Peony

Plant Name:               Peony

Technical name:         Paeonia

Plant Family / Type:    Paeoniaceae / Herbaceous Perennial

Preferred location:      Full Sun (prefer) / Partial Shade

Mature height:            2’  –  3’

Mature Width:             2’  –  3’

Growth Rate / Habit:    Moderate / Upright

Flower / Foliage: ·    Large White flowers highly fragrant – late Spring or early Summer ·    Don't expect your peony to bloom the first year after planting.  In fact, it is better to nip off any flower buds that appear the first year.  This encourages the plant to develop its root system during the first year of growth ·    Space Peonies 3’-4’ apart on center

Preferred soil: ·    Prefer rich, well-drained soil.  They thrive in our heavy clay soil. Choose a site where they won't have to compete with aggressive root systems, such as trees or shrubs since Peonies are heavy feeders ·    Standing Water or ‘wet feet’ is fatal to Peonies ·    Best time to transplant – Fall (early Sept to mid Oct) so they have time to become established in the soil before Winter.  Make sure the highest buds/eyes will be no deeper than 2” or Peony may fail to bloom ·    Drought tolerant once established

Pruning and Maintenance: ·    Time  –  Fall ·    Peonies require little maintenance ·    After the flowers have finished, cut off the entire flower stem, and make your cut well inside the plant, so you don't see the cut-off tips. Peonies will only bloom once ·    In the fall, after the leaves die back, cut the stems down to the ground and dispose them in the garbage — to prevent the spread of any possible disease or fungus ·    Overcrowding reduces air circulation -- an open invitation to disease.  If you experience this problem, make a habit of keeping the foliage trimmed back, so that one peony plant does not touch another

Failure to Bloom: ·    Planted too deep:  You may hurry along the flowering time by replanting them closer to the surface of the soil.  However, if they've already in place for several years, they may be nearly ready to bloom, the plant "lifts" itself a little each year as it grows ·    Too much shade:  Peonies need several hours of sunlight every day in order to bloom.  Too much shade means that they produce leaves, but few or no blossoms.  The solution is to dig up the peony plant in the early Fall and transplant it to a new, sunnier location.  Since peonies don't like to be moved, it may take a year or more before it decides to bloom

Fertilize ·    Feed in early Spring and again halfway through the growing season.  Cultivate a half cup of low nitrogen fertilizer (5-10-10) into the soil when new growth about 2 or 3 inches high.  Use care not to damage the roots, and try to keep the fertilizer from direct contact with them ·    Over-fertilizing, especially with a high nitrogen plant food, results in weak stems and reduced flowering ·    Peonies really love potash; if you have fireplace ash, take several handfuls (about 2 cups = half a litre), and lightly dig that into the soil around each peony in the early Spring

Division: ·    A Peony clump will grow happily in the same garden spot for many years. However, if you want more plants or you notice the plant is producing fewer and smaller flowers because of increasing shade or overcrowding (ie. closer than 3’ apart).  Here's how: o   Dig around and under the plant very carefully to avoid cutting off roots. Lift the peony clump out of the hole o   Remove all of the old leaves.  Cut down the stems until they are only 2 -3" long.  Using a hose, gently wash the dirt off the root cluster o   Carefully cut or pull apart the roots into sections, making sure there at least 3 or 4 growth "eyes" in each new section o   Trim away any soft or damaged spots with a sharp, clean knife. Dust those cut surfaces with a fungicide to discourage disease infection and rot. o   Replant each section/division into a newly prepared area of the garden

Ant Prevention: ·    Apply an insecticide to the peonies:  One of the most effective ways to control an ant problem on peonies is to spray the plants with an insecticide ·    Dip the cut peony flowers in water before handling:  Cut the peonies with long stems so that you have ample room to handle them, and then dip the flowers into a bowl of water with few drops of dish soap. This will remove nearly all of the ants ·    Prevent the ants from climbing the plant's stem using a homemade ant trap:  Smear one side of the paper circle with petroleum jelly.  Then, place the circle around the stem of your peony plant, with the plant's stem at the center of the circle.  If the petroleum jelly side is facing up, any ants trying to climb the plant will get stuck in the petroleum jelly ·    Complement your peony plantings with ant-repellant plants:  Another way you can discourage ants from getting on your peonies is by planting ant-repellant plants nearby.  Some common plants that tend to repel ants are geraniums, mint, garlic, and calendula