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Peonies have been admired for over two thousand years. As decorative flowers in China, they have been cultivated since the time of the Han and Qing dynasties that ruled the Celestial Empire 200 years before our era. In the East, they are called symbols of love and wealth, they are credited with magical power and are considered the embodiment of pure Yang energy. We appreciate peonies for their catchy beauty and delicious aroma.
Summer is coming to an end, it’s time to think about planting this wonderful flower in your garden. Autumn is also the best time for transplanting or dividing. This is a surprisingly unpretentious plant that, unlike others, can grow in one place for decades without prejudice to flowering. Proper planting of peonies in the fall is the key to the success of their cultivation.
Description and varietal diversity
Peony is a herbaceous (milky-flowered, narrow-leaved, etc.) or deciduous (tree-like) rhizome plant, the only genus of the Peony family, which includes 36 species. The flower, which we plant everywhere, was obtained by breeding Peony Milky-flowered and its hybridization with wild relatives.
It has a powerful rhizome, cone-shaped thick roots, bluish or green pinnate or trifoliate leaves. In height, the peony grows over time, depending on the variety, up to one meter. Its large fragrant flowers up to 25 cm in diameter are painted in all shades of red, pink, white, cream, rarely yellow.
The peony blooms in spring or early summer, after which it sets fruits – complex multi-leaflets, which by autumn are filled with large shiny seeds that look like black or brown beads. In some varieties, the seed pods themselves have a decorative value.
For convenience, they were divided into seven groups, classifying according to the shape of the flower inherent in the peony and called:
- non-terry;
- semi-double;
- terry;
- Japanese;
- anemone;
- pinkish;
- crowned.
Planting of pions
It is important to know how to plant peonies in the fall because it depends on whether the further care of the plant will be simple and easy. If you also choose a suitable place for the flower, then further care for it will be reduced to the necessary minimum.
Planting time
Novice flower growers do not always know whether to plant peonies in the ground in spring or autumn. There can be no two opinions here, autumn is not only the most suitable time for this, but also the only correct one. Of course, this does not apply to container flowers, they are planted at any time, the main thing is that it is not too hot.
Planting peonies in the fall in the ground usually occurs in August-September. It is best to wait until the heat subsides and the rains pass. At this time, the aerial part has already stopped growing green mass, and cool weather and moist soil allow the peony to take root well. Landing dates can vary greatly from region to region. In the south, this usually happens no earlier than October, and in the north, earthworks can be started already at the end of summer so that the flower has time to take root before the onset of frost.
Why peonies are not planted in spring
It is not necessary to plant peonies in the spring, since at this time it is the green mass that is actively growing, while the root system stops its development. It is impossible to cut the leaves to promote rooting in any case, the flower will most likely simply die. In the spring, planting can be done only in exceptional cases, when there is simply no other way out.
Most often this happens if the flower has not wintered well and can die without a transplant. And among peony lovers there are people who are very addicted, capable of looking for such and such a particular variety with perseverance bordering on fanaticism. The time of year will not matter to them if a coveted flower with an open root system is found at the spring exhibition.
What can be advised here? Are there ways to increase the survival rate of a flower? If a forced spring planting is ahead, try to do it as early as possible, use root-forming preparations. According to the leaf, you must first spray the flower twice with epin with an interval of 10-14 days, and then twice with megafol or a similar preparation. This will give the peony a chance to survive such a stressful factor as spring planting.
Choosing a landing place
Peony is a long-lasting flower, properly planted, it has been growing in one place for decades. That is why its correct placement on the site is of paramount importance.
Best of all, the flower will feel when planted in a sunny, wind-sheltered area. This does not mean that it will die in the shade or, in general, will not bloom. Planted in places lit for about 5 hours a day, peonies will give fewer buds, and they will be small. The coloring will also suffer – the colors will lose their juiciness, possibly become faded.
Peonies make few demands on the soil, but develop best when planted in loamy soil, nutritious and well-drained. What these flowers absolutely cannot stand is the locking lands. A well-rooted peony will endure heat, frost, prolonged drought, but may not survive even a short-term stagnation of water at the roots. Flowers planted in a lowland will either die or require an urgent transplant.
