LG, isn't it so hard to wait for them to get that mature???!!!!! I'm so torn--I love sharing peonies with my sisters and friends and I've done a few trades and I'm so happy about both. But then I see pictures of MASSIVE plants with TONS of blooms and SWEAR I'm not dividing peonies that fall! I normally end up doing it, though. It's been a few poor peony years here as well with slow increases in size from year to year here which makes it more frustrating....think I'm resigned to smaller sized plants with the hopes that I'll prevail and we'll only end up a few zones warmer CONUS. I do have more buds this year than I've ever had, actually pinched off several small buds on some new plants. I'm cautiously optimistic about the bloom season, barring crazy hail. We had a storm that hit work yesterday--mostly small hail but with a few golf ball sized ice rocks thrown in. My husband went outside to look at damage after it was over--most vehicles were fine, no damage to either of our vehicles, but the truck directly in front of my husband's had a shattered windshield. I'm sure that didn't make that person's day more pleasant! I'd take a broken windshield over lots of body damage any day, though. Didn't even sprinkle here at home but we're just entering the season.
You've sold me on Joanna Marlene, LG; it's on my "Wanted" list now.
Yan, I've had First Arrival for a few years but it wasn't happy at all where I first planted it. I moved it to a bed that has several successful Itohs last fall so I'm hoping for flowers within the next couple of years! Yours is beautiful, makes me wish I'd planted mine in a better spot from the beginning!
