I have a Chinese Peony (Paeonia lactiflora 'Little Medicine Man')bush. I put a photo of what is inside the pods of this bush every year--no pea sized seeds? I have added another picture of my pods from another variety, name unknown. The first time I checked, the peas were ivory in color. A couple of weeks later I checked again-- one seed was quite dark brown, almost black. Today I checked and some pods are just shells. A couple of seeds are ivory in color (picture in my album). Do I plant them now or do I have to wait for them to turn black? If I keep opening the pods and they dry out I will have none left to plant. Also my Chinese Peony has a white fungas covering it pods. Do I cut the plant down to the ground. I am in Zone 5, Upstate NY.

Here is a link that might be useful: Webshot Album