This is the earliest that I ever see buds on my tree peonies. I thought last year was early but this year some of my tree peonies are already showing buds. If we get anything below 30F, I think they will severely be damaged. Hoping that we won't get anything under 30F in late March or April. If that is to happen, I think these buds will be goners.

Hoping like crazy for you, Annette and LG--no more below freezing weather until next winter!!!!!!

No freezing, please!!!

I agree with everyone, NO FREEZING WEATHER PLEASE!!!
All my tree peonies are sending out buds too.







Even two of the seedings showing flower buds too, I'm so exciting......

Those early buds are both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because they are a hint of the beauty to come and a curse because we will all worry that they will get frozen out!

Oh Yah, how exciting to have seedling with flower buds! You will have to start a seedling thread so we can all follow them!

Thanks everyone for wishing for a NO Freeze. That is my wish too. Last year, we got a warm March and the tree peony buds came out about late March. Then we got an April freeze so the buds were damaged. This time around, the buds really came out early. We will have early flowers with no freeze or late flowers with a bad freeze. (Some of my tree peonies sent up new buds to replace those that were killed by the freeze.) The worst is having a freeze at the time of bloom or near bloom because I don't think the peonies will send up replacement buds if that is to occur. If there is a freeze, I will try to cover as many peonies as I can and hope for the best.

Yan, you must be filled with anticipation for the blooms on your tree seedlings. Do you know their parents? What do you think their colors will be?

Thanks LG! I will be glad if it really blooms for me this year, if not always the next year.
Karen, those seedings were seeds from Cricket Hill garden, all I know it's they are Rockii variety, nothing special about them. May be next year I can try to create some of my own tree peony, it's all depends on how fast they grow, most of my tree peonies are pretty young, 2-3 years.
I will post pictures if they do blooms in the Spring.

Here's my Peonia ostii with 14 buds

Oh wow. I am so jealous. I really want as many species as I can get. I had obovata but it didn't survive the first winter.

Mary Stella I have an obavata from Brooks in 2016. . I see a pip! I am hoping it will bloom this year. You know I will post a pic if it blooms.

Great LG. I will be really interested to see how it looks in a garden, not just on a vendor website.

Mary Stella, I checked on obavata this morning and it is up about an inch.
I also have two delavayi peonies that when they bloom I'll post photos.

I bought a delavayi for the botanical garden but it also did not survive the winter. All the other plants did fine. I think I read somewhere that delayayi as a bit touchy about weather.

Temps are dropping down to under 30F for 6-7 hours tonight. I put protection on a few but I left some out to see if they can take the cold. The buds are not too big yet so I hope they will make out ok.

Karen, we're going down to 31 tomorrow night, and 29 on Wednesday night. I'll be covering all of my tree peonies that have buds with frost fabric.

I cannot believe how cold the weather is turning again, after 2 weeks ago there were no predictions of further freezing temps.

We are going down to 28 and 29 the next two mornings! Frustrating!!

Good luck to us all.

My friends in San Francisco area already have blooming tree peonies.

Bah humbug. I still wouldn't live there. lol. Course I was born there (Oakland) so I can say that. But oh I envy their lovely growing and blooming season.

My Princess Chiffon doesn't look too good after the below freezing temps Friday morning. She was covered with a large flower pot.


My new tree 'Peony Red Crown with Jade and Pearls' looks like a Japanese Maple! I think it did fine in the cold weather.

LG, I hope the Princess Chiffon will recover. The foliage of Red Crown with Jade and Pearls is gorgeous!