Pairing roses with blooms from a peony farm

Rose lovers often look for a companion plant that can carry the garden through late spring, before the first big flush of roses arrives. Peonies are the natural answer. They share the same romantic, cottage-garden character, they thrive in similar sunny spots, and their lush flowers bridge the gap between spring bulbs and summer roses. White varieties are especially useful here, because they never clash with the pinks, apricots and reds of a rose collection. Many gardeners now search for white peonies for sale online, because a web shop offers far more choice than the handful of potted plants you usually find at a garden center. You can compare flower forms, check the expected height and choose varieties that open just before your roses, so the display never pauses. A single row of white blooms in front of climbing roses can transform a border in only a few seasons.

How ordering bare roots online works

Most growers ship peonies as bare roots, and that is good news for anyone shopping from home. A bare root is lighter than a potted plant, travels well and settles into the soil quickly once planted. When you order from a specialist peony farm, the roots are usually dug in early fall, trimmed, checked and shipped straight from the field. This keeps them fresh and gives them time to grow new feeder roots before winter. Peony’s Envy, for example, ships bare-root plants across the country during the planting season. Because a peony farm grows its own stock, you also know exactly which cultivar you are getting, which is not always the case with mass-market suppliers. Plant the roots with the eyes no more than two inches below the surface, water them in and let nature do the rest.

Complete your rose garden this fall

Picture your roses next June, framed by clouds of soft white blooms that opened just days earlier. That picture starts with a simple order this fall. Stock of popular varieties is limited, since a peony farm can only harvest so many divisions each year. Take a moment to browse the catalog, choose two or three varieties that suit your roses and reserve them while they are still available. Your future garden will thank you for it.