I do not know which peony will bloom first this year as I added some early blooming varieties this past fall. If I get a bloom from my newly planted double fernleaf, I guess that would be the earliest to bloom this spring. Last year, the first peony to bloom in my garden was the fernleaf hybrid that I bought from Adelman peonies.
Liz, I am not sure that I will get a bloom or two from the itohs I bought at Select Plus because I divided them into smaller divisions when I planted them.
Oldgardenrose I also added Early Scout and Roselette so hopefully they will bloom early too.
Yes, I agree that the freeze and thaw cycle in early spring is most injurious to plants esp. roses. I lost 4 roses last year due to this and some less vigorous were pretty set back. The freeze and thaw last spring did not seem to faze the peonies much though. Karen
Here is a pic of the fernleaf hybrid that bloomed about May 10 last year.
