Our peonies are off to a great start this spring (or, should I say, winter). The Coral's reached over 2' high days ago and the late varieties are still pushing through the soil. As I wandered the gardens yesterday I was amazed at the size of the buds on 'Sugar 'n Spice', an early peony bloomer with great big salmon-pink flowers. It's incredible to see buds like this in mid-March in Oregon. Our 'Little Red Gem' fern leaf peonies are starting to show a little color peaking out of the buds.
A lot can happen with the weather between now and May; sometimes it cools down so much that plants seem to stand still for a couple of weeks. We'll see how this spring plays out and adjust our May 1st 'bloom season' opening date as the weather dictates.
I love the look of new peony stems, glistening in the morning dew or the afternoon sun. The dark red stems and foliage of 'Topeka Garnet' is such a stark contrast with the green stemmed varieties. Our potted peonies are showing off all of the variations in stem and foliage colors, now.
After 8 days of good rains, I will be relishing the dry, perhaps sunny days we may be blessed with this weekend. Today is off to a beautiful start.
I'll be here Friday and Saturday, March 18th and 19th, selling potted peony plants for those of you looking to get a jump on spring transplanting. We gardeners welcome spring, watching plants grow and anticipating the glory of all the flowers to bloom.