Peony

I’ve been temporarily sidelined by a cranky muscle. All I can do is enjoy looking at the garden and try not to obsess about the work that needs to be done.

The peony’s brief bloom time is spectacular. After a one week and one rain storm, the blooms are gone. They need to be deadheaded. Most years I tie them up to keep them from flopping over. Some gardeners remove side blooms to produce single, larger blooms. Usually, by the end of summer the leaves are covered with a mold but it doesn’t seem to affect the plants. In fall, I’ll cut them to the ground and discard the cuttings.

The white peony came with the house and has been here for at least 40 years. I added the red about 20 years ago. Now that’s a long-lived perennial.

More information on Paeonia hybrids from Ohio State University .

Peony

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Another beautiful but brief spring display is put on by the herbaceous peony.

The full bushy plants look good all summer but bloom time is quite impressive. It’s a plant that doesn’t get a lot of attention until it produces that spectacular bloom.

According to Clemson University extension http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic1170.htm
“Peonies have few pests or diseases. The most frequently occurring problems are the fungal diseases Botrytis blight and leaf blotch. To help control diseases, cut off all peony plants level with the ground in the fall. Do not add the old tops to your compost pile. Avoid overhead irrigation.”

A heavy rain adversely affects the seasonal peony bloom. Magnolia and Iris are also bashed by heavy spring rains some years. This year we’ve been lucky. Most of the spring blooms have not been spoiled.

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