Thick and lush leaves.
Big, bright, showy
flowers. These are the two
most common descriptions
of peonies. Big, lush
peony plants with big,
bright, showy flowers are
very popular with home
gardeners.
Peonies
have their "roots' in
two areas of the world.
"Common Peonies"
originated in southern
Europe. Tree peonies
come from China.
The Chinese peonies
have double blooms and are
more fragrant than their
European cousins. Peonies
are perennial plants, and
grow quickly. They produce
colorful, showy blooms in
late spring to early
summer. There is a wide
range of colors to choose
from, including white,
red, crimson, yellow, and
rose. Peonies are grown
from roots. The roots
develop "eyes"
which in turn grow into a
new Peony. When
transplanting roots from
an existing plant, make
sure there are at least a
couple eyes on the roots.
Peonies
like rich, well drained
soil, and full sun. Add
plenty of compost and well
rotted manure prior to
planting, and again each
fall.
Plant
roots with eyes
1"-2" deep.
Space plants a minimum of
24"-36" apart.
The plants
will grow fairly quickly
to their full height, and
bloom in the spring to
late fall. Make sure to
provide water during
periods of drought. Add a
general purpose fertilizer
a couple of times a year.
Use a fertilizer high in
Phosphorus about two weeks
prior to blooming.
Peonies
produce a thick, lush
plant. If the plant
appears too bushy, trim
and thin to improve air
circulation. This will
help to avoid plant
disease that can harbor in
the dark, humid areas of
this dense plant.
The
profusion of leaves and
flowers can cause the
plants to fall over,
spoiling the beauty of the
bloom. Make sure to
support the plants with
garden stakes or hoops.
In the
fall, trim the plant back.
If it has
experienced plant disease,
you can trim it back
to the ground. Remove and
dispose of any diseased
leaves and stems. Add a
covering of mulch in the
fall in areas where there
is little or no snow
cover.