Preparing the seat
It is best to prepare planting pits for peonies in advance. In one to two weeks, the soil in them will have time to sink well, and you will be able to ensure the correct planting of peonies. To do this, dig a recess 60×60 cm, fill it with nutrient soil and water it abundantly. You will need at least 2 buckets of water per hole.
Before planting, peat must be added to the clay soil, always low-lying, since the high-moor has an acidic reaction, which the peony bush does not tolerate at all. Add humus and sand.
On acidic soils, lime, chalk or dolomite flour is added to the nutrient mixture for planting peonies at the rate of a glass per bucket. Usually this is enough. Chernozems do not require special improvement, but only if they are not depleted by previous crops. If necessary, humus or compost can be added to them before planting peonies in the fall.
In order for flowers to grow on wetlands, drainage is needed. Make a deep hole, place a layer of gravel or broken red brick at least 20 cm (preferably more) at the bottom, cover with sand.
Planting peonies
One-two-year-old flowers or delenki with 3-4 well-developed buds and a piece of rhizome are considered the best for autumn planting. The most important thing here is the depth of landing. The kidneys should be located about 5 cm below ground level.
If you deepen them when planting, you will not wait for flowering, no matter how you care. Otherwise, the peony will be healthy and produce beautiful foliage. Too shallow planting can damage the flower or even lead to its death, and this applies not only to the northern regions. During frosts, low temperatures can push the flower rhizome out of the ground, and it will freeze.
Plant the peony in the center of the planting hole to the desired depth, carefully spreading the roots, sprinkle with soil, gently press the earth around and water abundantly.
Division and transplant
Each flower can grow in one place for decades. If it is healthy and blooms profusely, and the location suits you, you should not worry about the peony. But sooner or later the time will come for him to sit down. You may want to simply move the flower to another location or share planting material with friends or neighbors.
The best way to propagate peonies is vegetatively. It is simple and reliable, allows you to save all the varietal characteristics of the flower. The term for transplanting and breeding peonies is the same as for normal planting – autumn.
The division of flowers contributes to the rejuvenation of the bushes, experts advise doing it every time you move from place to place. It is only advised to transfer it to another site only during a sanitary transplant, when it is urgently necessary to save a wet, rotten or improperly buried plant.
During the autumn transplant, dig up the flower, being careful not to damage the fragile roots. To do this, dig a peony in a circle, having previously stepped back 20 cm, loosen it with a pitchfork and only then pull it out of the ground. Cut off the above-ground part, rinse, put it under a canopy for up to 2 hours so that the roots of the flower wilt a little and become less fragile.
Carefully separate them into pieces, with a sharp knife, cut off the old, rotten and disease-looking pieces of the rhizome. Shorten excessively long flower roots to 15 cm. If we plant delenki with several strong eyes and a healthy piece of rhizome to the desired depth, we can expect the peony to take root well, and bloom two years later.
The rules for planting divisions and transplanting adult bushes to another place without dismembering them are no different from those described in the previous paragraph. They are so simple that even beginner growers can do it.
For more clarity, we offer you to watch the video:
Care after landing
Immediately after excavation, mulch the planting hole with peonies with peat. If, for one reason or another, contrary to the recommendations, you were forced to plant flowers in the spring, be sure to treat the foliage several times with drugs that help to survive stress (epin, zircon, megafol).
Autumn planting – less stress for the flower. It is enough to cut the foliage, mulch the landing circle, and if there is no precipitation at all in the fall, carefully moisten the soil several times.
Peony’s place in landscape design
Peony is very fond of all landscape designers. After flowering, its foliage remains decorative, even planted in a shaded area, it will throw out a few buds. But before planting peonies in the ground, especially in large landscape groups, you still need to think over the composition. It is not worth moving them from place to place annually, since any transplant postpones flowering for a year, or even two.
Peony looks good in group and single plantings. It goes well with flowering and coniferous plants. But there are cases when you need to plant peonies away from other flowers. For example, their proximity to roses will not decorate your site – they will simply distract attention from each other.
Pick up a peony as neighbors, either modest small flowers, or those with elongated peduncles, preferably in a contrasting color.
Conclusion
Peonies are always in style, even when the tabloids say otherwise. From the pedestal they were pressed more than once by other flowers. But who remembers their names today?