The weekly arrangement for May 17 is an assortment of early and mid-blooming peonies. In every shade of pink--from the lightest baby pink to the dark ruby red blooms, and every shade in between, these "queen of the garden" flowers are not only long-lived specimens in the garden, but they have an extra long vase life as well. Paired here with 3 different shades of pink lupine, this arrangement is a pink-lover's delight.


Cut stems in the bud stage, and immediately plunge into deep lukewarm water with a floral preservative and you will have a display that will last up to two weeks!
"Do Tell" herbaceous peony
"Doreen" and "Celebrity" herbaceous peonies
"Bowl of Beauty" herbaceous peony
"Dancing Butterflies" single herbaceous peony

"Festiva Maxima" herbaceous peony
"Mons Jules Elie" herbaceous peony
"Single Rose" herbaceous peony

"Celebrity" herbaceous peony
"Sarah Bernhardt" herbaceous peony
Peonies like to be planted in the fall because the energy then goes to the roots, not the leaves. Prepare the soil and amend, if necessary. I use a handful of bone meal in the hole, mixed in well with the soil. Don't plant too deep! A common mistake is planting the "eye" more than 2" under the soil. This will affect the bloom--in fact, the plant may not bloom at all if planted too deeply. Make sure that there aren't any big trees or bushes that will compete for nutrients near by. Your peony will be long-lived, so choose your planting site carefully--as they don't like to be transplanted. Then ENJOY!
Susanne Holland Spicker Mother, Grandmother, Homemaker, Gardener, Teacher, Photographer

Passion is defined as the love of, or the object(s) of affection and emotion. I am passionate about family, friends, flowers, food, photography and fabulous music! This blog is dedicated to those loves.

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