Carol peonies: characteristics and care

Reproduction of peonies

The peony is equipped with a powerful and branched root system.

Around the bush, you need to dig a groove, and then carefully dig it from below, while it is better to tie the stems. The peony is removed from the ground on a shovel, holding the branches

The root system must be flushed out on a level area with a drain using a watering can or a hose. Shoots are cut to a height of 8 cm, the rest of the soil is removed with a peg or washed in a container with water. Inspect broken roots, prune and sprinkle with chopped charcoal. It is better to divide the bush in the area of ​​the jumpers using a sharp knife. The resulting seedlings should have a rhizome length of at least 15 cm, several buds on the root collar for renewal, three or four leaves on the stem. All of these conditions are necessary for optimal survival of the peony.

Old bushes with a very overgrown and heavy root system can be divided right in the hole by lifting the buried plant. The bush is divided into several parts, and only then pulled out of the ground. The resulting planting units are recommended to be planted right there, in the fall, in a new place for rooting.

Growing

The Coral Charm peony is often grown by hobbyists by separating the rhizome.

Landing

When choosing a place for a coral-colored peony, it should be borne in mind that in the bright sun the petals will quickly lose their intense color and turn pale. At the same time, with a lot of shading, the stems will stretch, weaken and may fall.

Requirements for planting a peony Coral Charm:

• the optimal placement of a peony of this variety is such that a light partial shade falls on the bush at noon;
• the site should not be low-lying, close to the surface (above 1 m) groundwater can lead to decay of the roots;
• This hybrid loves alkaline soils, which have a pH of 7.5;
• heavy soils are diluted in a spacious pit with sand;
• enough nutrients are put in the planting hole, including organic matter and mineral fertilizers.

On a site with unsuitable soils, a spacious planting hole is dug to provide a high-quality substrate for 8-10 years, up to 80 cm deep, 60 x 70 cm in diameter.On light loams, 60 x 60 x 60 cm are sufficient.

Drainage is laid down if necessary, then a fertile substrate with fertilizers: 100-150 g of superphosphate; 300 g bone meal; 150 g potassium sulfate or 1 liter can of wood ash.

Algorithm for planting a hybrid of a peony:

• if the substrate has sat down during the preparatory time, garden soil is poured in such a way that the buds that are on top of the peony rhizome are deepened only 3-5 cm from the soil surface;
• on heavy soils, deepen by 3 cm; on lighter soils, peony buds can be placed 5-6 cm below ground level;
• the rhizome is sprinkled with ordinary soil, which is well compacted;
• 5-9 liters of water are poured onto the peony seedling;
• the hole is mulched.

Care

Near the bush, the soil is regularly loosened, especially after watering, weeds are weeded. The care of peonies includes weekly watering, which is important in dry springs, when the bushes form flowers. For one adult plant, 25-35 liters of water is enough. It is also watered at the beginning of August, in the phase of the formation of new buds.

The first two years after planting, the Coral Charm bushes are not fertilized, the plants have enough nutrients from the hole. Then they are fed with complex flower mineral fertilizers three times: in early spring, during bud setting and 15 days after flowering.

Wood ash is also used, which is poured in early spring under a bush in a volume of 0.5 liters. In July, peonies are poured with solutions of mullein in a ratio of 1: 5 or bird droppings diluted 1:15. At the beginning of autumn, feeding with superphosphate is appropriate, dissolve 30 g of granules in 10 liters of water.

Reproduction

The easiest and most affordable way for most peony lovers to breed the Coral Charm hybrid is to divide the rhizomes, which is carried out in late August, early September. Bushes over 7-8 years old are dug up, washed from the ground with a jet from a hose and left to dry.

The rhizomes wilt a little and separate more easily:

• they are cut into fragments, which have several buds and thick roots;
• the cuts are sprinkled with wood ash, dried;
• planted immediately or the next day.

Peonies begin to bloom in the second year after transplanting. In the first season, it is better to remove the buds for successful plant survival.

Preparing for winter

A beautifully flowering hybrid Coral Charm frost-resistant. The plant develops well in the climatic conditions of central Russia without additional shelter for the winter, even in case of snowless, but frosty weather, up to -30 C. With the appearance of constant frosts, the stems are cut to 2-4 cm above the ground.

In late autumn, before frosts, the seedling is mulched with peat or rotted straw, in which rodents will not start, with a layer of 10-12 cm. For adult bushes, humus, plant residues from a flower garden or vegetable garden are also used as mulch. In the spring, everything is carefully removed so that the sprouts develop freely.

Prevention of diseases and pests

Peonies are threatened by ants, spreading colonies of aphids. Bushes affected by aphids are sprayed with insecticides or folk remedies are used: soap, soda solutions. The ants themselves feed on the sweet juice of peony buds.

If the colony is large, the ants spoil the flowers, which become irregular, with truncated petals. Anthills are transferred to another place if they do not want to destroy insects using poisonous traps. Bronzes, which also feed on delicate petals, are harvested by hand in the morning. Insecticides are used in the event of a massive release of beetles on blossoming buds.

