Peony Roses for an Unrivaled Floral Display
Peonies are Supreme Landscape Plants with Lush Fragrant Blooms
Aug 11, 2009
Peonies, even with their Far East origins, are perfectly at home in gardens in cooler areas. They will grow happily in temperatures found in U.S. zones from 3 all the way up to 9. Peonies are perennial herbaceous plants with voluptuous rose like blooms. Because of this familiarity they are often called Peony Roses although in truth they are not related to the rose family at all. Peonies, whose botanical name is Paeonia, are from the Paeoniaceae family and roses are from the Rosaceae family. There are two types of Peony, the herbaceous cottage garden type, growing to about 3ft. tall and the Tree Peony, which can grow up to 10ft. tall. The Chinese grow peonies as a symbol of prosperity and good taste. The Peony is also called Chinese Peony.
Growing a Herbaceous Peony
Peonies are easy to grow and will bloom from early/late spring to the end of July. They are available in beautiful shades of deep red, bright red, white, pink, cream and some, like the Peony Gay Paree are two tone. The flowers can be single or double. They grow from a rhizome or seed, but if grown from seed they rarely come true to form. Once planted, they like to be left alone, and they can grow in the same spot for decades, so choose the site with care. Moving the plants can delay flowering.
- Plant the rhizome in fertile soil. Place the growing tip about 1” below the surface. If the rhizome is planted too deep the plant will not flower.
- Peonies like the sun but try not to plant in a site where morning sun and frost might pose a problem. They will do well in partial shade.
- Plant in a humus rich soil with a pH of 7 making it ideal.
- Fertilize with potash early in the year and also at the end of the flowering season.
- Peonies enjoy plenty of water, applied below foliage level, during hot summer weather.
- Plant and prune in the fall.
- Peony plants are susceptible to a fungus called botrytis so spray the new growing tips with a fungicide as soon as they appear. Botrytis appears as a gray mold.
Favorite Peonies
- Paeonia Peregrina is an open, single peony in bright red with yellow stamens. It is an early bloomer.
- Paeonia China Rose is a mid spring bloomer with big, delicate single pink flowers.
- Paeonia Veitchii is a spring/summer bloomer in shades of pink, mauve and white.
- Paeonia Gay Paree has a two tone flower, vibrant pink on the outside and dreamy white on the inside. A mid-summer charmer.
- Paeonia Carol is a red, late summer bloomer.
Peony Care and Propagation
During the flowering season remove any spent blooms. Stake the stems to prevent rain damage. Peony flower heads can become very heavy when wet and will sag to the ground, rarely to rise again. Once the flowering season has ended allow the foliage to die back naturally, do not cut or pull the decaying stems until the very end of the summer. Once the foliage has died down it is time for propagation. To increase the stock lift the rhizome and divide it with a sharp knife or spade making sure there is some root on each portion. Be careful not to damage any new growing tips. Plant the divided clumps as per the instructions already mentioned.
Peonies as Cut Flowers
For indoor decoration Peony is very hard to surpass. To decorate a room for a special occasion cut the stems two days beforehand and select buds which have just opened or better still ones which are about to open. Keep the room cool and do not place the flowers in direct sunlight. An ideal container to enhance the cottage garden appeal of peony flowers is an earthenware jug or urn.
Rivaling the Oleander plant and the Azaleas for spectacular blooms, peonies are the ultimate in perennial plants, giving years of easy to care for foliage with unrivaled floral displays.
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