When we moved to our NJ home, my mother gave me several root ball plants off many of her perennials, one being Peonies. It was Fall when we were moving in, so hubby and I dug some dirt holes and just stuck the plants in the ground. Fortunately, they survived the brutal Winter. In the Spring hubby made me this bed (below) along the back of our home, and we planted them in their new permanent home.
We did not have blooms the first year, but this is a photo of our 2nd year of June blooms......
The plants continued to grow and bloom into these lovely large plants. They grew so large we used plant cage by the end of the season to keep them upright. Bringing bouquets of Peonies into the house is so fragrant and beautiful, but remember to be careful of the ants that hide inside the blooms. These little devils love the sugary syrup produced by the buds, but are not harmful to the plants.
I love the colors that Mom gave me, the contrast is so pretty.
Unfortunately, I am told that Peonies cannot be grown in Florida, southern California or the deep south. Zone 8 is the warmest climate they thrive in. I recently read a blog about growing them in Texas. The gentlemen stated that he planted them in the sun, got no blooms the first year, but they were prolific the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years. Of course this means I am going to bring some of my Mother's plants back to Texas with me on my next trip back East!
Thanks so much for stopping by, and don't forget to
"STOP AND SMELL THE PEONIES!"
Kathleen
****A yearly application of all-purpose fertilizer should be sufficient for growth.
No comments:
Post a Comment