Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
madspinner

Peony madness!

madspinner
18 years ago

I was a bad bad girl...

I went ahead and got the whole surplus peony collection from Gilbert H Wild.... I couldn't resist. These are the peonies that are included...

AMABILIS

BETTER TIMES

BO-PEEP

COURONNE de OR

DUCHESS de ORLEANS

EDULIS SUPERBA

FAIRBANKS

FESTIVA MAXIMA

FRANCIS ORTEGA

GARDENIA

GEORGE W PAYTON

GUIDON

KANSAS

KATHRYN FONTRYN

LADY ALEXANDER DUFF

LOUIS VAN HOUTTE

MADAME de VERNEVILLE

MISCHIEF

MYRA MCRAE

PAUL M. WILD

SHIRLEY TEMPLE

SOLANGE

So I'm a happy camper. The most peonies I have ever bought at one time. And I only have two of these already, Shirley Temple and Festiva Maxima. I plan on just putting them in gallon or larger pots for the summer and planting them in my garden either in the fall or next spring.

Before I gave into this maddness, I had already bought these 5 from stores also...

Bowl of Beauty

Crinkled White

Sarah Bernhardt

Flame

Sorbet

which are now either planted or in pots.

This is in addition to the 7 or 8 others already in my garden.

I suppose I have finally lost it.

And yes, before anyone says anything... I know I should plant peonies in the fall, and that these will be small plants. I expect they will take at least two years to bloom. I am used to this from previous purchases. But I always find the best deals in the spring, what can I say?

Comments (24)

  • maifleur01
    18 years ago

    Wild's probably won't ship til fall which will give you all summer to plan on where you are going to put them. And to prepare a really good bed for your beauties. Bed prep can take all summer to really get it right.

    Cut or print pictures of the plants you have and use the pictures to plan placement of your plant. Of course you know that the real thing will vary from the pictures because of the qualitity of printers ink used.

  • nooks_n_granny
    18 years ago

    Maifleur,

    Oh my you've gotten my all paranoid about soil preparation. Can you send me an email telling me what I should do before I plant mine?

    Madspinner,

    Congrats on a fine purchase. I saw that same offer but realized I didn't have the space to plant them all, but I did buy about 5 from them and am impatiently awaiting their arrival in the Fall. Based on the prices of some peonies out there, I think you got a real bargain. Enjoy!

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    I have fairly poor soil (I add manure, compost and mulch, but only on top) with lots of rocks... and everything has done fine so far. I have raised beds for the veggies (new this year) but everything else has to make do. The only problem I have had so far is my roses need more iron... and I have been meaning to check the soil PH and keep forgetting. We have iron in our water around here, so I can't imagine we lack iron. I imagine the longer I add things on top (worms work it in) the better my soil will become.

    I sort of assumed that because these are overstocks from this fall, that they would get them to me now, rather than waiting till fall... but I will check. I know they regularly ship in fall for peonies... but I thought the sale items were diffrent. Thanks for shaking up my assumptions...

    This surely sounds terrible... but I don't spend tons of time figuring out where to place things. My garden will be predominately old varieties of roses, and these will get spaced around and in front of them. I won't worry about exactly where right now... not till I have the space done where they will likely go, and the roses picked out to go with them. What roses I get ( I have a long list) is based a lot on current availiblity and what I really like at the moment I am ordering. Lets face it, I've never really seen a peony look bad (other than when it is windy and wet).

    So pots whenever they get here, and rose companions eventually.

  • diannp
    18 years ago

    Ah, a Madspinner after my own heart.... One can never have to many peonies!! I've ordered peony from Gilbert Wild and I have to say they were nice sized peony and grew and flourshed for me. However, I've always got mine in the fall... Keep us posted on when you receive your peony and the quality of the spring shipped ones.

    Diann
    IA Z5a

  • laurelin
    18 years ago

    I just gave in a ordered some peonies and daylilies from Wild's. I wish I had MORE room for peonies, but I'm sure I'll find homes for 'Mischief,' 'Couronne d'Or,' and 'Polar King.' I'm already regretting not ordering more, but WHERE will I put the ones I've ordered???? And I've got 'Port Royale' on order from Klehm's, and I want two others from Hollingsworth's ('Mahogany' and 'Spellbinder'). I'm working on multiple obsessions - peonies, historic irises, and lilacs. For a little suburban yard, I've got grand ambitions. I end each year with less lawn than when I started (much to my husband's delight). My DH (wonderful man!) has suggested that we get rid of the grass in the front yard altogether next year. Hooray! More room for peonies (and irises, and maybe even another lilac. . . .).

    Laurelin

  • katob Z6ish, NE Pa
    18 years ago

    bad madspinner! I'm looking at the same offer, and going back and forth on it. I just got another flyer yesterday and I think the varieties are different (they are the same as your order)! I wonder which one I should get??

