No matter how beautiful all of my other Peonies are, they're always in the shadow of this late-bloomer: P. rockii. Its buds look like big, squishy marshmallows.
Our warm, sunny weekend pushed the first buds to open into glorious flowers. Yesterday's cooler temps and rain showers closed them up again.
Cool and cloudy again today which means these lovely blooms will last more than a day or two — which is what happens if it is too hot and sunny.
Once they start to open I luxuriate in their short-lived beauty.
This Peony is an un-named rockii-type seedling from the late Seneca Hill Perennials. It was listed as likely being pink in color but I've always been more than happy that it turned out to be white; though I am a bit disappointed that it does not have the dark rockii splashes in the center of the flowers. Since it was sold un-named, I call it 'Seneca Hill Snowstorm' in memory of the wonderful nursery located in the Finger Lakes region of New York state.
Stunning!
Posted by: Peter/Outlaw | Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 09:20 AM
A pure white rockii seedling without any of the purple splotches is my kind of peony! Very special, and you've given it a great garden name. Wow, it's been ten years already since Seneca Hills last sent out plants; its whole existence was during the period I turned away from gardening, but it seems to have had a lasting and widespread impact.
Posted by: Nell | Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 11:19 AM
That is one gorgeous peony. Worth waiting for.
Posted by: Lisa at Greenbow | Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 01:04 PM
I try not to get depressed when I think of all the great plants that I lost because I was too new and inexperienced a gardener. Now those nurseries are long-gone and I've rarely found replacements for those unusual plants.
Posted by: Linda from Each Little World | Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 03:46 PM
Enchanting! I think I'm running out of superlatives to describe peonies...
Posted by: Kris P | Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 06:08 PM
Know the feeling all too well! But in the end, one key difference between a plant collection sustained by horticulture (however avid and skilled) and a garden is that the latter is made of plants that adapted to your particular situation, thriving together in beautiful combination.
Posted by: Nell | Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 09:32 PM
They do make one go over the top with praise!
Posted by: Linda from Each Little World | Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 06:58 AM
Love the peony, though I don't know if there's ever been one I didn't like, and love the name even more.
Posted by: Barbara H. | Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 07:32 AM
Have to agree that it is a rare Peony that I don't love. I have a friend who got a big plot on her brother's farm just to grow Peonies. She also has a large mostly flower garden in town.
Posted by: Linda from Each Little World | Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 08:00 AM