Peonies can be classified by both plant growth habit and flower type. Plant growth types are Herbaceous (Bush), Tree, and Intersectional (Itoh).
Intersectional (Itoh) peonies are hybrid crosses between tree and herbaceous types. They have the large flowers of a tree peony, but die back to the ground each year like herbaceous peonies.
In Japan Paeonia suffruticosa is called the "King of Flowers" and Paeonia lactiflora is called the "Prime Minister of Flowers."
Paeonia lactiflora- herbaceous perennial flowering plant- Chinese Peony - "most beautiful" - common garden peony - Propagation Methods: By dividing the rootball-The buds should be no more than two inches below the surface.
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
Paeonia suffruticosa - the tree peony - tree peonies are deciduous, woody plants that don't die back to the ground each winter.
Every garden centre sells peonies, but specialist nurseries have a much wider range at very competitive prices. Kelways at Langport, Somerset (tel: 01458 250521; www.kelways. co.uk) has a huge range, and Claire Austin Hardy Plants at Shawbury, Shropshire (tel: 01939 251173; www.claireaustin-hardyplants. co.uk) is very good, too.
http://www.kelways.co.uk/categories/peonies/1/
http://www.peonysenvy.com/peonycare.html#transplant
"There are two types of peony - tree peonies and herbaceous peonies. Both are easy to grow and very long lived. But there’s a fundamental difference in the way they are planted. Tree peonies need to be planted deep to encourage the graft to form its own roots, whereas herbaceous peonies like to be planted close to the surface. Follow Monty Don’s advice and you can’t go wrong."
Be patient: Keep your Peony watered and mulch every spring and it'll flower in the next few years
Monty Don says it's time the graceful, voluptuous peony had its turn in the spotlight
Peonies have never really become fashionable, yet they are part of a very English, cottage garden, mixed border style that brings a perfect balance of form, flower and foliage. They are the kind of flowers that make one nostalgic for an intensely personal and yet shared past.
Some of this is due to their ability to last for years – a century is not uncommon – but mostly it is the combination of grace and voluptuous beauty that is positively Edwardian or evocative of a 1940s film star. There is nothing willowy or ethereal about a peony.
They have been grown in Britain for many centuries. In medieval monastic gardens they were an important medicinal plant, although were almost certainly introduced by the Romans.
The name comes from 'Paeon', the god of healing, and the roots, flowers and seeds were used to treat epilepsy and all kinds of convulsions and nervous afflictions. One wonders how many patients survived because, in fact, peonies are extremely poisonous.
The common peony (Paeonia officinalis) starts poking through the ground in March, the leaves clinging to the stems, both a rich burgundy red, before the leaves start to unfurl and change to their more familiar chalky green. Then the flower buds start to swell, reaching the size of a golf ball before emerging like a happy hybrid of water lily and rose.
Most of our herbaceous peony varieties come from P. lactiflora, which originates from China and is taller and more elegant than our P. officinalis. But they are slow to mature, as well as tricky to germinate, which makes them expensive. Despite wide colour variations from white to deep crimson, as well as many permutations of petal formation, they all share the same growing requirements.
Peonies grown in sandy soil have a tendency to produce more leaf and less flower, whereas those grown on heavy clay will take longer to become established but will generally produce better flowers.
They are such long-lived plants that it is worth taking some trouble when planting them and, whatever the soil, you should dig in plenty of compost before planting. I also recommend adding lots of horticultural grit beneath each peony planted into clay, to improve the drainage.
They flower early, so are largely unaffected by drought, and will easily outlast the gardener who planted them. It is true that peonies dislike being moved, but it can be done and, although they sulk a little, I have one in my garden that has been moved at least twice and is looking remarkably relaxed about the indignity.
Conventional wisdom states that you should never replant peonies onto a site where another has grown, but I see no evidence for that and have ignored it in my own garden.
However, adding fresh compost and perhaps a sprinkling of microrhizae (a fungus that speeds up the roots' ability to take water and nutrients from the soil) is a good idea. Do not to plant too deeply otherwise it may never flower. The buds should be no more than two inches below the surface.
Once planted, peonies are remarkably troublefree. Aphids aren't interested and slugs might have a passing nibble but quickly move on to tastier fare. Peony flowers are categorised into four forms: single, semi-double, double and Japanese or anemone-form.
Single ones tend to flower earlier and vary hugely, from the relative delicacy of the Himalayan peony (P. emodi), whose white flowers act as a ruff to display the golden stamens, to the simplicity of the beautiful red P. tenuifolia.
