I've been looking at Peony's Envy website and considering purchasing some plants. Has anyone ordered from there? Any shops especially recommended otherwise? Thanks!

I recommend Adelman peonies and Solaris Farms. I have been buying from them almost every other year since I started this hobby 8 years ago. I have received great plants that bloom the following spring with exception of a few.

Lisa, go over to Dave's Garden Watchdog and look at the reviews for Peony's Envy there. I always check a company out there before I order.

I agree with Karen's recommendations, too.

This is a great place https://www.hiddenspringsflowe...

The owner is a former professor at the Univ of Mn, purchased several plants from them, never had a problem.

Peony's Envy always has a vendor booth at the Philadelphia Flower Show and I started buying peonies from them four years ago. The first time, I just bought one to see how it would do. It put up nice foliage the first year and started blooming the next. Each year after that I have bought 5 or 6, so somewhere close to 20 from them now. They have all done well. The employees who work at the booth are always so nice. I haven't experienced their shipping because I get them at the show, so can't comment on it, but based on my interaction with the employees and the quality of the peonies themselves, I would bet the shipping is done well.

I have ordered from Adelman's and agree with Karen also. I just checked reviews on Dave's Garden Watchdog for several other places also that I have ordered from, and the reviews are spot on. Do yourself a favor and check there first. Thanks, Mieko2 for guiding us to Watchdog.

My favorite places to buy peonies are Solaris Farms, Adelman Peony Gardens, Hidden Springs Flower Farm, Fina Gardens and Song Sparrow (probably their last year though). I have also heard very, very positive comments here about Lyndaker Farms, but haven't had the opportunity to order from them.

I like that I get nice hearty divisions, 90% of which will have at least one flower (sometimes more!) that first spring after planting. I know that if I contact them about anything at all, I will hear back from a knowledgeable person who will answer my question in a kind a respectful manner. With the above small businesses, I also know that if I am by chance sent the wrong peony cultivar, they will make it right (send you the correct replacement OR credit you if they are unable to due to lack of stock). But honestly, in all of the years I have ordered from these places, it's happened maybe twice.

But that's just me. I love freshly dug, nice sized roots shipped at the optimal planting time for my area. And knowing that I am supporting small peony farm operations with a passion for what they do.

Agree with above. Solaris, Adelman's Peony Paradise and Hidden Springs are the 3 major ones I use. Gold City Flowers, A & D and Oh My Peonies are all good as well but I don't order from them every year.

Well said, Tracey! I can't express as well and you captured all that I felt.

My favorite places to order are Solaris and Adelman's Peony Paradise, but I also liked receiving roots from Fina Gardens, Gold City, Swenson, Lyndakerfarms, Broooks, Peony Shop in the Netherlands.

If you watch the posts here, most of us post pictures of the roots we receive. You can make you own judgement. Look back at Peony Roots 2016/2017/2018/2019 etc. The pics of roots are all there.

Thank you, everyone! I will check these all out.

I was about to order from them, then I went back to look at the roots people posted for 2017, 2018, 2029. I decided not to order from them. So many places with very good roots. That's before I ordered from Spring Hill, Holland Bulb farms, Hollingsworth, and Michigan Bulb. I think I've paid the price of a newbie. It's not the money, it's the time I wasted.

SoCal, yes it's the wasted time and effort!!! We all anticipate a certain bloom, and then you get something entirely different!! I get so exasperated!!