June 03, 2011

Picture Perfect Peonies

You might have noticed in my stenciled quatrefoil tray post, that I had a pretty little flower displayed on the tray.

You might also remember that I planted a peony plant in my new front yard landscaping.


And now you might see where I'm going with this post.  My peonies are in bloom!!!

peony-plant

Aren't they breathtaking?!  They're also very fragrant and smell beautiful.

peony

peonies

And you guessed it, I snipped one to display in my family room.

peony-flower

This is my first time growing peonies and I've already learned a few things.  Peonies need support and will quickly drop all of their petals if you don't clip the flowers.  I need some advice though.  After the initial blooms, none of the other flowers have bloomed yet.  Any idea why or tips to encourage them to bloom?

2 comments:

Kylie said...

have you sprayed anywhere near or tried to kill ants? They need to climb on the flowers to eat away at the buds in order for them to open. Weird, I know!

Also you may have planted them too deeply. They need to be very shallow (2 inches). If so, dig it up in the fall and replant to a more shallow depth.

Jenny @ DIY Newlyweds said...

Thanks for the tips, Kylie! I had no idea about the ants. I actually discovered a swarm of ants near the plant, but hadn't done anything to them. Could it be that there were so many ants that they ate it away too much?