~An Old-Fashioned Flower~

A while back, I discovered peonies.  Though I had heard of them, I never really paid any attention to them until now.  Oh my.  I am in love!

Be still my heart!  The soft pink color of this one gets me every time.

 Peonies are considered an old-fashioned flower having been around for hundreds of years originating in Asia.  Over the years, several varieties have been developed.  Single flower, semi-double and double-flower producing blooms that can be anywhere from 4 to 6 inches to 10 inches wide!  Can you imagine??

 Peonies are a very low maintenance flower requiring little care.  It''s not uncommon for plants to live for over a hundred years!  Definitely well worth the investment, don't you think?  Fragrances vary from one flower variety to another...none whatsoever to slight to very fragrant.

 The one thing that drew me to these magnificent flowers...well, actually, two...is that they fit the definition ~ to a T ~ of being a cottage style flower.  Which is what most people consider them to be.  They are often seen in fields and in many a farmhouse garden.  The other is the blossom itself.  The soft, billowy petals.  I don't know, but there's just something about them that beckons me.

 One problem with these flowers is that they bloom only once during the season.  Drats!  Wouldn't it be lovely to have blossoms like these all summer long?  Oh goodness.  Thankfully, each variety is categorized with a bloom date rating that can spread out over a period of six weeks.  If one plans wisely, you could have several varieties that bloom at different times giving you a longer season of enjoying the beautiful blossoms.

The other problem is that it takes several years for the plant to mature before it actually starts producing the type of flowers like you see above.  So one has to be patient.  Waaahh!!  I did find out that peonies can be dried and will last for years.  Yay!  Can you imagine the beautiful bouquets?

 Well, I've decided I just HAD to have some of these babies and I've been looking in several of the local nurseries in the big city and even in the home/garden centers, but couldn't find them anywhere.  So I started searching online to order some.  It's a good thing I decided to do it now as I found out that fall is the best time to plant bare root peonies (the best way to go).  Gardeners are taking orders now with delivery to take place mid-September to mid-October.

"Sarah Bernhardt"....very late bloomer, large blossoms and fragrant.

 After going back and forth, and forth and back, I finally decided on these three.  These babies aren't cheap.  They can range in price from about $18 to $100!  I cannot imagine paying that much for one plant!!  I did manage to get plants for an average of about $22 a piece, so I was pleased overall.

"Red Charm"...blooms early and very fragrant.

I have alot of purples and pinks in my flower beds.  I don't know why but it seems that's what colors are most prominent in the garden centers around here.  I wanted a soft, faded pink but the few I picked were already sold out with this particular nursery.

"Coral Charm"....blooms mid season and has a mild fragrance.

I have only one red flower in my gardens so the beautiful red one is really going to add some pop!  And I don't have any coral at all so I thought it was a nice contrast.  I am so excited to add these to my flower gardens!!   Now, lots of waiting is in store but I pray that it will all be worthwhile.

What's new in your flower beds this year?