Peony Time

Over the past few days, our peony flowers have opened. I believe the variety we have is 'Judy Garland,' but I can't seem to confirm that anywhere on the Net. The flowers are white with a very slight pinkish blush.

Unfortunately, the flowers are also the size and weight of grapefruit. A stem of oak would be needed to support them once they blossom. Peonies, of course, don't have stems of oak; they have stems of al dente pasta. Without artificial support, ours simply collapse onto the ground.

Each year we get better at supporting the peony. We've tried a plastic-coated metal peony ring -- too flimsy. Stakes and string work better. You can add as many stakes and bands of string as you want, and you can make the encircled area as large or small as you want. The plastic-coated metal stakes (rebar, I think) are my favorites. They blend in well and are stout enough to be pounded with a sledge hammer.

This year, we made sure to start early. We had four stakes in and the first belt of string tied by the time the plant was 18" high. As the plant got taller, I added a second and a third belt of string. When the buds had expanded enough to show the white petals within, I was confident that this year the peony flowers would be held high for all to enjoy. And I didn't do too badly. I could have used yet one more circle of string, just below the level of the blooms. (As it is, one stem has simply folded in half over the topmost string, aiming its bloom like a spotlight at the ground.) Also, I could have used strings crisscrossing through the center of the plant, to keep the blooms from piling together on one side of the encircled area.

EDIT: The peony isn't 'Judy Garland.' Kay informs me that we had a rose called 'Judy Garland' that didn't make it through a previous winter. The peony is supposedly 'Sarah Bernhardt,' although it seems to be lot paler than the pictures on line.