Peonies

My top 16 most popular Instagram peony florals of all time
Flowers are the trademarks of my Country Home and Blooms Instagram account. No wonder some of the arrangements crafted with peony flowers from my garden are among my followers’ favorites. In no particular order… See this publication on Instagram A publication shared by Céline| Country Home & Blooms (@countryhomeandblooms) See

Itoh Peonies: The best of two worlds
The result of crossing herbaceous peonies and tree peonies, Itoh peonies also called intersectional peonies combine the best features of both: [Top photo: Paeonia ‘Impossible Dream’ in my garden] Named for Toichi Itoh, the Japanese peony breeder who first succeeded in hybridizing them, Itoh varieties are not as numerous as

The new garden peonies of 2022
It may take one or two years for newly planted peonies to establish themselves and bloom. Sometimes one has to wait for the third year for them to become prolific bloomers. Here is a photo recap of some of the lovely herbaceous cultivars blooming for the first time in the

Setting the garden asleep for Winter
Why and when preparing your garden for the Winter months This Fall has been glorious for gardening. Not only was it mostly sunny, it was also unbelievably warm, hitting quite a few temperature records. Nonetheless, I am always behind yard work, so many things to do before our long and

Garden views
A retrospective gallery about my garden We acquired our nearly 6-acres, semi-wooded property in equestrian country West of Montréal, Québec, 7 years ago. Since then, in the respect of the existing landscape punctuated by magnificent specimens of mature trees, we are creating a country-style garden, while pursuing our respective passions:

Peonies & company
The best companion plants for a peony border Is peony season too short for you and you are worried to dedicate a border to peonies only? First, plan to buy peonies that are early to late season bloomers. And then carefully add bulbs, annuals and perennials to your design. If

My garden year in review
2021 was a consolidating year in my garden with many new projects 1. The peony borders More is better I am beginning my review the same way I did last year: My love for peonies grew much more again this Summer! I started the Spring by enlarging (twice) 2 of

Summer 2021 Garden Tour: Shade Garden and Peony Borders
At the invitation of gardening guru Linda Vater, I realized a little mid-June tour on YouTube. In this 7 minutes long video, I present the borders of hostas under the shade of mature maple trees and then talk about the different types of peonies I grow in the sun. I

Peony season
Did you know you may extend your peony season by choosing early to late bloomers? Peonies are surely the symbols of the late Spring cottage garden. In zones 3-8, peonies are perennials blooming over a period of 6 weeks, starting in April up to mid-July, and even later, depending where

Peonies in a basket
Use chicken wire to build an overflowing cottage style peony arrangement I’ve been asked many times how I construct some arrangements with chicken wire as a flower holder. Chicken wire is durable, recyclable and a great alternative to floral foam which in fact is petroleum derived material and which decomposes

My garden year in review
2020 was a buzzy year in my garden with many new projects 1. The peony borders My love for peonies grew a lot more this Summer! In the Fall of 2019 I designed a new, larger peony/mixed border to complement the border dating from 2018. In early Summer, I finished

A summery cottage garden’s flower arrangement
5 steps to fill a beautiful vintage basket with perennial blooms Material Cut flowers from the garden: annuals, perennials or shrub/tree blooms A bucket of cold water to condition and preserve the cut flowers A large basket chosen accordingly to the quantity of flowers available A bucket or leak-proof container

The Ueno Toshogu Peony Garden
Visit a lovely Winter peony garden in Tokyo, Japan Located in Central Tokyo, the Ueno Park is a very large public park including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum for Western Art, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Science Museum. It is also home to the Ueno

Moving or dividing peonies
Early Fall is the best time to change the location of your Spring-flowering herbaceous peony plant, divide an out-of-grown plant or rejuvenate an old specimen Follow these 6 steps to move a small to medium-size healthy herbaceous peony plant at least 4 weeks before the ground freezes: Prepare the new

Why is my peony not blooming?
8 questions that will help you find the cause (and solution) for the lack of blooms on your herbaceous peony Is the plant too young? It may take up to 3 years for a plant to mature and produce blooms. Solution: Be patient. Is your plant in the right location?