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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

They Grow 'em Big!

My eldest sister lives in the Matanuska Valley in Alaska where the world's largest cabbages are grown. I recently received these images in my email.   It seems that this year, Dirce's peonies are rivaling the cabbages for size!  Because of their size and the recent rain there, the flowers were falling to the ground so they got rescued for the vase.  This one is posing on the seat of a chair.  That's got to be over a foot around. 


There's a reason that they call this peony flower type a bomb!  It took two large vases to accommodate these three blooms.

All of the peonies in my garden are but a memory.  It's nice to know gardeners in the north who are enjoying them still. 

Hope you enjoyed these giants from the north! 


30 comments:

  1. HOLY COW!!!! Those are some fabulous peonies! Magnificent

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    1. I'd never seen peonies so large. I get the most interesting images in my email!

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  2. An explosion of color: perfect gift for the 4th of July. (I wonder if they are fragrant)

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  3. Unbelievable! Your sister should submit those flowers to the Guinness world records people.

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  4. They are exquisite. There's an old pun that applies here, you know what it is.

    I do wish I could grow them because they were a childhood fav. Festiva Maxima was the best but the pink ones smelled so good.

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    1. I think I do!

      Sorry you can't grow them there as they are such wonderful plants. I used to grow the big forms but lately, I'm liking the singles and semi doubles.

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  5. Can your sister see Sarah Palin from her house?

    Awesome peonies.

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    1. Yes! They both live in Wasilla! (which is "all I saw" spelled backward - go figure)

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  6. They are fabulous! Do they have any perfume?

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  7. Wowser! Those are some enormous peonies!

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  8. My "bomb" peony doesn't get quite that big but does flop badly. I like the smaller peonies better, even though the bombs do have so many petals.

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    1. The bombs were created for the cut flower industry and I like them best in a vase as they always topple over in the garden. For gardens, I like some of the simpler ones, too!

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  9. Amazing what all that summer light can do. I have that same chair pad in green and (just for a reality check) the peony is easily 12" around. Would dinner plate Dahlias be the size of platters?

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    1. I think that the peonies also like the cool nights. If I recall correctly, the larger varieties of dahlias also grow well there.

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  10. Those are fantastic! I'm amazed that they get so much in a place where summer is famously short.

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    1. While the frost free dates are comparatively short, summer days are endless. It's the land of the midnight sun and all, so plants develop very quickly in the nearly constant light.

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  11. Wow!
    Yep, peonies are fleeting, but there is always something to take their place, like roses!

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    1. My niece, Alison, who also lives there, says that her roses are just beginning to show color. Isn't the progression of blooms in the summer a sweet thing?

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  12. Now THOSE are the peonies I remember from my childhood! Beautiful!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.