Monday, April 30, 2018
Peony park
We went to a peony park this weekend and spent a long time wandering through the peony bushes.
We even considered buying a peony plant but the older man selling them was too intent on telling us how difficult it was for him to get his plants to this size without them dying off in the winter which seemed like a bad sales pitch for customers considering planting a peony.
We bypassed purchasing and just enjoyed the park.
The azaleas were at their peak too.
Some park!
The blooms were so big.
These are peony buds... Just orbs settled on top of leaves.
Interesting if not beautiful.
I liked this odd plant too. Not a peony for sure!
Trying to get artistic.
This one looked like it was from a painting.
And Tetsu liked the white.
Tetsu spends a lot of time stalking me while I hardly ever take a photograph of him...
The park was up on the top of a small mountain and we could look out for miles around.
Peonies are so "oriental" in feel. Maybe I have that impression because I never saw any until I came to Japan.
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Peonies, my favourites. What a variety of beautiful shades. The flower with fluffy seed heads might be a Pulsatilla. Or Pasque Flower.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers and colours. We visited the peony garden near the Tokyo Museum, I was fascinated by the cane tee pee huts covering the plants to protect them from the snow.
ReplyDeleteThe 'odd' plant is a Pulsatilla also known in the UK as the Pasqueflower. Wonderful seed heads :)
ReplyDeleteI remember my grandfather had some Peonies in his garden and I don't think he did much to care for them. Cleveland's winters were severe but they came back every yea after year.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the preview of spring! I love peonies, especially the really dark pink ones. Mine are only early shoots in the garden right now. We are still in the daffodil, forsythia, early cherry blooms phase but it is supposed to warm up a lot today.
ReplyDeletePeonies are spring in my childhood. The fragrance was so wonderful. They grew by the door to the porch. Had no problems with the Chicago winters. But they were regular peonies not oriental peonies which are a whole different plant. Enjoyed the photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place to visit. Are the round pink bushes azaleas? I do love peonies and attempt to grow them here in Oregon with limited success. The fluffy pom pom flowers that your commenters have labeled Pasqueflower looks like something from a Dr. Seuss drawing! You are another beautiful flower is why Tetsu loves to take your picture.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with peonies and actually don't like them at all. Once you plant them, they're nearly impossible to remove. In the Midwest, the peonies have a symbiotic relationship with a species of ant and that always creeped me out. Oh well. They ARE pretty and that part is AMAZING! I love your photography. And Tetsu is no slouch at it either. ;)
ReplyDeleteWe have at least 3 peonies. They dye back in Autumn - or at least their leaves and stems go brown, interesting as shape and texture still in the garden. But the shoots for the next year are already beginning to poke up their heads through the earth. Leave the brown stems a bit for protection to the shoots, but you can cut them off when you decide you don't want them. and then when spring comes, the shoots will grow and fill with leaves. Ours bloom around May, the pink ones first and the deep red ones last.
ReplyDeleteWe don't actually do anything to ours but deadhead them when the flowers are gone. Although they aren't as big as the ones you were holding, they are still fairly big and very glorious! When the flowers have gone, the plant still makes a lovely green bush to fill a space in the garden.
Some people put a wire support frame round before the stems are fully grown to hold the peonies from flopping down to the ground with the weight of the flower.
My grandparents farm in Minnesota had a long line of peonies next to the fence. Love them! Great idea to have a peony park.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing Peonies at the Lincoln home in Springfield, IL, I decided to plant some. I have a brown thumb, not green. Mine have survived (somehow) for about 12 years now. One barely makes it each year, but, it always comes back. If I can grow them, anyone can.
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