The real threat to peonies is root knot nematode infestation. Microscopic worms are found in swellings that form at the root. A diseased plant is uprooted, burned and the soil is disinfected.

Diseases and pests

First you need to consider what diseases are in peonies.

Rot is gray. It is considered the most dangerous disease that affects peonies. This fungus immediately stops their growth. The plant begins to wilt and spots appear. To overcome this disease, you will need treatment with special drugs, for example, copper sulfate.

Mosaic. On the leaves of peonies, spots of different shades immediately appear, most often yellow or greenish. After some time, the plant dies.

Powdery mildew. Most often, this disease affects the plant at a time when the hot and humid summer sets in. The fungus affects not only the leaves, but the entire bush. To combat it, you can use chemicals purchased in specialized stores. An alternative can be a simple folk remedy - a solution of soda.

Rust. This disease is characterized by the appearance on the leaves of spots of different colors, from brown to brown. In addition, it spreads rather quickly both by wind and water. You can fight it with various fungicides.

Root rot. The disease begins with the stems. They turn black, and if you dig them up, you can see that the root system has become soft and changed color. It appears when the soil is too wet. In this case, you need to dig out the bush, clean it thoroughly, and then treat it with a manganese solution. After that, it is imperative to transplant it to another place.

In addition, there are also some pests that are ready to attack beautiful peonies. However, there are not so many of them and they will not do too much harm.

• Aphid. It quickly weakens the plant, and is also a carrier of various viruses. To combat it, you can use folk remedies, for example, a solution based on laundry soap or sprinkling ash on the bush.
• Bronze beetles.Most often, they eat the leaves or petals of peonies. In order not to use chemicals, you can simply collect them by hand. This is best done in the early morning.
• Sod ants. These insects feed not only on the sweet secretions of peonies, but also on flower petals. To combat them, you can use "Chlorophos" or "Karbofos".

Classification of herbaceous peonies

It is far from easy to understand the variety of varieties of delicious and beloved garden peonies. Indeed, as a result of selection, the varietal variety of herbaceous peonies is estimated at five thousand cultivars, and new varieties appear every year.

In order not to get confused in the choice and to facilitate the task of searching for herbaceous peonies by decorative characteristics, there have been many classifications of varieties that unite peonies into separate groups according to easily recognizable signs and allow you to navigate in their diversity.

Varieties and hybrids of garden peonies are mainly obtained from two original species - lacto-flowered peony (Paeonia lactiflora) and medicinal peony (Paeonia officinalis). The medicinal peony is presumably the first species of peony introduced into culture from among the early flowering species with raspberry flowers and low resistance to gray rot.

Most modern varieties of herbaceous peonies are obtained from crossing and breeding a lactic-flowered peony, the original plant of which is distinguished by cream or light pink large flowers blooming in several pieces on the shoot, which is characterized by great resistance to diseases and frost.

Depending on the origin, herbaceous peonies are divided, very conditionally, into "pure" varieties of the lacto-flowered peony and hybrids of this peony with other species. Hybrid plants are distinguished by more attractive foliage, rich flower colors and flowering starting several weeks earlier.

The simplest of the classifications of herbaceous peonies is according to the type of flowers. It allows you to highlight the main feature of all herbaceous peonies - terry or lack thereof. According to the main classification, all herbaceous garden peonies are divided into three groups:

1. Non-double herbaceous peonies. It is the simplest of the groups, combining varieties with a simple single or double row perianth, consisting of 5 petals and forming a perfect calyx.
2. Semi-double varieties - all cultivars with petals located from three to seven rows and a central disc, these varieties are divided into three more subgroups:
3. Japanese peonies with a single or double-rowed corolla and a center of large pistils surrounded by long narrow staminodes;
4. anemone-like peonies with a single-row corolla and petalodia filling almost the entire center of the flower - stamens that have transformed into narrow petals (but they are wider and larger than the staminodes of Japanese peonies);
5. typically semi-double peonies with a two- or three-row corolla and true stamens without staminodes.
6. Terry peonies are varieties with lush, double flowers. This group is divided into four subgroups:
7. hemispherical varieties with flowers resembling hemispheres on a "saucer", dense terry, small and narrow inner petals and an outer circle of large outer petals;
8. spherical or bomb-shaped peonies with a horizontal row of large outer petals and inner petals forming a dense ball;
9. pink peonies with dense doubleness, compact, medium-sized flowers, in which the outer petals form, together with the inner ones, a single shape, as well as with stamens transformed into staminodes and an arrangement of petals like a rose;
10. semi-pink peonies - densely double, with a rose-like structure, but retaining a small bunch of stamens in the center;
11. crown peonies with an outer large-petaled circle located in the center with narrow petals and staminodes, with a raised crown ring of wide petals inside.

