I am proud to announce the arrival of Mr. Henry Bockstoce, the newest member of the Joannakat peony family! Welcoming him with warm words and adoring "YAAYs!"

2 up, 2 more to go!


@Jasmin, is this what you meant when you said little hands? They are very different from the Bowl of Beauty pips.

Congrats Joanna!!

Now, do you have rabbits in your garden?

I was anxiously waiting for a newly planted peony to emerge. It finally came up. I was so happy. I came home one day this week and a rabbit has bitten off two stems. Didn't eat them. They were just laying there. This will probably set the peony back in getting established. I put chicken wire around the single stem it left. So be careful if you do have rabbits!

Mieko2 said:Congrats Joanna!!

Now, do you have rabbits in your garden?

I was anxiously waiting for a newly planted peony to emerge. It finally came up. I was so happy. I came home one day this week and a rabbit has bitten off two stems. Didn't eat them. They were just laying there. This will probably set the peony back in getting established. I put chicken wire around the single stem it left. So be careful if you do have rabbits!

OH NO!!! We do have rabbits! In the past, they've made a good meal of all my crocuses so this year, I planted a lot of daffodils--I heard that rabbits don't like them. But I'll take your advice and put something out there to repel them beFORE they break off my little peony beginnings!

Joanna,

This is what I call "little hands". They are so cute.

Jasmin said:Joanna,

This is what I call "little hands". They are so cute.

Oh, yes! They do look like little hands! I cannot wait to have some open up in my little plot! Thank you for the picture, so cute!

@Jasmin!!!!!

Have hands! Have hands! All four of my peonies are showing now, looking strong and beautiful and with a new pip now and again. And some look like little hands unfurling, just like you said! So happy!

They are looking like first year peonies with only a few pips each, but I have a feeling they'll thrive over the next 50 or so years.

I'm happy for you, Joanna! The first year is the hardest.

Thank you@Mieko2! I just got home and, of course, first thing, I went out to check on my new little darlings (doesn't everyone?) There are more pips! Even the one I was most worried about is showing so I'm very happy.

Oh no! Possible freeze tonight! Do I need to cover these babies?

Good idea! Better safe than sorry!

Frost alert here too. Hope it will not affect this side of the city. I've already decide not to cover the plants. They are too big now.

Jasmin said:Good idea! Better safe than sorry!

Frost alert here too. Hope it will not affect this side if the city. I've already decide not to cover the plants. They are too big now.

Thanks Jasmin! They're covered now. It was easy because the tallest is only about 3". I'll sleep better now.

Joanna, mine are too big to cover them. I will not be sleeping tonight... I can only hope for the best.

Jasmin said:Joanna, mine are too big to cover them. I will not be sleeping tonight... I can only hope for the best.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

Thank you Joanna. So far, so good. It is 11pm but it is not cold. Hope everything will be OK tomorrow morning.

Nothing. No frost here. Thanks God, everything is OK here.

Great news, Jasmin

LG, thanks, I feel so much better now. It looked too mild for frost, I didn't really believe the forecast, but you can never know.

Temps were down last night over here, and around 33 this morning. Don't know if there was a frost or not, but my little unfurling hands are about an inch taller today, and in some places, there are new pips! So, like you Jasmin, all is well here too.

OMGoodness! Well, I certainly didn't expect this!

Remember, I'm so new to this that I really don't know much, but I do know that you shouldn't expect flowers the first year after planting a bare-root peony. This is what my Bowl of Beauty looked like this morning. I think it's around 8 or 10 inches tall.


And this is what you won't see unless you look very closely.


Is that a flower bud? Or am I just over-hopeful?

Looks like a bud to me!