I bought my first book on perennial garden about twenty years ago and it had a 'Bowl of Beauty' peony on the cover. I've wanted one of these ever since. They were hard to come by back then, and when I first started seeing them in garden centres, they were about three times the price of the other peonies.
Last spring I treated myself to one, however it must have been mislabelled because it was a different peony.
I tried again this year and purchased this plant just about a month ago. It is already blooming (a lovely surprize, as sometimes peonies can take a few years to get established) and it is definitely a 'Bowl of Beauty'.
This is the one that was labelled 'Bowl of Beauty' at the garden centre. You can notice that the outer pink petals are the same shade of pink as the one above. It's a double (rather than the single 'Bowl of Beauty') and has a very slightly paler shade of pink in the centre.
I get mislabeled plants all the time! I bought a "Merrill" magnolia when I lived in Kingston, waited 5 years for it to flower, only to find out it was pink instead of white. Very annoying.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got your Bowl Of Beauty.
Don't you just love mislabeled plants? Surprises are fun, but when you're set on a certain plant it sure is a let down. Glad you finally got the right one - they are both beautiful! I don't have any peonies in my yard... yet ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh so pretty! And blooming already?! I have a few peonies in the back that are "this" close to blooming ~ can't wait to see what colour they are!
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful! Love the pic of Hudson on the side.
ReplyDeleteLovely Bowl of Beauty,Diane,I am envious. Ive always wanted this peony but keep thinking Im 56 and if they take years to flower...But i think I will buy one this autumn. I think I have probably planted my peonies too deep in the past. I do love my peonies, fleeting, but beautiful, Betty x
ReplyDeleteThat peony is really well named! I am growing peonies for the first time this year and got my first blooms today; so exciting! Although some of my favorite plants are things I bought by accident when I thought I was getting something else, it is frustrating when you've been waiting so long for that one special plant and then it turns out you have to wait longer still. I'm glad it rewarded your patience by blooming in the first year. -Jean
ReplyDeleteI also garden in Ontario, but in a Zone 4b garden. Nice to meet you. I love your peonies and how disappointing to get a mislabeled plant, but wonderful that the new peony flowered so soon. Take care.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane, I do not cut the poppies back after they finish flowering, I just let the foliage die back on its' own. The same as tulips and daffs.
ReplyDeleteYour Bowl of Beauty is gorgeous, but the imposter is pretty too.
ReplyDeleteIt's always reassuring if you can see the flowers when you buy a plant, but not always possible. I like to get specific colours, and don't have enough out of the way spots to move the surprises to. I lucked out with my bulbs this year and only about 2 out of some 900 bulbs were pretenders, which is pretty good for bulbs.
Absolutely love the bowl of beauty - I can see why you'd think about it for years. You are inspiring me to try new flowers...I'm loving all the color.
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