    I have an empty yard, so I must have plenty of room for a few peonies right???? 20 is a good start!!

    Were you tempted by any of the irises?
    Kato

  • raptorfan
    18 years ago

    ok I'm super jealous! Do they ship to Canada? Couldn't find anything on their site.
    The Surplus & the Peony Lover both look good. Which is better? (just incase I can order).
    I just can't find a great deal like that here!

  • GrassIsEvil
    18 years ago

    You might want to really consider where you're planting. When they mature and those gorgeous flowers--well, it's just very hard knowing that if you move them, it could be a couple of years before you see them again.

    Ray

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Kato_B -

    No, not tempted by iris right now. I have a lot of beardeds... and right now I'd rather have older styles of iris, or japanese iris if I were buying any.

    raptorfan-

    It looks like they only ship to the lower 48... at least on this particular deal.

    And yes, now that I did some looking, it looks like they will arrive in the fall. I will likely still put most of them in pots so I can decide what to do with them. Besides, I will have to order some roses to go with, and my favorite rose dealer only ships in spring now. So if I pot them I can plant them in their beds together at the same time.

    I actually picked up two more varieties at Home Depo last time I was there... I don't have either one. Nifty! If I was a betting woman, I would have bought the mystery box of 3 peonies. It was a good price, and the cover showed named varieties (I recognised a couple) but I just didn't feel like being surprised. But it wasn't that much better than the two named ones, so I did ok.

  • katob Z6ish, NE Pa
    18 years ago

    madspinner,
    that'a my secret mission - to start a collection of the older iris varieties. They seem to be so much less trouble than the more frilly new types (not that I think the newer ones aren't worth growing). I've got a few types, mostly from old neighborhoods etc. I keep an eye out for cemetaries etc during iris season..... sorry I think I'm going on a little.
    Argyle Iris in Texas sells many types of heirloom iris. They also have collections that are tempting!
    Enjoy,
    Kato

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    I havn't had any trouble growing iris of any kind... except for weeds. But hey, you got to lift them up and divide them anyway, so I usually take care of that then.

    But then we don't have some of the pests other people have.

    The two peonies I got at Home Depo the other day were

    Karl Rosenfield
    Madame Emile Debutene

    I'm just a little peeved... as the plants were not labeled which was which. So I guess I will just put both names on each pot and wait till one blooms. Then I will know. At least they are diffrent colors.

    I also scored at my husband's parent's house. We are getting ready to sell it for his dad (closing is any day now) and I dug up part of a clump no one even knew was there. It has lots of buds... so I'm looking forward to seeing it if it blooms. Aparently it has gotten no care, no water, and has been mowed for years. Still looks amazingly healthy! Wow! I would have dug up the whole clump, but it was HUGE and I'm just not that strong. There is another clump there too... I don't know if it is the same. I may have to snag a chunk of it too.

    Can you tell I love peonies?

    I havn't even started with Tree Peonies yet. Good thing I have a lot of space here.

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    I was looking at the Martha Stewart web page... and she has wonderful pictures of peonies. I already see several (of both kinds) that I am going to have to put on my list....

    Herbaceous Peonies

    Butter Bowl
    Hermine
    Green Lotus
    Pink Luau

    Tree Peonies

    Marchioness
    Bai Yu
    Shimane Cho Juraka
    Hanakisoi

    Wow! Have you guys seen these ones? I really like them. I've written them all down and saved some of the pictures for reference.

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    This is a couple of pictures from her site...

    Marchioness

    {{gwi:1135302}}

    Hanakisoi

    {{gwi:1135303}}

    Green Lotus

    {{gwi:1135304}}

    Great, now I have to find someone who sells these too... but maybe not till next year? Yeah right. Something tells me that in the fall I'm going to be buying peonies when I order my Roses....do you think?

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    And if I'm not already ambitous enough... this is the arbor I want my Husband to copy for my garden. It is down in the valley near the tulip feilds. I took the picture last month, just as the daffodils were blooming. A good # of the peonies I've ordered should (in theory) get planted with some Old Garden Roses on our version of this. Mine likely will just be plain unpainted wood though. I don't want it QUITE this formal.

  • amulet
    18 years ago

    Well, you convinced me. I just ordered the same lot of peonies that you did from Gilbert Wild's. I can't wait!

    Were the peonies you got from Home Depot in a box or bag? Or were they potted with dirt? Were those two varieties a set? How much were they?

    I haven't seen any peonies at the Home Depot near me. Maybe I will go to another Home Depot to look for some peonies. The only ones I have found this year have been at Lowes.

