Mother Nature's Sense of Humor Personified - Peonies

[Stinky The Clown]

We have six peonie plants at the end of our driveway. Every year they get these huge, carnation like flowers. And they're just plain gorgeous and spectacular.

But .......

Peonies are pollinated by .... ants! No peonies in the house.

And .......

The flowers are far too heavy for the stems. The first rain after they bloom and that's it. They're on the ground, stems bent, never to rise again. It is a corollary that the rain comes within 24 hours of the flowers reaching their peak beauty. :)

Before the rain ........


After the rain .........

[Bullwinkle925]

1. They're beautiful. Enjoy the moment you have them.

[GOPisEvil]

2. Several of my tall plants fell over during the last hard rains as well.

:(

However, they are still blooming, and the bees and butterflies still visit. :)

[Democrat 4 Ever]

4. But they smell so delicious. The blooms do not last near long enough

so enjoy them while you can. They certainly do put on a showy display, heavenly scent, luscious greenery....and ants. Guess the ant thing was to just make us enjoy them from afar.

I do use green bamboo sticks to prop up some of the blooms for the short time they are with me.

[Shoeempress]

3. And they smell so good. Try a tomato basket next year before they really

come out. Not the most attractive but they last longer

[Lex]

5. There are special support rings made just for peonies

.
so that they can stay upright and pretty.

Most garden centers (big and small) have them.

[Stinky The Clown]

12. I use those every year, but this year I never got around to them

and the pictures are the result.

Actually, what I did was use just the rings, without the stake that goes into the ground. Also, my plants are now so big I have to use two rings, each for half the circle, to get them to fit. I just let the plants grow to about 2/3 their full height and wrap them with the rings. The plant itself holds the rings up, and the rings keep the stems from hitting the ground. Once the leaves get to full size, the green plastic coated wires are all but invisible. There are always a few stems that just fold, but overall, they weather storms just fine. I'm sure I'll get them back on next year.

I love the peonies. I love the look of them, the smell, and the fact that, even after the flowers fade, they make a great looking 'shrub'.

[Blue Diadem]

6. Beautiful flowers!

I have a similar group out back. Ours look exactly like your last picture after the winds and storm we had on Sunday.

[Atlas Mugged]

7. We call those 'Lawn Kissers'

There are thousands of different Peonies out there, and not all of them flop. Stick with varieties that are single and semi-double and the stay upright. I ripped out all my 'Lawn Kissers' and now have a fantastic display. Better yet, get into Tree Peonies. Utterly amazing.

[Lex]

8. Or use the flower supports . . . ours work very well for our peonies

and all our tall flowers.

[Atlas Mugged]

9. Excellent suggestion

But, since I have about 40 herbaceous Peonies and 60 Tree Peonies, I don't have the time to run around staking things, so I go for non floppers. When it comes to staking, I'm too busy with my Delphiniums.

[xmas74]

10. I have them.

I cut them and wrap them in a paper towel then leave them on the porch for an hour or so. By then the ants have usually left and you can bring them into the house.

[Lex]

11. These are staked peonies and you can barely see the rings holding them up

[yellowdogintexas]

13. gorgeous. Damn things won't grow down here...winter isn't cold

enough for them.

I had three gorgeous ones in my yard in Indiana, I wish I still had them. They just don't do well in North Texas.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. ....and their name sounds like

"pee on knees" :D

[MidwestMomma]

15. If you cut them at dawn, you can avoid the ants

That's what my mom always did. Went out in the early hours and cut the peonies before the ants woke up.

Have you ever tried that?

[Stinky The Clown]

16. I've never heard that! Does it really work?

We'd love to be able to bring them inside.