Peonies in Bloom and Peony Growing Tips

Peonies bloom around the first week of May in Virginia, and our climate here at Seven Oaks seems extremely well-suited to growing peonies. If I remember to bring my camera with my on my way to church on Sunday, I will stop and take pictures of peonies growing in the yard of an old, turn of the last century home in Prospect that now looks like it's used to store furniture. The yard has a line of peony bushes that must be over 100 years old. These unkempt, uncared for bushes flourish and produce the most amazing display of pink and white flowers I've ever seen. If you're in the Prospect area, look at the house to the right of the post office, sandwiched between the post office and the fire station.  Peonies must be hardier than I ever gave them credit for!

Festiva Maxima after the heavy rains last night. I use a peony hoop for support. Without it my plants would be flattened.

Here at Seven Oaks, I have four peony bushes from a sample package of five I purchased in 2008.  I bought the sample collection from Breck's nursery and four survived.  The four that survived include:

1. Dr. Alex Fleming, a hot pink flower
2. Festiva Maxima - my all time favorite
3. President Taft - delicate pink flowers (doesn't remind me of Taft at all, but go figure)
4. Sorbet

Last year we also added a tree peony to the island garden bed in the lawn. We thought it died, but it came back this year quite nicely.

Pres. Taft peony (background) with salvia blooming (foreground)

Two peonies - Sorbet and Dr. Alex Fleming - are in the island bed.  Flanking the garden path at the corners where two pathways meet are the "Festiva Maxima" and "President Taft" peonies, like twin sentinels greeting you after you enter through the main garden pathway.

Peonies won't bloom if they don't receive enough sunlight, so be sure to plant them in full sun. They also dislike being moved or divided and may sulk the first year after transplanting.

I wrote an article on How to Get Peony Flowers to Bloom which many readers wrote to me to say they found helpful.  Please click the link above to read my tips on getting your peonies to bloom.

More pictures from the flower garden at Seven Oaks. These were taken last year.

Pinks dominate this corner of the garden - foxglove and peony in bloom

Year two for this peony and it is loaded with flowers.

Festiva Maxima with red dianthus at its feet.