Apparently peonies have flowered in the gardens of Oregon almost from the state’s beginnings, as many of the settlers coming West during the 19th century carried dormant peony roots tucked into the nooks and crannies of their covered wagons. However, I first...
Collect seeds as pods begin to open. The harder the outer shell the longer the first dormancy period. Wash the seeds in soapy water, followed by a ten minute soak in a solution of 9 parts water to 1 part household bleach. Rinse. For seeds that have been stored, soak...
Peonies are heterozygous and do not come true from seeds. Named cultivars must be propagated vegetatively to retain their cultivar name. Seeds collected from species plants have an inherent variability within the population and not all are exactly alike, even in...
Showing Peonies The following is quoted from the Ontario Judging and Exhibiting Standards for Horticulture and Floral Design, 2003 Edition. Five basic flower forms are generally acknowledged. Sometimes classes are combined into one when the number of entries dictates...
Pests & Disease by Don Hollingsworth, APS Director – Maryville, Missouri in cooperation with the Canadian Peony Society. Photos & editing by Reiner Jakubowski The food storage roots of well-grown healthy peonies will generally by symmetrical in outline...
Gift poem by Blaine Marchand Gift A.P. Saunders pauses before he begins hybridization, Clinton, NY, 1917 Sable brush in hand, amid cupped peonies drenched in sunlight, iridescent as fine china, the memory of my father blooms. So devoted to this flower he had three...
