For those of you who don't know, Jason bought our house and was living in it already when we met and started dating. The first summer we were together, I was at the house one day while he was mowing and working on yard stuff. I was walking around, trying to figure out what all the plants in the landscaping were. I noticed this dead spot on the border of the property and went to inspect it. There were tiny little shoots of something that was not grass in the middle of the dead spot. I asked him if he could maybe skip that spot of mowing for a week so we could see what was there. He said "it's just a weed!" but I talked him into waiting a week. Every week we kept checking the spot, he kept wanting to mow it down and I kept talking him in to waiting. Then it got a bud on it!! I was so excited! He still said it was weed. LOL! Finally the bud bloomed and I said it's a PEONY!!! He said "what the heck is a peony?? It should be called a puny". I told him it's our State flower and it looks puny because he'd been mowing it down!! So the Peony bush has been allowed to flourish over the years and this year we have THREE blooms and more buds to bloom yet!! And the flowers are beautiful!! When they first open up, they're a deep blood red. These pictures I took today and the flowers have been blooming for about a week.I never knew I was a Peony fan until I saved this little bush from being hacked down every week!
11 comments:
I'm a new peony fan... After seeing Martha Stewarts field of them!! Seriously, some people have way too many people doing all the work for them. And I'm jealous. lol.
I'm hoping to add some peonies to my yard soon. Have to get to work clearing the spot I want to put them. It'll be too hot for planting soon. You've inspired me to get it done though.
Hip hip hooray for the peony bush - - - or as some Hoosier's say, the Piney bush!!!!
We had one in Bluffton. After it was finished blooming your dad used to mow it down. It would come right back the next spring and be gorgeous again.
If it rains on the full blossoms they do get very heavy and drag the branches down to the ground.
I think yours is the prettiest color I've ever seen on a peony. Ours were pale pink when they opened and then faded to white.
Thats a pretty bush you got there. A few nice red flowers.
Moo Moo
WOW! That turned out beautful!! Glad you got jason to stop mowing that! hehe
I love them too. The only bad thing is ANTS love them too. Also my mother-in-law told me if you move them cause they will multiply the color will change. I just discovered we had one growing out by one of our big trees and it has the same color flower as yours BUT someone keeps mowing it down!!!!
Ha....
Take care
Mary Jo
Speaking of the ants - - - I heard/read somewhere that the bloom REQUIRES ants in order to open. That's why they are covered with sticky stuff - - - to ATTRACT the ants which help the bloom open by eating the sticky stuff off the bud.
Oh dear, I should google before I speak. This from the "Garden Opus" site:
"Ants are attracted to the sweet resin exuded on the flower buds, but it's a long-standing, popular, even benevolent myth that they "tickle the buds" or "lick the sugar" to help the buds open. They would open regardless of the ants' presence (these are the same ants that would benevolently tickle the food at the average picnic)."
When I took these pictures I was expecting to find ants because I remember that from Elm Drive. But I didn't see one ant!
What a beautiful bush!!! Husbands and wives seldom agree on gardening...and it has become a "joke" around here. But we both like plants and they are all so different here in N. Florida than S. Florida, so we have really enjoyed learning and planting REAL trees and something other than hibiscus and bougainvillea.
My grandfather L.D. Baker helped make the peony the state flower of Indiana. He was a farmer and congressman. They are great flowers. There is even a variety of peony named after my cousin Brad. That is how I stumbled on to your site. Nice to meet another Baker.
WOW what a cool story!!! Thanks for telling it! :)
I have since moved this peony bush and put it around our lamp post...I'm hoping it survives!
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