I can't believe in a few hours it will be 2017, and we'll be into a new year with our peony gardens.

I finally planted my Swenson's peonies that I received this fall, in pots this week. We may be moving to a new home, so I didn't want to have to dig them up.

I also got a chance to fertilize all of my plants with Bulb Food this week, and noticed that a few pips are already swelling on some plants in the garden.

Pink Hawaiian Coral


Coral Supreme


Primavere


2 of the potted peonies also have large pips, that have already increased in size, these were planted on 12/24, after spending several weeks in the fridge.

May Lilac- the pips are huge


Sunny Girl


What's happening in your garden?

I hope you're at least dividing your peonies to take to your new home, Annette. You have such a gorgeous garden, someone will be getting some amazing landscaping if you leave even a portion behind. I've told my husband that retirement for us is going to be a multi-year process because I'm NOT leaving my plants behind!

Thanks Liz, and I agree, I would be taking some of my plants with me. The decision to move isn't final yet, but if we are, I've got a whole lot of digging to do.

I agree with Liz....if you move take your favorites with you. The new people may not want the care of flowers and may rip everything out. It happened to my sister.

I can't believe you have pips already. But then you are in Georgia It must be really hard to figure out what and how to move your plants. I would have buckets everywhere. We have talked about moving from time to time and I have said ALL my peonies, lilies, roses, iris are coming with me. It would look like revenge of the gophers!

Mary Stella, I have some pips, too. It drives me crazy. We are going to have two more days with the highs in the 60's, and then they are calling for some snow- (1/2) inch.

I can't move. I have way too much that I love.

My only consolation is that I can enjoy seeing your pictures very early in the year then see my own for two months or so after. Hopefully I will have pictures to post also. Placed my order with Adelman's and now to wait for Solaris.

Mary Stella,
That is why I enjoy social media so much. We get a longer season to enjoy blooms. Plus we get recommendations on places to buy new peonies.
I am also going to try to start more seeds. I haven't been very successful. I was sowing them outside and I think they either rotted or vermin got the seeds.

that's discouraging. I have no expectations for mine although I tried to do all I could according to directions. Some planted outside last fall, some still in the refrigerator in wet paper towel. I need to buy soil to plant them in pots very soon, then outside. Also the same for iris and lily seeds. Really no idea on those. Never tried to grow lily seeds but was very successful with iris and daylily seeds sent from gardeners here.

You put your seeds outside? in small pots or just into the ground? Liz said she designates a spot where she won't step on them or inadvertently plant something over top of them. That's what I did in full sun next to three other peonies. So the big peonies can tell the baby peonies how to grow. assuming they germinate. Big IF..

LOL Mary!

Oberon46 said:I can't believe you have pips already. But then you are in Georgia It must be really hard to figure out what and how to move your plants. I would have buckets everywhere. We have talked about moving from time to time and I have said ALL my peonies, lilies, roses, iris are coming with me. It would look like revenge of the gophers!

It would look like the revenge of the gophers here as well. I've already told the DH the peonies, irises, and lilies will be going if we move! I've been saving the plastic grocery bags just in case.

LG, I agree, I doubt the next homeowner would care for the plants the way I do. We have over 900 homes in our subdivision, and I've not seen any gardens as heavily landscaped as ours.

When we moved from our last home in 2004, the new homeowners had no gardening experience, and did not take care of my plants that I left. I would periodically drive by, and was so disappointed about how they let the garden go to hell.

The pips always increase here during the winter, and are not affected by the cold weather, as long as they don't sprout, and start putting up stems.

Mary, you might want to rig up some shade cover over the seeds that you planted out last fall. Another reason that I planted my seeds where I did was because it's the only place that I've ever had volunteer seedlings. Surprised the heck out of me because it's the shadiest spot that I've been able to grow any peonies as it only gets around 2-3 hours of direct sunlight even in the middle of summer. Another reason is that Scott Parker (the APS seed program manager) was the person selling them when I bought my first seeds in 2014. He handed out sheets with the seeds that advised planting them in a partly shady spot. I asked him about it and told him of my volunteer seedlings, he said he'd had the same experience leading to the recommendations on the instruction sheet. All of my seed pots are lightly mulched with pine straw to retain moisture but get very little additional water, only when the plants around them are droopy. I've not had any problem with varmits but think I could easily tack hardware cloth over the pots with landscape pins if it were to become an issue.

I'm hoping we'll be thinking of retiring within the next 6-10 years. I've already informed my husband that I need a minimum of 2 years advance notice--2 full falls to divide and/or move plants. I don't care if we build or buy but I will have beds in place to house my roots.

I wonder if the shade thing would even apply here. Our sun is so weak compared to 'outside' that many plants that you all have to shade do just fine in full sun here. I can rig some sort of shade over those seeds if need be though without shading the neighboring plants.

So when you retire, Liz, you would be moving? I cannot even imagine how you would get all your plants moved. You would have to buy your new place two years in advance as you say, then spend two years moving plants. Groan. Oh the pain....

Liz, what kind of potting soil did you use for your seeds?

I didn't use potting soil, Annette. I did mix some planter's mix (top soil and compost) with the soil that was present and added a bit of sandy soil to make sure there was decent drainage.

I am getting ready to bring in the seeds I have had in the refrigerator all winter in baggies. I will put them in soil then what?? Light or no light? Warm place or outside?? Ideas appreciated.

Wish I knew, Mary! Did the seeds sprout? The pics I've seen only move to soil when they've sprouted.

Anya sent me Hidden Springs instruction for seeds. Have already done something wrong. It says to plant seeds in baggie with soil then in 75F for 12 weeks, THEN into refrig. All I can do is take them out and just put them in a warm place inside. I think that will confuse them terribly but worth a try. You can get there instructions from them or I can send you a copy of what Anya sent to me. But at least my seeds planted outside should be okay.

The instructions made it sound like maybe doing it the way I did would make it take a year longer to even germinate and grow roots. It would take long enough doing it the correct way. Wahhhhhh

Does anyone grow Carrara? I loved the picture from the vendor but when it bloomed after two years it wasn't white, it was yellow. I was so angry. Well, frustrated. Then another bloomed and it looked more like the vendor's picture a very pale cream. Thinking it needs another year to settle down. I guess this summer will settle the matter as that would be the (at least) third year in the garden. I really love the Japanese form along with the single ones.

What about Joker? The picture Anya has on dropbox is yellow with red flares; Hidden Springs shows it as pink.

Joker starts out as pink and turns to white with a pink picotee as it fades.