I have this blooming in my yard right now. It bloomed before, and it seems like the pink color does not hold at all and it seems washed out and the petals do not hold on for more than a couple days. I am wondering if it will improve as the clump matures, so I am reluctant to remove it just yet. Does anyone grow this and what is your opinion of it, are there better ones out there or should I keep it?

I will be really interested in this because this was on my wish list!

Hi Frillily,

I've grown Do Tell for several years, and I love this plant. My plant bloomed over the space of 2 weeks, after we had a lot of rain. Some of my blooms did fade slighty, but not to a complete white. I would get this plant if I didn't already have it. Here's my plant and a few of its blooms.

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing those. My blooms are not quite that rich in color, but I just planted it 2 years ago, this is it's 2nd spring. So maybe it does just need more time.

Frilly, it needs a good 4 to 5 years to settle in for optimal bloom. At least it did for me.

definitely keep it! although i would give it more time to mature a little. is it in morning sun or afternoon sun? I ask because this may be a hint (or not) as to why the colors look faded and washed out...? peonies are famous for getting off to slow starts, but I love them anyway! also, I hear that alfalfa meal works wonders on peonies! this year is the first time ive used it on our "Felix Crousse", which is only a three year old plant and its got 6 huge buds on it! none of them have opened yet so we're anxiously waiting for the results, to say the least! maybe its dumb luck or maybe there's something to the alfalfa meal thing. either way im very pleased with it for being such a young plant. we also fertilize it with diluted organic 5-1-1 fish emulsion once its done blooming, to encourage clump growth. stick with it!

Jason, I have 3 plants each in their second spring. How much meal do you put around each plant and how often in a year??

Mine is in full sun all day. That could be why it seems lighter colored.

Karen - we began putting a cup full of meal down every 4 weeks, just as the new shoots poked through the ground. sometime around late feb. I believe...? just worked it into the surrounding soil about two inches (or whatever?) deep. its not really a "fertilizer" perse', its more of a bloom booster of sorts, due to its high concentration of amino acids and growth regulators, so theres no need to continue once its done flowering. it wont hurt to continue using it, but once the flowers all fade and drop off, thats when I switch to liquid fish; until mid august. then I stop with the fish so the plant can prepare for dormancy.

P.S. - alfalfa meal is great for most flowering plants; clematis, day lilies, lily bulbs, peonies, and especially roses, and ESPECIALLY dahlias!! use two full cups of alfalfa meal per dahlia bulb and you'll have blooms coming out your ears!!

I absolutely love 'Do Tell'. Mine blooms prolifically and is a very pale pink which contrasts beautifully with the deep pink center!

I think it is much prettier than the picture in the Rogers peony book! I have never noticed that the petals fall off early... It hasn't bloomed yet this year so I will have to watch for that when it blooms. I also discovered a seedling a few feet away which I think is from Do Tell, but it is a darker pink without as much contrast that I like so much. This is the 3rd year for "Do Tell Jr." (my name) and is a bigger clump with more buds so I am anxious to see it again!

great looking flowers, Linda!

Frilly - all day full sun could be the source of your fading issue, however its just an educated guess. realistically it could be caused by anything. I would try full sun in the morning, rather than all day, see how that works. good luck!

So pretty.
I like the faded look it adds more dimension to the plant.When some are lighter and some darker.
Now I have to added it to my ever growing wish list.Just when you think you are done....

Frilly, this is my 2nd year with Do Tell and my first year with blooms (4 blooming stems, so not bad). I found it faded fairly quickly too, but mine is in full sun with strong afternoon sun.

Jason, I've just jumped on the alfalfa bandwagon and been using it on my roses. Too soon to see results, but I've heard enough positive reports to convince me to try. Hadn't used it on peonies yet, but will certainly give it a try!

I have heard that the alfalfa pellets attract deer, has anyone experienced this? I have always been afraid to use them. We have tons of deer here, but luckily I have not lost anything too much. Did have a large buck rub the bark off of some fruit trees last fall and killed them. I can live with that. We replaced them and wrapped them this time. But eating the buds off my daylilies- THAT would mean WAR!

I'll be watching this for an answer too, Frillylily! That has been a concern for me, too. Plus I thought I read that alfalfa is a good fertilizer for high nitrogen needs, not flowering plants but for greening. Are you using it in combination with other fertilizers for you roses, Neal, or am I mixing up fertilizers?

I used it along with an organic fertilizer for tomatoes (2-7-4) and manure. I'm new to using it, but I keep hearing great things about it's use for blooming plants. While it does have some nitrogen, it's a pretty low number (can't recall exactly), but from what I understand, it has enzymes that enable plants to access already present nutrients. Some of the iris folks are into using it too.

Interesting! Please let us know what you think of its effectiveness, Neal. If I remember correctly it's fairly inexpensive, too--bonus!

Some info on the use of alfalfa meal or pellets for plants.

http://www.rose.org/rose-care-...

I was looking at this form to get some answers about another issue I have with Peaonies but here is my idea. I think the color washes out with time on the flowers no matter the temperature or sun exposure because my flowers on many turn lighter as they age. I'm enclosing a picture I took today of Paeonia 'Pastel Splendor'. If I submitted the top flower no one would believe this is the same as the lower one which just opened today. Sad to say age gets us all even flowers.