I'm curious what kind of a rating that seller has. By not shipping promptly, I think you may loose your chance to leave feedback, be it good or bad.

I'd think that they should know it is getting quite late to be digging and planting in many areas.

Is there a chance your ground may be frozen by then?

Sue

Your money has been used to place an order with China and you probably will not see hide nor hair of the peonies until late January or even later.

They will be very healthy and large roots, just received the wrong time of the year.

Below 40F degrees I have read the roots do not grow.

When Cricket Hill started out, they planted some of their 1st shipments of peonies in the snow also.

Good luck! I would chalk it up to a bad experience and just order from someone who can ship them to you at the correct time of the year next fall.

If you spend the Xtra money for shipping the "guaranteed plants," they will ship the replacements too late the following year also.

It is a bit late to do anything this year.

I ordered 3 tree peonies from treepeonygarden.com
last October. The plants were shipped promptly
and in great shape. I was very pleased w/ my
purchase. However, one of them, Lan Bao Shi,
didn't do too good and the problem was on my end.
I worked really hard digging huge holes for
my tps. There's lots of clay in my yard. Many
area only have 6 inches of top soil :(
I made the holes very deep because the tps were
grafted and I wanted to plant them deep so they
will develop their own roots. I later learned that
since there's so much clay in my yard, digging a
big area really didn't help. It just created this
locally low area that all the water flows to and
stays there drowning the plants. I was very tempted
to dig LBS up this Spring when it started to look
bad but didn't wanted to disturb the roots that
were form already. I finally dug it up early fall
and planted it on higher ground. I don't have much
experience w/ tps so I don't know how much life it
has left. Will find out next spring. I then started
thinking about replacing it in case it doensn't
make it. I saw LBS by Sexy Bloomers on Ebay and
ended up buying more than just LBS. The floweres
look so beautiful, I think I am hooked.

I don't understand if SB know that the tps will be shipped
late, why don't they just be honest and say so. Some
people might still choose to buy from them. It's
worst when they promise an early date knowing
plainly that it won't be here till months later.

chemocurl, I did check their rating. They had
lots of negatives last year. It seem to be related to
some family emergency.

iowa_jade, do you know if the flowers come true to name?

Just my thoughts on this...

I've received plants from this company in the past and the quality of their plants is very variable. They try to come across as a company with a vast selection of material, but the resulting product is often poor and inferior by today's specialty nursery standards. They don't take the extra effort to provide a well grown quality plant that is true to name.

A extensive variety of Chinese Tree Peonies offered at such great deals is a bit of a gamble in terms of quality material. Chinese growers ship Tree Peonies as early as Late August-September so they can be processed and packed and distributed worldwide for proper fall planting time. Some companies hold them in coolers and offer them bareroot in the very early spring as there seems to be more of a market for them at that time of year.

It's very VERY easy to fall for photographs and a single bloom in flower. Companies like Sexy Bloomers and other growers who offer these imports very rarely ever plant out what they import in and evaluate them as garden plants. They almost always rely on their supplier's notes and comments on how they perform in China, but as garden plants, varieties can be variable, some are easier to establish than others, and photos don't always represent the true character of the flowers and growth habit.

Just avoid the temptation to purchase a large amount unless you're willing to take a gamble on recent Chinese imports. There are growers out there who do grow them on for a few years before selling them. They might be a little more expensive, but well worth it for the size of plant you receive and a surer bet that it will thrive in your landscape.

Best of luck!

Riz

My sole survivor from them is misnamed. That is not to say the others were not properly named.

I basically lost two years when I could have had some shipped at the correct time of the year for a few more bucks from a company that had some experience growing them stateside and could give recommendations based on their own experience.

I thought it was my own lack of expertise, but I have seven happy birds and one iffy growing now.

Riz, thanks for your word of wisdom. Are
tree peonies you receive from them true to name?
It's very important to me that the plants are true to
name. With all the time and effort I put into
selecting the varieties, I don't really care
for just any tps.

iowa_jade, how are you liking the tps in your yard?
Are they worth all the effort?

I saw some at the Chicago Botanic Rose Garden and I was smitten.

Here is a link that might be useful: Things to do in Chicago

iowa_jade: do they have pictures of their tree peonies
on the web for the botanic garden?

I could not find any. It looks like they offered a class on growing them which would have been interesting if I lived closer.

I would check with your local public gardens and gardening clubs. Photos can be misleading as has been mentioned. The foliage is part of the charm and is what you will be looking at for most of the year anyways.

It is good to see them in the flesh. This time of year is not their forte, but still a good time to curl up with a good book or two.

I am not an expert by any means, just like beating my head against the wall because I enjoy searching for a bargan. There is a reason for the hefty price tag on these plants.

Good luck! Keep on trying, it is worth it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Books & Stuff

I ordered from this company (Sexy Bloomers) tempted by the prices, of course (and was also just curious) and will NEVER do it again.
It is not the fact that they ship late. They ship VERY late!! Way too late. They sent my order in May (this year). Poor plants were already growing in the bags. Of course those buds died after planting. I lost most of the plants, and will probably lose the rest of them during the winter, because they just didn't grow much during the year.
The plants themselves don't look bad when you first get them, they actually look quite healthy, but they are really small - only two branches.
When I asked about replacing some that died, Cher said their policy is that if the plant grew leaves already and only after that it died, than they will not replace it.
I am really tired of this company... I was not surprised of this wacko reply. Tree peonies are not like other plants. Just because they make some leaves, simply doesn't mean that the plant is OK.
Anyway, it is too late for you, ebster, you already paid the money, but I am writing this just in case other people are looking for this information.
I personally would not recommend this company to anyone.

I don't understand if SB know that the tps will be shipped late, why don't they just be honest and say so. Some people might still choose to buy from them.

I had the same question. And I still don't understand why they do this. I was told October, them November, then December.... etc. As I said, my plants got here in May. I believe this is way too late for planting peonies.

In the past, I have ordered tree peonies from two other companies (one of them being Tree Peony Garden) and I have to say: You get what you pay for! The other known, reliable companies might charge double, but it is definitely worth it.

Valentina

We have Chinese tree peonies at our farm. A lot of the customers visited our open houses and will tag the plants for fall delivery.

If you are in PA, you are welcoming to visit us during blooming season.

L.T.
www.chinesetreepeony.com