Garden Column for the Salisbury Post

Darrell Blackwelder

May 7, 2004

         

Peonies are the large showy, flowers adding a burst of color to the landscape this spring.  Peonies are a traditional favorite making a bit of a comeback in current landscapes. Showy foliage  and fragrant flowers make them a useful addition to the landscape all season. Peonies are commonly used as specimen plants in borders and are excellent cut flowers.

     Peonies flower in mid‑to late spring providing many colors and flower forms.  Early blooming and single or Japanese cultivars generally perform well in our area

 Peonies are long‑lived, but slow‑growing at first. Garden peonies will usually begin blooming within three years after planting.

Peonies like many flowering plants need at least six hours of full sun a day for good bloom. Afternoon shade protects  delicate flowers from fading too quickly in hot locations.

These plants need well‑drained, loamy soils for good growth. Good drainage  reduces problems with root rot and fungal diseases. Heavy clay soils should be amended with compost, finely

ground pine bark or well‑rotted manure to improve drainage and organic matter content. Make sure the soil pH is near 6.0 6.5 before planting.

Peonies have few pests or diseases. The most frequently occurring problems are the fungal diseases Botrytis blight and leaf blotch.

A common problem of peonies is the failure to bloom. It may be the result of planting too deeply, immature plants, excess nitrogen, inadequate sunlight, overcrowding, nutrient

deficiency, insect or disease problems, competition from roots of nearby plants or late freezes. Some cultivars will fail to bloom in zones 8 and 9 because they lack sufficient winter

chilling.

     There is a vast array of peony colors and forms to choose from. Most gardeners are familiar with the large, double‑flowered peonies.

Garden peonies are also available in single‑flowered, semi‑double, Japanese, and anemone‑type blossoms. The single and Japanese bloom types usually perform much better in the South than the doubles do. In addition to the well‑known white, pink and magenta flowers, newly available colors include yellow, cream and red.Depending on the cultivar and weather conditions, peonies will flower as early as March or as late as May.

     Modern hybrid peonies are complex crosses of other hybrids and several different species. Below are

 

     'Sara Bernhardt'--pink flowering plant

     'Karl Rosenfield--dark red, double flower.

     `Felix Crousse'  double Japanese flower  ruby red flowers.

     `Festiva Maxima' has fragrant, large, early white double

     'Immaculate'--white flower

 

 flowers with crimson flecks. Strong, tall stems and dark green foliage. This double old favorite does well in the South.

     `Flame' is an early blooming rose‑red single with a yellow center.

     `Kansas' has large, early double flowers of watermelon red that hold their rich color throughout bloom time. This is one of the best doubles for the South.

     `Miss America' has snow white petals that open to a full early semi‑double. It is a heavy bloomer.

     `Monsieur Jules Elie' has double pink flowers with silvery centers.

     `Paula Fay' is a glowing pink early semi‑double with waxy textured petals.