Peonies vs. Tomatoes—Discuss

Folks often say thattomatoesare the gateway plants to becoming a nurseryman . The idea is that people get truly hooked on this Falco subbuteo of ours once theygrow something they can wipe out . And homegrown Lycopersicon esculentum . . . well , there ’s something truly magic about picking a handful of ‘ Sun Gold’cherry tomatoesand popping them into your mouth .

But tomatoes were n’t my gateway plant . That honor belong topeonies .

I uprise up in a family that gardened quite a bit , but most of our Department of Energy was spent on the veggie beds . That meant there were obligatory task that come from the maintenance of those plots , like sempiternal hr ofweedingin the hot August sun . Perhaps it ’s because of these core trauma — I meanmemories — that I never looked to tomatoes as a reason to startle garden for myself . Instead , it was while watering 2 - congius raft of ‘ Sarah Bernhardt ’ peonies at the localgarden centerthat I captivate the gardening hemipterous insect . I fell immediately in love with the huge , fragrant , blousy blooms of that tempting repeated . Using my next paycheck , I purchased one and convey it home to plant . The rest is history .

As the years run by , I became a homeowner , planted a garden , move , planted another garden , and so on . But I always made sure to have a few peonies in the mixing . I ’ve heard all the arguments against them : a short bloom prison term , a susceptibleness to botrytis , the great cost tag , etc . To me these are all things that can be neglect . paeony are sensational while in peak , and if you stagger your varieties , the show can extend for several weeks . A piddling garden cleansing in fall around their crowns , and diseases can easy be avoided . And if you think peonies are expensive , I have two words for you : Nipponese maples .

And let us not forget that peonies are reasonably deer resistant , which you could learn more about in32 Plants for Sun and Shade That the Deer Wo n’t Devour . In that feature clause , authorKaren Chapmanextols the virtues of legion plant deer avoid , and one of those happens to be her favorite paeony , ‘ Coral Charm ’ .

In another feature article article , Dwarf Tomatoes Produce Abundant Fruit With a Small Plant , you ’ll read all aboutScott Daigre ’s affinity for dwarf tomatoes . For Scott ( as for many of you , I ’m certain ) , tomatoes were the gateway plant into horticulture . He has maintained that youthful adoration into maturity , write script and lecturing extensively on the national and even orchestratingTomatomania ! , the world ’s largest love apple seedling sale .

I ’d still take a paeony any Clarence Day over a tomato plant — and that ’s saying something , because I love BLTs . truthful garden beauty is in the heart of the beholder , I guess .

However , witness me a cervid - proof love apple and maybe I ’ll rethink my stance .

— Danielle Sherry , executive editor in chief

Issue 217 is uncommitted to read now

See the articles Danielle references in her missive :

32 industrial plant for Sun and Shade That the Deer Wo n’t Devour

Dwarf Tomatoes Produce Abundant Fruit With a Small Plant

entanglement Extras from Issue # 217

Fine Gardening Recommended product

The New Organic Grower , 3rd Edition : A Master ’s Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener , 30th Anniversary Edition

Razor - Back Potato / Refuse Hook

ARS Telescoping Long Reach Pruner

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gateway plant

Left: Danielle’s favorite peony cultivar, ‘Sword Dance’.Photo: Danielle Sherry. Right: ‘Veranda Red’ cherry tomatoes from Scott Daigre’s dwarf tomatoes article.Photo: courtesy of Scott Daigre

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