Some of the doubles are held in place by the outer petals, such as 'Marie Lemoine' which resembles a cup of pale-petalled lemon froth, while others, such as the white 'Duchesse de Nemours', or 'Monsieur Jules Elie', seem to be a graceful explosion. The Japanese type has a central cushion of long, slim petals or petaloids, contrasting with the outer ring of petals. 'Bowl of Beauty' is a much-celebrated example.
The tree peony, P. suffruticosa, was initially developed by the Chinese over a thousand years ago and, like Buddhism, gardening and tea, developed by the Japanese. When I visited the imperial garden at the Summer Palace in Beijing two years ago, there were large beds devoted solely to tree peonies, and their flowering is cause for great celebration in China.
The first tree peonies were introduced into Britain in the 18th century and more were collected from China and Japan by the celebrated Victorian botanist Robert Fortune between 1843 and 1862. The tree peony has woody, rather antlerish stems or branches that remain all winter.
They develop substantial root systems and can become large shrubs. Their flowers are often not as spectacular individually as many of the herbaceous peonies, but the massed effect can be stupendously good and the milkwhite flowers of the species, with its purple blotch on each petal, is fabulously beautiful.
Tree peonies are very hardy when dormant in winter, but the new growth can be damaged by cold weather in spring. It is therefore best to plant them in a sheltered but cold site so they do not venture into growth too soon. Resist the temptation to cut back any seemingly dead wood until well into spring as there is often a bud hidden within a brown, scaly casing.
When buying peonies of any type, avoid those with only a couple of weak stems, but try to find ones with at least three, and ideally five, obvious buds or stems. Any plant simply labelled 'peony' is likely to be a rogue one that the grower wishes to clear and will always be inferior to named hybrids or species.
Most peonies need staking. Ideally, this is done with hazel, or a similar brushwood, pushed in around the plant, but canes and soft twine will do. Don't use a tarred twine or hard string as this will damage the plant.
Every garden centre sells peonies, but specialist nurseries have a much wider range at very competitive prices. Kelways at Langport, Somerset (tel: 01458 250521; www.kelways. co.uk) has a huge range, and Claire Austin Hardy Plants at Shawbury, Shropshire (tel: 01939 251173; www.claireaustin-hardyplants. co.uk) is very good, too.
Monty Don: Peonies from heaven
Intersectional (Itoh) peonies are hybrid crosses between tree and herbaceous types. They have the large flowers of a tree peony, but die back to the ground each year like herbaceous peonies.
In Japan Paeonia suffruticosa is called the "King of Flowers" and Paeonia lactiflora is called the "Prime Minister of Flowers."
Paeonia lactiflora- herbaceous perennial flowering plant- Chinese Peony - "most beautiful" - common garden peony - Propagation Methods: By dividing the rootball-The buds should be no more than two inches below the surface.
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
Paeonia suffruticosa - the tree peony - tree peonies are deciduous, woody plants that don't die back to the ground each winter.
Every garden centre sells peonies, but specialist nurseries have a much wider range at very competitive prices. Kelways at Langport, Somerset (tel: 01458 250521; www.kelways. co.uk) has a huge range, and Claire Austin Hardy Plants at Shawbury, Shropshire (tel: 01939 251173; www.claireaustin-hardyplants. co.uk) is very good, too.
http://www.kelways.co.uk/categories/peonies/1/
http://www.peonysenvy.com/peonycare.html#transplant
"There are two types of peony - tree peonies and herbaceous peonies. Both are easy to grow and very long lived. But there’s a fundamental difference in the way they are planted. Tree peonies need to be planted deep to encourage the graft to form its own roots, whereas herbaceous peonies like to be planted close to the surface. Follow Monty Don’s advice and you can’t go wrong."
Be patient: Keep your Peony watered and mulch every spring and it'll flower in the next few years
Monty Don says it's time the graceful, voluptuous peony had its turn in the spotlight
Peonies have never really become fashionable, yet they are part of a very English, cottage garden, mixed border style that brings a perfect balance of form, flower and foliage. They are the kind of flowers that make one nostalgic for an intensely personal and yet shared past.
Some of this is due to their ability to last for years – a century is not uncommon – but mostly it is the combination of grace and voluptuous beauty that is positively Edwardian or evocative of a 1940s film star. There is nothing willowy or ethereal about a peony.
They have been grown in Britain for many centuries. In medieval monastic gardens they were an important medicinal plant, although were almost certainly introduced by the Romans.
