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Peony Old Faithful is an amazingly beautiful flower that has been popular with gardeners and landscape designers for many years in a row. This representative of the Dutch selection is unpretentious, it will become a real masterpiece, as it goes well with different garden crops.
Large yellow stamens stand out brightly against a dark background of petals.
Description of the herbaceous peony Old Faithful
Peony Old Faithfull is an interspecific hybrid. Back in 1997 he received the gold medal of the American Society of Pioneers. It is distinguished by direct powerful shoots, each of which has many leaves. They are large, dissected, wide, color – medium green. The height of the bush is within 90-100 cm.
Peonies are sprawling, adult bushes require a large area. This feature should be taken into account when choosing a place. After planting in the first two years, the bushes grow slowly, as they build up the root system.
The Old Faithful variety is a flower of the sun, the shadow affects it critically, so you need to plant it in an open, draft-protected place. The species is moderately frost-resistant, in the Northern regions it is necessary to cover well for the winter.
A variety of late flowering periods, the buds do not crumble for a long time. Tying is not required. Peony Old Faithful, according to gardeners, can stand in the cut for almost two weeks.
Features of flowering
The hybrid belongs to terry herbaceous plants. The buds are large, reminiscent of a rose. The diameter of the flower is about 20 cm. The petals are wide, purple-red, velvety to the touch. The older the bud, the softer the color becomes. The petals seem to be fading.
There are large stamens in the center of the bud. During flowering, a pleasant fruity aroma spreads around. In central Our Country, buds open in mid-June.
The petals are so dense that they look like plastic.
Application in design
Gorgeous Old Faithfull looks great both in single plantings and in flowerbeds, mixborders. It must be understood that plants with huge buds should be given a central place.
Herbaceous peony Old Faithful in design:
- Flowers will decorate any lawn with emerald greenery. Peonies in this case are planted in the center or perimeter.
- You can create a composition only from peonies, but they must be contrasting in color with the Old Faithful variety. It is only necessary to choose plants with close flowering periods.
- Often a peony is planted in a circle, placing tall garden crops, such as delphiniums, in the center.
- If silver spruces grow in the garden, then the Old Faithful hybrid looks advantageous against their background. Only bushes need to be planted at a distance of at least 1 m.
- Next to the peonies, bulbous plants are planted that bloom earlier. It is not difficult to maintain the decorativeness of the flower bed; it is enough to cut off the withered flower stalks.
- Old Faithful peony will look great next to phlox, clematis or plants with small white flowers.
Mixborders, on which Old Faithful peonies are planted, are an adornment of any site.
Tall hybrids can be planted in pots and grown on balconies, loggias, only in autumn they will have to be attached for wintering. If possible, dig directly into the containers.
It is not recommended to plant peony bushes of any variety or hybrid under trees, as they do not tolerate strong shading.
Methods of reproduction
Like other varieties, Old Faithful peony can be propagated in different ways:
- vertical layers;
- division of the bush;
- stem cuttings;
- seeds.
All methods are good in their own way, but the most convenient is the division of the bush.
By choosing a mother plant, you can immediately get several full-fledged seedlings
Seeds are also acceptable to get seedlings, but the culture requires additional pollination.
Rules of landing
Old Faithful peonies do not respond well to shade, especially in the afternoon. That is why you need to decide in advance on the landing site, especially since they will grow here for more than one year.
Site and soil selection
You can plant peonies in openwork penumbra at a distance of at least 1,5 m from the fence or 2-3 m from the building. The main thing is that the plants should not be bothered by drafts, but at the same time, the air should not stagnate. Between the bushes, a distance of at least 1-1,5 m should be observed so that they do not interfere with each other’s growth.
As for the soil, Old Faithful peonies are unpretentious in its composition, they grow even on depleted soils, only flowering will be weak. Experienced gardeners prefer to plant a crop on rich loam, pre-seasoned with humus. Heavy soils can be made loose and breathable with sand, compost, peat or humus. It is with this composition that it is best to fill the landing pit for Old Faithful peonies.
Seedlings preparation
As a rule, plants are planted in the fall. This is the most favorable time. It is better to propagate by divisions:
- The selected mother bush is dug in from all sides so as not to damage the tubers and growth buds.
- Then, with the help of a sharp shovel, the rhizome is cut into pieces, carefully examined. Planting material should have live tubers without blackness and rot.
Only the delenka located in the picture on the left is great for landing
- Each piece should have three to five buds, and the length of the roots should be at least 10 cm. They must be shortened before planting to stimulate plant activity. Such planting material will take root faster, and the peony will successfully overwinter.
- If the rhizome is not cut, then the seedling will work not to create lateral layers, but to form buds.
Landing algorithm
Planting pions in the ground is not particularly difficult. This operation is also capable of being performed by a novice florist if he follows the rules:
- Dig a large hole: length, width, depth – 80 cm.
- Lay drainage at the bottom of the pit.
Use any material: broken brick, pebbles or coarse river sand
- Then fill up to the middle with soil mixed with superphosphate, potash fertilizer or wood ash.
A layer of top dressing should be sprinkled with clean, fertile soil so as not to burn the roots.
- Make a mound in the center, place the seedling on it a little obliquely, straighten the roots. Sprinkle with fertile soil.
The kidneys should be at a depth of no more than 2-3 cm
- After planting, gently pat the ground with your palms so as not to break the eyes of the plant, and water abundantly.
Aftercare
If the planting was carried out in accordance with all the rules of agricultural technology, then in the next two years the plants only need to be watered, loosen the soil and mulch, no additional feeding is required. Humidify the bushes should be moderate, avoiding stagnant water. Remove weeds throughout the growing season.
In the third year after planting, for lush flowering, peonies need to be fed.
Bushes are fed several times per season:
- The first is mineral fertilizers with nitrogen until shoots appear.
- The second feeding is carried out before flowering with fertilizers with phosphorus and potassium. You can use organic matter: compost, wood ash.
- In autumn, before preparing for winter. Experienced flower growers sprinkle wood ash around the trunk circle.
Preparation for winter
Since the Old Faithful peony is a herbaceous variety, the stems are cut almost to the ground in the fall.
Feed with wood ash and humus. This is also a kind of shelter for the winter. In snowy and frosty regions, the layer should be at least 20-25 cm in order to protect the rhizome.
Pests and diseases
Such is the nature of peonies that they rarely get sick (most often it is gray rot). Mainly due to the fact that the agricultural technology of cultivation is violated. Of the pests, aphids and a peony flea can bother. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to sprinkle the bushes with wood ash. If the insect attack is real, it is better to buy special tools and process the landings.
Conclusion
Peony Old Faithful is a perennial herbaceous plant that is popular with flower growers. The culture is relatively unpretentious, it can be grown in almost all regions.
