THE PEONY (Paconia) has unfortunately become
associated with a particular style of gardening; that of the

untamed English flower garden usually associated with wild, -

unkempt, high-maintenance nightmares.

This is unfortunate because a
healthy peony will become an asset
jn almost any garden setting.
Whether mixed in with other
flowering perennials or in com-
bination with more permanent
plantings of trees and shrubs.

There are two main classes in
cultivation, the more common
herbaceous form (meaning it dies

. to the ground over the winter) and
“the striking tree peonies.

BOLD DISPLAY

--The herbaceous peony will form
a multi-stemmed clump and reach
heights and widths of two to four
feet. The foliage is deeply lobed
and dark green in color, creating a
bold display which is. both im-
pressive in its own right and at-
tractive as a background for the
flowers.

_ These flowers are _ generally
double in form but. singles. are
available and: in ‘colors ranging
from pure: white through cream,
pink, red, scarlet, salmon and
yellow. Newer named varieties
have fragrances which can rival

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that of the old-fashioned roses.

Typically, the blossoms are four
to six inches across, but 10 to even
12 inches is not unheard of in show
plants.

PERFECT ENVIRONMENT

We on the North Shore virtually
have a perfect peony growing en-
vironment. Relatively cold winters
promote good: blcom production,
while our cool, damp springs keep
the flowers healthy for long
periods. The one possible setback
is the rain; usually a light shaking
of the flower will remove the ex-
cess moisture which could weight
them down although a peony ring
is always the safest.

A peony ring is simply two or

‘three stakes, two feet in height

positioned in the ground around
the plant with a wire hoop attach-
ed to support the arching stems 18
to 20 inches above the ground.

ANNUAL PLANTING

Container-grown peonies can be
planted at any time of the year as

long as they are properly watered
afterwards. Those which are sold
packed and bare-root should go in
in the fall or-early spring. Keep the

17 - Friday, May 22, 1987 - North Shore News

FEED BONEMEAL

Feed established plants with lib-
eral amounts of bonemeal in the

over the

garden gate
by Geoff Tobiasson

eyes or growth buds within one
inch of the soil surface. :

Division of old, over-ciowded
specimens should be done in the
fall as well. Peonies do not like to
have their roots disturbed and will
usually cease flower production for
the next two to three years if they
are divided too frequently.

The soil should be enriched and
well cultivated to a depth of 18 in-
ches before planting in a site which
has full sun. to dappled shade (I
have seen the odd plant thriving in
full shade). °_

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fall and again, lightly in mid spr-
ing. The occasional application of
a water soluble fertilizer such as
15-30-15 or 20-20-20 would do

wonders during the growing
season.

Do not pull spent stalks out of
the ground during the clean-up
period of the fall; rather carefully
cut them slightly below the soil-
line.

Some named varieties to look
for would be: .
WHITES: Festiva Maxima
PINKS: Sarah Bernhardt,
Kelway’s Lovely, Bowl of Beauty
REDS: Defender, King Arthur,
Rubra Plen2, Sunshine

Some of the species forms to
look for would be Mlokosewitschii
(yellow), Smouthii (red),. and
Arientina (pink).

I’m sure that if you give a few of
these old garden ‘standards a try
you will become aware of the very
reason why they became so popu-
lar in the first place and will likely
be as confused as I why they have
not retained their popularity.

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