Re: peony people

Local supermarket has them for sale right now, Zem.

On Friday, February 18, 2005, at 09:23 PM, Zemuly Sanders wrote:
Our plantation bell tower was covered in maypops. They are really good to eat.
zem
----- Original Message ----- From: "A A HODGES" <hodgesaa@earthlink.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 8:09 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] peony people


Zem, that reminds me, we used to pretend passion flowers were ballerinas,
except my Granny called them "Maypops" It's a good memory. They would grow
like ground covers all over the pastures. I never knew they were actually
vines that would climb until I grew up and started gardening.

Andrea H
hodgesaa@earthlink.net
EarthLink Revolves Around You.


[Original Message]
From: Zemuly Sanders <zsanders@midsouth.rr.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Date: 2/18/2005 1:53:38 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] peony people

When I was a little girl my grandmother and I would play "lady" with the
roses and peonies in our garden. We would cut the stems with two leaves
left for 'arms' and the flower would be the skirt. We would pretend they
were going to fancy dress balls. My grandmother was born in Mississippi
in
1869, and she told me she used to play that same make-believe game with
her
grandmother.
zem
zone 7
West TN
----- Original Message ----- From: <Aplfgcnys@aol.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 9:34 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] peony people


> Andrea, I know you will get more professional advice from others, but
> I will add my experience. I can't predict how well peonies will do in
> your
> climate - I never saw them until after I was married and moved North,
but
> I would hate to live where they don't grow.
> 'Festiva Maxima' is a very old cultivar, and one of my favorites. It > is
> extremely tough and hardy. I would guess that if any would do well for
> you, that would be the one. I visited a nursery last spring that grows
> them for cut flowers - literally by the truckload. The blooms are so
> large that I have a cage around the plant to prevent their flopping
> even though the stems are usually quite strong. Most of my 20 or so
> peonies are grown in a row or in the back of various beds, and so
> help support themselves. I don't have to stake or prop them. But
> this one is right by itself and could flop in rainy weather.
> First of all, don't plant them any deeper than the two inches - or even
> that deep - or they won't bloom. I always feel in the ground for the
> tubers.
> If they are more than knuckle depth, I pull the dirt away from them.
> Mulch might help to keep the soil cooler, but you don't want to let it
> build up over the tubers.
> As for fertilizer, I usually add composted cow manure after they bloom
> each spring - but still carefully, so as not to cover the tubers.
> In this area at least, it is important to cut the foliage to the ground
in
> the fall and dispose of it in the garbage - never the compost. That is
> because of the danger of botrytis blight or another fungus. If I do
> that faithfully, I rarely have a problem, but if I fail to do it in the
> fall,
> the
> buds will blast in the spring.
> As for sun or shade, you are probably better off in part shade. Most
> of mine are in part shade - I don't really have any full sun any more -
> but it doesn't seem to make a lot of difference to their success.
> My one tree peony did poorly when it's location became full shade,
> but when I moved it into a spot with about half-day sun, it recovered
> nicely.
> I hope you have success with peonies. They're just about my
> favorite plant. I love the foliage even after they bloom - always a
> nice-looking background for other flowers, and are good in
> arrangements, too.
> Auralie
>
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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Hardiness Zone 10
Heat Zone 10
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
Maximum 100 F [38 C]

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