Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Peony Porn

I went abroad recently, all the way to Belgium, to visit a Peony nursery with my garden club.
Fun was had by all and we really were in Peony heaven that lovely Sunday morning.
 Their collection of Peonies is vast and quite a few were in flower.
If you are into spectacular blooms, ones that really hit you in the eye with bells on, then you can't go wrong with Peonies.

 Some have flowers as big as cabbages, some are scented and some have very decorative seedheads.
ET, phone home!
 But there are also Peonies that have a more modest sized flower. This one has a pretty and rather unusual orange colour.
Some Peonies get rather big, this one will be 2 by 2 meters across once it's finished growing.
I like it a lot as its flowers are a very pretty yellow and not so in your face. A pity it gets so big and I simply don't have the space for it. Especially as Peonies flower for a short time only and in my garden the plants really have to earn their keep.
As you probably know, Peonies come in shrubs and trees. The shrubs you don't want to plant deep at all but rather just below the surface but the Peony tree needs to be planted deeply, preferably 10 to 12 cm deeper than it sits in its pot. Both don't like to be moved and can remain in the same spot for 50 years or so. But, if for some reason, you do have to move them; dig them up and split them into 3 or 4 seperate pieces and then plant them together again. By rejuvenating you have the bestest chance that the Peony will survive the move. Peonies are easy to grow; they need a sunny spot and a bit of chalk once a year and that's pretty much it.
This Peony is imitating an Hellebore as it also hangs its flower heads. As Peonies go, this one was quite elegant.

Hope you enjoyed the Peony porn although I'm wondering what kind of people this post will also attract considering its title. ;-)

copyright 2010 Y.E.W. Heuzen

26 comments:

Ewa said...

Elizabeth! I love the white one and one of the last red. So lovely...

Rusty in Miami said...

Beautiful flowers, unfortunate for me they don’t do well in my 10B tropical climate.

Kylee Baumle said...

Peonies are very popular here in my immediate area. Van Wert was known as the Peony Capital of the World at one time! It's hard to find a yard without at least one peony and many have several. There used to be huge peony farms here.

I love peonies and my herbaceous ones are in the midst of bloom now. I'll be doing a post on them soon! Thanks for sharing these, Yolanda Elizabet!

HappyMouffetard said...

Gorrrrrgeous!

Gail said...

I love tree peonies, they are really lovely flowers! and am pretty sure I am going to have to find a sunny spot for the beautiful white one that no longer blooms! Thanks for the advice~xxgail

Ingmarie We said...

I do love all peonies! Thank you for posting the beautiful photos.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

These look good enough to eat.

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

But, pumpkin, Belgium is RIGHT THERE, lol. Love the peonies!

Naturegirl said...

Yolanda simply frillalicious!Such a variety..such a shame they are so short lived. That first one I've seen in a neigboring garden and wondered what that huge dinner plate sized flower was! Now I know!
My frills are out and posted too!
It's pouring rain so I bet by morning they will go plop...on the ground!

Anonymous said...

Oh, that red one is astounding! Peonies will grow here in So Cal, but they don't like it much. How lovely to see them flourishing in Belgium.

Matron said...

I titled a blog 'Matron's Tits' once and was flagged by blogger! Paeonies were one of the first flowers that I remember in my parents garden when I was growing up. What a specacular display!

Roerganger said...

Adult content inderdaad!Nu ja, ook porn is soms in de eye of the beholder.

Verdant Wilds said...

So, so nice!!!

I have been having a recurring fantasy about threadleaf peonies the last couple of years!!

CommonWeeder said...

What beautiful peonies! I have quite a few but they are mostly similar - except for Green Lotus - which is a unique wonder. I am going to have to branch out.

dining table said...

So nice the flowers are! They have these nice colors. I also like their colors!

Anonymous said...

My mum loved peonies but always bemoaned that the blooms were short lived, especially if it was wet and windy! Flighty xx

Amalee Issa said...

Yolanda,

I found your blog entry peony porn as a sidebar on Sue's Corner Gardener blog. Your photos of peonies are truly horti-pornographic; xcellent and wellone!

Amalee

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

What a treat to visit a Peony nursery. Those are all lovely. I'm a bit of a Peony snob - it has to be fragrant for me to consider it. I don't care how lovely the blooms, Peonies are supposed to have that strong, pervading scent.
I'm increasing drawn to the single and Japanese type flowers, rather than the floppy, overblown doubles. There's one thing to be said for those big, blousy blooms, they are easily enjoyed from inside the house when the mosquito swarms get too fierce.

Annelie said...

You sure have many kinds of Peonies. Enough to create some good Peony-porn.
The white one really turns me on. :)
Saw that you also grow goose berries. I'm from Sweden and grew up with them in my yard, and, would love to have them in my garden in MA. Haven't seen them at any of the nurseries around. Perhaps I have to order them online?

Annelie

Unknown said...

We're still several weeks from peony bloom here, so I'm glad to enjoy yours from afar. My tree peony did bloom already, but it's in a pot waiting to be planted.

Become a police officer said...

Hi! Just came across your wonderful blog and wanted to say how much Ive enjoyed reading it and looking at all the tempting photos!

Anonymous said...
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Glo said...

What an amazing variety of peonies. I enjoyed reading about your visit to the UK and seeing all the wonderful gardening friends you have made. It's a busy time in the garden, isn't it??

healingmagichands said...

I love peonies, around here people plant them in a long row on the edge of their lawn and just mow around the foliage all summer. I have a wonderful pink one, I long for a deep red. They do have a very short bloom time, but fortunately I have enough room that I can spare some for these "porn stars" so I can enjoy their profligate lushness while they are in bloom.

They are not as easy to grow as some things, since around here they are susceptible to some very nasty fungi that will kill them in one season. Even so, when they do what they do they are amazing.

Doro said...

I don't have peonies growing at my house, but I NEED to change that. They may be short lived, but darn they smell pretty and look wonderful. I was lucky enough to pick some up at the farmer's market a couple weeks ago. When the petals started falling off, I added them to a vinegar mix that I will use for cleaning after it's processed. Hopefully, the smell will help make the vinegar a little more palatable. Love the photos and your header is adorable - is that wisteria and clematis?

send flower china said...

Beautiful flowers...
I love the white one its looking very nice..thanks for sharing..