Tree peony (Paeonia x suffruticosa), or semi-shrub - one of the representatives of the Peony family, which resembles a small shrub. In some botanical sources it is said that the flower has hybrid characteristics.
To date, scientists have about 500 varieties and garden forms of peony, most of which can be found in China, where the plant was bred by local breeders. Later, Japanese flower growers were engaged in its cultivation. They began to grow the flower when the seeds of the tree peony were brought to the islands. In European countries, the plant began to spread only by the end of the 18th century. Here, the culture gained wide popularity among ordinary gardeners and attracted interest from botanists.
Description of tree peonies
The shoots of the tree peony are capable of reaching a height of 1.5 to 2 meters. Thick and straight stems, covered with dense foliage, are brown in color. New shoots grow every year, which give the bush a spherical shape. Leaf blades are openwork and pinnate, have an ornament. The buds located on the stems open 12-20 cm in diameter during flowering. Flowers can differ in various colors. The most common are yellow, purple, pink and white peonies. Every year the flowering becomes more lush and abundant. The flowering of this representative of the Peony is observed earlier than the herbaceous peony. In addition, tree varieties exhibit increased resistance to cold.
Growing a tree peony from seeds
If you use seeds as planting material, then under favorable conditions the bushes are able to bloom only 5-6 years after planting. Seeds must be stratified before sowing. Germination properties deteriorate over time. The stratification procedure is performed in stages. Initially, the seeds are warmed and then hardened. However, it cannot be completely guaranteed that all seedlings will survive.
Planting tree peonies in open ground
If there is groundwater near the site where the peony is to be grown, then the holes for the bushes must be dug in the form of a cone. The bottom is covered with drainage material, for example, broken brick, gravel or sand. Sour soil is diluted with bone meal or lime. A young bush is carefully placed in the hole and poured over it with water until the roots are properly straightened. When the water is completely absorbed, the hole is filled to the top with soil, leaving the root collar intact. The distance between the seedlings should be at least 1.5 m, since over time the bushes grow strongly.
Tree peony care
Watering
Tree peonies need care and watering, like any other herbaceous perennials.After absorbing moisture, the soil is loosened and weeds are removed from the site. Since the root system is quite branched, there are about 6-7 liters of water for each bush. The bushes are watered twice a month. If the weather is very dry, then the frequency of watering is increased. In order not to damage the roots, loosening is performed no closer than half a meter in relation to the shoots. Mulching the soil with humus will save time on weeding and prevent moisture evaporation.
Top dressing and fertilizers
These decorative shrubs suffer from a lack of potash and nitrogen fertilizers. At the first stages of the development of the growing season, the area with peonies is enriched with nitrogen. When bud formation begins to occur, potassium and phosphorus are added. At the peak of flowering, nitrogen fertilization is repeated again. However, it should be remembered that an excess of such a mineral substance can provoke the appearance of gray rot. Before fertilizing the soil, water is plentifully, so that the root system will be safe and not get burned.
Pruning
Peony pruning is carried out in the spring, before the onset of the growing season. For this, dry shoots are removed, and the old ones are shortened by 10 cm. In China, adult bushes are cut almost at the root, thus, their complete rejuvenation is performed, and the adventitious buds located at the base of the shoots are awakened. To observe abundant and lush flowering, it is necessary to prune without touching the upper axillary point. Peonies are real long-livers among flowering dwarf shrubs. They can live for more than a hundred years under favorable conditions, and even five hundred-year-old specimens are found in China.
Transfer
Bushes react extremely painfully to such events. In a new place, the plant is often sick and does not develop well. The recovery process takes a long time. Peonies are dug up by the root and transplanted together with an earthen clod. Sick root layers are removed. Places of cuts are treated with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkled with crushed coal. Some gardeners transplant shrubs using divisions. Only parts that have roots and replacement buds are considered suitable for transplantation. Delenki are kept for half an hour in a clay mixture.
Tree peonies after flowering
After the completion of flowering, the faded branches are cut off from the bushes to the level of the location of the upper axillary point. In any case, most of the escape withers away. In the fall, the last feeding of the season is carried out. Fertilizer consumption for each bush is about 300 g of wood ash and 200 g of bone meal. After top dressing, the soil is carefully covered.
Wintering
These representatives of the pion group are distinguished by good cold resistance and calmly withstand winters in our climatic latitudes. Still, do not forget about the cases of sudden spring frosts. Barely opened buds on bushes can die if they are not covered with snow or some other protective material. As a result, the growth of shoots will be disrupted and the plant will wither. For this reason, in the fall, flower growers advise tying the bushes with jute, covering them with spruce branches, dry foliage and chopped bark, and mulching the soil around the trunk circle with a thick layer of peat. Such simple measures will provide the peonies with a normal and safe wintering.
Reproduction of tree peonies
Reproduction by dividing the bush
By dividing it is recommended to propagate bushes that have reached the age of five or six. The optimal time for a transplant is August.
Propagation by cuttings
Only semi-lignified cuttings are suitable. To do this, the leaf is cut off together with the bud, leaving part of the woody shoot. The finished cuttings are placed in a container filled with sand and peat. The covered container is ventilated daily and sprayed with water. Towards the end of September, cuttings dive in different pots and store in greenhouses until spring arrives, until the root system is properly strengthened.Then they are planted in open ground.
Reproduction by layering
This is one of the most time-consuming breeding methods. You will need to take the most developed shoots and make an incision on the side that is directed towards the soil. The incision is treated with a special growth activator. Then the shoot is pressed to the ground, sprinkled with a small layer of soil and watered. After 3-4 months, when the roots are formed, the shoot is separated from the main bush and transplanted to another place.
Reproduction by vaccinations
Experienced growers use a method of propagation by grafting, which is more reliable than other methods. Herbaceous peonies are best grafted. The harvesting is done in August. Cuttings with two buds are chosen. Their lower part is sharpened, then inserted with a sharp end into a groove located in the root. The junction is wrapped in a film material. The grafted peonies are placed in pots containing wet sawdust. A month later, the cuttings are transplanted into pots, driving the lower peephole 5 cm into the soil. Peony pots are stored in greenhouses and looked after for 1.5-2 years before being sent to the open ground.
Diseases and pests
Tree peonies are rarely affected by diseases and pests. However, replanting weakens the health of the bush. The danger is gray rot, which affects most ornamental representatives of the flora. An effective method of control is spraying the shoots with a solution of potassium permanganate. Take 3 g of the substance in a bucket of water. If potassium permanganate is not at hand, use a 6-7% solution of copper sulfate, diluted in 10 liters of water. Infected bushes and specimens with signs of the disease are dug up and burned, otherwise the fungus will quickly spread to healthy plantings. Brown leaf spot is another serious fungal disease. For prevention purposes, the area where the flowers grow is treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid.
Types and varieties of tree peonies
Among the most famous varieties of tree peonies are called Lemoine, yellow, Delavey and Potanin. All of them belong to deciduous shrubs. Many varieties described in botanical literature are found in China and are divided into several groups:
- Sino-European peonies - with large double flowers, the heads of which are lowered down, and the color varies from pale pink to bright purple;
- Japanese peonies - with less airy flowers;
- Hybrid forms - yellow peony and Delaway peony.
Treelike peonies also include varieties:
- The Qiao sisters - have both burgundy and cream petals, buds open up to 16 cm in diameter;
- Sapphire - bushes during the growing season are strewn with pale pink inflorescences;
- Coral altar - the color of the buds is mixed, one part of the petals is coral, and the other is white;
- Green Jade - one of the rarest and most unique varieties with delicate light green flowers.
