Planting and leaving
Peony Festival Maxim is able to grow and bloom actively in the same place for about three decades. Since the plant belongs to light-loving crops, you should carefully consider the choice of its permanent "place of residence". The distance to buildings should be at least 2 m, between individual bushes - at least 1 m.
Soil selection
The herbaceous variety of peonies Festival Maxima prefers nutritious, neutral soil with an acidity level of 6-6.5. To neutralize the increased acidity, slaked lime or wood ash is added to the soil.
Plants should not be planted in sandy or swampy soil, because with high soil moisture, the root system of the peony rots, which leads to death
Landing dates
Planting a peony of the Festival Maxim in open ground is carried out in September, at the beginning of the autumn period. Before the onset of the first frost, the plant has time to take root and prepare for wintering.
When planted in spring, the plant reacts painfully to movement.
In the spring, disturbed plant buds that wake up in the early period of spring may not withstand the load and die.
Landing algorithm
The Peony Festival Maxima should not be placed too deep in the ground, as a strong deepening of the buds will lead to weak shoots and a small number of inflorescences.
Planting algorithm:
prepare holes for placing the root system up to 70 cm deep;
lay drainage at the bottom of the pit (coarse sand, expanded clay, gravel);
mix a layer of earth dug out of a hole with a sufficient amount of humus, peat, wood ash and superphosphate preparations (at the rate of 1 large glass per hole);
keep the distance between the bushes at least 1 m;
carefully place the root system of the prepared plot in the hole, carefully straighten the roots;
sprinkle the roots of the peony with soil mixture;
water the plant abundantly with water;
mulch with cut grass or peat;
let the ground in the hole settle for 2 weeks.
In case of subsidence of the earth, you should add additional soil to the plant
Description of the peony Festival Maxim
For about 170 years, peonies of the French selection of the Festival Maxima have been hypnotizing with an enveloping aroma, which intensifies with the onset of the evening. The blossoming buds of numerous flowers of the Festival of Maxim delight with their incredibly lush, exuberant, beautiful flowering.
The peonies of the Festiva Maxima cultivar are characterized by the following external features:
- sprawling, tall bush;
- the average length of the stems is up to 1 m;
- the shape of the leaves is dissected, openwork, wide;
- the color of the leaves is dark green;
- the shape of the flower is pink, densely double with a tight fit of the petals;
- inflorescence color milky with a subtle pink tint;
- the color of the petals is milky white with careless pink-red strokes along the top of the petals located in the center of the inflorescence;
- inflorescence size up to 20 cm.
The lactic-flowered variety Festiva Maxima has large inflorescences
Festival Maxima peony (Paeonia Festiva Maxima) - what is this variety
The Festival Maxim variety is one of the brightest representatives of peonies. It was bred by breeders at the beginning of the 19th century. The herbaceous culture is a perennial, which is characterized by the dropping of shoots at the onset of the first frost. Peony Festival belongs to the milky-flowered group, due to the characteristic color of the peduncles.
What does the peony of the Festival Maxim look like?
The plant has a spreading bush, reaching a height of 1.5 meters. The stem is covered with wide leaves, dark green in color. With the help of the leaves, the plant manages to maintain its decorative properties even after the flowering period.The peony's shoots are strong, so the bush does not need a garter during flowering.
The description says that the peduncle of the peony ends with a double inflorescence, more than 20 cm in diameter, milky in color. In the middle of the flower, there are red specks at the tips of the double petals. The buds on the bush can last for 2-3 weeks, after which they crumble.
Positive characteristics include the following:
- A perennial plant does not require frequent replanting. A peony can grow in one place for over 20 years.
- An adult bush can withstand temperatures as low as -40 degrees, so it does not need shelter for the winter.
- Rarely exposed to diseases and attacked by pests.
Huge and lush bushes have become widely used in landscape design. Peonies are planted both in group and single plantings, used to decorate flower beds. They are also combined with other perennials and are suitable for creating borders.
Peony Festiva Maxima is perfect for cutting buds that will decorate the interior of the house. And also fill it with aroma.
Attention! Cut stalks can last more than 2 weeks. Peony Festival is a sun-loving plant
But light partial shade will not prevent him from releasing inflorescences. On the contrary, it will keep the bush from exposure to direct sunlight.
Peony Festival is a sun-loving plant. But light partial shade will not prevent him from releasing inflorescences. On the contrary, it will keep the bush from exposure to direct sunlight.
Growing features
The first few years after planting in open ground, the culture practically does not need additional fertilizers. The peony bush gradually uses the supply of nutrients that was laid in the pit during planting.
To ensure the growth and development of a healthy plant, it is necessary to loosen the soil, remove weeds in a timely manner.
Watering the Festival of Maxim should be rare, but abundant.
