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Peony Carol is an interspecific variety with bright double flowers. The herbaceous shrub is characterized by a high degree of frost resistance, and is popular with gardeners throughout Our Country. Grow a crop for cutting and landscaping.
Description of the peony Carol
Peony Carol is a perennial herbaceous shrub with a dense spreading crown. It forms many shoots reaching a length of 80 cm. The stems are erect, hard, dark green in color. Under the weight of the flowers, the shoots droop, the bush falls apart and loses its decorative effect.
Leaf plates are dark green, lanceolate, hard, glossy, with smooth edges. Leaves alternate, petioles long, slightly pubescent.
Peony Carol is a sun-loving plant, so it does not tolerate shading. Only with full photosynthesis, the culture will bloom profusely, quickly build up the root system and green mass. The variety is frost-resistant, resists temperatures down to -35 0C, and also has good drought resistance.
These qualities make it possible to grow the Carol variety throughout the temperate climate. The variety is especially popular with gardeners in the European and Central parts of Our Country.
Features of flowering
Peony varieties Carol mid-early flowering. The buds are formed at the end of May, bloom in the first decade of June. The life cycle of the inflorescence is 7 days, the duration of the flowering period is 15 days. Each stem gives up to three lateral processes, buds are formed on them.
Flowering is plentiful, splendor depends on timely top dressing and sufficient lighting. If the crop is grown for cutting, the side buds are removed, then the central flower will be larger.
How the Carol variety blooms:
- flowers are large, terry, in diameter – 20 cm;
- petals of bright red saturated color with a purple hue, the arrangement is folded, uneven;
- the central part is closed.
Application in design
An ornamental herbaceous shrub with sufficient lighting can be grown in flowerpots on a balcony or loggia. It must be taken into account that under the weight of the inflorescences, the peony breaks up and looks untidy, so you must first take care of the support. In open field, the plant is grown for garden design, combining with many flowering crops that have the same biological requirements:
- daylilies;
- Veronica;
- bells;
- cornflowers;
- with flowering and ornamental shrubs;
- hydrangea.
Carol does not combine with roses or other colors of a red hue, because against the background of a peony, they will lose their attractiveness. Peony does not get along well with juniper due to different requirements for the composition of the soil, but with thuja and dwarf forms of spruce, it looks perfect.
A few examples of the use of the Carol variety in garden design:
- registration of the central part of the lawn;
- planted in combination with different varieties of peonies to frame flower beds;
- create a color accent in the central part of the flower bed;
- for decorating rockeries;
Looks good mix of different varieties of peony with daylily
- planted on discounts near the building;
- include in the composition with ornamental and flowering plants;
Methods of reproduction
The interspecific peony variety Carol is sterile, so the plant can be propagated vegetatively.
When cutting, the material is cut from strong shoots until the budding period. They put it in water, and when the root threads appear, they transfer it to the ground. From the moment of harvesting the material to flowering, 3 years will pass. The method is possible, but lengthy.
The most optimal breeding option for the elite Carol variety is by dividing an adult plant. Work is carried out in the fall, and in the spring buds will appear on a young shrub.
Rules of landing
Ito-hybrid Carol can be placed on the site at the beginning of the growing season, when the soil has warmed up to +10 0C. Spring work is relevant if material purchased from the nursery is planted. The peony will bloom only after three years of growth, before winter it will have time to take root well. For plots, the optimal time is late summer or early autumn. The next season the plant will bloom. If you divide the mother bush in the spring, the peony will not give buds, summer time will be spent on adaptation.
Site requirement:
- it should be a well-lit place, periodic shading is allowed;
- the soil is neutral, the peony will not grow on an acidic composition, on an alkaline one it will not give lush flowering and a rich color of the petals;
- the earth is chosen light, fertile, if necessary, the soil is corrected by adding sand during planting and regular top dressing;
- Do not place Carol’s peony in swampy lowlands.
For landing use delenki. Choose a well-grown plant at least three years old.
The soil is completely shaken off or washed off with water.
If a seedling is purchased with a closed root, it is placed in a pit along with an earthen clod.
The seedling is poured with water and carefully removed from the transport container so as not to damage the root.
Planting Peony Carol:
- the pit is prepared 2 weeks before the planned work, they dig a depth and width of 50 cm;
- the bottom is covered with drainage and a soil mixture of peat and compost, left to the edge of 20 cm;
- after preparation, the pit is filled with water, the procedure is repeated the day before planting;
- for a peony, it is important to correctly position the kidneys, they are deepened no lower and no higher than 5 cm;
- for this, a rail is placed on the edge of the recess, soil is poured;
- fall asleep with soddy soil mixed in equal parts with compost;
- if the buds have started to grow, their tops are left above the ground level;
Aftercare
Hybrid Carol from those varieties of peony for which top dressing is necessary during the entire growing season, except for flowering.
Carol’s peony feeding schedule:
- in early spring, when the first shoots appear, potassium is added under the bush;
- at the time of tying the buds, they give nitrogen and superphosphate;
- after flowering, they are fertilized with organic matter and ammonium nitrate, the measure is necessary for laying vegetation buds for the next season;
- at the end of August fertilize with complex mineral products;
- in preparation for winter, the Carol variety is fed with organic matter.
Watering the peony is necessary during the entire warm period. An adult bush needs 20 liters of water for 10 days. A young peony is watered to prevent compaction and waterlogging of the soil.
A prerequisite is the mulching of the root circle, in the fall the layer of material is increased, in the spring it is completely renewed. Mulch will retain moisture and prevent the soil from drying out, eliminating the need for constant loosening of the soil.
Preparation for winter
Variety Carol belongs to frost-resistant crops, therefore, for an adult plant, careful shelter for the winter is not required. The bush is cut off completely after the first frost, water-charging irrigation is carried out, fed with organic matter and covered with mulch.
For seedlings of the Carol variety, a layer of mulch is increased, insulated with straw, protected from above by any covering material.
Pests and diseases
The interspecific hybrid Carol is characterized by high resistance to infections, the culture is very rarely sick. Peony calmly endures a period of long rains, the only problem may be poorly drained soil. In conditions of excessive humidity, the shrub is affected by a fungal infection (gray rot), which can only be eliminated by transferring the bush to a dry, well-lit place.
Of the pests, the gall nematode may appear on the peony, which affects the root only in constantly waterlogged soil. With the mass distribution of the bronze beetle on the site, the pest can also parasitize on the Carol variety.
Conclusion
Peony Carol is a herbaceous shrub with a perennial life cycle that can bloom in one place for more than 10 years. Quickly builds up the root system and green mass, shoot formation in the variety is intense, flowering is stable. The flowers are large, double, maroon in color. The variety is suitable for ornamental gardening and bouquets.