Herbaceous peonies: photo

There is also a simplified variation of the classification of all garden forms of herbaceous peonies, taking into account only the main feature - the structure of the flower. She divides herbaceous peonies into 5 groups:

1. Non-double varieties with simple flowers, the perianth of which consists of 5 petals, and the central disc flaunts with numerous stamens.
2. Terry or spherical peonies, in which wide lower petals are combined with a lush terry center of modified and real stamens.
3. Semi-double peonies, the petals of which are arranged in several rows in combination with a center formed by real and modified stamens.
4. Japanese peonies with one or two rows of perianth petals and numerous stamens and staminodes.
5. Anemonic peonies with a single-row perianth and petalodia filling the center.

Herbaceous peonies: photo

According to the flowering period, peonies are divided into early flowering, medium flowering and late flowering varieties. And in terms of height, a classification is convenient, dividing peonies into three groups: undersized (about half a meter in height), medium-sized and tall (from 90 cm).

Planting peonies

You need to plant or transplant peonies only in the fall. Planting is best done at the end of August or the beginning of September, so that the plant has time to take root in the cold. Sometimes planting is done in the spring. And only after 5 years you can divide the bushes.

The planting hole for a flower should be about 80 cm deep (no more than a meter), about 70 cm wide, since the peony with its roots penetrates quite deeply into the ground and they spread rather quickly. Fulfillment of these requirements ensures the growth of the plant over a long period. In the case of planting several bushes on a site, the gap between each should be about 1 meter. The prepared pit is filled with compost - no more than 3 buckets of pus, wood ash and superphosphate - 500 g, lime - up to 100 g. The mixture mixes well with the soil from the hole. The buds, after planting, should be at the level of the soil.

Manure is placed on the bottom of the pit, its dense ball is 10 cm. Then everything is covered with a 20 cm layer of earth, then the compaction stage follows. Then you need to pour the prepared soil with a mound and pour it thoroughly with water to compact everything well. A bush is placed in the middle of the mound so that the buds are flush with the edge of the pit. The roots should be covered with soil, filling all the void. After planting, the flower must be watered.

If the peony bush has dropped and the buds are below the level of the hole, then it is necessary to carefully pull the plant up, sprinkling it with earth. A small mound is made over the base of the plant

It is important that the buds are deepened by no more than 2.5 cm, because if the planting is too deep, the peonies will not be able to bloom for a long time, and it happens that they will not bloom at all. In winter, when the soil freezes over, the planted peonies should be covered with dry leaves.

In the spring, dry leaves and branches are carefully removed so as not to damage the young shoots.

American varieties

Terry peonies, loved by most people, continued to be created later, already in our time, within the framework of the usual ideas about what this flower should be. Many new varieties and hybrids that have added to the world's piggy bank have become the subject of admiration. Most of the modern varieties come from the USA, where the breeding center has moved from France. Huge peony flowers of American selection 'Jessie Gist'. Photo by the author

American breeders have achieved stunning results. They have created hundreds of new - wonderful peonies. There is no way to list everything, I will name only varieties that cause admiration for the impeccable shape and size of the flower, abundant flowering and texture of the leaves. The champion among pink is quite deservedly considered the variety 'Dinner Plate' ('Dinner Plate'), whose pink-nacreous flowers are indeed the size of dinner plate, as the name suggests. Their diameter is 20-25 cm, this is an absolute record! 'Dinner Plate' is a flower the size of a dinner plate. Photo of the author 'J.S.Nicholls ’(‘ JC Nichols ’), whose large double flowers keep on the bush for a very long time. They bloom pale pink, with a yellow highlight inside, then turn white and become ivory. Nicholls' is an outstanding white peony. Photo by the authorAmong the reds, there is a hybrid ‘Henry Bockstoce’ (‘Henry Bockstoce’), which can not leave anyone indifferent, he is so good! Terry flowers of its dense red color without admixture of blue tint, unlike other similar peonies. Huge flowers with a diameter of more than 20 cm, in the center there is a ball-bud of twisted petals, reminiscent of the forelock of a poodle cut in style. The leaves are light green, which is rare in peonies. The 'Henry Bockstoce' peony is a multiple flower show winner. Photo by the author
The palette of pink peonies is extremely wide - from the most delicate shades of a girl's blush to rich pink tones. It's ‘Jessie Gist’ with a peach highlight in the center of huge double flowers; ‘Princess Margaret’ (‘Princess Margaret’) Abundantly blooming ‘Princess Margaret’ and her neighbor ‘Henry Bockstoce’. Photo by the author’Mrs. F.D. Roosevelt ’(‘ Mrs. F.D. Roosevelt ’). 'Gladys Taylor' Peony flower 'Mrs. F.D. Roosevelt '. Photo by the author Meanwhile, in recent years, peonies with simple non-double flowers of an anemone or the so-called Japanese form, which (alas!) Very often do not have a smell, have gradually come into fashion. Most of the newfangled varieties also appear in the United States. coral series