Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Pink, White, Red Peonies Blossoming This Week

The peonies are in bloom at Brueckner Rhododendron Garden but rain in the forecast could make for a short blooming period this year. Here are some pictures of a few of the stellar blossoms showing their true colors of pink, white and red this week.  See pictures of the rare yellow tree peony in bloom here.

Peony Blossom Deep Pink Border Light Pink Center
This gorgeous deep pink bordered peony flower has a double lighter pink center. Look for it (hopefully it's not been knocked about by the rains) in the main peony bed along the Waterfont Trail near the garden building.

Blooming Peony Garden with Blooming Rhododendrons
This unusual cool spring weather shifted the blooming times to a few weeks later in the season. Last year, the peonies were blooming on June 10 -- see these peonies in bloom here. There are still rhododendrons in bloom (background hillside), much later in June than usual.

Pink Tree Peony in Bloom
Several tree peonies have already bloomed and gone for the season, but a few tree peonies can still be seen amidst the bushier peonies.

Pink White and Red Peonies in Bloom on First Day of Summer 2011
Delicate pink peony, deep red peonies with two double white peonies in the Peony Garden along the Tecumseh Creek trail. Mulching last fall went a long way to keeping out weeds, and City of Mississauga park staff did a thorough weed earlier this year. As the peonies fill in and grow larger, extensive weeding should no longer be necessary. See the hosta garden near the peony beds to see how well hostas do their own weed control.

Peony with White Frilled Outer Petals, Double White-Yellow Center
Look at this beauty! At first glance, this white frilled peony with the pom pom white and yellow center may seem to be one white peony among many. Take a close look at every peony to see variations according to variety. These flowers are a photographer's delight!

White Peony with Yellow Daisy Center
This yellow daisy center white peony is likely a Top Brass peony but I couldn't be certain. See Peony Top Brass from June 25 , 2009, which was a later blooming season two years ago, the first season for the Peony Garden. The white space at the photo bottom left is also a white peony.

White Peony Blossom Opening
Here's another white peony with frilled outer petals and double center, but the center on this flower has less yellow than the one  in the photo above. While these peonies all had name tags when planted, over the past two years, most labels are gone. Some got lost or blew away over the winters, and others were taken by peony fanciers looking to buy the same plants for their own gardens.

Deep Pink Bush Peonies in Bloom
An early morning sprinkler left its mark with water drops on these deep pink peonies. These pink peonies as well as some red peonies can be found in the perennial bed on the north west side of the Garden office building (washroom building). In this sunnier location, these peonies are the first to come into bloom at the Garden. Since they line the perimeter of the perennial bed, they do need a bit of staking to keep them from drooping on the lawn (outside) edge of this bed.

 Roses In Bloom at Brueckner Garden
This week, the roses are coming into bloom as well, despite the best efforts of aphids to munch the blossoms. Early bloomers are Evelyn, Scentimental, and the mystery deep orange rose.

The Peony Garden has been re-vamped: See This Post January 2012.