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Peony Mathers Choice was bred by American breeders in Glascock in 1950. The name of the variety is translated as “Mother’s Choice”. Due to its excellent decorative properties, easy care and minimal requirements for growing conditions, Mathers Choice was recognized by the American Peony Society as the best variety in the world among varieties obtained as a result of selection, and in 1993 was awarded a gold medal.
The Mathers Choice variety has excellent decorative properties and a pleasant floral aroma.
Description of peony Mathers Choice
The straight stems of a beautiful plant grow up to 70 cm in height. They are so strong that they do not need additional support during flowering. The bushes are covered with small dark green leaves. Growing, the variety takes up a lot of space on the site. The height of the bush is from 60 to 150 cm.
Like all peonies, the Mathers Choice variety is photophilous and, being constantly in the shade, may die. The herbaceous plant has high frost resistance and therefore takes root well not only in the Central part of Eurasia, but even in regions with cold winters and harsh climates. The peony is suitable for growing in the territory belonging to the 4th frost resistance zone – in the Moscow region, in most of Our Country, as well as in the mountainous and northern regions of Scandinavia.
Features of flowering
The milky-flowered variety Mathers Choice is double-rose-shaped, with high dense buds of a symmetrical shape, pure white. Medium-sized inflorescences reach 15 cm in diameter and have a creamy shade inside, giving the bushes a special elegance. The edges of the petals are sometimes painted crimson.
A year after planting, the peony will decorate the garden plot with lush milky flowers.
Herbaceous peony Mathers Choice is characterized by a medium-late bud formation period. The period falls on May-June and lasts 2-3 weeks. Budding occurs in late July or early August. The buds have a pleasant floral scent and last a long time both in the garden and in the cut. Inflorescences look voluminous due to the many densely spaced petals.
Moderate watering, mulching and proper fertilization will create favorable conditions for intensive flowering of the Mathers Choice peony and the formation of beautiful white buds.
Application in design
The variety is medium-sized and can be used both as separate ornamental plantings and in combination with other plants as a beautiful element of existing flower beds.
Perennial flowering lasts up to 15 years, subject to constant growth in one place without a transplant
Peony Mathers Choice retains an attractive appearance even after flowering is completed, therefore it will decorate not only flower beds, but also borders. But for planting on balconies and loggias, this variety is not suitable. Shrubs will not be able to grow in conditions of crampedness and insufficient sunlight.
In an open area for Mathers Choice peony, proximity to plants with a highly developed root system is undesirable. Lilac, hydrangea, as well as any trees will interfere with the peony in obtaining nutrients and water in the required amount.
Flowers of the ranunculus family are also incompatible with peony plantings. Adonis, anemone, hellebore, backache quickly deplete the soil. In addition, their roots secrete substances that depress other flowers.
It is good to decorate small areas with a flower bed of roses and peonies. In the spring, you can add any bulbous seasonal flowers to them. So the flower bed will not seem empty. Peonies go well with tulips. After flowering is completed, asters, chrysanthemums, phloxes, lilies, petunias and astilba tassels will look appropriate against the background of foliage.
Peonies blend well with other flowering shrubs that have similar growth requirements.
Methods of reproduction
The Mathers Choice variety is propagated by tuber division. Autumn is the most suitable period. Pre-selected, healthy, adult specimens are dug out of the soil and carefully cut into several parts so that each of them has 2-3 buds. Peony roots have sufficient strength, so it is better to use a sharp knife or saw. So that the cut parts do not rot, the cut points should be treated with a mixture based on charcoal.
Less commonly, the Mathers Choice peony is propagated by green cuttings. To do this, separate the stem with part of the root collar. This method is not effective, as it can weaken the mother bush.
The method of root cuttings is quite lengthy. When using it, a part of the root no more than 10 cm long is buried in the ground, on which buds will gradually appear.
On Mathers Choice peonies, seeds are very rarely tied, so the plant is not propagated in this way.
Rules of landing
Late summer and early fall are the best times to plant Mathers Choice peonies. In this case, the shrubs will have time to take root before the arrival of cold weather. When planting in the spring, this should be done before the plant wakes up. But peonies will not be able to bloom this year.
Tubers prepared for planting in the soil must first be dried and treated with a manganese solution or charcoal. This will protect the plant from rotting and getting into the root of various infections.
Great importance should be given to the choice of landing site. Peony Mathers Choice is a light-loving plant, so the site should not be in the shade.
Excess moisture can lead to the death of flowering shrubs. To avoid this, it is recommended to drain the soil with the following materials:
- expanded clay;
- foam crumb;
- sand;
- crushed pine bark;
- charcoal;
- peat.
Well-drained soil provides free access of oxygen to the roots. The introduction of drainage protects the soil from sudden changes in temperature and prevents the development of fungal diseases of the root system.
The depth and width of the planting pits should be at least 50-70 cm. A nutrient mixture made from compost or rotted manure is placed in the lower 2/3 of the part. Mathers Choice peony tubers are planted in the upper 1/3 of the pit without fertilizers, sprinkled with soil and watered abundantly, spending 5 liters of water on each bush. Top with a little dry soil again.
