How much is their shipping per peony? I could not find any info on this on the website. Looks interesting! I have never seen this one before.

I went overboard and ordered 12, shipping was $10. Their site says they dig year round but I'm waiting for a confirmation email from the seller to make sure they are still mailing peonies this fall. I'll update again when I get further info.

Thank you! That seems to be reasonable.

Thanks, Liz for the info. Couldn't help myself either and placed an order for some Saunders peonies. They have some great prices.

Just heard from Joyce from Country Flower Gardens; they're still filling orders put in through Nov 15th if anyone wants to put in one last peony order! Pretty excited about some of the varieties they had to offer.

Liz, have you heard anything about when they will be shipping the peonies? I got 3 from them and 2 are like on my want list for awhile now. And today, I placed one more order with Brooks peony because they are having a 15% off and free shipping offer for 2 more peonies that I have wanted for sometimes now. They are going to be planted in my ever expanding garden bed!

She said they should be mailed early next week at the latest, possibly before this weekend if they could manage it. Which ones did you get from them and from Brooks, Kousa?

They are on Facebook under the company name, that's where I got their phone number but I didn't save it, sorry.

Just got an email saying my peonies were sent out yesterday! Got Better Times, Cinderella, Constance Moore, Coral Queen, Gay Paree, First Lady, Jaycee, Kelway's Glorious, Lavender, Lake Of Silver, Mrs. Livingston Farrand and Shawnee Rose. I haven't ordered from Country Flower Gardens before so don't know what the roots will look like but their prices were very reasonable and the selection was still pretty good. Anyone who feels compelled to get just a few last peonies ordered for the season should take a look at their site; Joyce from CFG said they'd be digging until Nov 17th if the weather would let them. I'll post pictures of my roots when they get in.

Hi Liz! Thank you for sharing this vendor info. I am so glad that you have found some rare ones that you have been looking for. Mrs Livingston Farrand is gorgeous - such a unique shade of pink. I am hoping the roots are good too.

I received my box of peonies from CGF today! The roots & eyes are very fresh though they are somewhat small with some having 2-4 eyes though they are large eyes. I wish they did not cut the roots down so much as I do not mind paying a bit more shipping if I can get bigger tuberous roots.

This post was edited by kousa on Sat, Nov 15, 14 at 23:42

I haven't got mine yet Kousa, glad you got yours! I'm with you on not wanting the roots cut back so much, guess they are easier to pack but.....

After I posted above I realized I didn't check the mail yesterday--sure enough, the box was there. Left in sub-zero temps. Yep, frosted tubers. I'm leaving them in the garage so they'll stay cold and will put them in the ground as soon as possible and hope for the best. My fault entirely, should've checked since I got the email that they were on the way. I know the ones in the ground freeze every year, they're too shallow not to, so hoping I can minimize the damage....

Oh no! I hope they turn out ok for you, LIz. So sorry to hear about that. I have no experience with that kind of cold around this time, please let me know how they do for you next spring. I was not expecting the box till MOnday but I am glad that it came yesterday. I am going to plant them soon.

We'll see! I wasn't expecting them until Monday, either. They would've sat out there another 24-30 hours if you hadn't posted that yours came in, Kousa, so thanks! Figured leaving them in the garage so they'd stay very cold would be the best bet at this point, don't think it'd be good to warm them up fast. If they look viable at the end of the week I'll plant, hopefully that'll be long enough for yesterday's 4" of snow to melt!

So I planted the roots from Country Flower Gardens today--they looked and felt fine! I was expecting to have soggy, rotting spots from their freeze but they didn't seem any different from the roots I planted earlier this fall. I didn't water them during planting, we're supposed to have some rain/snow tonight so I didn't want to add even more moisture to that mix. Hoping they'll do okay....

That is great! I am so glad that the peonies are ok and that you have a chance to plant them as the weather has been warming up in today and the next few days. I still have some bulbs to plant as I took advantage of the sale on van engelen so I am glad for this warm break.

What Walter Mains' peonies do you have? Do you have any idea where to buy an Ann Zahller peony?

Hi Melissa, I didn't know all of the Mains peonies so had to look it up on the APS Peony Database site. Here's what I found for Mains as a hybridizer:

WALTER MAINS - Belle Center, Ohio

ANN ZAHLLER

ANOMOLA HYBRID

BELLE CENTER

BETSY BOBBIT

BILL KREKLER

BOUNTIFUL

BUCKEYE BELLE (1956)

CHARLES MAINS

CHIEF LOGAN

CONSTANCE MOORE

CROWN PRINCE

FIREBELLE

FRANCIS MAINS

MARGARET CLARK

MARTHA MAINS

SPOTLIGHT

WALTER MAINS

Does this look like a comprehensive list to you? Out of those I have Belle Center, Buckeye Belle, Constance Moore and Margaret Clark. I'd never even heard of Ann Zahller before, had to look it up. The only good pictures I found were on Pinterest, seemed to be all from the same source and the print was in Russian. I would think that since he was from Ohio that maybe some of the local growers or forum members might have better ideas on tracking that one down since the internet isn't working out well in this case. The APS website also has lists of local growers, I'd start there and call all in Ohio.

Hey Karen, so far I have 3 roots that look like they were damaged too much from that subzero stay in the mailbox. Of course, one of them was Mrs. Livingston Farrand. Gay Paree (also had it from another source so not as heartbreaking) and First Lady were the other two. Guess I'll be ordering those again this fall! The rest of them are coming up now, all just breaking ground but that's okay! Just glad I didn't kill them all with neglect before even getting them into the ground!

