Mine was not very impresive the first two years. But I have to say, it was very nice this spring. Still waiting to see it repeat, tho! The scent was light, but definetly sweet.

Peonies really need a cold cycle. The cold cycle should be under 40F at the minimum. In a pot the need is to let the root become cool but not too cold and dried out. In your zone 8a you may have some freezing temperatures but not subzero ones. Try to put the pot outside on the cooler days. Last year was an exception as far as temperatures. We had very low temperatures clear to the gulf coast at Easter which wiped out much of the bloom and in Spring dampness some of the plants died, more I believe from rot than from the frozen wet soil.

Sure. We followed the plans for the top of this cold frame made of PVC http://www.pvcplans.com/coldframe.htm He made the bottom to fit right inside of the bed and we buried it some. We covered it with plastic drop cloth from the painting section of Lowes. Next year I will have time to plan ahead and order some thicker plastic but we were on a time crunch. I think if I had it to do over again, we would have used 1/2" pvc instead of the 3/4". We weren't able to get enough clips to hold the cover on (that's why one isn't covered) and if we had used the smaller pvc, we could have used those large 2" black binder clips to hold the plastic on. That's what I used when I lived in WA and built a hoop house. here's a link to show you what clips I'm talking about http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/838056/Office-Depot-Large-Binder-Clips-2/?cm_vc=C5203 My husband doesn't really draw out plans, kinda builds as he goes (drives me nuts but who am I to complain if he does the job) We had to try and figure out how to cover the ends since we didn't have any more clips and needed to be able to get in easily to water. I thought of lattice and we found some plastic lattice with smaller openings. On the side that gets the most wind, we covered the lattice with plastic and stapled through small cardboard pieces to help secure it. We have a heavy duty staple gun so hubby had to push down the ends on the outside with his multi tool so I wouldn't get poked. I suggested shorter staples but.... Then we just poked a few holes through the plastic and zip tied it to the frame. The other side of the lattice we left uncovered so that the plants would get some air. You could cover it but we ran out of time and it seems to work just fine. Our garden is right by the fire station on a busy road, we even had a couple of people stop and come see them and ask how we built them. If you need close up pictures of any of it, let me know. I have a couple on my blog but I could email more. Something else we did, since we get so much bloody wind, I tied zip ties around the bottom of the frame and stapled them to the box. One good gust when we were putting the ends on almost sent the whole thing flying. So far seems to be holding on just fine. Here is a link that might be useful: my blog

sas...thank you! If I am to move the little wall (even 6") I would need to replace the beam which means I might as well move the entire thing and go with a post. Which I realize I might have to do. I have tryed a couple of u shape layouts, they seem to give me lots of counter space but do you think (by looking at my current photos) it would close off and congest the dining area? I am open to reconfiguring the dining area too if it makes a difference. I like the curved island, I was worried that I would not have enough room around it for seating. Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it!