Favorite Peonies and Ball Jar Bouquets in the Potting Shed

Happy Monday!

I cut some peony blooms for some Ball Jar Bouquets

to celebrate the short but sweet peony season!

I eagerly await peony season, which is typically early May in our zone 8a garden,

in the Southern Piedmont of North Carolina.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Introduced in 1906, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is my favorite peony variety, with

 big pink fragrant double blooms that resemble old-fashioned roses.

We’ve had some volatile spring weather, with more in the forecast this week.

Attention budding meteorologists:

Blooming peonies seem are a more reliable storm predictor than Doppler Radar!

I can almost always count on heavy rain and blustery winds when peonies come into bloom,

reducing them to petal confetti & making the season even shorter!

So you have to gather ye peonies while ye may!

When growing peonies, give them some kind of support, like a ring or grid to grow through,

so the big heavy blooms don’t lay on the ground, especially after a rain shower.

10 Pack Plant Support Stakes – 10″ Wide x 24″ High

4.5 out of 5 stars with 1,963 global ratings

I use an obelisk for one of my peonies to support the blooms and some

DIY Flower Supports from a Tomato Cage to support the others.

I’m a fan of these clips that come in two sizes to attach a plant to a stake,

ideal for supporting stems, climbing vines or tomatoes.

I gathered some peonies to enjoy on a window shelf in The Potting Shed.

In addition to mason jars, I gathered some blue and white transferware . . .

Blue and white transferware pieces collected over time with no special pedigree;

a little shabby and time-worn. . .

Much like how peony blooms appear after 4 days. ;)

Regular readers know I’m fan of mason jars of all types, but am especially fond of older jars

with their bubbles and imperfections.

The soft aqua colored jars provide a pretty contrast to the pink peonies as a simple vase,

with a nod to the past and its humble origins.

Peonies will bloom for about 7–10 days in the late spring to early summer so planting

a variety of peonies with a staggered bloom time will help extend the season.

Peonies can thrive and bloom for 100 years if planted properly.

 Most newly planted peonies take at least 3 years to produce a good show of flowers.

Plant peonies where they can get at least six hours of full sun a day.

They’ll also appreciate some afternoon shade in the hot and sunny southern U.S.

Peonies don’t like to be moved, so choose a location with care;

avoiding planting them under large trees or shrubs, which compete for nutrients and water.

Peonies do best with full sun and well-drained soil. There’s no need to fertilize them much

other than a low-nitrogen formula such as 10-15-10 every spring,

or an annual application of compost.

When cutting peonies in the garden, resist the urge to cut them all!

Leave as much foliage as possible on the plant and limit your bouquet to

 one-fourth to one-third of the stems in bloom, as peonies rely on their foliage

to replenish food stores for the next season of blooms the following year.

Cut the spent blooms and seed pods on the peonies to just above a leaf to help the

 plant put more energy into root development for next year’s flowers.

In addition to peonies, I cut some privet that grows wild.

Cutting the privet flowers helps eliminate potential reseeding.

Japanese privet is considered invasive here in the South,

popping up from seeds carried by birds that spread the plant.

In the plus column, privet has a sweet fragrance and the bees love it! 🐝

I’m frequently asked about what to do about ants on peonies,

as ants are attracted to the nectar on peony buds.

While ants are a nuisance, they serve a purpose, protecting the blooms

from other floral-feeding insects, like thrips, and are harmless to peonies.

To prevent bringing ants inside with your peonies, cut your peonies when they’re in the ‘marshmallow’ bud stage

or give your newly open flowers a gentle dunk and ‘swish’ upside down in a bucket of water

to get rid of any hitchhikers that may be hiding in your petals.

For warm areas, plant low-chill varieties of peonies and plant the crowns no more than one inch deep.

Peony cultivars recommended for Zone 8:

White flowers: ‘Baroness Schroeder’, ‘Miss America’, ‘Duchesse de Nemours’, ‘Festiva Maxima’, and ‘Shirley Temple’

Pink flowers: ‘Felix Crousse’, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’, ‘Karl Rosenfield’, ‘Kansas’ and ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’

Red flowers: ‘Buckeye Belle’, ‘Red Charm’ and ‘Ole Faithful’

Coral Pink flowers: ‘Flame’, ‘Soft Salmon Saucer’, ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’, ‘Coral Charm’ and ‘Coral Sunset’

Find tips from Garden Gate on holding over your peony blooms in the refrigerator, HERE.

I don’t usually do this as you sacrifice any smaller, tight buds on the same stem.

“The fattest and most scrumptious of all flowers, a rare fusion of fluff and majesty,

the peony is now coming into bloom.”

– Henry Mitchell

Do you have peonies blooming in your garden or landscape?

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch