Mailing Address/Office:
Hidden Springs Flower Farm
813 Elm St.
Anoka, MN 55303-2823

Growing Peonies Successfully

Peony Species with their wild, botanical simplicity can hardly be compared the their highly hybridized cousins. These are plants for the more sophisticated gardener. They are quite at home in a more relaxed, bright and sunny woodland edge. The elegant and simple flowers are found in colors from soft pastel lavender, pink, to vibrant cardinal red and yes even yellow. Why the're special. The emerging foliage is stunning and the seed pods with bright coral and steel blue seeds add interest later in the growing season adding to their garden value. Most bloom a full month ahead of garden peonies with your late tulips and daffodils. Nearly all demand excellent drainage and none tolerate soggy soils so pick a spot just to their liking for success. If you are ready to get back to a more natural garden look consider trying a few species this year. You may even be helping preserve this wild resource as more species are lost in the wild in our changing world. Check out our Species link for detailed information on one of the largest offerings of species peonies on the web. Our favorite species peonies include; the brilliant red Byzantine Peony, P.peregrina, the Double Fern Leaf, the diminuative woodland edge P. veitchii from China, and the Apothecaries Peony, the wild form of Paeonia officinalis.

Garden Peonies are some of the largest blooms found in the perennial garden to start the boom season off in grand style. Pink peonies, red peonies, white peonies, the red double fern leaf peony and even some lovely new yellow peonies allow you to create the garden of your dreams with so many peony varieties to choose from our mail order peony listings. Peonies are noted for their long life span with records of plants that are over 150 years old. Many garden peonies are fragrant and most all of them make excellent cut flowers. Those peonies with strong stems that do not require support in the garden are pointed out in the descriptions. What peonies need. Peonies are designed by nature to grow in areas where there is excellent soil drainage. That means peoines die when planted in wet, soggy areas. They are mountain plants found in rocky areas and are also found in open short grass prairies where the summers can have a prolonged drought period before fall rains begin when the natural rooting cycle of peonies takes place. Planting peonies where they are hit by the lawn irrigation system can spell disaster in terms of increased disease and even death. The best time to plant peonies is in the early fall when you will want to keep them evenly moist because they are forming next years flower and shoots. Let your imagination run wild and choose from fragrant varieties or just the colors or forms that appeal to you. You will find in our peony list many rare, difficult to find, new and antique varieties at very reasonable prices.

Hybrid Peonies are some of the real gems of the peony world. These are the results of crossing one or more species peonies to create plants that exhibit incredible clarity of flower color. This has resulted in a very different root and crown structure which is why many times all the "eyes" which are next years growing buds are clustered at the top of a long neck-like underground stem. Most all hybrids possess very strong stems and produce colorful peony bloom weeks ahead of the common garden peony varieties. The hybrids are often in great demand and sell out very quickly so don’t be disappointed if you delay in your ordering. Flower colors for the hybrid peonies vary from the brightest white to the darkest near black with vibrant reds, pastel pink, lavender, yellow, creamy pink and others with two tone coloration. Extend the peony bloom season with a selection of these hardy garden plants. Many of these varieties have proven very successful for gardeners in warmer climates where peonies typically do not grow in part because some of the parents come from near Mediterranian areas of the world although at higher elevations which also imparts the ability to withstand cold growing conditions and even snow on the flower buds in the early spring. Come see what you have been missing and add a hybrid peony to your garden this fall and enjoy it's beauty for the rest of your life.