That is wonderful! I am glad that your loss is not more considering the exposure. I have lost more plants to neglect than I can count. This year I lost 6 roses because I did not water them when they started to bud and leaf out. Before I discover my mistake, they are all goners.

Doesn't that just make you so mad at yourself? Roses are the bane of my gardening existence. I've tried so many times to grow them but have had no success! I finally found a local lady who posts on one of the rose forums and she gave me advice on planting, said they have to be ridiculously deep here, and I tried again last spring. I have a couple that are showing signs of green now, we'll see if any are still standing when early summer hits. I got some of the Old English ones that were supposed to be good down to zones 3 and 4, I'm trying to not get too attached to them yet, though!

lizbest1(5 I have 6 of Walter Mains' named peonies, and I don't know the names of two. They came from his fields. I knew Walter Mains. Some of Ann Zahller's relatives were looking for a source. I didn't want to divide mine again so soon. After Walter died, three sources cleaned out most of his peonies. Some went to Busse nurseries, some went to Ohio Northern University, and some went to Mervin Pees.

You'll have to post pictures of the ones you don't have the names for, maybe we can figure it out! Does ONU have a fall peony sale? I know UofM does from their peony garden. I'd check their website, if they have a big display garden I bet you can get roots in the fall for a reasonable amount. Sorry, wish I knew a for sure source...

Very pretty. How big is the bloom?

That is one huge bloom! The color and form on this peony is very attractive. They probably get most noticed than others when in bloom.

It is always my first peony. It is not the biggest bloom of my peonies. I'll post when the others bloom.

This is one of the Walter Mains' peonies I don't know the name. Looking at the descriptions, I am leaning towards anomola hybrid. In real life this appears a litter more peach pink. The bloom is about 3 inches across.

This is my Walter Mains' Buckeye Belle Peony.

I grew up in Belle Center, Ohio and Walter Mains was a member of my Dad's church, First Presbyterian Church. Walter was an invalid, confined to a wheelchair. My Dad would visit him every week and I would tag along. They would have conversations about quantum physics and the theory of relativity, while I would explore Mr. Mains massive fields of peonies. He would cross-pollinator using paper bags and rubber bands. There must have been over 5 acres of rows of peonies. That image is still etched in my brain! He created over 17 different peony varieties, sold most of the rights to seed companies. He also loved to play the stock market. When he died, he left my Dad's church over $3 million for it's endowment. Walter Mains was a wonderful old man, incredibly interesting and creative. I just wish I had paid more attention, but I was only 7 or 8. Wonderful memories! Just had to share!

That's amazing, Larry. Do you collect his peonies now? He hybridized some beautiful flowers.

No, I never did. I ended up living all over the wolrd, including France,Belgium, Cameroun, DRC Congo and South Africa. My two places with gardens, New Hampshire and Seattle weren't conducive to Peonies. Live back in the Midwest now, but in a tiny studio in downtown St. Louis. My younger brother and his wife have a big back yard, so I may try to introduce some Walter mains peonies for them. He really was an unusual, interesting man. I was searching the web about him, reminiscing from my childhood, and came across this site. My passion is David Austin English Cottage Roses.

Wow thanks for the link! I've been wanting to add some more peonies this fall but a lot of sites their prices are just too high for my budget right now, especially when I'm trying to add lots of daffodils, tulips, and other fall bulbs. I can't afford to buy 3+ peonies when they're 25-30$ a piece and ordering one peony is just silly because the shipping is the same for one as it is for 2-3 or more on many sites and I usually end up getting off the sites before I place an order.

I just got Bowl of Beauty, Candy Heart, and Krinkled White. I've been after Bowl of Beauty for two years but have just never gotten it. Candy Heart and Krinkled White are ones I hadn't seen before but I think I will like them.

Hi Michaela. There is a half off sale going on at Bannister Gardens, www.peonies.net

You can send the owner an email of your order or call their number on the web. I couldn't resist the sale either and bought 14 more peonies.

Larry, he really was a good man. I had the pleasure of knowing Walter as a child. He was very sweet to us. I love his peonies as I know, or knew many of the people he named them for. He was my great aunt's brother. Ironically, there are no peonies on any of the Mains graves in BC. I will be fixing that.

Hi Karen! Thanks for the tip. Wondering what peonies you ordered? They have some good ones.

Are the prices already reflecting 1/2 off or is it 1/2 off the price listed now? Did they tell you how much shipping was for your order?

The prices are NOT the sale prices. You place the order and she would take 1/2 off the total. You can call and ask about shipping cost. I think it is what it costs the owner to ship the peonies. Yes, they have alot of great peonies. All of them are beautiful. But it depends on your preferences. If you like double peonies, you must have Mrs. FDR and Myrtle Gentry. These are full light pink doubles that have wonderful scent esp. MG. I would recommend Petite Elegance because it has very sturdy stems and beautiful form, color, and a nice scent too. This is my list but because I haven't grown them, I can't recommend them.

Adonis

Myra Macrae

Princess Margaret

Pink Hawaiian Coral

Commando

Serene Pastel

Firelight

John Harvard

Lavender

Nosegay

Laura Magnuson

Mrs Fdr

Maestro