Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Little Pretties


Thank you to everyone who commented on my new website and my last post, the website is still evolving, but it's nice to have it mostly done for now.

And it was nice to see that I'm not the only one who makes lists and enjoys scratching off the finished tasks!  I cracked up at the comment by Marcia aka Laxsupermom who said that her camping spreadsheet is the stuff of legends...too funny!




Yesterday and today, when I woke up and came out to start work, my house smelled so good!  These beautiful peonies are to blame, and they filled my whole house with the most wonderful fragrance!  My peonies in my front flower bed have begun to open, but for whatever reason, mine just don't smell as wonderful as these.




There are some at my parent's house and at the farm we still own which are really fragrant, so I need to dig them up and move some of them to my house.  I've heard peonies are hard to transplant though and that they will often not bloom for a few years after being moved. 

Have any of you had any luck with transplanting peonies, and when did you do it...right after they were done blooming or do you have to wait until they are dormant?




I love rearranging my accessories and little pretties around the house throughout the year and for the different seasons.




I bought this sweet little bird box awhile ago at Lola Belle Co. in Leonardtown, Maryland.  I think it's perfect for springtime and looks pretty on my white bucket bench with my milk glass vase filled with lovely peonies!

Another question about peonies for you.  Have any of you found a home fragrance or candle that smells like fresh peonies?  I would love to have this scent all bottled up so that I could spritz a little whenever I feel like it!

I'm off to a photo shoot, but tomorrow I'll be showing you what Doug did for his garden club program so be sure to stop back by if you have the time.  I hope you are having a wonderful day! 

26 comments:

  1. You are really getting into the peonies! I just googled 'peony scented candles' for you and there are several places you can order from, including Amazon.

    I lost all of my peonies at the lake when renovations were being done on the outside of the house. I do know that when I had them, they made excellent dried flowers. Good luck!

    XO,
    Jane

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  2. Wow...I love the photos of your peonies, I love this flowers and hope to buy them the next days!

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  3. I have a set of peonies that I have transplanted four times. I dug them from The Husband's grandfather's house in West Virginia in 1984, and they have moved with us three times since then. They DO pout after being moved, but they won't die from it. The best time to transplant peonies, or any other flower for that matter, is whenever you have the time to do it. If you wait for the perfect opportunity, you may not get to it and they could be gone. After you parents' peonies finish blooming, you can dig them up and move them to your place. I'll help, if you want. Besides, we still have to take cuttings of the lilacs.

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  4. Your images are all so pretty. Peonies are so sweet!

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  5. I had a peony once. Seems like ants always were on the blooms. But don't know beans about transplanting. I gotta go check out your website!
    Brenda

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  6. I have never had peonies. So don't have a clue.

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  7. Love your photos and I love peonies! I don't know much about them though. I have the same thing with fresh cut grass, I have not been able to bottle that smell or find a candle that comes close to it. I will have to keep my nose open for the peony candle for you. :)
    Good luck on the photo shoot!!
    XOXO

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  8. I would absolutely ask June @ "Laughing with Angels. The peony and well all flower guru or Carole @ "Maynard Greenhouse". They give great garden info. :D
    xx
    z

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  9. I can just about smell those peonies!

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  10. I just visited your wonderful gallery, Kat...the photos are truly stunning! You really have some beautiful pieces! I have tried without success to grow peonies...think it must be too shady in our yard, because many people grow them around here!

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  11. Hartwood Roses is exactly right. Whenever time permits is the same advice I would give. Maybe I'd stick some nice compost into the holes to keep the soil from compacting too much. I don't believe in gardening by strict rules. It is a pastime/hobby/obsession that is meant to be pleasurable.I think structure would make it less so. I put shade loving plants in sun and vice versa and, it all seems to work. Gardening is certainly lots of hard work, but for gardeners what an incredible payback Mother Nature bestows upon us!

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  12. I LOVE peonies!! Peonies and Lilacs are simple the 2 best scents on the earth!!!!!! Beautiful photos too:)

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  13. I can hardly wait til mine start blooming, Kat! I, too, fill my house with them and just adore the scent! A girl can never have too many of them in the garden! lol! I've never transplanted them, but I've heard that they take a while to rebloom after they are....but it's well worth the wait! :)

    xoox laurie

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  14. I live in Waldorf (close to you) and I have transplanted peonies once. I moved them right after they finished blooming and they did bloom the following year. When I moved them, I used Miracle Grow potting soil and I also put Miracle Grow on them every 2-3 weeks. They are huge and will be bursting any day now! I have 2 bushes and a minimum of 50 blooms on each.

    To the person that commented that hers were covered in ants, my grandmother (she's 83) swears this is a sign of a hearty & fragrant peony!!!! Both of mine are covered in ants every year and they smell wonderful. When I cut my blooms to bring inside- I just turn it over and gently shake them so the ants fall off.

    Peonies by far are my FAVORITE with daffodils a close second!

    Kathy

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  15. PS---- I was just in Lola Belle last weekend!!!! I was looking for a Mother's Day gift for my mom. I ended up finding something for her in Traditions in Loveville.

    :-)

    Kathy

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  16. My mother-in-law
    dug up one of her
    peonies for us the
    first year that we
    moved in....and it
    bloomed that same
    year! I think it's
    more about how well
    the transplant is
    done and whether it's
    happy in its new spot.
    Good luck!!!
    xx Suzanne

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  17. Kat, I have dug up my peonies after they have bloomed. Books say either in the Spring or Fall they should be dug up. Mine have always done well and usually bloom the next Spring. I only had one that didn't bloom until the second year. Good luck!

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  18. Oh I agree, wouldn't it be wonderful to find a peony scented candle! I'm so excited because I have 2 peonies coming back from last year (one of them was a transplant)and 2 newly planted ones! Love that birdie box and of course anything with birds and Paris! I'm sure your peonies would survive the transplant too, so go get 'em! xo ~Lili

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  19. Your white peonies are just beautiful with their little hint of pink :-)
    Have a wonderful weekend!
    Blessings,
    Marcia

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  20. I love peonies but have never grown them. A friend of mine has them in her yard and she said that they are hard to transplant. Infact, we had this talk on Easter. She said that once you plant them, you need to leave them there. Sooooo....I cannot give you much advice. Aren't they just the best flower? Kind of like a large dahlia and a rose mixed into one.

    xxoo
    Becky

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  21. Kat,
    I am patiently waiting for my Peonies to bloom, the whites are just emerging and there is just a glimpse of color from the pinks. Yours look so beautiful. I am loving the little lambs in the header. I take pictres of sheep every chance I get...so weird huh!?
    xo,
    ~R

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  22. Kat- that bird box is exquisite- it looks beautiful in these photos. We have transplanted peonies many times. After they bloom is best. Just keep them watered well- they will be perfect the next spring. We moved peonies from my grandparents farm and my parents home. They all survived the move just fine.

    Your new blog header is absolutely fabulous- amazing picture collection!
    Vicki

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  23. Ahhhh, the peonies...fabulous.

    Thanks for this! Love the fresh, new look!

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  24. I have been instructed that you can only transplant peonies in the fall. Maybe you could ask a local nursery. I have 5 plants myself. When I bought them, they were sent to me in the fall. It took two years for them to bloom but now they are doing well.

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  25. Why burn pretty smelling candles when you can have beautiful pretty smelling flowers in your home.

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