Peony Heaven!

I am always up for a challenge.  Don't tell me I can't do it.  I will prove you wrong.  So when I discovered these gorgeous peony plants in Virginia I immediately had to have them.  The gardening expert there said they would not grow in Texas.  It is too hot.  Well, he was right.  It is hot in the summers, but that Sarah Bernhardt Peony made a trip back home with me and you can see what has transpired.

I read and studied before I put her in the ground.  We have a monster of a live oak tree in our front yard.  The branches from it cover the house, so the leaves that fall drop in the front and back as well.  The leaves are perfect mulch.  The peonies love alkaline soil and that is what these leaves provide.

The temps are another matter.  Our spring is short lived.  A few weeks at best.  My peonies bloom sooner than other parts of the country.  Peonies need cold winters to make the buds.  We do often get cold winters here in North Texas. This year, as in most of the country, we had record ice and snow, so the plants have tons of buds on them!  But....when we don't have those cold wnters you will find me out in the garden thowing bags of ice on the ground once a week to make those babies think it is cold!  Yes, I do love those flowers.

I have added plants over the years.  16 now grace the garden and they open at different times.  So the pictures are not over yet.  More to come!

A reader had a question about buds that would not open.  She had been putting insecticide on the buds because they had bugs on them.  Therein lies her problem.  Peony buds are covered with a wax coating. The bugs eat the wax so they can open.  If you kill the bugs obvioulsy you will not have blooms. I hope next year she will have beautiful flowers!

On another note... you may notice some visual changes around here.  Some have been made, but other more noticiable ones will be coming.  A dear reader has offered to update the blog.  My skills at this are minimal and I am grateful to her for taking me under her wing.

You also may remember this post.  Today is the 25th anniverary of my brother's death.  He was my only sibling.

Mom is ablaze in all her yellow glory!