I have Sarah too and this was really the first year she was in her full glory! I didn't cage any of mine....always plan too, but never get it done. I want to try a piece of farm fencing where each stem can grow up through an opening and see if that will work.

Now need to get something around a dahlia that is over 3 feet tall before we get more rain.

I love the very soft pink and with the fragrance, she is hard to beat!

Beautiful! Why does it alway rain when the peonies bloom.

Sierra

I am so sorry to hear about your loss.
hehehe- Blasted rain. Those are lovely shots you got of her before she melted and the first photo especially is very inviting.
I do not have peonies yet but pictures like these really make me want to get some. Is that one plant you have there or several? Does the plant/foliage keep going after the flowering or does it die back?

bluesunflower, I have only the one Sarah in that bed. It sits beside peony 'Bowl of Beauty'. Sarah is a large bush with an abundance of flowers.

I have tried using peony hoops, branches, stakes to individual stems to help hold up their heads. Have had no success. I enjoy them for the brief while they are present and hope for no rain (just for a week or so).

You may be able to see a few of the remaining blossoms of 'Bowl of Beauty'. Photos of them can be seen in an earlier post.

The foliage remains that fresh crisp green until the frost gets to it. After the flowers are gone it becomes simply a background plant.

How do you (and gottagarden) keep your Peony bushes so low to the ground? Do you trim it back a lot? Mine grow very big and then flop when the flowers come on. I trim mine back after they are finished blooming, but never look that tidy during blooming peak.
I have to grow mine in partial shade here or they scorch. Maybe that is why they get so tall.

I am so jealous!

~Annie

Annie, peonies require full sun to bloom their very best.

I would guess that your sun is much stronger than mine. Perhaps because of the angle of the sun's rays at your location.

I'm not a scientist, but I do know the sun is received differently around the planet.

Annie, peonies are not fussy plants. But, they do require full sun to bloom their very best.

I would guess that your sun is much stronger than mine. Perhaps because of the angle of the sun's rays at your location.

I'm not a scientist, but I do know the sun is received differently around the planet.

Does anyone in your area grow peonies? If so, you might want to ask a grower there how they manage to grow them successfully. If not, it may be one of those plants that just doesn't like your particular climate.

Wish I could be more helpful to you.

What a lovely garden! Sarah Bernhardt is my favorite peony too.