Garden Royalty

Early by approximately two weeks, the tree peonies were at their peek this past week. 

Their colors are softly bright, their blooms are very large saucers, averaging between 6"-10". 

In our garden, they truly are the royalty of the flowers with their beauty and elegance.

 Tree peonies are hardy in zones 4-9, but are relatively rare in our area. I have never been able to figure out why that is. They admittedly are not inexpensive, but their eventual size (of a medium to large bush) and number of blooms make them well worth the investment. The plants can live for many decades with proper care.

We grow them in various light conditions, but they are happiest in dappled shade.

This is the lavender shade.

In the back border, the red tree peony stands right before the burgundy Japanese maple.

Our yellow (a greenish yellow) tree peony.

Pretty in pinks:

Do you grow tree peonies? I'd love to see them!

Nature's Artwork

I, am a gardener. From the heart.

As you can imagine, for me- spring is a season like no other.

 I think because of its hope and promise, 

I cheer on the tiniest bud amazingly poking out of hard, brown wood.

Spring also makes me chuckle- just look at this gal with her hat.

Early morning brings great rewards to those of us crazy enough to go for a walk in the garden. Sometimes the light is just right- to catch the dewdrops looking like glass beads.

I love discovering the buds. They can be easy to pass right by.

Have you ever wondered what part of that aggressive wisteria plant you want to keep? The part that flowers.... here they are. Its hands. If you prune these off, you've pruned off the wisteria's prize blooms.

These average looking leaves are the precursor to the incredible, huge flowers of the tree peony. Not to be confused with the peony that we all know and love. Check back in about three or four weeks and I'll show you what I mean.

                 A more unusual flowering bush with such dainty blooms...

The flower buds and opening flowers of the holly:

And my favorite of the day- this darling little miniature daffodil.

How is your garden growing?

And now, I invite you stop on over to Splenderosa's monthly By Invitation Only party to see what spring means around the world.

Back to Spring

Summer has bowed out gracefully...and just in time! 

Many of our early spring blooms have come and gone already

 with temps in the high 70's and 80's for a week.

Sharing with you our remaining gifts from Mother Nature:

Pretty Pink Magnolia

Narcissus

Helleborus- such a happy crowd!

Chionadoxa with the periwinkle blooms- yum!

And a great start to the highlight of spring in our garden- the tree peonies. 

Look at that growth! 

My guess is the saucer-sized blooms won't arrive for weeks yet, though.

How is your garden doing?

In Lavender and Pink

One of the reasons I like tree peonies so much is their color.
Their color range is much larger than that of the herbaceous peonies (which I also love). 

Just look at this lavender!

The darker area on the inner petals read as burgundy black- striking against the yellow stamens.

This particular plant is over six feet tall and just as wide. It receives afternoon partial sun.

Can you detect the two "regular" (herbaceous) peony buds in front of the tree?

 You can see here that the stamens are starting to release the pollen, which is the yellow dust gathering under the stamens. This is one way to tell how old the blooms are.

Isn't this pink peony's coloring angelic?

Here you can see that this bloom is just opening up- the stamens look very fresh and full.

For those worried about bringing in ants with their peonies (don't be), check this out for a full explanation.

Happy Friday!

Happy 3rd Pink Saturday party- visit here!
Linking up to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Tree Peonies, Part One

Early Monday morning I went to get something out of the refrigerator and found this:

 

The tree peonies were in full bloom, but there was a storm warning and my husband wanted to save some blooms. The door's bottom shelf became our "flower cooler."

Do you know tree peonies?

There are peonies and then there are peonies. 

Specifically, those known as Chinese tree peonies.

I had never heard of a tree peony eight years ago. I was introduced to them by a friend who convinced me to try growing a plant. I did and I was hooked. We still grow the herbaceous peonies (the peony that most will recognize), but the tree peonies have really captured our hearts.

Hardy in most of the U.S. (zones 4-9), as you can see, tree peonies need a bit of space. They will grow large when happy, reaching the size of a shrub or even larger. The plant below is only four years old. We have a lavender tree peony that is over six feet tall. 

They prefer sun, but not a whole day of it. To keep the blooms the longest amount of time, dappled shade would be perfect. They should not be planted close to a tree as the tree would rob the generous root system of its needed nutrients.

Most blooms open up to 6"-10" saucers. Besides their gorgeous colors, they also smell delightful.

Here is a yellow tree peony bloom; isn't it unusual to see a yellow peony?

One of my favorites is the white tree peony.

It has Attitude!

Do you grow any tree peonies?

Coming up, I'll introduce you to its other stunning colors...

Linking up to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Linking up to White Wednesday over at Faded Charm

Linking up to The Little Round Table's This Week In My Garden