NEWS:
May 10th 2023 update:
Happy Bloom Season
Pacific Northwest Peony Society Members!
Announcement of Public and Private Garden Tours
We have three tour dates scheduled for this season. May 20th, June 10th and June 11th. We hope you can join us please email me for address info and directions to private gardens.
May 20th, 2023
10am - 12:00pm Seattle Chinese Gardens, 6000 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
If you can’t make our tour, the gardens are open daily and they are celebrating their peony festival this weekend.
Meet at the North Parking Lot. We have a guided tour scheduled at 10am that lasts around 1 hour. Park in the North Lot (should be free on the weekends), suggested $5-10 donation to the gardens per person. There are no public restrooms on site at the garden, however there facilities nearby at the college that are open if needed. The gardens are flat and accessible.
1:00pm - 2:30pm Schneider/Corker Residence, Newcastle WA
Carol Schneider and Edward Corker have lived and gardened in Newcastle for 26 years. Carol moved peonies from Minnesota and her home in Ballard to Newcastle before becoming excited about adding tree and intersectional peonies to her collection. Their garden has approximately 75 peonies and has a bloom season of about 6-8 weeks. The garden slopes up from a cul-de-sac with a western exposure. The front yard has a view out to Lake Washington.
The driveway is sloped and there are concrete stairs and rock steps throughout the garden. Angled parking in cul-de-sac.
3:30pm - 5:00pm Smith/Legler Residence, Edgewood WA
Steve Smith and Larry Legler moved over 65 peonies and hundreds of other plants to their new home from Kent. Starting with a blank slate of dirt and weeds, they have completely transformed this 1/4 acre property in just 3 years. They have 95 peonies, including woody, herbaceous and intersectional varieties with hundreds of companion plants. They also hybridize and cultivate peonies from seed and have over 350 peony seedlings. This year there will be 50 of them that will be blooming for the first time. This property also features a deck to view the entire back garden from above, with views of the Sumner Valley and Mt. Rainier.
Please note there are concrete stairs and a sloping yard and driveway for those with mobility issues.
June 10th, 2023
10-11:30am Torgrimson Residence, Bellevue WA
Kristi and Mark have been slowly transforming their 1.3 overgrown acres on Cougar Mountain into a loved garden. Kristi started collecting peonies over 10 years ago, inspired by her mother’s peony collection and gift of her first tree peony. The garden has more than 130 peonies including early blooming woodland peonies and tree peonies. Kristi has also recently started collecting and growing peony seeds, but still a few years away from first flowers. The garden has a northwest facing view of Bellevue and the Olympic Mountains, and is located up a sloped private road with limited parking. Please note the driveway and garden paths are uneven and sloped in some places.
1:00-2:30pm Mazzoncini Residence, Carnation WA
Jenelle Mazzoncini and her family have been living at their Carnation home for 10 years. The large yard surrounded by woods initially overwhelmed her but after a few years she caught the gardening bug. Her artistic side informs the beds and borders where she loves to “paint with plants,” creating fun color and texture combos with perennials, succulents, conifers and Japanese maples. Her love of peonies initially began with an interest in finding flowers that were resistant to deer. In 2019 the interest exploded into a passion and she now has around 130 peonies, mostly herbaceous and Itoh, with a few woody peonies added recently.
When visiting, please plan to park on the street and walk down the long paved driveway. Sturdy shoes are a must. In addition to the large yard which is hilly and uneven in spots, there is a lovely 1/3 mile trail around the home through the woods that you don’t want to miss.
June 11th, 2023
11am, Closed Loop Park, 2418 Hogum Bay Rd NE Exd, Olympia, WA 98516
WSU Thurston County Master Gardeners and the CLP steering committee have invited us to visit their demonstration garden. Closed Loop is literally a dump. Specifically, it’s the Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center. The park sits atop a restored portion of the Hawk’s Prairie landfill. It “closes the loop” by returning the former dump to a scenic and productive space. The 2-acre demonstration garden is planted in about 18 inches of soil on top of an impermeable protective liner. Mount Rainier rises in the background while a small creek gurgles past. Grassy areas and benches offer respite. PNPS donated many roots to the garden previously. If you happen to miss our tour, it's a open daily and year round for visitors.
Steve Smith, President
(253) 709-0102
The Founder: Al Rogers
The Pacific Northwest Peony Society was founded in 1996 by peony lover Allan 'Al' Rogers. He wanted to form a group that got together to discuss peonies and one others' love for the beautiful flower, and then the Pacific Northwest Peony Society was born. They started getting local peony growers from around Oregon and Washington, and it has grown from there. We recommend to everyone to pick up a copy of Al's book, "Peonies" By Allan Rogers, it is a great read, and very informational.
Al passed away September 23, 2015 at the age of 94.
We welcome, all types of people, commercial peony growers, to landscapers, to home gardeners. The yearly membership fee for a two person household is only $10.00. Join us today!!