Photos of Plants Other Than Dahlias 2023

blown_dry · 2023-02-04T23:42:11+00:00

Continuing from https://cubits.org/Dahlias/thread/view/92058/#end_of_thread

edewitt

Darce Have you tried growing any fernleaf peonies? I've been wanting to get one since I saw a photo a few years ago but they're super pricey.

Darce

edewitt
I grow all kinds of peonies - species, herbaceous and woody. I don’t have any true fern leaf tho.
I agree with you wholeheartedly that they are pretty pricey for the true species and plus the true species has specific needs-requires very sharp drainage etc. However there are a good number of fern leaf hybrids that are super early/short with brilliant red flowers/ and with just slightly coarser foliage and they can be had at a much more reasonable price plus they are easier to grow - not as fussy. That’s what I grow.
The most economical way tho would be to buy seeds from the American Peony Society during their annual seed sale. They offer many different species and varieties and the packets of seeds are donated from peony breeders/specialists/members etc. The packets of seed are only 3 $!
This year I planted pink and red fern leaf peony seeds as well as many other types because that is an affordable experiment!

Solaris Peonies and Adelman peonies are both probably the most economical places to get fern leaf peonies if you do want to splurge. Nate Bremer of Solaris in particular has been working on breeding several very fine strains of fern leaf peonies

Darce

edewitt

The straight single Paeonia tenuifolia is 32$ which is pretty good for a fern leaf but boy I hope the seeds of the other double fern leafs that I planted actually come up and survive because those doubles are so pretty

https://solarisfarms.com/shop/herbaceous-peonies/paeonia-tenuifolia/

NCDahlia

Here is the other side of my property, I have 350 lavender plants. I ordered these through the mail from Sequim, WA. In hindsight more sun but my HOA would not allow me to put dahlias here.

Darce

NCDahlia
Oh my goodness that is amazing - I bet the scent is heavenly

blown_dry

NCDahlia Wow!!!

JessE

NCDahlia I'm a 4b/5a, and I CANNOT overwinter lavendar at all! Granted, I probably have it growing in too rich of soil, as I have good soil, and it's not stony/lean soil at all... this is beautiful!

edewitt

Darce That 'Rubra" double is definitely something I'm adding to the list of plants I'd like to grow. I'll have to grab some of those peony seed packets when they're available. I've only grown peonies from seed accidentally when I had little volunteers pop up around my Karl Rosenfield plant. I wish I could've seen how they turned out but they went with the house when I sold it.

NCDahlia

Darce Yes it is amazing in summer. It was quite the chore to do it correctly / install. I have clay soils. My grass kept dying in that area and I do not have lawn irrigation. Lavender likes good drainage. I dug out 350 holes with a 1 full wide earthquake auger, then brought in 40 cubic yards of dirt/compost filled all the holes, made the mounds / hills. Then had 10 cubic yards of the rocks delivered. I put down weed block under everything then rocks on top. I have not had to pull a single weed so it works out nicely. All my bees love it. Then in the fall they are on dahlia seed pod production so it works out great 😄

Darce

edewitt
I know raising peonies from seed is not an exercise in immediate gratification! I bet those self sown seedlings will be beautiful tho when they bloom in your old place.
Here is the link to the APS seed program - as I recall the new 2023 seed availability list should go up around late March
https://americanpeonysociety.org/seed-program/seed-list/

calico20hill

Darce I bought a lot of cheep 2-3 eye peonies when we moved here 3 yrs ago, as well as brining like a dozen potted plants with me. I began to get some nice flowers last year but this year should be magic. I have discoverd a problem with my plan to plant them in raised beds by my walkway. THose beds sink several inches each year and peonies don't like to have their roots disturbed. So it's a question of whether to add soil and try to lift them , or pile more soil around their roots and see it they grow above it. My other option is to plant them into the horrible hard clay soil that floods in winter, and is bone dry in summer. I don't think they will like that either. I do have a raised bench of land along the driveway coming down our hill and have planted it to young lilacs in all shades of color. I may try planting out the yung peonies that I have in raised beds to there, along the edge where the extra water will drain off down the driveway, but I doubt they will like the heavy clay. It sure would be pretty when they and the lilacs are in bloom! And I don't think deer eat peonies do they?

DarcyD

Our border collie Scout, a plant squisher 😂

Juliarugula

DarcyD

Darcy, I have a plant squisher too!

Darce

What a soulful face!

Darce

NCDahlia
Have you tried to distill any lavender water/essential oil? I bet if anybody keeps bees by you their honey is fantastic. It sounds like a monumental task but the result of your hard work is stunning. Also fits in with being pollinator friendly and water wise - so it’s beneficial to the environment as well as gorgeous. Win-win!

Darce

calico20hill
I planted peonies a slanted road side strip all along my property where the water runs off and they have thrived-and the deer leave them alone. They are planted a lot up here in upstate Ny because deer don’t care for them. I think they would look lovely under your swaths of lilac bloom! I have mine planted under little apple trees and I think it looks great.
Brooks Gardens - a peony place I buy from- says peonies do v. well in clay soil if it is well drained so that raised bench of land area you describe may be the perfect spot! They are a little slower to establish in clay but then really take off.
Peonies don’t like their roots disturbed but also REALLY hate being buried too deep - these are the issues usually rather than peony soil preference - so perhaps I would lift them and position them higher if they are not flowering - even up here in the colder zone 6 I only have the noses of my peonies about an inch and a half under ground. There is a spot in the peony walk where I mulched and planted them too deeply and I am planning to dig and reposition them this year. If you find a couple of cheap peonies of a reasonable size (not too small for the experiment) I might plant them also as a trial in your general clay soil just to see what happens. They might do just great

Darce

calico20hill
The lovely thing about peonies is once you put them in and they like the spot - you are basically done. They will just continue to grow and grow and become more magnificent over the years with only minimal tasks required from the gardener. And you can divide them or plant their seeds under the bushes for more eventual peonies.

blown_dry

I think these are neat. Garrya elliptica or Coast Silk-tassel are blooming this time of year.

Darce

blown_dry
I have never seen this type before - what a languidly elegant tree

calico20hill

blown_dry I grew these at my last place. THey are rather slow to grow and the pollen can really bother people with pollen allergies. Outside they are way cool! THey were rather slow growing, but by the time we moved way to big to dig and bring with us.

calico20hill

Darce Oh, this is excellent news! It will take a few years but imagine driving down that driveway with peonies and lilacs in bloom!

Darce

PEONY ‘PINK JITTERBUG’
Peonies remind me of dahlias because there are so many different forms and colors - if you just think fluffy voluptuous pink white and red - there is so much more out there!!!

AndreaB

Darce Peonies are a lot like dahlias in regards to form and variety, but so much less work!
We became peony collectors long before dahlias. Here are a couple of my faves.

Darce

PEONY ‘CHERRY COMMOTION’

Darce

PEONY ‘LORELEI’

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