The Master Gardeners enjoyed an educational field trip to a local Peony Farm last week. Educational field trips are one of the many activities that support our tag line “Let’s Grow Together!” and is also what sparked this week’s article, the Peony.
The suggested original cultivation of Peony began in China, maybe as long ago as 2,500 years ago, then to Europe, and its arrival to the United States in the 1800s. I love learning the history of the many flowers I remember as a kid. Once a peony gets established, it can likely remain in that spot for decades. I moved my family peony and it has been transplanted now for over 30 years. The preferred soil environment is a clay loam mix that will drain and also remain moist. Provide this plant full sunlight with enough space to allow circulating air around it and you will be able to set your spring seasonal clock to the blooming of this reliable gorgeous plant.
Peonies have many cultivars but most often are identified by Types; mine is a Single. I have a Japanese and I have an Anemone. There are also Double and Semi Double types. These plants are hardy with a robust root system, fairly easy to maintain and come in all colors of the rainbow. They most always survive Indiana winters. They even like these cold temperature drops we have had lately, however will likely remain in the bud stage a little longer.
Peony plants are available now in garden centers: however, the recommended season to purchase is Fall. Also, wait until Fall to divide your established plants.
Peonies have a reputation. Ants! “Peonies draw ants into your house” is a familiar quote. Ants do like the pollen from peonies. If you are going to cut your flowers and vase them, take a few minutes to swish your blooms in a container of water. This will remove any ants and the blooms love the water. One more thing, should you still see an ant or two, entomologists tell us the few ants you might see will not grow in number. This is not how ants populate.
Harvesting peonies should be done while in the bud stage, golf-ball size, and when the petal colors are visible. An ideal stem length is 30 inches applying the practice of disbudding. Disbudding is the procedure of leaving the larger terminal bud on the stem and removing the tiny lateral buds during the growing period. Wrapping harvested stemmed plants in wet newspaper and refrigerating them can extend their freshness as much as 30 days. There are other gardeners like myself who just like to walk outside with a pair of sharp pruners, find a stem with full flowers, lateral buds, and snip! Simple works too. I want to add caution that cutting flowers does not cause damage to the bush, but removing too many leaves will. To avoid damage to the bush, leave at least two leaves per stem on the remaining stems after cutting the flower.
Known disease concerns for peonies are both fungal and bacterial with bacterial being the more recently identified. Both present with measle-like spotting on the leaves, disfigured buds and eventual loss of the plant. Both diseases are easily transmitted. The final recommendation of treatment after unsuccessful attempts of chemical applications is to remove and discard the plant taking precaution to avoid contaminating surrounding plants by removal of the remaining plant litter from the infected plant and disinfecting your tools with a mild bleach water solution.
In summary, there is much more that can be shared about these lovelies but for now, I will sit back and daydream of my grandma’s backyard and her pink peony bush.
June 01, 2021 at 05:00PM
https://www.shelbynews.com/news/let-s-grow-together-the-indiana-state-flower---peony/article_e502f57d-2937-5001-88fc-4da15ff6ca9d.html
Let's Grow Together! The Indiana State Flower - Peony - Shelbynews
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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