Peonies
 

My peonies were very pretty this year, for about 4 days.

Normally, they bloom for 10~15 days, and are pretty until the first storm. This year, it was about 4 days. The blooms are still pretty, but leaned over, and some are even on the ground.

This year, these peonies are 100 years old!

In 1922, my Grandmother planted peonies on my Great-Grandmother's grave, and divided them to plant at her home as well. When she moved to town, the peonies went with her. When she gave up her home, and came to live with my parents, so did the peonies, I moved them to their present location in 1977.

So they have survived three moves, and 100 years! Not too bad.

Jon.

Nice! We have a 100+ year-old rose bush in the family that my great-grandparents planted when they settled early 20th century.

Cool story.

I don't have any heirloom plants in my yard with the exception of a Hardy Hibiscus that I stole from my best friend's mother's house about 10 years ago. She had to move into a nursing home and my best friend gave me permission to get them. They are at least 70 years old. Usually they have 5 petals per bloom but sometimes they have 6.

My wife loves peonies. We have some at our home I’m IN and more at the farm in KY.

Just put some peonies in this year....we'll see if they make past that critical 1st season!

This Does deserve a Visual, No?

We have some peonies also. The blooms never last very long on ours and they always fall over unless I support them with stakes. I had to relocate them this year just as they were budding and they never bloomed.
I really regret not getting some from my mother's yard last year when we moved her to the retirement facility. They were a much prettier color than ours.

We have one that bloomed well this year and lasted a couple weeks. My wife is still cutting them. Deer ate the delphinium and columbine.

Just curious: do you say "PEE uh knees" or "pee-OH-knees"?

K

Don't know if there is a "correct" pronunciation, but in Missouri "hillbillyese" it is "pee-OH-knees".

Jon.

Peonie makes a nice House warming gift in Alabama

Missour-ee or Missour-ah?

I fear my parents have permanently messed up my regional free dialect.

Occasionally I find myself slipping, like the "dees" of the week (ie, Mondee, Tuesdee, Wendsdee, etc).

K

I say it just like carbking...the flower that is.

I have my grandma's peonies and also some of her tiger lilies. The story I was told is that she loved tiger lilies but had no luck growing them. Every year she would get some bulbs and plant them only to have them not come back in the next year. After she died in 1958 they started to grow like crazy all around the old farm house. As a kid I remember them growing up in the cracks of the sidewalk. I always think of her when they start to bloom.

Missour-ee

There is actually an opinion written by one of the justices on the Missouri Supreme Court.

And did you ever hear anyone say Mississipp-ah? ;)

Jon

I don't have a clue what dielect I became attached to but I call them "pee-uh-knees" without a strong emphasis on any syllable.

If I heard someone call them "pee-uh-nuhs", I wouldn't recognize the word.

When I started working in the 70's I had to adjust to my mentor's reference to "tap-rotters".

Tap-rotters??? That one took a while but it finally came to me/

No - but I have heard Cincinnat-uh (George Kell, famous Detroit Tiger player and play by play announcer. He was from Swifton Arkansas).

That's pretty close to where my folks were from: Mom was from Kennett and Dad was from Senath MO.

And Dayton Uh-hi-yah. Had a friend that said it that way.

K

Pics?