My first peony of the year opened! I bought it as Sorbet a couple of years back and this is the first time it has bloomed. But is it correct? It doesn't seem to resemble pictures in the database. It does have an amazing fragrance! What do you think?

Pictures vary a lot! To me it looks like Sorbet. I hope mine will bloom one day also

Here is my Eden's perfume



My Sorbet

Thanks anyagoro & Mieko2! I'm still not sure that I've got either one. I'm new to peonies. Is there always this much variation? I'm used to daylilies where plants can look very different in different areas of the country. Does the same hold true for peonies?
The NYBG had Old Faithful last year and the blooms were very varied on the same plant (red, dark pink & bicolored red/white) which looks nothing like the pictures I see in the database or online. Did that plant just have some kind of mutation? I'd have been very disappointed if I'd bought it and just got plain red blooms.

Elena, unfortunately since people can get a good price for unusual peonies there are quite a few sellers that substitute inferior peonies for the rarer ones. Stay with APS sellers that guarantee their peonies are true to name and you will be happier. I almost cry when I have waited 2-3 years for a Peony to bloom and then it isn't even the same color as what I ordered.

Old Faithful is a wonderful pure red. No white on it at all. It has wonderful strong stems and is slow to increase and that is why it is fairly expensive.

I honestly can't remember where I got most of my peonies. I do know that I didn't pay very much for them. I do love the one is have even if it is a NOID! It smells heavenly and is really pretty! I bought Sorbet by mistake thinking it was Raspberry Sundae (which I ended up buying and should bloom this year). So I'm not upset that I didn't get Sorbet. I will, however, make sure I buy from reputable sellers endorsed by NGA members from now on.

I would have thought a botanical garden would source it's plants from excellent sources. I would post pictures but they are on my old phone that died and I don't think I had downloaded them. But the flowers were like nothing I'd ever seen and the way you had to battle through a crowd to even get close enough to see it I'd say most people would have preferred it to the normal Old Faithful. I'm not sure I can get pictures this year since we've been getting so much rain I can't see the blooms lasting very long.

It is really hard to tell with pink peonies! THere are so many varieties out there that look very similar. Whatever yours is, it is very beautiful and if it does come with a nice fragrance, I'd think that you have a keeper. I bought Eden's Perfume from Van Engelen and mine does not look like LG's EP though it does smell great. I don't know what my Eden's Perfume maybe. The bloom's color and form seems to differ every year.

Too bad about the photos, Elena!
Another possibility is that there was another peony planted in with that one.

Keep posting pix! We all have ones we call " NOID" ( no ID) and love them anyway.
This one was sold as Lady Orchid. Not even close

@Mieko2 That is a great thread idea, LG. I hope that you start a NOID thread for 2017. I would love to see your and others NOIDs as well as sharing mine.

Yes! And share bloom week, size, foliage pics--we might end up with a few less NOIDs!

Ooh, this is so not Hana Kisoi, so not Hana Kisoi



Bought and planted as Hana Kisoi last fall. My best guess this is Fenix White aka Feng Dan Bai. What are your thoughts?

Oh no, Jasmin
It is most likely the one you suspect. I hate that you got ripped off.

LG, the price was not that bad, because I got the plant from a local Canadian Tire garden center. I will try to talk with them.

Well, I often stated that I prefer single flowers, and this one is very, very single - only ten petals. Be careful what you wish for The poor plant wants to bloom, she has got two flowers. The issue is that Fenix White can get much bigger that Hana Kisoi, so I will have to move Fenix White because the spot may be too narrow for Fenix. I've already moved three herbaceous peonies to make space for Hana Kisoi last year. Two of those herbaceous peonies are moved twice in a row, in 2015 and 2016. Now I might have to move them again to make space for Fenix White.

I think that I'll let Fenix White and the two herbaceous peonies grow where they are one more year. By the next fall I'll know if I have to move the Guardian of the Monastery that was supposed to grow with Hana Kisoi, so we will see... I need to think of the logistics here

Wow, Jasmin, I was contemplating to purchase smth from Canadian Tire, now I am not so sure... I want Hana Kisoi though.

