I just purchased some Peonies from Gilbert H. Wild & son. Their prices are decent, but it is my first time purchasing from them. So, I am not sure how they will be when they arrive.
Website is www.gilberthwild.com
Since you are in Ohio like me, maybe we can eventually trade some starts. I am just getting into Peonies, but have about 20 different varieties and will gladly share in a few years.
Daniel

Thanks Daniel, I will check out this source. I would be interested in trading starts in a few years. Most of my peonies are not that large either, plus you'll have to tell me how to do the starts. :) Do you dig up the entire peony and cut off a piece of the root with a few eyes? I have about the same number of herbaceous peonies, all different varieties that I have primarily gotten from Khlem's. If you haven't ordered from them before I do think they're a great resource.

Hi,
This thread is really useful. I want to ask if ordering from Gilbert H. Wild & Son, would you know will they ship it out within this month or next month at least? (Or else, I would rather wait till fall to order)

They have a really nice selection of plants, and its perfect since I can buy daylilies, oriental lilies and peonies at one site! THanks Daniel..

I looked at the Gilbert H. Wild site, those are some amazing prices on peonies. Much less than Khlem's but I'm curious about how large they are when they arrive. Will they bloom the next year or is it going to take me 3 years or more to get any good plants? I'm hoping someone with experience ordering from them will post because the descriptions don't say how large a plant they send. Daniel, it doesn't say when the ship peonies specifically so you might be able to order and get them now. I would email their customer service department and ask.

Before ordering from a new company always check dave's garden for review. The scoop on 'Gilbert H. Wild and Son' today lists 124 positives, 15 neutrals and 37 negatives.

Here is a link that might be useful: The scoop on 'Gilbert H. Wild and Son'

And read those "positive" reviews. Some of them sound like negative: people did not like the plants, but left positive feedback because of the low price.

Well that settles it for me. I will stick to Khlem's or wait for some other positive on-line sources. Thanks for pointing me to those reviews!

Since it shows you are in Columbus why don't you take a field trip to Mansfield June 6th & 7th. The American Peony Society is having their annual meeting at Kingwood Center.

The exhibition of peonies is scheduled to be from 1-4 on Saturday and 10-4 on Sunday. You can meet with various growers and pick up catalogs.

maifleur,
I am going to try and squeeze in a drive to the APS show in Mansfield but that weekend is jam packed with other activities. Seems like so many things I want to do are June 6th and 7th! :)

I am very pleased with peonies I bought from Homestead farms (homesteadfarms.com) in Missouri. They are true to name, and relatively inexpensive. However, this year a lot of their peonies are listed as 'currently unavailable'. I don't know why; I emailed them to find out and if they would be available soon.
The peonies I bought from Adelman's (peonyparadise.com) were a bit more costly, but they are true to name and have performed very well.
I bought 'Dancing Butterflies' for 8.95 in early October from Jung's and got a true-to-name peony root that was HUGE. But that was my only purchase and Jung's has a spotty track record according to the Garden Watchdog site. But for 8.95 and really cheap shipping, I was willing to take a chance. They don't currently offer that peony, though. It might be worth it to check out their peony offerings in the fall for bargains.

Information on Dancing Butterflies. You will find the same plant under several names, the original, Dancing Butterflies, and Medicene Hat. Over the years some import/export companies have made a habit of changing names to increase sales.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dancing Butterflies etc.

Homestead Gardens emailed me that so many peonies are "currently unavailable" because they are waiting for those plants to mature enough to sell divisions. The owner said they may have a few of the ones listed, but they are in such short supply that they wouldn't list them as available online. He said to email him to see if any you want are available.

maifleur - 'Dancing Butterflies' is a lovely name, and 'Pink Jade' is a cool name, too! Whoever thought 'Little Medicine Man' was an improvement is nuts, IMHO.

Only the name is different it is the same plant as Dancing Butterflies.

The owner of the site will be the HPS speaker this fall and I am hoping that he brings all kinds of different peony pictures.

Yes, It's the same peony, and I shouldn't let it influence me - but I'm a sucker for a plant with an pretty name & tend to shun those with ugly names. Not rational, I know, but that's how I feel!

Hi,

I've ordered from Gilbert H. Wild & Son for several years and am always impressed with their peonies. Their prices are very reasonable and I would highly recommend them.

The difference is that the majority of tree peonies sold in this country are still on the nurse roots. Mr. Hernandez was very lucky that his providers grew the plant old enough to remove the nurse roots. The fully developed nurse roots that are old enough to support the tp are not strong enough until the third or fourth year. Most tree peonies sold now are 1-3 years with the majority being 2 year plants.

The only nurseries that I know of that grow their plants and remove the nurse roots before shipping are in Pennsylvania, Tree Peony Garden (Franklin Chow) and Peony Land (Michael Hsu). Even Rick Rogers, Brothers Tree Peony, will only remove the nurse root if needed as he grows his in pots.

If you know of any additional tree peony growers that remove the nurse root I will be happy to include them on my list of nurseries.

Would love to see your list of nurseries. Where is it, please?

Sorry, it is on my home putter in excel. Needs updating badly.

I've purchased my peonies from A&D nursery. They only ship in the fall, their prices are not too terribly spendy, and two of the peonies I ordered bloomed the next year.