My property came with several nice peonies, 2 are the tree type, then 5 clumps of the others. There are the doubles - a soft pink, a cream color, and a dark pink, which died, and then a single that has pink petals with a yellow center. I love them so much that I decided to buy some new ones to plant myself, starting with a bag of Karl Rosenfeld bulbs(?) that I found for very cheap at Walmart. The bulbs did not seem to be in great shape, but I planted them a few weeks ago and just noticed today that they are coming up!

My question is, what are the best online sources? How do the plants come when you purchase, as bulbs or as small plants? Which is best? Are there any varieties I should stay away from as a beginner, even though they seem to do well here, without fertilizer or any other special treatment. Also, is it true that some will bloom up till the end of June? I would love to find a list or site that tells me blooming times so that I can stagger my plants, and have them blooming all spring. They really are the most beautiful flowers in the world.

My last question is staking techniques, esp for the topheavy doubles. I would love to hear what everyone does.