TREE PEONIES -- Long-lived, hardy spring blooms

Tree Peony 'KAMATA-FUJI' blooms can reach 12" across!

Some facts about Tree Peonies -- they have a long history, dating back to 1644, where the Qing Dynasty appointed it the national flower. Native to China, Japan, Southern Europe and Western North America, they are long-lived, deciduous shrubs that will grow in zones 4-9. Paeonia suffruticosa is the plant's botanical name, but it is commonly known as the tree peony. The size of the flowers are amazing--usually in the 6-12" across range. They have woody stems that allow them to survive winter conditions.

This particular tree peony 'KAMATA-FUJI', is a luscious orchid-pink, with dark rose centers and a golden stamen center. We had 91 MPH winds over the weekend, and these buds held up, miraculously. I did wrap the woody stems in burlap strips to prevent breakage of the branches.

Arranging while in bud form, the delicate-looking flowers will quickly unfold to their huge size; three was plenty for this arrangement. Kamata-Fuji is a fully double peony, and it likes rich soil, moist, but not wet, conditions, and afternoon shade or dappled shade to preserve the flowers, which also lengthens their flower bloom.  

I don't cut any blooms its first year, helping to strengthen the tree, and cut minimally the second year.  After that, I use them for arrangements as needed. Their vase life is long. Give them water with a preservative in for maximum life, and keep them out of drafts and direct sunlight.  I love their wonderful fragrance as well.

LATE SUMMER BOUQUETS - Hybrid tea roses and garden mums

With a little cooler temperatures and some rain in the top of Utah, the colors in the garden have popped!  This arrangement uses white and lavender GARDEN MUMS, with a baker's dozen of luscious TAHITIAN SUNSET and pristine white PASCALI hybrid tea roses. They make a colorful bouquet for the beginning of what will hopefully be a long Indian Summer. 

FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS - 4th of July with RED, WHITE and BLUE

Working with the flowers that are blooming in the garden can sometimes be challenging if you are working with a certain theme in mind. Every July I always do arrangements in red, white and blue.  The bright blue BUSH DELPHINIUM is usually always on. However, there were no red rose buds or State Fair zinnias; Asiatic lilies RED ALERT and MONTEGRO were the only reds I had.  For white, I had Asiatic lily ROYAL RESPECT, ARCTIC QUEEN double clematis, and the beautiful flowers on my big blue hosta. Each year, although they are on similar schedules, the flowers bloom a little differently, and it's interesting to see what I have to make the arrangements.  I love red, white and blue together--it is festive and reminds me of why I'm glad to be an American.  Happy Birthday, America! 

4th of July Arrangement

SUNFLOWERS IN AUGUST ARRANGEMENTS!

HELIANTHUS ANNUS  or commonly called SUNFLOWER, is an annual plant native to the Americas. It has a large flowering head and it's name comes from the shape of the petals that look like the rays of the sun. They can reach heights of 5-12 feet. The Guinness World Record has one recorded at over 24 feet tall. They grow best in full sun, in fertile, moist, well-drained soil and appreciate a heavy mulch. They are often referred to as a weed, especially in farmer's fields or mountainsides where they can grow rampant. The newer hybrids come in a large array of colors: Red, brown, orange, maroon, and some beautiful variegated ones. This arrangement has blooms from my neighbor's 12-foot plants. I'll be interested to see the vase-life of this wonderful, golden beauty.

HYBRID TEA ROSES AND SUMMER GLADIOLAS

The August flush of HYBRID TEA ROSES is still on, as well as one of the 4 or 5 plantings of GLADIOLA that I did early in the spring, planting every 2 weeks thereafter until summer--and until all the corms were planted. I love pink and yellow together, and this arrangement has several varieties of pink and yellow roses, as well as three different glads and some baby pink and yellow roses and yellow mums.When using florist's oasis, make sure you're using the right kind--for wet arrangements. Cut the foam to fit tight in your container, then fill with water with a preservative in. Let soak up well--you may need to fill it up several times in order for the solution to completely soak up in the foam. Arrange by cutting stems under water, then immediately arranging, pulling off leaves or any greenery that will be below the water line.  Keep in a cool, dark place until needed. These roses were in the bud stage when picked--it doesn't take long for them to unfold. For longer lasting arrangements, cut glads when color is showing and the bottom flower has just unfolded. For roses, a large, full bud is best.

