I can tell you right now, no one will know what you mean by pine bark fines. Most retail personnel barely know what they have in stock, and you'll get a lot of blank stares at the mention of pine bark fines, or turface... it's not what they're used to selling as medium ingredients. I actually found the pine bark in the pet section of Meijer's, which is kind of like WalMart or Target. It's labeled ReptiBark reptile bedding. It's roughly $5 for 4 dry quarts. An alternative is soil conditioner, which it turns out is pine bark, though it may need to be screened for dust and size... I've heard they sell it at Lowe's, but haven't found it there. The granite chips were located at Rural King, which is kind of like Blain's Farm & Fleet, a large farm oriented store. It's actually labeled Manna Pro Poultry Grit, granite chips, and it's in a blue and yellow bag. Perlite is available almost everywhere garden stuff is sold. There's some really great information on where to locate all the ingredients to make this medium over at the Container Gardening Forum. If you can't find posts about what you're looking for, just ask... those guys are great, and they definitely have the knowledge.

Sorry, I can't help until the bloom is open. That may give a better reference.

gldno1 - unfortunately the tree peony blooms seem to be short lived like herbaceous peonies. This is my first tree peony, though, so I am certainly not an authority on the subject. I am looking forward to seeing the branch structure of the plant develop and to see what it looks like over the winter. trailrunner - thanks!

Hi Charlie! Thanks for the compliments... I love my DLs! I wish I had a farm somewhere around... the closest is Jack Carpenter, and it is about a 2+ hour drive each way... maybe someday this summer we will make an overnight trip. I don't play golf, but I hear Myrtle Beach is fab. Sometimes just the clubhouse is worth the visit. Beautiful grounds, good cocktails etc... :o) berrytea4me - Stella started doing that towards the end of a very hot season last year. All the finishing blooms were very unique. I'll tell you, I have about 10 clumps of Stella, and I love the way she looks, especially in the front yard... I have been too scardy cat to put anything of value out there. LOL. What if someone comes by and decides to plant-nap my Jerry Nettles, or Little Blue Bell. I would die.