Peony Care | Gardening On

Peony Care: Characteristics

The peony It is one of the most striking flowers that you can have both in your garden and on the terrace. It adapts very well to living in any type of soil, even calcareous ones, so you only have to ask yourself one question when you go to buy one: which one should I take?

There are many varieties and all of them are really spectacular: there are them with pink, red, white or purple flowers, with a pleasant aroma. Do you want to know how to take care of it? Let’s find out.

Peony characteristics

La peony is a shrubby deciduous plant that has been cultivated for more than 2.000 years in China and Japan. Her Chinese name, “sho yu”, means the prettiest. Although we cannot affirm such a thing, since everyone has their tastes and preferences, it is true that it is very decorative and very elegant.

Scientific name Pioneer, its name is due to Peon, a disciple of Asclepius, the god of medicine, who, according to legend, was jealous of his worth and transformed into that flower.

It did not arrive in Europe until the seventeenth century and is characterized by having a rounded shape, with large petals. These can be basic (that is, few petals), semi-double, double … It is known that there are 30 accepted varieties, divided between milky and herbaceous species. To give you an idea, the herbaceous plants do not reach a meter in height and develop more horizontally. Shrub peonies, on the other hand, have woody stems and can grow up to two meters easily.

Despite the fact that in eastern countries they continue to preserve the medicinal use of the plant, in the case of Europe it is seen more as one of the outstanding flowers for flower arrangements, for bridal bouquets, etc.

Species or types

Although we have told you that there are 30 different species of peonies, the truth is that you can find up to 40 of them. Not all are equally well known, some are more characteristic than others.

Thus, the most common are:

  • Paeonia officinalis It is a perennial and herbaceous plant, which can reach 70 cm in height. It has large leaves, like the flowers, which can be 13 cm wide and calyx-shaped.
  • Paeonia anomalous. It is something different from the usual ones, especially in its center. It measures between 50cm and 1 meter in height and almost always has only one flower (in reality it can have several, but of all of them only one blooms completely). These can be red, pink or white (the latter two are very rare).
  • Paeonia lactiflora. Also known as Chinese peony, or rose without thorns. It is native to Asia and Tibet and Siberia and stands out, not so much for its height, which is between 60 and 100 cm, but for the round flowers, between 8 and 16 cm in diameter, and with 5-10 petals that can be pink, white or crimson. In the center, to contrast, you have yellow stamens.
  • Paeonia cambessedesii. This is native to Mallorca and grows between 45 and 60 cm. The most striking are its pink flowers, between 6 and 12 cm in diameter, with purple stamens with yellow tips.

Care guide

Its growth rate is slow, but constant. It grows to a height of about 60cm, so It is one of the best options to form flower beds or hedges.

To look spectacular, you need the following care:

  • Location: semi-shadow. It can be in full sun if the weather is mild.
  • Irrigation: frequent, between 2 and 3 times a week in summer, and 1-2 / week the rest of the year.
  • Subscriber: From spring to late summer, it is highly recommended to fertilize with a liquid fertilizer such as guano.
  • Pruning: old branches can be pruned after flowering. It is advisable to remove the suckers that grow in early spring, in addition to the wilted flowers. If he overgrows you, lower his height as much as you like in late winter.
  • Transplant: it must be done with great care, in spring, before its leaves sprout. If you want to have it in a pot, you can use universal substrate for plants, mixing it with 20% perlite to avoid waterlogging.

So you will have a spectacular Peony in your garden.

Let’s see how it is cared for in a pot:

Potted peony care

Potted peony care

First of all is know where to buy potted peonies. And it is that, although from time to time in certain supermarkets they offer us very succulent offers (for low prices) of these plants, many times they have suffered and are more difficult to take them forward.

Therefore, it is more advisable to buy them in a nursery or a flower shop. Yes indeed, do not choose copies that have just arrived, Because you don’t know how they come, it is better to wait for the professionals to “agree” them to be sure that you are not going to die.

Once you have it at home, you must take into account the following peony care:

  • Lighting: They need a lot of light, so if you have it indoors you should always place it next to a window with lighting, ideally to the south or west since it is the best orientation for the plants. You have to provide it with 6 to 8 hours of light. If it is outside, place it in a place where it has at least 6 hours of light and the rest of shade.
  • Irrigation: In spring and summer you must be careful so that the soil in the pot does not dry out, as it suffers if that happens. Peonies are flowers that like water a lot, and that’s why you can’t let them have a drought. Depending on where you live, you should water a minimum of twice a week from spring to fall; and one a week in winter. If the summer is hotter, zoom in to 3-4 times. It is better to water more times and in less quantity (to avoid fungal problems) than less times and to drown it too much.
  • Pests: Peonies are very hardy plants in and of themselves. But in a pot there is an added problem: humidity. If you go overboard with watering, or there is a lot of humidity in the environment, this can create fungi or diseases such as botrytis. Another problem is due to a lack of light, which will cause your peonies to start to have gray mold (in that case you have to put it in the sun to try to alleviate the problem).
  • Transplant: It does not like it at all, so from the beginning you must put it in a container large enough for it to develop, but you do not have to move it more (unless it is by force majeure, of course).
  • Pruning: Depending on the species you have, pruning will be one way or another. For example, in bushy peonies, pruning is minimal, enough to remove dry branches, and always at the end of winter. But, in the case of herbaceous plants, it is usually cut at ground level to rejuvenate it.

Curiosities

Before leaving the topic, we would like to provide you with some information, by way of curiosities, that you should know about peonies.

What is the season of peonies?

What is the season of peonies

From May to the end of July you will be able to have them in your gardenor in a pot, and see the spectacle that happens when the flower opens. In fact, it is a precious part of the process that you should not miss.

Normally, in the months of May and June is when they are mature enough to flower, and you should know that, when they are flower buds take 4-5 days to open.

Of course, keep in mind that when we buy it in stores, even if you choose a specimen with many closed flowers, these can take much longer than those 4-5 days. This is due to the fact that a product is put on them that what it does is protect the closed flowers, but also prevent them from opening in due time. Can we avoid it? Of course, it is enough to take a cloth and, with lukewarm water, clean these cocoons so that they follow their natural course.

Where do peonies grow?

At first, peonies were only “exclusive” to China, Japan, and other eastern countries. Over time, they began to reach Europe and were distributed almost all over the world. Now, it is very easy that the peonies are on the Mediterranean side, since the climate and the conditions it offers are the best for these plants.

But this does not mean that they cannot be in other places.

What does it mean to get peonies as a gift?

What does it mean to get peonies as a gift?

Do you want to know what is the meaning of the peony? Well this is related to the happiness and beauty of a woman. It is said that, if you include it in the home decoration following the teachings of Feng Shui, you will be attracting the master and the fortune.

Therefore, in the case that they give you peonies, what they are trying to tell you is that they seek happiness for you, and, in some cases, that they appreciate the beauty that is in you (which does not have to be only the external beauty , but also the interior).

For example, in the case of using white peonies in a bouquet of flowers, what is being meant is that you send your best wishes in life to that person.

Have you become a fan of peonies yet?

Peony Care | Gardening On

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