Well-fertilized planting pits will create a supply of nutrients for successful wintering of peonies and development of the root system in spring.
Aftercare
In the first year after planting, care for young seedlings of Mathers Choice peonies consists in timely watering, loosening and fertilizing. It is necessary to monitor the process of subsidence of the soil. If the roots of peonies are exposed, they are sprinkled with a sufficient amount of earth.
Watering is carried out regularly to the entire depth of the roots. It is especially important to maintain an optimal level of moisture in the summer. For adult bushes, you need to spend 2 buckets of water several times a week.
It is recommended to loosen the soil regularly. This should be done with care so as not to damage the root system of Mathers Choice peonies. It is important to remove weeds from the site in a timely manner, as they intensively absorb nutrients from the soil.
In the first year of life after planting, cut roots have almost no nutrient reserves. Therefore, it is recommended to feed young Mathers Choice peonies from the moment the shoots appear until the beginning of July.
A solution of mullein is one of the most common and affordable means of feeding. It contributes to the rapid development and growth of the root system, the formation of leaves, shoots and replacement buds.
In the absence of mullein, Mathers Choice peonies can be fed at intervals of 2 weeks using a complete mineral complex.
When above-ground vegetation appears, peonies are watered with a solution obtained from 50 g of urea diluted in 10 liters of water.
Foliar feeding of Mathers Choice peonies with urea in the first year is mandatory, as it consists of 47% of the nitrogen necessary for plant growth
To protect the soil from weathering, washing out and freezing of the roots in winter, it is recommended to mulch it using sawdust, straw or mowed grass.
Mulching creates favorable conditions for the effective growth and development of Mathers Choice peonies.
Preparation for winter
After the onset of the first frost, the aerial part of the shrubs lies on the ground, only after that it should be completely cut off to the level of the soil.
The variety is frost-resistant and does not need to build shelters for the winter.
Pests and diseases
The main pests that Mathers Choice peonies suffer from are:
- Ants Penetrating inside the inflorescences, insects damage and deform them. Such buds will no longer be able to bloom.
Ants attracted to sweet nectar can carry various fungal infections.
- aphid – small bugs of black or green color. They settle on the tops of the shoots, as well as around the buds.
Numerous colonies of aphids feed on plant sap, depriving them of vitality.
- Spider mites – very small insects about 1-2 mm in size, red, orange, yellow-green or milky-transparent.
Malicious pests initially settle on the reverse side of the leaves, entangling them with cobwebs.
- Nematodes – worms that damage the roots of Mathers Choice peonies.
The presence of nematodes is determined by knotty swellings on the roots.
- TRIPS – black bugs of an elongated shape, ranging in size from 0,5 to 1,5 cm.
Thrips are the cause of wilting of young shoots, pests cause the greatest damage to Mathers Choice peonies during budding
- Bronze – a gluttonous beetle feeds on stems, leaves and petals of peonies.
The back of the bronze beetle is green with a metallic sheen
Timely detection of signs of pest activity and treatment of shrubs with protective agents will prevent the death of peony plantings.
The variety Mathers Choice is often exposed to such diseases:
- Gray rot. Fungal disease begins with the formation of brown spots around the peduncle in the root neck zone. The stems in these areas rot, dry out and crack.
Buds infected with gray rot turn brown, bloom poorly, taking on a one-sided appearance, dry out and fall off.
- Ring mosaic. Yellow-green rings and stripes appear on the leaves of peonies.
The spots, merging with each other, form a marble pattern on the surface of the leaves.
- Rust. Easily identified by the formation of yellow pads with spores on the underside of the leaves after flowering.
Rust affects the leaves of Mathers Choice peonies and progresses after flowering is completed.
- brown spot stains foliage and buds in a brown uneven color.
The first signs of the disease appear in early summer in the form of elongated spots on the leaves, gradually covering the entire plant, from which the shrubs take on a burnt appearance.
- Mučnistaâ rosa manifests itself in the form of a white cobweb coating on the entire surface of the tissues of the shrubs.
Fungal disease affects only adult peonies, the leaves of which are deformed and dry out.
To effectively combat diseases, preventive spraying of Mathers Choice peonies with special preparations, for example, copper oxychloride, should be carried out. Petals should not be allowed to fall on the leaves, as spots of gray rot may appear on them from dew or high humidity.
Failure to comply with the irrigation regime and excessive rainfall will lead to rotting of the buds. Creating drainage channels to drain rainwater will help solve this problem.
Buds that have lost their decorative appearance should be cut to the first green leaf and remove unnecessary vegetation from the site.
Conclusion
Peony Mathers Choice, despite its American origin, has recently been gaining more and more popularity among flower growers. Decorative appearance, simple care and undemanding to natural and weather factors create favorable conditions for growing this beautiful herbaceous perennial in various regions of Our Country.
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