Peonies
“(Peonies) take minimal care and they give you back. It’s one of my favorite flowers,” Musser says. “The bloom is so spectacular when you see that it comes out of a bud that’s the size of a large marble.” This is Madame Butterfly.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
More like this...
Yvonne Musser grows plants with a special focus on fragrance, like lilacs and lily of the valley. She’s taught herself about perennials like peonies as she’s added plants through the years.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
She now has 364 peony shrubs, including this Festiva Maxima.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
With hundreds of peony plants, she’s learned not to mix different varieties in her rows. They mature at different rates, making it more difficult to harvest.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
Among her perennial plants, peonies are a dependable flower with little care. This is a variety called Nick Shaylor.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
“(Peonies) take minimal care and they give you back. It’s one of my favorite flowers,” Musser says. “The bloom is so spectacular when you see that it comes out of a bud that’s the size of a large marble.” This is Madame Butterfly.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
Bob Musser, Yvonne's husband, lends a hand with the peonies by edging the flower beds and adding mulch.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
Musser doesn't add supports to her peony plants, with the exception of one variety (not pictured) that has tall stems topped by cherry red flowers.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
To bring peonies indoors, cut the stems when the flowers are halfway open, Musser says.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
This May, there's a lot happening in the Lancaster County region to help you grow.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
And place them in a vase with lukewarm water. Remove any leaves below the water line.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
And if you're buying peonies, when you bring them home, cut an inch off the bottom of the stems at an angle before putting them in a vase of lukewarm water, Musser says.
- ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff Photographer
More like this...
As featured on
![Hundreds of peonies are in bloom at this fifth-generation farm in Manor Township [photos]](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/lancasteronline.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/ed/7ed6b1a2-a4e8-11ea-adfa-97e0d2b6582e/5ed674c98b0bf.image.jpg?resize=1795%2C1155)
The peonies tended by Yvonne Musser are in bloom.
What to Read Next
Support local journalism. Click here to learn more about the role the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund plays in Lancaster County and to make a tax-deductible donation.
