Peonies

Paeonia

Herbaceous peonies, which have foliage that dies back during the dormant season, are quintessential perennials. They stay where you put them, live for an astounding 40 to 50 years, and require very little attention. They survive the harshest winters, easily resist drought, and aren't bothered by hungry deer or rabbits. Think of them as garden workhorses-particularly beautiful workhorses.

How to grow
Although the sight of peonies' sumptuous blooms prompts many people to buy their plants in May, peonies, just like daffodil and tulip bulbs, are best planted in fall.

For fall planting, your best bet is to put in bareroot peonies rather than green, growing plants. A bareroot peony consists of several swollen roots and a crown of pinkish growth points called buds or eyes. When you're shopping, make sure each division you buy has at least three buds and roots that are solidly attached to the crown. Plant as soon as possible, but if you must wait a few days, gently wrap each bareroot plant in moist newspaper, place it into a ventilated plastic bag, and keep the bag out of the sun. Your planting site should receive morning sun and afternoon shade.

The site should also have well draining soil and contain plenty of organic matter. If you need to add organic matter, mix composted manure or compost into the soil before backfilling the hole. If the soil is excessively acidic, add 1 cup of lime per plant.

Plant each bareroot peony so the buds, or growing points, face skyward and are about 1 1/2 inches below the soil surface. A common problem is planting too deeply.

Water well after planting and keep the soil reasonably moist until the first frost. Then pile 4 inches of mulch atop the planting hole to keep the new roots from heaving out of the ground during winter freezes and thaws. Pull the mulch away in spring. After the first year, the established plant won't need winter mulching.

Peonies grow and bloom much better if soil nutrients are replenished every year. Fertilize established peonies by spreading a 2-inch layer of composted manure or compost around the plants in late fall.

The only other care that peonies need is an end-of-the-year cleanup. This consists of cutting peonies back to the ground in late fall and destroying all the plant debris by burning it or putting it into the trash. Peony foliage should not be added to the compost pile because botrytis blight (also called gray mold), a fungal disease that affects peonies, sometimes survives the composting process.

Some gardeners are bothered by ants that are attracted to the nectar in peonies. When you cut peonies for a fresh-flower arrangement, simply wash the ants off with water.

Note: Some of the best varieties that remain handsome through summer include 'Kansas,' a double-flowered red, and 'Le Charme,' a tall Japanese form with pink flowers.

Early to midseason bloomers
'STARDUST': Single flowers with shining white petals cupped around golden stamens bloom on strong stems early in the season.

'BIG BEN': Bomb double, medium-size, dark red flowers grow on stiff stems and are fragrant; foliage stays handsome through summer. This early bloomer is a good choice for southern gardens.

'KANSAS': This American Peony Society Gold Medal Winner produces bright red to rosy pink double flowers that do not fade while blooming. Lots of blooms on strong stems make it a good cut flower. An early bloomer, it is one of the few double reds that grow well in southern gardens.

'RED CHARM': The bomb double, waxy, deep crimson flowers of this early to midseason bloomer are long lasting; sturdy foliage looks good all summer.

'MISS AMERICA': Semidouble, fragrant flowers with white petals and yellow stamens are good for cutting. A two-time American Peony Society Gold Medal Winner, this midseason bloomer is a good choice for southern states.

Midseason to late bloomers
'ANGEL CHEEKS': Bomb-shaped, mildly fragrant flowers with soft pink petals bloom in midseason. The plant has sturdy stems and deep green leaves.

'LE CHARME': A vigorous grower with stiffly erect stems, this midseason bloomer bears Japanese-form flowers with rose-colored petals and butter yellow stamens streaked with pink.

'LOUISE MARX': Fragrant, Japanese-form white blooms with gold stamens are borne in midseason and make fine cut flowers; foliage is reliable all summer.

'MISS MARY': Single flowers with silky red petals and contrasting short gold stamens are borne in midseason.

'FESTIVA MAXIMA': Lots of large, fragrant, white double flowers with crimson flecks bloom in midseason.

'PINK PRINCESS': This vigorous grower and midseason bloomer has stout, erect, dark green foliage and single flowers with gold stamens surrounded by petals in shades of pink.

'NIPPON GOLD': Pink petals surround yellow stamens in a single flower form. The vigorous foliage of this late bloomer stays nice all summer.

Sources

Khelm's Song Sparrow Farm & Nursery

Gilbert H. Wild and Son

Hollingsworth Peony Nursery

Plant Delights Nursery

Reath's Nursery

Swenson Gardens*
*Organically grown peonies

Fragrant Peonies That Don't Need Staking
by Jean Starr

Early
'America'-Large, brilliant scarlet flowers with gold stamens
'Henry Bockstoce'-Dark, rich cardinal red with rose center
'Miss America'-White with yellow center
'Pink Hawaiian Coral'-Coral in rose shape with delicate yellow stamens

Midseason
'Barrington Belle'
'Cheddar Surprise'-Pure white rose-shaped flowers with a golden center
'Dawn Pink'-Pink
'Do Tell'-Soft shell-pink with rose center
'Falcon'-Nicely formed dark mahogany red
'Shirley Temple'-Blush pale pink
'Summer Glow'-Light peachy yellow
'The Fawn'-Delicate pink parchment fused with rose streaks and dots
'Westerner'-Pink
'White Cap'-Raspberry red petals with a white bomb center

Late
'Bride's Dream'-Dainty, creamy white with a pale yellow center
'Duchesse d'Orleans'-Pink petals tinted violet with salmon overlay, very fragrant
'Elsa Sass'-Creamy white camellia, very fragrant
'Katharine'-White
'Krinkled White'-White, good cut flower
'Madison'-Clear pink with a deeper pink center, mid to late
'Princess Margaret'-Dark pink, enormous flower, very fragrant
'White Frost'-White, hybrid rose-formed with red streaks

Peonies as cut flowers
CUT THE STEMS LONG AND LEAVE A FEW LEAVES BEHIND.

