Peonies , are one of the most beautiful flowers that bloom in our gardens. They came to Europe from Japan and China, where they have been known and cultivated for a long time. There, they are still a symbol of good luck, prosperity, happiness and prosperity to this day. See whatgrowing peonies in the garden looks like , when is the best time topropagating and planting peoniesand what are the best garden peoniesvarieties of peonies
Peony 'Władysława' is a Polish variety with Japanese-type flowers
Peonies - garden varieties
The genus of peony is about 35 species of plants, the vast majority of which are perennials, and only a few are small shrubs. Among the numerous group of species, the following can be mentioned: Maymedical peony(Paeonia officinalis), tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa),Wittmann's peony(Paeonia wittmanniana), April-May, botanicalMłokosiewicza peony(Paeonia Mlokosewitschii) ordelicate peony(Paeonia tenuifolia). However, in the vast majority of our gardens, we findChinese peony(Paeonia lactiflora). It is this species that has the most variety of garden hybrid varieties, which are constantly growing every year.
The main decoration of peonies are, of course,flowers, which in peoniescan be single, full or semi-double, and the range of colors is various shades of pink, red and white. There are also yellow peonies, but these are not often found in our gardens (e.g.Młokosiewicz peony). There are also two-color varieties in which, for example, small, inner petals are of a much different color than the large, outer ones (e.g. 'Władysława', 'Ursyn Niemcewicz').
The flowering of Chinese peoniesis in June. Early varieties begin flowering at the beginning of the month, followed immediately by the flowers of medium-early varieties. Late peonies bloom at the end of June. These dates, however, may change slightly as they largely depend on the weather in a given year.
Huge, full and beautifully fragrant peony flowers 'Ursynów'
Among the great we althpeony varieties , it is worth paying attention to the native ones that are proven in our climatic conditions.Polish varieties of peonieshave graceful names derived from traditional female names, e.g. such beautiful varieties as peony 'Krystyna' (bulky, full and large flower in dark pink color, var.late), 'Barbara' (the flower is pink in color, the outer petals are large, the center is filled with a large number of small petals - mid-early variety), 'Ewelina' (creamy-white outer petals, full center of small, cream petals, with yellow shading), ' Hania '(full flower, classically pink),' Jadwiga '(pale pink, semi-double flowers, with a pleasant smell) or very interestingly colored' Władysława '(beautiful pink outer petals, full center of small, cream-yellow petals).
Dark pink, full peony flowers 'Profesor Wójcicki'
Other beauties among thePolish peoniesalso include: the peony 'Profesor Wójcicki' (large, full, pink flowers with yellow stamens inside the crown) and the late variety 'Ursynów' with large, bulky and full flowers in pink color and a stunningly beautiful rose fragrance. I have listed only a few Polish, proven varieties, but there are of course many more, and I think that every lover of these wonderful, charming flowers will surely find something for themselves among them.
In addition to Polish peony varieties, there are of course veryinteresting varieties of peonies with foreign originA very good example is the popular in our country peony 'Kansas', considered one of the most beautiful varieties of peony with red flowers .Chinese peony 'Kansas'reaches a height of 80-100 cm. Its shoots are strong, slightly branched. Kansas peony flowers are large, full, dark red. The flowering date is June.
Growing peonies
Peonyis a beautiful flower, but unfortunately quite demanding. The plant is a perennial, so it can grow in the same place for many years. In addition, she does not like transplanting very much, so we should take care of appropriate environmental conditions in the planting place. Let's start with choosing the right place and position.Cultivation site
The most appropriateplace for growing peonieswill be a warm and sunny place, as it has quite a significant impact on the quality and quantity of flowers.Peonies usually bloom in the third year after planting, and they need a winter rest and cool to form flower buds. They are also frost-resistant, but in the first 2-3 years after planting, it is worth protecting them with mulch before winter, because too low temperatures can easily damage young carp.
A delicate, creamy white Polish variety of peony 'Ewelina'
Soil, watering
Peoniesdevelop long, cylindrical roots, therefore they should not grow on heavy and wet soils, as they will rot and become sick. However, they cannot tolerate drying up, so remember to water them regularly, especially in dry spring. To limit water evaporation and the development of weeds, it is good to mulch the bushes with garden bark. Peonies will do best in fertile, fairly drained and deeply cultivated soil. The suitable soil reaction for them is medium acid (pH 5-6), although they will also cope with alkaline ones.
Planting peonies
The depth of planting is most important for the flowering of peonies. There must be no more than 3-5 cm of substrate above the buds growing out of the carp. Ifwe plantpeonies deeper, they won't bloom. They will also not bloom well in shady places or if they have too much competition for nutrients with other demanding plants growing near them, e.g. with shrubs.Before planting a plant, dig a suitable hole, the bottom of which is worth it enrich with manure or compost, lightly mixing the fertilizer with the existing substrate. We continue fertilization in the following years of cultivation, because peonies have quite high nutritional requirements.
Remember! Perennial peonies are planted shallow, so that the eyes from which the shoots will grow are 3-5 cm below the ground. Peonies planted too deep, may not bloom even for a few years. For the same reason, peonies should not be mulched with too thick a layer of mulch.
Breeding peonies
When we have a beautiful and large, branching peony in the garden, but its flowering is weaker than in previous years, it is high time to change places. On this occasion, we can also multiply the plant, because the most popular way to do this isdivision of several-year-old carp peonies
Propagation of perennial peonies by dividing carpwe perform at the end of summer, at the turn of August and September. For this purpose, the plant to be propagated should be dug up, keeping as many roots as possible and, after cleaning the excess soil with a sharp tool, divide the carp so that a single seedling has no less than 3 - 4 buds. For the bigger it is, the faster and more profusely it will bloom.
Peony 'Jadwiga' is another Polish variety, fragrant, with semi-double, pink flowers
It is also possiblepropagating peonies from seeds , although in amateur conditions it is much more difficult and requires more patience (sowing peonies will not bloom earlier than after 5-7 years), and the obtained plants may not repeat those of the mother plant.Peony seeds are harvested from August to September and stored over the winter in moist sand at 1-5 ° C. In spring they are sown on the seedbed. Some people also practice sowing seeds immediately after harvesting.
Tree peonies can be propagatedalso by grafting in a wedge on the roots of Chinese or medicinal peonies. This treatment can be performed in early September or in winter. The inoculated plants are planted deep enough that the inoculation site is underground. During the winter, they are put down in the inspection or stored in a bright and cool cellar. However, since grafting is quite a complicated procedure and often fails, in amateur cultivation it will be easierpropagating tree peonyby separating self-rooted, regrowing side shoots.
Diseases and pests of peonies
To protect peonies from the threat of fungal diseases and from unnecessary seed production, remove faded inflorescences.Plants may be threatened not only bypeony fungal diseases(gray mold, gray leaf spot), but also nematodes causing leaf wilt (chrysanthemum nematode) or viral diseases such as yellow spots on the leaves.
Cut flower peonies
Peony flowersnot only can decorate flower beds in our garden, but are also perfect for a vase. At the same time, they belong to those plants whose flowers can be cut in the phase of the colored bud, because they can also develop in a vessel with water. Just remember not to deprive the plant of too many leaves when cutting flowers. Therefore, let's not cut all the flowers with the whole stem down to the ground at once. Let's leave some leaves on the stem from below, otherwise we can weaken the carp too much, which may also result in poor flowering in the future.
Katarzyna Józefowicz
Based on: Dr Monika Hanschke, Piwonie, Działkowiec, No. 6/2011, pp. 4-7.
