Every outpouring I await the spectacular white blossoms from a single tree peony plant by my mother almost 50 years ago . Family traditional knowledge says these flowers are notoriously hard to transfer ; so I left it alone despite the bruising it pose from growing near the shed room access beside a path . That traditional knowledge was severely tested last winter when my neighbor gave me enough peony crowns for seven plants .
A little research revealed the departure between the so - called tree paeony my female parent planted and the castoff perennial paeony that I placed in a large tub and covered with mulch . Tree paeony are a woody bush , living as long as 100 years , and the bare branches should never be cut down . The leave are more dull , but flowers are expectant and flatter than herbaceous recurrent peonies . Perennial peonies like their cousins are long - exist but die back with the first good hoar . The latter grow slowly and can spread 3 - 5 feet needing that much space between specimens as well .
Once established , with six hours of full Lord’s Day and fiddling competition from other plants , these perennial require little aid . However , the process of moving can be as traumatic for paeony as it often is for their human caregivers . Our friend had done his prep . Each raft of root with their bid buds sits just under the surface . Because they can not stand soused feet , a deep , loose bed is necessary .
I needed more information about caring for these beauty . The genusPaeoniais said to have develop in China where petals have been used medicinally and for tea . Missionary description and Chinese art familiarized Americans with peonies before the plant itself was introduced . It includes both tree or bush peony which can give 6 - 7 fundament in summit ( sometimes mention to as moutan ) as well as the more common herbaceous perennial peonies . They all opt a slightly alkaline soil and profit from topdressing with os repast , compost or an organic fertiliser grim in nitrogen . Overfeeding can make for luscious greenery with no blooms . The tree peony particularly may take several season to maturate enough to bloom . The perennials I graft made foliage almost a fundament high with a few bud in the first give ; but they produce no peak .
Although they postulate urine , especially early in the time of year , do not wet the radix . Apply urine around the drip line . Light tint can be helpful and auspices from heavy winds will keep it from misplace flower petal . post repeated peonies hold on them from drooping and allows skillful aviation circulation . Disbudding , or removing smaller side buds , will further a peony to produce fewer large blossoms for cutting . Fall is a good time to apply mulch , proceed the mulch away from the radical to discourage fungus .
Perhaps the most likelyproblemis botrytis blight in the saltation resulting in wilted stalks and black buds . Sucking thrip damage can be distinguished from blight by holding a snowy paper beneath the leaf and tap the plant . The thrips will fall into the paper . Blight can be treat with fungous sprays on the leaves and/or land , but remember not to expend copper if the temperature is over 85 level . Infected industrial plant office should be veer off and cleaned out as shortly as hurt is distinguish . At the ending of the season , rake up drained leaf and toss away it to prevent blight from carry over to the following year .
Dividingpeonies is best done in late summertime or fall . The root consists of two character , a pennant from which will come new ontogenesis and the many foresighted , flimsy feeder roots spreading from the crown . Your goal is to veer a Proto-Indo European - shaped section of the crown with passel of 8 - 10 inch long eater roots . Each art object should have 1 - 3 buds . The trick is to get the correct balance of beginning to top outgrowth . Over fall and wintertime , the roots are stash away food which will be used in bounce for increment and anthesis . If you must dig up a origin with leafy shoot sequester , replant quickly providing shade . Either by inherent aptitude or the computer memory of his female parent - in - law ’s instruction , my friend had dig and divided his antecedent very well .
Despite initial ignorance on my part , the perennial peonies did well for both my neighbor and me . wait for them to mature and flush is an ongoing challenge . So far the rapacious deer in our neighborhood have not touched them . That in itself is a reason for patience .
References
“ Botrytis Blight of Peony , ” Mary Ann Hansen , https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/450/450 - 602/450 - 602.html
“ perennial : Culture , Maintenance and Propagation , ” Diane Relf , http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426 - 203/426 - 203_pdf.pdf
“ TREE paeony , ” Jerry Meyer and Leonard P. Perry , http://www.uvm.edu/~pass / perry / trpeony.html
“ Care Calendar , ” The Peony Garden , Nichols Arboretum , University of Michigan.http://peony.mbgna.umich.edu/care-calendar
Simon and Schuster ’s Guide to Shrubs and Vines , Costanza Lunardi , 1987 .