The name comes from 'Paeon', the god of healing, and the roots, flowers and seeds were used to treat epilepsy and all kinds of convulsions and nervous afflictions. One wonders how many patients survived because, in fact, peonies are extremely poisonous.
The common peony (Paeonia officinalis) starts poking through the ground in March, the leaves clinging to the stems, both a rich burgundy red, before the leaves start to unfurl and change to their more familiar chalky green. Then the flower buds start to swell, reaching the size of a golf ball before emerging like a happy hybrid of water lily and rose.
Most of our herbaceous peony varieties come from P. lactiflora, which originates from China and is taller and more elegant than our P. officinalis. But they are slow to mature, as well as tricky to germinate, which makes them expensive. Despite wide colour variations from white to deep crimson, as well as many permutations of petal formation, they all share the same growing requirements.
Peonies grown in sandy soil have a tendency to produce more leaf and less flower, whereas those grown on heavy clay will take longer to become established but will generally produce better flowers.
They are such long-lived plants that it is worth taking some trouble when planting them and, whatever the soil, you should dig in plenty of compost before planting. I also recommend adding lots of horticultural grit beneath each peony planted into clay, to improve the drainage.
They flower early, so are largely unaffected by drought, and will easily outlast the gardener who planted them. It is true that peonies dislike being moved, but it can be done and, although they sulk a little, I have one in my garden that has been moved at least twice and is looking remarkably relaxed about the indignity.
Conventional wisdom states that you should never replant peonies onto a site where another has grown, but I see no evidence for that and have ignored it in my own garden.
However, adding fresh compost and perhaps a sprinkling of microrhizae (a fungus that speeds up the roots' ability to take water and nutrients from the soil) is a good idea. Do not to plant too deeply otherwise it may never flower. The buds should be no more than two inches below the surface.
Once planted, peonies are remarkably troublefree. Aphids aren't interested and slugs might have a passing nibble but quickly move on to tastier fare. Peony flowers are categorised into four forms: single, semi-double, double and Japanese or anemone-form.
Single ones tend to flower earlier and vary hugely, from the relative delicacy of the Himalayan peony (P. emodi), whose white flowers act as a ruff to display the golden stamens, to the simplicity of the beautiful red P. tenuifolia.
Some of the doubles are held in place by the outer petals, such as 'Marie Lemoine' which resembles a cup of pale-petalled lemon froth, while others, such as the white 'Duchesse de Nemours', or 'Monsieur Jules Elie', seem to be a graceful explosion. The Japanese type has a central cushion of long, slim petals or petaloids, contrasting with the outer ring of petals. 'Bowl of Beauty' is a much-celebrated example.
The tree peony, P. suffruticosa, was initially developed by the Chinese over a thousand years ago and, like Buddhism, gardening and tea, developed by the Japanese. When I visited the imperial garden at the Summer Palace in Beijing two years ago, there were large beds devoted solely to tree peonies, and their flowering is cause for great celebration in China.
The first tree peonies were introduced into Britain in the 18th century and more were collected from China and Japan by the celebrated Victorian botanist Robert Fortune between 1843 and 1862. The tree peony has woody, rather antlerish stems or branches that remain all winter.
They develop substantial root systems and can become large shrubs. Their flowers are often not as spectacular individually as many of the herbaceous peonies, but the massed effect can be stupendously good and the milkwhite flowers of the species, with its purple blotch on each petal, is fabulously beautiful.
Tree peonies are very hardy when dormant in winter, but the new growth can be damaged by cold weather in spring. It is therefore best to plant them in a sheltered but cold site so they do not venture into growth too soon. Resist the temptation to cut back any seemingly dead wood until well into spring as there is often a bud hidden within a brown, scaly casing.
When buying peonies of any type, avoid those with only a couple of weak stems, but try to find ones with at least three, and ideally five, obvious buds or stems. Any plant simply labelled 'peony' is likely to be a rogue one that the grower wishes to clear and will always be inferior to named hybrids or species.
Most peonies need staking. Ideally, this is done with hazel, or a similar brushwood, pushed in around the plant, but canes and soft twine will do. Don't use a tarred twine or hard string as this will damage the plant.
Every garden centre sells peonies, but specialist nurseries have a much wider range at very competitive prices. Kelways at Langport, Somerset (tel: 01458 250521; www.kelways. co.uk) has a huge range, and Claire Austin Hardy Plants at Shawbury, Shropshire (tel: 01939 251173; www.claireaustin-hardyplants. co.uk) is very good, too.
Monty Don: Peonies from heaven
No comments:
Post a Comment