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Hey, cool. We will have to compare notes when they arrive. I've heard good things about their peonies. The only bad stuff I've heard about Gilbert H Wild was about their daylilies. Everything I've heard said about their peonies has been possitive. Are you excited? I know I sure am.

    The peonies I got at Home Depo were in a bag, bareroot. Yes, those two varieties were packaged as a set, but were not individually labeled, so I don't know which is which. It looked like they were getting low on peonies when I was there, but don't know, that could just be at the one store. I think it was $7 or so for the bag.

    Home Depo also had a box of 3 peonies for sale for $9.00. But they were not named or labeled in any way. You just got a mixed batch. I probably would have bought a box, except that I am going to have a lot of peonies now and I'd like to try to mostly stick to named ones so I don't repeat on accident.

    I also bought a pair in a box at Costco... and they WERE individually labeled and in seprate bags so that I knew which ones I had. I think that is where I got Crinkled White and Flame.

    It seems like a lot of stores have peonies now.

    I made my seed order from Territorial last weekend... and my topsoil for my veggie beds came today... so I'm in a dandy mood. Now if only my stupid wood shavings would come from the mill (can you believe I'm getting 37 cubic yards?) I could do my mulching too!

  • amulet
    18 years ago

    Wow it sounds like you have a lot of work to do. I do like the arbor picture you posted.

    We can definitely compare notes. Let me know when yours arrive, and I will do the same.

    I want to start a "French" peony garden, and the surplus peony collection included many of the French peonies from the 1800s and early 1900s.

    I like the look of antique roses also. I just planted my first rose bush this year, and it was a David Austin english rose. I am going to try it, and see how it does. I hate Japanese beetles and black sport. So if it has too many problems, I won't be ordering more roses. I'll just stick to peonies. Japanese beetles don't eat them, they don't get black spot, and deer don't eat them either!

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Since you are doing the french thing, have you even heard of

    Madame Emile Debutene ?

    Other than on the package it came in, I have never even seen a picture of this one. It is not one of the ones I'm used to seeing for sale.

    Don't be discouraged by roses based on the one. I like David Austin Roses, and some are wonderful. But most of them tend to get blackspot, and some of them have other problems. A lot of the antique roses are a lot easier to care for, and just as beautiful. What David Austin rose did you get? I have a few diffrent ones, but I think I will be sticking to the antique ones for awhile before I buy any more Austin Roses.

  • amulet
    18 years ago

    I believe that one is probably misspelled. It should be "Madame Emile Debatene", which is one of the French ones. This one is from the early 1900s (1927). It was cultivated by Dessert, a French breeder.

    Here is a cool link I found about the history of peonies.

    http://www.paeonia.com/html/about_peonies/history_of_peonies.htm

    Another link I like for looking up peonies names and pictures is the Heartland Peony website. Have you been there?

    http://www.peonies.org/

    The Austin rose I ordered was a white one "Glamis Castle."

    Where do you get your antique roses that are easy and carefree?

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.peonies.org/

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Cool peony sites! I will have to bookmark them and look at them later. Looks like there is a lot to peruse.

    I don't have Glamis Castle. You might ask about it in the Antique rose Forum. They know ALOT about roses. I do know that some find the smell of Glamis Castle unpleasant. It is refered to by David Austin as a Myrhh scent. Some people like it, some don't.

    I get my roses from Pickering Roses in Canada. They sell a lot of diffrent ones, so you have to do some research, but they are great plants.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Pickering roses

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    This place has more peonies than I have ever even HEARD of! Fun to browse... kind of expensive though...I had a lot of fun looking at them all!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Peony list

  • diannp
    18 years ago

    Madspinner, you might want to check out the Garden Watchdog to check out this company...

    Diann
    IA Z5a

    Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Watchdog

  • getyourleash
    18 years ago

    It has been interesting to read all of these posts about peonies. I don't get on here hardly at all, but I'm loving it. My peonies are emrging from the ground as I type. Each spring, I fall in love with peonies all over again. Last fall a client of my husbands decided she no longer wanted her peonies so I told hubby to go and get them PRONTO! At this point, I have some unidentifies varieties, mostly old ones as one of my peony hedges is 50+ years old. My favorite peony? Good old Sarah Bernhardt. I carried them as a bride in 2000. :)

  • madspinner
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    TickerToo -

    thanks... yeah I like to check out watchdog when making big orders. In this case, I was just using their catalog to look up varieties I was interested in. They have nice pictures and descriptions. I'm too poor to be buying from them though... For those kind of prices there is a more local nursery that specializes in daylilies, hostas, and peonies where I can look at them in person and buy in pots. No shipping, and I know what I'm getting.

Sponsored
Prime Custom Kitchen & Bath
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars43 Reviews
DC Metro's Award Winning Custom Design, Build, and Remodeling Company