Posting some happy pics after cool nights with rain and wind. Today was bright and sunny after several poor peony days. Includes some duplicates but they look nice.

They sure do look nice, Jerry.

What is the name of the first one, Jerry? It has such a lovely pink and form.

The first pic is 'Chestine Gowdy'. It is also fragrant.

Beautiful pink!

Jerry. It is hard to tell them apart. THe only ones shown in the group that i recognize is Lavon.

Here are two new peonies blooming for the first time in my garden:

Officinalis Rosea Plena



Firelight

Both of your peonies are keepers. Even though there are 5 different plants involved with mine, some are almost identical. Gives one pause when checking all the catalogs and there can be a half dozen with very little to separate them. I have set my limits to only fragrant peonies or fern leafs. I had the same issue with irises when I grew them. Many lookalikes with different names.

Jerry, that is the prettiest Kansas I have ever seen.
I enjoyed all the other photos, too

The Kansas pic is a bit lighter color than outside on the stem. My camera just cannot copy a true red or a very deep red.

Karen, both of your new ones are very pretty !

Here are some more pix from my garden

'Minnie Shaylor' she never disappoints me.


'Largo'

The rumpled flowers of 'Ming Joy'
I got this from A & D peonies and it really doesn't look like their photo in their catalog.

Leta, the tree peony I bought for the botanical garden has a bud on it! I was so excited. Then Will, one of the two gardeners there, said we should cut it off to let the plant develop better roots. I indicated I would 'cut him off' if he touched it. I want to see it's bloom, then we can cut it. It puts more energy to forming seeds than one little bloom. The so called Maroon Tree Peony, is sending up another shoot after the first one got blasted by early frosts. Not sure why it blasted and Leta didn't. Interesting. Still have two 'no shows' out there. All mine are up and several are ready to pop. I am heading to Fairbanks tomorrow and will be gone for five days and I bet at least one will bloom while I am gone. But that's okay. It will be here when I get back.

Is it 'Leda'? If so, it is really lovely. Never am I brave enough to cut off a first bud. Life is too short to miss that first bloom! While others disagree, I selfingly call it "seize the day"

Tracey, I agree 100% . I paid for it and I want to see the bloom!
Mary, I agree, the bloom is already formed - snip it off afterwards.

I do really grow them for the flowers. If I get a bud or two the first, year I will keep them. That's why I bought them! The same goes for all my plants. I don't disbud. I can see reasons to cut off side buds, yes, for larger flowers as well as chance the others won't fully develop.

Can't wait to see your one bloom!

I completely agree with you Tracey and LG. I can never bring myself to disbud the first blooms. The only ways for them to go is either by bud blast or some nasty animals chewing or breaking them off.

I hope you will get to see that first flower, Mary! It is such a thrill to see that first one.

I think I'm the only one disbuds, not only on their first year, and on my older tree peonies too, depends on variety.

I did it recently on some of my first year ones -may be more to follow - depends on the situation.

I waited too late on several of mine, the buds were so swollen I didn't think debudding would make a difference. I'll cut the blooms off before any seed sets, though.

Some blooms from today:

Lotus Bloom





Salmon Dream



Firelight