First choice for the home garden should be plants that are showy, hardy, need minimum care, and are permanent. Herbaceous peonies meet all four of these requirements.
From the moment the crimson spears poke through the soil in early spring until the foliage is cut down by frost in late fall, the peony is lovely; for even when not in bloom, the handsome, rounded foliage mass provides an excellent accent point in bed or border. The plants serve as specimens or may be combined with annuals, perennials, or summer bulbs, providing quantities of bloom for cutting and garden effect.
Minimum Winter Protection
Peonies seldom require winter protection after the first year or two. They thrive from southern Mississippi well into Canada. An added virtue is their freedom from insects and disease. Only botrytis blight, which attacks the young stems or turns buds black, is a problem, but it is easily controlled with a fungicide spray applied in spring as the spears are breaking through the ground.
Herbaceous peonies, as any specialist’s catalogue will disclose come in a glittering array of varieties, including every color of the rainbow but blue. There are five distinct flower types:
Five Distinct Flower Types
Single – Five or more petals arranged around a center of pollen-bearing stamens and carpels.
Japanese – Five or more petals and abortive stamens, called staminodes, surround the carpels.
Anemones – Five or more petals and a center of stamens transformed into a pompon of petalodes, usually yellow.
Semi-double – Five or more outer petals and a center of broad petals with stamens intermixed.
Double – Stamens, and sometimes carpels, more or less fully transformed into petals, resulting in many-petaled, globe-shaped flowers.
In ancient China, everyone regardless of wealth or position, enjoyed peonies, an eloquent example of people’s love for the plant. Its native home, China, Tibet, and Manchuria indicates its winter hardiness.
Peonies are happy when they are grown alone but, as already noted they combine readily with perennials, such as poppies, delphiniums, and lilies. However, they are heavy feeders so avoid planting them where they must compete with tree roots for nourishment. While soil tolerant, they prefer a medium-heavy loam with good drainage. Also, peonies, should have sunlight at least half of each day.
Selecting Varieties
In selecting varieties pay special attention to the height and strength of the stems, as well as the size and color of the flowers. This data is usually given in growers’ catalogs.
The time of bloom is also important. In most northern states the peak of the peony season is late May and early June; farther south it is somewhat earlier. Consider those that bloom ten days to two weeks before the peak as early; those that bloom a week before and a week after the peak as midseason; and those that flower later as late. By careful selection of varieties it is possible to have peonies in flower for almost six weeks.
by M Taylor – 61639
