Last week, the focus was on herbaceous peonies. There is one more that needs to be mentioned, but there was not enough room last week.
The Fernleaf Peony (Paeonia tenufolia) is a stunning peony that has a totally different look. The foliage is striking with the leaves deeply cut into narrow, needle-like segments, resembling a fern. The foliage is attractive even after the flowers have finished blooming. The flowers are typically single with cup-shaped flowers, most commonly crimson-red with contrasting golden-yellow stamens in the centre. Flowers on mature plants are up to 10 centimetres across and they typically bloom before the other herbaceous peonies.
Peonies can be used as edging or love hedges in the landscape. After the bloom is finished, the foliage remains attractive and still has definition throughout the growing season. They are also a nice addition to a perennial or mixed border and look great with finer-textured flowers and foliage. Pretty with iris, roses, columbines, salvias and other cottage garden looking perennials.
Plant them in full sun in a location that will not change. They do not transplant well, so choose your location carefully. If possible, give them shelter from strong winds as their heavy blooms will droop even without any wind. As mentioned in the last article, any of the larger-flowered peonies will require good staking to be able to enjoy the bloom.
Plant peonies in the fall, when they have gone dormant. Give them at least a few weeks before the ground freezes to establish. If you have to plant them in the spring, expect that your bloom will take longer to appear than those planted in the fall. Space them with enough room to grow to their mature size. Dig a generously sized hole in good-quality soil that will drain well. Once planted, ensure you water it thoroughly.
Peonies do have some problems and generally, the first is their tendency to flop. If there is wind, heat or heavy rain while blooming, they end up bloomside down on the ground. Thus, staking them early in the season is essential. I usually leave a round, full-circle metal support on the peony all the time, as sometimes my spring is quite busy.
Powdery mildew is often also a common issue. It is a fungal condition that flourished when plants are stressed. Avoid this issue by ensuring your peony is in full sun and not overcrowded, so good air circulation occurs. I generally do not try to treat powdery mildew, but sometimes, when you see it begin to appear, pruning out some of the foliage to increase air circulation is a good solution.
Occasionally, botrytis blight, which is also called grey mold, can be another fungal condition if we are having a rainy season. It initially looks like blackspot with circular reddish-brown spots and buds that are brown and crusty. It is important in fall to prune the foliage and remove it to minimize any fungal challenges.
As I mentioned in the article last week, I have fallen in love once again with peonies. Plant at least one in your garden, but if you have the space, enjoy an abundance of peonies with cultivars that boast early, mid and late-season blooms.
Hanbidge is the Lead Horticulturist with Orchid Horticulture. Find us at www.orchidhort.com; by email at [email protected], on Facebook @orchidhort and Instagram at #orchidhort.
Tune into GROW Live on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/orchidhort or check out the YouTube channel GROW…