Well what I thought was Raspberry Sundae finally bloomed.



Umm, no that's not right.

It is pretty and scented though so I gave it to my neighbor who was gushing over my probably not Sorbet.
So at least somebody has a peony they really want.

I'm going to order RS from Adelman's so I'm sure to get the right one!

Alex, unless you see the flower you are not safe. Unless you want to gamble a bit.

Elena, that peony is beautiful. You certainly made your neighbor happy.

Jasmin, so sorry that your TP turns out to a mislabel. What will you do with it? Will you keep it? I too have two of these whites from Ebay TP purchases. Found out they were wrong after 2 years of waiting.

Elena, that is actually not a bad looking mislabel. I am sure your neighbor will be happy to get it. The double peonies make great cut flowers. Adelman is great vendor. They honor their warranty with no hassle.

Karen, don;t be sorry Life happens

I have a corner in my garden that I call a "suggestion" of a white garden. Because my garden is so small, I cannot have a white garden room, black garden room, etc. Instead, I have a corner that I call a "suggestion" of white garden, the other corner is a suggestion of "black" garden, then "golden" corner, etc. I thought that it would be nice to have a white TP in the "white" corner. Last fall I moved a white and light pink herbaceous peonies there to make space for Hana Kisoi. Those two herbaceous peonies really suffered a lot. First I had to move them to save them from my evil neighbors who vandalized the garden. Fortunately, those neighbors had moved away, so I was free to reorganize the garden. That was when I bought Hana Kisoi and two new peonies from Cricket Hill Garden. The fourth one was a replacement for Black Dragon who didn't survive.

I think that I will wait for the fall 2018 to move the plants again. I've already risked to plant tree TPs in the front bed (in triangle), although there is a space only for two TPs (side by side). I was hoping that Guardian and Snow Lotus will make friends. The Guardian's structure is kind of open, so branches can hug Snow Lotus, and perhaps Hana Kisoi. Both Guardian and Han Kisoi are rather open bushes. In the same time, this climate is harsh, and things do not alway grow as they should. Many years ago, I planted a hedge of roses by the book, but the roses simply couldn't get big enough in this climate to form the hedge. I ended up moving them closer, which was a lot of work. I was hoping that something like that might happen to TPs too. Snow Lotus and Guardian are planted in the fall 2013. I guess that they will reach their mature size by the next year (fall 2018). Hopefully I will know if Guardian can stay with Snow Lotus, or I'll have to move it.

Therefore, I will wait for the fall 2018. Hopefully those two herbaceous peonies (in the white corner) will regain some strength by that time; that is, before I move them again. It might also be beneficial for Fenix White to start growing her own roots. With a little bit of lack, I'll move her to the "white" corner in the backyard. Then we will see if I have to move Guardian. If I have to move it, I'll move it to the side, left of Snow Lotus. Those two herbaceous peonies can be planted in the front; that is, in front of Snow Lotus and Guardian. That will be it. In the meantime, I am making two pathways in the garden. Now when the evil neighbors left, I want to open the garden a bit and start inviting people in, perhaps give a couple of parties.

However, we still don't tell if I've got Fenix White, which can get quite big and wide. Fenix White is definitely too big for the spot where she is now. I am also positive that my mislabeled peony does not look like any standard white Japanese peony. For example, Renkaku is common , bit it is semi-double. My white peony has only ten petals. She is so single, so single I wasn't even aware that Canadian Tire sells Fenix White. Anyway, the peony will fully open tomorrow, so we might know a bit more.

What would you do?

Elena, Hollingsworth had RS buy two get one free. It would be worth it if you have the room. That mistake peony was a good color.


Jasmin, it is hard when you get a mislabeled peony. I have two herbaceous peonies stuck in pots because they didn't even bloom the same color as what I ordered.

Oh boy, Jasmin! I am already tired reading what you plan or need to do to rearrange your garden. Moving tree peonies esp. mature ones is not a piece of cake. I certainly do not envy you. The only thing that I can say is choose the least resistant path - the one which requires the least amount of work. Good luck! And hope that you have some help.