Everything that I've read about Itohs says they're sterile but who knows? The corals seem to multiply pretty rapidly so it'd be an easy thing to trade for, Kayleigh. I'm pretty sure I saw one of the corals advertised in Gilbert Wild's spring 2016 catalog as well, their prices are great. I don't think all of the offerings are up there yet so I'm waiting a while to put in an order.

It's funny, I've had Bartzella for several years but have not had a single bloom, nor has the root increased. I decided last fall to move it to an area that I've had better success with Itohs, hopefully I'll see some growth next spring! Also ordered another one from Solaris Farms for next fall, just in case the teeny roots I got before aren't really Bartzella....

Hi Liz! Just hope my Lollipop itoh peony from Michigan Bulb blooms true to its name should it bloom this spring. Do you think yours would bloom this spring, Liz? I saw alot of eyes and stems forming on mine this past season. Hope the root is big enough now for bloom(s) this spring.

Oh by the way, did you see that Solaris Farms already sold out Juliska? It is a nice enough double pink peony but I wonder why it is such a hot item.

I see where Hidden Springs has no species fern leafs for sale this year. Need time for their base crop to multiply. Glad I have one each of the three. Single, double, and rosea.

Throwing pollen around never hurts. It is rare to produce seed from an intersectional peony, but not impossible, I have been told.

Jerry, I always look forward to your pics of your beautifully grown fernleafs every spring. i am glad that you have all of these fernleafs varieties. Hopefully, someday you and I can get our hands on the double rosea which is rarely offered. I read an article on the Heartland Peony website that someone tried to grow seeds obtained from crosses of the double red fernies crossed with pink fernies, all they got were single red fernies.

Hi Karen! I did see Juliska sold out right away, as did their seedling Necromancer. I was silly enough to stay up until midnight on 1 Jan to make sure I got Pastelorama this year and that one's still available, didn't sell out at all! It's weird how some sell out fast and others you expect to sell out don't at all. I see Hidden Springs has Juliska for $75 and it hasn't sold out yet and their catalog has been open for longer than Solaris; their picture wasn't nearly as nice as that in Solaris, though. I'll look for it at Solaris, I have a tour in early June! Hope mine blooms this spring as well but it won't be until later in June at least.

My Lollipop didn't increase in size much last year, I doubt if I'll have blooms for a few years. I hope yours blooms---I'll celebrate yours until mine is big enough!

This is going to be a stupid question but are all peony seeds (that actually look like peony seeds, not the teeny starts) fertile? I thought I'd read somewhere that they weren't, that's mainly why I always deadheaded before, assuming most weren't good anyway. Does anyone know for sure?

Karen, you're correct, growing peonies in the south can be challenge. Even though I worry some years about getting enough chilling time, it always seems to work out. Please let me know if you ever move to the south, I'm always happy to help

My peony with problems is Lady Orchid, every year, a lot of the buds ball, and I don't get to see them open. Does anyone know what causes balling, and how to prevent it from happening?

Liz, it took a couple of years for my Bartzella to increase and bloom properly. I hope yours does better in it's new spot. I get a lot of seed pods every year, that I deadhead from the plants. This year I did leave some of the pods, but the seeds did not look viable. I've never been lucky enough to have any peony plants self sow in my garden.

Jerry, I agree with Karen, I also look forward to seeing your spring blooms! BTW is Rubra Plena a fern leaf peony?

The designation used by Hidden Springs is P.tenuifolia flore plena. I have also seen it listed as rubra flore plena in other catalogs. It is the true species double red fern leaf. Some vendors, especially internet listings, sell fern leaf hybrids as fern leafs but that is not really correct. Stay with the major growers and you will not go wrong. They are becoming expensive, however.

This is from one of the major growers. They use P.tenuifolia rubra plena as their species double red. P.tenuifolia is always the species single red.

http://peonyparadise.com/ptenu...

http://peonyparadise.com/ptenu...

magnolialover said:Throwing pollen around never hurts. It is rare to produce seed from an intersectional peony, but not impossible, I have been told.

That's what I tend to like to do 'throw pollen around'. I enjoy it when the bees and bugs help, but then I never know what crossed with what.

@kousa Karen, what is your avatar? It's very beautiful and I'd love to have that one?

Hi Kayleigh! That is Coral Sunset. It is my favorite coral! Of all the corals I grow, it has the most beautiful coral colors combo IMHO.
Here is a closeup.

Thanks for posting it. I went out looking/shopping for it. But lots of the photos looked more toward the pink end . . . probably in my garden it would look more pink than the salmony-orange color. I thought maybe it was one of the intersectional peonies which have colors not really seen in the standard peonies.

Is peony lactiflora and herbacous peony the same?

Jerry, thanks for the info!

I bought a potted Rubra Plena from one of our local nurseries, I'm interested to see if it is indeed a fern leaf. It went dormant before the other potted peonies, and I don't remember what the leaves looked like. It's still in a pot, I need to find a good spot for it in the garden.

It will not do well in a pot. It will need a well drained location in as near to full sun as possible. I have always recommended a raised bed at least 8 inches deep with a good sandy mix with rich soil to give it good drainage. 3 or 4 inch base of pea gravel would be ideal with the sandy soil above it. I did not use pea gravel in this bed but the soil mix was very loose. This pic was from April 2013.

Just gorgeous! I love the hardscape that you provided for the peonies. Really show off their beauty.

Jerry that is a gorgeous peony! I thinks my plant is Rubra Plena officinalis not tenufolia. I don't recall my plant having leaves like yours.

One species fernleaf which I have is P.tenuifolia ssp. lithophile. It is a more delicate version of the P.tenuifolia and very slow to multiply. I am hopeful it will display more stems with flowers than it did last year. I purchased it from Klehm's in 2012 for $28.95. They had a sale of 3 for the price of 2. I could kick myself for not ordering the 3. They are not easy to find.

Kayleigh, my Coral Sunset starts off a bit pinker but fades to the beautiful orangey color within a day or 2. Even here with our bad winds you get several days of the orangey color before the petals drop. Another really good one for fading to beautiful colors is Coral Supreme.

Jerry, you inspired so many of us to attempt to grow fernleafs with your beautiful pictures and instructions, thank you!

Hello, I am new to this Site, but love peonies. I will be contributing as much as I can. Here is one of my favorites "Roseheart ".