I've seen some gorgeous pics of peony trees or shrubs & was wondernig how well they would really do here. Anyone in N. Texas have any experience with them you could share? I'd love to have some in my backyard, but am not sure even where to begin...

Peonies go into dormancy every year and require winter chilling to do so. Because of that, they fair poorly in the south. I wish that was not the case, as I loved their spring blooms when I lived in the north.

They grow well in zone 2 - 8, but I have not seen any that have done well here, even though we are zone 7b. If someone has any secrets I would love to know!

See here: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1241.html

and here: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/hardiness.jpeg

Well... guess what: after doing Dallas Blooms at the Arboretum today, I saw some peonies near the bamboo trail that were just breaking ground.

The funny thing is, I always thought they needed full sun and these were in a small area with quite large trees on all sides -- albeit without leaves yet.

If Leslie sees this post, I hope she can shed some light on those, as well as any that just may grow down here without a lot of work.

Oh, that's great to hear! Especially the part about shade, as my yard has way too much of that to get much color.

*note to self: get thee to the Arboretum!*