Experienced flower growers recommend giving the flower a rest and gaining strength in the first year, not allowing it to bloom. In the first spring-summer period of the life of an ornamental culture, flower buds should be cut off before budding occurs. In addition, for the wintering period, the young bush is covered with peat. In the third year, the young culture will give a lush bloom. After a few years, the bush will grow, get stronger and will need support.
To make the buds larger, you should track the number of flowers on one bush, leave a small number of inflorescences for flowering.
Faded inflorescences of the Festival of Maxim must be cut off so that the plant does not waste energy on the formation of the seed
Reproduction methods
The lactic-flowered variety of peonies of the Festival Maxima is propagated at home using various methods:
- division of the rhizome;
- root cuttings;
- stem cuttings;
- pruning;
- layering;
- seeds.
Rhizome division is the most common method used by the vast majority of flower growers. In long underground shoots, buds are laid. They give rise to future shoots of a new plant. The adventitious roots of peonies store a supply of genetic information for the growth of a healthy and beautiful flower. In addition, they contain small roots (pump shoots), which serve as the main nutrition of the plant. It is during the period of intensive growth of pump roots, which absorb nutrient minerals from the soil, that reproduction should be carried out by dividing the rhizome.
The best time for breeding peonies of the Festival Maxima variety: late April and early May, late August and early September
Most growers agree that the most appropriate time for peony breeding is early autumn, since the average daily temperature drops to the most comfortable for rooting. Until mid-September, the process should be completed completely in order to allow the "new" young peonies to take root.
For reproduction by dividing the rhizome, choose 3- or 4-year-old plants of the Festiva Maxima variety
The division of the plant rhizome is carried out in several stages:
in an adult, healthy plant, the stems are cut;
remove soil around the bush;
using a shovel, they carefully dig out the root system of the plant so as not to damage the adventitious roots;
clods of earth are carefully removed from the roots, the remnants of dirt are washed off under water to open the buds;
after drying the roots in the open air in a dry and dark place, the adventitious roots are cut so that 10 cm of their main size remains;
the roots are divided into separate areas, maintaining a balance between the number of adventitious roots and developed eyes;
rotted parts are cleaned, sprinkled with charcoal;
the separated plots of peonies are kept for about 2-3 days in a shaded place with access to fresh air for drying the sections.
An ideal plot of peonies should have 1-2 adventitious roots, 10-12 cm long, up to 1 cm in diameter, as well as 2-3 developed eyes
Plant cuttings are planted in the fall, since the roots develop in the first month after planting in the ground. Until spring, peonies have time to take root and get stronger.
How to grow and care properly?
Before planting seedlings, they are treated with a manganese solution, and charcoal is used to powder the cut parts - this is protection against decay and environmental influences. This is a perennial flower: in one place it can exist for more than 200 years. But do not forget about the light that this flower needs constantly.
It is advisable to plant it away from buildings, since the water that can fall from the roof will adversely affect the life and growth of the plant.
The most important thing in food for Festiva is healthy soil. The soil should not be sour. To avoid this, you need to add a little lime to it or wood ash.
It is also important to drain the soil so as not to lead the plant to early death.
It does not take much effort to plant this plant - the task is very simple. You need to dig a hole with the same depth and width (50 centimeters each), then put the root there and fill it up. The most important point is not to overdo it with the soil: it should not exceed five centimeters. Only then will the plant grow normally and bloom beautifully. If you do not follow the rules for planting this flower, then you can simply freeze it.
It is very simple to take care of the "Festival" peony, the main thing is to water it abundantly. During the first two years, the soil may not be fertilized at all, since they were originally planted in fertile soil. And another important factor is to get rid of weeds on time, as they can take up all the nutrients.
Planting can be carried out from late August to mid-September. This is an excellent breeding season for a perennial plant. He has time before the onset of frost to have time to put down roots.
In order for the flowers to feel comfortable in a new place, planting must be carried out correctly, following a certain sequence.
- Digging a hole. It should be larger than the peony itself, by about 10 centimeters. This is so that the flower has room to bloom. When several seedlings are planted, the distance between the holes of 1 meter must be observed. Also, some gardeners advise making planting holes in advance, two weeks in advance, so that the earth is infused a little and weathered.
- We lay out drainage at the bottom, which includes such components as gravel, broken stone or brick, river sand, expanded clay.
- The top of the soil should be mixed with peat and humus, add 200 grams of tree resin and make a homogeneous mass.
- The root collar must be planted so that after planting it is flush with the surface. If the bush is deeply buried, then the roots will begin to grow, and flowering will not come. Although there are cases when after that the earth was settled, and the neck was stretched.If the planting is made much higher than necessary, then in the spring you need to sprinkle it, and then make a second transplant correctly.
If you want this type of peonies to give the largest inflorescences in size, then you need to leave the buds on the most important sprouts in the middle, while removing all the rest.