Peonies make superb cut flowers, especially single and Japanese forms.
Some varieties are fragrant. Others have no fragrance at all, and a few tend to have an unpleasant bitter scent. 'Festiva Maxima' produces large, white double blooms, which are characteristic of rose-scented varieties, and 'Louise Marx' bears white Japanese form fLowers that smell a bit like honey.

When making your vase arrangement, harvest the flowers as early in the morning as possible. Using a sharp knife, cut the stems so they are 18 inches long. Be sure to leave at least two leaves on each remaining stem and never remove more than one half of the flowers from a single plant. This allows the plants to continue to photosynthesize.

If you want to use the flowers in an arrangement immediately, select blooms that are almost fully open. If you want a bouquet that lasts longer, select flowers in various stages of opening. And although most people make liberal use of the prolific blossoms in flower arrangements, they forget about the wonderful texture of the leathery leaves. Using leaves and flowers creates a beautiful, natural arrangement.

Saving Cut Peonies for a Special Occasion
By Jean Starr

A vase bursting with peony blossoms is a breathtaking sight, all the more enjoyable because when cut, they last up to two weeks. Is there a wedding, graduation, or other event that you’d like to celebrate with the beauty of peonies but is scheduled after they are likely to finish blooming? When cut in bud stage, peonies can be put in a holding pattern for two to three weeks.

According to peony breeder Don Hollingsworth, double forms should be cut in the soft bud stage, which he describes as feeling like a fresh marshmallow. Cut bomb forms when the sepals surrounding the bud are loosening and an edge of the true color is showing, and cut single and Japanese forms at a stage just slightly firmer than the bombs. It’s helpful to experiment, says Hollingsworth. If you need to hold the buds for a longer period, cut them when they’re harder. Then store them in the refrigerator, either in a vase or wrapped in an airtight plastic bag and laid flat on a shelf.

When you’re ready to arrange your peonies, take them out of the refrigerator and recut the stems by an inch or two. Frank Dickson of Peonies Plus in Elma, Washington, a wholesale peony grower, recommends placing them in a vase with a solution of equal parts of clear soda pop and tap water. Add one teaspoon of bleach per quart of solution.
Your peonies should open within 48 hours at normal room temperature. The warmer the room, the faster they’ll open.

Types of flowers
An herbaceous peony is classified by its blooming time and flower form:

single five or more petals in a single layer around pollen-bearing stamens

semidouble like the single form but with several layers of petals around pollen-bearing center stamens

Japanese (also known as anemone) with single or semidouble petals around showy stamens that resemble petals

bomb double having many petals and a rounded center

double large petal-packed blooms and no visible stamens.

Growing in the south
PEONIES are hardy perennials, distinguished by their ability to thrive in the coldest regions of the United States, but this quality doesn't make them off-limits to southern gardeners.

If your site receives night temperatures of 40 deg F or less for at least 6 weeks a year, you can probably grow most any variety of peony. Some varieties can even thrive as far south as USDA Hardiness Zone 8.

Southern gardeners should consider early- to mid-season-blooming cultivars, such as 'Kansas,' 'Miss America,' 'Big Ben,' and 'Red Charm.' Later-flowering varieties develop weak stems and are more susceptible to diseases as temperatures increase. Single- or Japanese-form flowers are also good bets. To help blossoms last longer, plant peonies where they will get cool afternoon shade. Loosen the site's soil to 18 inches deep. The fingers, or large fleshy roots, of a peony's tubers reach deep into the soil. A deep cavity of loose soil allows the fingers to grow easily to their full length.

Avoiding floppers
Some folks avoid planting peonies because of the plants' tendency to lie down, or flop, on the ground after a heavy rain. There are several ways to avoid having floppers.

You can select varieties that are classified as single, Japanese, or semidouble. These types have fewer petals, so they don't hold as much rainwater as the fuller double-petaled varieties.

If you desire the petal-packed peonies, go for a variety with especially strong stems, such as 'Charlie's White' or 'Angel Cheeks,' a pink bomb double.

You can also reduce a plant's likelihood of flopping by picking some of the blooms for indoor arrangements before the flowers are fully open. That way, you lighten the plant's load, making it less likely to droop.

Finally, you can support your peonies by staking them. One system, called Jumbo GrowThrough Supports, consists of a round wire grid (with 21/2-inch-square openings) atop three legs. Place this support over the top of your peonies early in spring as new shoots emerge. As the peonies get taller, the shoots will grow through the wire grid of the plant support and eventually conceal the structure.

You can make a homemade version of this system by surrounding your peonies with any type of stake, stringing a line around the stakes, and then crisscrossing between them to form a grid.