Peonies in Every Color

June in the Mohawk Valley means strawberries, Farmers’ Markets and at Hamilton College – scores of blooming, lush and colorful peonies. From the brilliantly crimson Alexander Woollcott to the aptly named Daffodil, the lush flowers are flourishing in Hamilton’s Grant Garden. The 19 herbaceous and 49 Saunders’ tree peonies are in bloom in Hamilton’s Grant Garden.

Many are peaking right now, and I enjoyed them on my weekly walk. Professor of Chemistry A.P. Saunders hybridized the peonies from 1920 to 1940 on College Hill. His work with tree peonies — which resulted in 73 named varieties — was a notable achievement. With the help of the American Peony Society, Hamilton College has collected and displayed as many of the remaining Saunders’ tree peonies as can be recovered.

This is a real treasure in my area, and I'm happy to share it with you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Debbie

Peonies....Something you should know

They are so lovely in vases around the home. Celebrating the peonies is something we do.  

For the last few years, I  have stored peony buds in the refrigerator for a month, and brought them out for a Fourth of July celebration. I found the instructions at Boreal Farms. If you are interested, here is information on how to store peony buds to be used at a later date. It's almost peony season here in New York!!!!

"Commercial cut flower operations pick their peony buds and can successfully store them for up to three months. This practice allows them to extend the marketing season as the peony bloom period is short. The home gardener or small producer can also save their flowers for a later occasion but because the home refrigerator typically cools to a range of 2-4 C , as opposed to the commercial 0 C, the storage time frame is reduced to two to three weeks. Not all peony flowers are the same though, some varieties have a longer vase life and store better than others but almost all will hold a few days in the vase after storage. The peony buds are stored dry, packaged in plastic, and placed flat on the shelves of the refrigerator. Alternately they can be stored upright in buckets with a few inches of water. When storing dry, remove almost all of the leaves as they tend to produce too much moisture when bagged resulting in the buds rotting. Bunch the stems together and place in a plastic bag, any bag will do but the two gallon Ziploc work well, place them flat on the shelves of the refrigerator. Moisture is the key to successful storage, too wet and they mold. Check them periodically, if there is moisture build-up open the bag to vent or place paper towels in the bottom and remove and replace them when they get wet. Upon removal from storage don’t worry if the blossoms look wilted and the cut ends are dry. Re-cut the stems to expose clean fresh tissue and place upright in a bucket containing warm water. I allow at least 24 hours for opening especially if the flowers are wanted to decorate a special event."

Thank you for stopping by!  I am joining Foodie Friday and Everything Else. 

Debbie

Peonies

Just before it started to rain, I dashed over to my sister's house and picked three buckets of peonies.

I've never counted, but there must be a few hundred peony bushes lining her driveway. As you know, they flop over onto to the ground once they get saturated with rain water. So I picked, and picked and picked.

They are so lovely in vases around the home. Celebrating the peonies is something we do.  

Last year, I stored peony buds in the refrigerator for a month, and brought them out for a Fourth of July celebration. I found the instructions at Boreal Farms. If you are interested, here is information on how to store peony buds to be used at a later date. 

"Commercial cut flower operations pick their peony buds and can successfully store them for up to three months. This practice allows them to extend the marketing season as the peony bloom period is short. The home gardener or small producer can also save their flowers for a later occasion but because the home refrigerator typically cools to a range of 2-4 C , as opposed to the commercial 0 C, the storage time frame is reduced to two to three weeks. Not all peony flowers are the same though, some varieties have a longer vase life and store better than others but almost all will hold a few days in the vase after storage. The peony buds are stored dry, packaged in plastic, and placed flat on the shelves of the refrigerator. Alternately they can be stored upright in buckets with a few inches of water. When storing dry, remove almost all of the leaves as they tend to produce too much moisture when bagged resulting in the buds rotting. Bunch the stems together and place in a plastic bag, any bag will do but the two gallon Ziploc work well, place them flat on the shelves of the refrigerator. Moisture is the key to successful storage, too wet and they mold. Check them periodically, if there is moisture build-up open the bag to vent or place paper towels in the bottom and remove and replace them when they get wet. Upon removal from storage don’t worry if the blossoms look wilted and the cut ends are dry. Re-cut the stems to expose clean fresh tissue and place upright in a bucket containing warm water. I allow at least 24 hours for opening especially if the flowers are wanted to decorate a special event."

I am joining Rose Vignettes for Fresh-Cut Friday.



Thank you for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

xo

Debbie

THE WAIT IS OVER....CELEBRATING PEONIES...LET'S DISH!

The house smells wonderful! With thanks to my sister, I have fragrant peonies in every room of the house. My sister Diane has the most amazing peony display each year, and I can't even tell you how many peony bushes she has. I'm guessing about 120? I was reading a magazine recently, and there was a sweet story about a woman who has a U-pick peony business. I'm going to encourage my sister to do that! 

The table is set to celebrate! I used the same dishes and placemats that I used for Mother's Day and added peonies to the lions head soup bowls from Christmas Tree Shoppe.

Besides being so wonderfully fragrant, peonies are full of color. The cheerful mop heads make a stunning display on the table. 

I love the white peonies as much as the pink ones. Since the peony season is so short, I picked another bunch of white peonies while they were in the soft "marshmallow" stage, and am storing them in the refrigerator for a few weeks until I want them to bloom.  I love using peonies for a red, white and blue summer celebration. 

The white also looks brilliant in a black and white vase.

Thank you for stopping by! I am joining Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish.

xxoo

Debbie