Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Wish I knew... I had my MIL's after she passed away, I killed her peonies. Not on purpose! Seems like she was a huge fan of bone meal fertilizer.

 

[aart]

I thought I for sure killed my arabella last summer because I was REALLY bad about watering it. I was snooping through the garden today though, and saw some purple-y buds pushing up so I guess I need to get that sprinkler post mounted before the heat of summer gets here this year!


Now, if anyone knows any tricks for PEONIES I would love to hear them. I have some from my mother's 30+ year old plants and they haven't bloomed for 3 years now. Going to water the heck out of them this year and see if that does the trick, otherwise I may be done messing with them. They're monopolizing the entire corner of my flower bed and something else can go there if they aren't going to grow.

How long have they been in that location?
They can take awhile, like a couple years, to settle in if divided.....
....or sometimes old locations become more shaded as the trees around them grow and they need a lot of sun to bloom.

 

[gladahmae]

They've been in their current location for 4 years now. They GROW to about a foot high and are nice and green and that's it. They get full sun. As in sun up to sun down full sun. So frustrating. They came from clumps that came off my grandmother's peonies and our neighbor's peonies, so I'd REALLY love for them to flourish for sentimental reasons. I'd give them a good top dressing of compost but I've ALSO read that if they get buried "too deep" they won't bloom.

I have cilantro and thyme sprouting in my wintersown milk jugs! And maybe some lupine! This little warm spell can only do good things for the seeds I got planted. It'll be battle of the weeds this summer though. I can already tell.

 

[preciouskitty]

 It'll be battle of the weeds this summer though.  I can already tell.

Yes it will. The evil picker weed that is a VINE system that I struggled with (& lost) last year is already in full bloom. Back "pre-chickens", I'd've doused it with round up...BUT, now I use NO chemicals...so, let the "war" begin...
This weed, bad enough it is viny underground, also will grow several feet tall. Never had seen anything like it. The regular picker weed is already rampant in my lawn, too...

 

[gladahmae]

Yeah, we have purple thistle, and 2 things that LOOK like ground cover but are actually really stubborn and almost impossible to get rid of weeds. My biggest problem this year is going to be where I "allowed" some grass/fescue grow on the foot-path in my veggie garden. I'm completely overhauling the layout this year though, so that strip isn't going to be a walking path this year. Should be interesting. It's a good thing I have 3 cleanouts worth of pine shavings to mulch with!!

 

[chickflick]

I was going to suggest that you lift your peonies. They won't bloom if planted too deep. I have several and hopefully, after this severe winter, will be blooming this summer.

 

[aart]

They've been in their current location for 4 years now. They GROW to about a foot high and are nice and green and that's it. They get full sun. As in sun up to sun down full sun. So frustrating. They came from clumps that came off my grandmother's peonies and our neighbor's peonies, so I'd REALLY love for them to flourish for sentimental reasons. I'd give them a good top dressing of compost but I've ALSO read that if they get buried "too deep" they won't bloom.

I have cilantro and thyme sprouting in my wintersown milk jugs! And maybe some lupine! This little warm spell can only do good things for the seeds I got planted. It'll be battle of the weeds this summer though. I can already tell.

I was going to suggest that you lift your peonies. They won't bloom if planted too deep. I have several and hopefully, after this severe winter, will be blooming this summer.

Have heard the buried too deep thing too.

Do you have to lift them ...or can you just scrape some dirt away to expose the crown a bit?

 

[1muttsfan]

Lift them. The crown should be just below soil level. They do not appreciate being handled in the spring though, so you may want to wait until fall.

http://www.almanac.com/plant/peonies

 

[Cassiejow]

I am looking for a Australorp and an EE Roo. Anyone in the area know where I can find one of each for my ladies?

 

[aart]

I am looking for a Australorp and an EE Roo. Anyone in the area know where I can find one of each for my ladies?

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