Old Mission Flowers is open for the summer! And the gorgeous peonies are almost in bloom and should be ready for picking by this weekend.
Owner Ginny Coulter reports that the garden has more than 30 varieties of peonies, which are $2 per stem and may be picked as soon as they are in the “marshmallow” stage. “If you gently pinch the bud, it will be soft and give a little bit,” she says.
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She adds that sometimes you’ll find ants on peonies because they like the nectar that’s secreted as the buds break. But no worries. Ants can be removed by holding the stem firmly under the bud/bloom and shaking upside down or by putting the bud/bloom upside down in water. “Ants don’t swim well,” says Ginny.
Old Mission Flowers is located at 16550 Center Road on the Old Mission Peninsula, on the corner of Center Road and Ladd Road, about 14.4 miles from “The Forks” (intersection of Peninsula Drive and Center Road).
For more information, visit their website or call Ginny at (231) 499-5474.
Also, be sure and follow the Old Mission Flowers Facebook page for bloom updates and info.
Peonies need ants. The waxy bud cover attracts ants who then eat the covering. That enables the bud to blossom. It’s one of those amazing relationships found in Nature.