GLADS, ROSES AND ZINNIAS FOR A KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOR!

Some of my favorite summer blooms--GLADS, ROSES and ZINNIAS--they will continue on through the summer months.  I love working with these bright colors in these seasonal arrangements.

COLORFUL GLADS

I love it when the GLADIOLA are in full bloom. Their bright colors are a delight. This week's arrangement should last well over a week as the flowers bloom from the bottom up. Keep in clean water with floral preservative and they will last even longer. I pull the spent blooms off as the flowers continue to bloom up the stalk. Some people also continue to shorten the stems as the flowers bloom up the stalk.

GLADIOLA, LILIES, ROSES and ZINNIAS--This week's summer arrangement

This week's arrangement is a mixture of what was blooming in the garden.  Shades of pink and red gladiola, zinnias, lilies and roses make a cheery statement.  The more zinnias I cut, the more they bloom.  They will be blooming through the rest of the summer and until the first frost.  The second flush of iris I planted are on, with 2 or 3 more flushes to come, putting their blooms into early fall.  The roses are just beginning their 2 flush, and the oriental lilies are on their way out, sad to say.  The arrangement is very fragrant because of the lilies and roses.  As always, cut after the sun goes down, plunge into water and recut stems, arrange in water with a preservative.  Keep in a dark, cool room until ready to display. 

BUSH DELPHINIUM--AN EASY-TO-GROW, NO STAKING REQUIRED, BLUE BLOOM

Delphinium are so pretty in their "true blue" colors, but can be hard to grow. They are heavy feeders during bloom time, can be difficult to keep erect.  Even if staked, they can snap because of their heavy blooms. Although I love them, I have found that the BUSH DELPHINIUM is a good substitute plant. They are easy to grow, reseed readily, have a long bloom time--from spring through fall--don't require staking, and are not finicky in the least. When they reseed, it is very easy to transplant the seedlings to areas you want in your flower beds, where they always add the extra 'pop' of color needed to liven up your garden bed. I like to use them through their long growing season in floral arrangements. They have an extra long vase life, and their bright blue blooms always add so much to the arrangement as a filler or accent.  In this 'wild flower' arrangement, it is the focal point instead of the filler. It's accented with bright red STATE FAIR ZINNIAS and my favorite white daisy-mum. 

LILIES, ZINNIAS AND GLADIOLA IN SUMMER ARRANGEMENTS

Lilies are a favorite summer bloom. This week my arrangement has three different varieties of yellow lilies--Asiatic, LA, and OT. They all enjoy a long vase life, and are easy to grow. They enjoy moist, but not wet, soil, a late spring feeding of  well balanced fertilizer, and part to full sun. OT Lilies can reach as tall as 7 feet, and the LA Lily in this arrangement is 4 feet. The dark yellow Asiatic yellow lily is 2 1/2 feet - 3 feet tall, so they can be used together in your flower bed, if desired, for a stacked effect. Combined with red and yellow Glads, and red State Fair Zinnias, they make for a refreshing look of summer. The State Fair Zinnias have started their bloom, and will continue through the summer and into fall until a killing frost. The more you cut, the more blooms they'll have, so I use them a lot through the summer in my arrangements. The Glads are on their first blooms, with continuing blooms through the summer and into fall because of planting them every two weeks, starting early spring into early summer. 

LA Lily EASTER BONNET, Asiatic Lily SUN  VALLEY, OT Lily CONCA D' OR 

Asiatic Lily

Yellow and Red Gladiola

Red State Fair Zinnias

LA Lily  (lightly scented)