Peonies are some of the incredible beauties you can plant in your gardens or around your home. As Kathy Brown from GrowPeonies.com – Online Peony Seller says, “the good thing about peonies is that they are perennial plants that will keep blooming every spring to bring your gardens back to life. The key to growing elegant blooms of peonies is hidden in the types of roots for your garden”. Peonies are offered as bare tubers usually containing three, four or five eyes from which new stems grow. While most local greenhouses offer start plants, not all options you come across will depict good quality. There are various aspects to consider if you want top quality tubers that you can grow back in your garden. Here are a few buying tips that will lead you to the perfect peony plant you have ever grown:
1. Note the different varieties
Like other flowers, there are different peony varieties in the market. Peonies will naturally bloom in spring but you can always plant your garden for successive blooming. Using different varieties gives you the opportunity to have differently colored blooms. Some of the varieties to consider include the following;
– Early Scout – This variety is known for wide red flowers that bloom very early (usually from mid May) in singles.
– Firelight – Like Early Scout, Firelight peonies bloom early and grow into tall perennial trees with smaller branches. It produces pale-pink single flowers.
– Karl Rosenfield – This is a midseason peony that produces double blooms featuring large blossoms of crimson color
– Norma Volz – These large white flowered peonies also bloom in midseason. They are some of the largest double flowered peonies in the world
– Elsa Sass – If you are going for a late-season bloomer, then the double Elsa Sass variety is your best choice. They offer pure white flowers similar to camellia.
2. Compare sizes
It is advisable to pick thick fresh tubers with at least three eyes. Peonies can grow to become very tall plants but you can maintain a lower height through regular trimming. Norma Volz is the ideal variety for those who want wider flowers while firelight offers more height and smaller flowers.
3. Compare prices
Florists usually charge different prices depending on where they get their supplies and also based on the variety in questions. Other price factors include peak season, number of stems and color (which is basically variety). Nonetheless, they should cost somewhere between $7 per stem during peak seasons (April – June) to $35 per stem during off-production seasons like (October – February).
Summary
There are other minor things to consider including the florist’s reputation, maintenance requirement and common pests. Peonies bloom very fast and produce many flowers so you do not necessarily need to purchase many stems for a vivid impact.