Peony Paula Fey: photo and description, reviews

Peony Paula Fey is an interspecific hybrid created in the 70s of the last century in the USA. This cultivar has been awarded the Gold Medal of the American Peony Society for its abundant blooms and vibrant coloration. This is a common crop in the gardens of Our Country, which can also be grown in greenhouse conditions.

Description of the peony Paula Fey

Variety Paula Fey is a herbaceous compact shrub that grows up to 80-85 cm in height. It forms a crown with a diameter of about 50 cm. The peony is characterized by intensive shoot formation, it grows well. The first bookmark of buds falls on the third year of growth.

Externally, the Paula Fey hybrid looks like this:

• the peony bush is thick, not sprawling, keeps its shape well without additional tying to the support;
• stems are stiff, upright, smooth, light green. In rainy weather, when the flowers become heavy from moisture, a slight drooping of the tops is possible;
• leaves are arranged alternately, 6 opposite leaf plates are placed on one petiole;
• the shape of the leaves is lanceolate with a pointed tip, smooth edges and a glossy surface. The lower part has a slight pubescence. Foliage color is dark green;
• the root system of the peony is mixed, fibrous, grows up to 50 cm in diameter, penetrates the soil to a depth of 60 cm.

The mixed type of root fully supplies the plant with moisture and nutrition. Thanks to a significant deepening, the peony winters well without additional shelter. The Paula Fey hybrid differs from other representatives in its high frost resistance, withstands temperatures as low as -33 ° C.

Paula Fey is a priority when choosing varieties from gardeners in Siberia, the Middle, and European regions. Peony is in high demand in the Moscow region, found in areas of the Leningrad region. The plant is grown in all regions of the North Caucasus. According to the degree of frost resistance, the culture belongs to the 4th climatic zone.

Features of flowering

Peony is an early variety that blooms in mid-May. The duration of flowering is about 15 days. Buds are formed on tops and lateral shoots, up to three flowers can be on one stem, their life cycle is one week. After the completion of the flowering phase, the Paula Fey hybrid retains its green mass until frost, in late autumn the leaves turn maroon, then the aerial part dies off.

Lactic-flowered peony Paula Fay – a representative of the semi-double type:

• flowers are formed by petals arranged in five rows. The lower ones are prostrate, and closer to the center – half-open;

  

• the core is dense, consisting of numerous stamens with orange anthers;
• petals are rounded with wavy edges and a corrugated surface;
• flowers are glossy, dark pink with a coral tint that changes depending on the lighting;
• the shape of the flower is round, lush, diameter is about 20 cm.

The abundance of flowering Paula Fey depends on the location and sufficiency of nutrition. In the shade, the flowers do not fully open, they are smaller and pale in color. If the peony lacks nutrition or moisture, it may not bloom.

The Paula Fey variety is grown for cutting to get lush inflorescences, side stems with second-order buds are removed.

Application in design

The interspecific form of the herbaceous peony was created for ornamental gardening. Paula Fey is ideally combined with all early flowering plants and evergreen shrubs: dwarf and ground cover species of conifers, yellow tulips, roses with dark flowers, daylilies, vesicles, irises, daffodils, hydrangea.

Do not place the peony in the shade of large trees with a dense crown. Constant lack of light and high humidity adversely affect vegetation and flowering. Paula Fey does not tolerate proximity to plants with a creeping root system, because competition for food will not be in favor of the peony.

The culture was bred for open ground, but when creating full-fledged lighting, the peony can be grown in bulk pots on a balcony, loggia or decorate a closed veranda. If the biological requirements are not met, the flowers of the Paula Fey variety will not fully open, in the worst case, the peony will not bloom.

A few examples (with photos) of the use of Paula Fay peony in ornamental gardening:

• as a border option, peonies of different colors are planted around the perimeter of the flower bed;
• make out the central part of the flower bed;
  

  To make the peony bush more compact, install a decorative support

• use solo or in a mix of different varieties to decorate lawns;
  

  In mass planting, Paula Fey is placed next to white or cream varieties.

• grown on discounts;
• used in mass planting to design a recreation area;
• to create a color accent in the foreground of large-sized ones;
• planted along with flowering crops near the fence;
  

  Peony is in harmony with any flowering plants and shrubs, if they do not shade it.

Methods of reproduction

Generatively, a hybrid culture is not propagated, because the germination of the material is poor, and seedlings from seeds do not retain varietal qualities. For Paula Fey, a vegetative method is possible, but cuttings and layering take root poorly, at least three years pass before flowering, so this method is considered ineffective.

The peony grows quickly, takes root well in a new area, gives a lot of young root tubers.

Rules of landing

Hybrid Paula Fey calmly tolerates a drop in temperature, it can be planted before winter or spring. The peony is early, so placing on the site at the beginning of the growing season will push back flowering by a year. Gardeners most often practice autumn reproduction, planting a plant in mid-September. In spring, the peony will quickly gain green mass and give the first buds.

Landing requirement:

• fully lit. Even partial shade is not allowed, because the peony stops forming new shoots, the flowers become small, do not open completely, lose their color brightness;
• the soil is neutral, fertile, well aerated, without stagnant water;
• sandy or loamy soil;
• good air circulation.

A month before planting, in the area allotted for Paula Fey, if necessary, adjust the composition of the soil to neutral. On acidic soil, the peony’s immunity decreases, on an alkaline composition, vegetation slows down. A pit with a depth of 60 cm, a width of 50 cm is prepared in advance so that the soil has time to settle. The bottom is covered with drainage and peat mixed with compost. Peonies respond well to organic matter; there is not much for a culture of this type of fertilizer.

Paula Fey is planted shallowly, therefore, before planting, a fertile mixture is prepared from the sod layer and humus, superphosphate and potassium are added. Fill the hole so that about 15-20 cm is left to the edge and fill it with water.

If the seedling is purchased in a transport pot, it is placed in a pit along with an earthen clod. In the case of planting a plot from the mother bush, the root is inspected, carefully so as not to damage the young shoots, weak areas, dry fragments are removed. Immerse in clay solution.

A peony plot should consist of five vegetative buds

Planting varieties Paula Fey:

1. The dimensions of the pit are corrected, it should not be deep or vice versa shallow, it is impossible to deepen the kidneys below 4 cm.

   

2. Install the bar on the edges of the recess.

   

Sprinkle soil so that the kidneys are 4 cm in the ground

1. The peony is placed in the pit at an angle of 450 and fixed to the bar so that the plant does not deepen when the earth settles.
2. Gently sprinkle sand and substrate on top, if there are young shoots, they are left on the surface.

   

3. The soil is lightly tamped, the peony is watered.

The aerial part is cut off, the root circle is mulched. If the landing is autumn, then the fixing bar is removed at the beginning of summer, after spring work – in the fall. When placing the bushes in one line, they maintain a distance between the holes of 120-150 cm.

Aftercare

Caring for the herbaceous peony of the Paula Fey variety:

1. To maintain moisture on the surface of the soil around the peony bush with a diameter of approximately 25 cm, the soil is covered with mulch. Every spring the material is updated, in the fall the layer is increased.
2. Watering the Paula Fey hybrid begins in the spring, when a stable positive temperature has been established and continues until mid-July. The frequency depends on precipitation, on average, a peony needs 20 liters of water per week. Do not allow stagnant moisture.
3. If there is no mulch, when a crust forms, the soil is loosened, while weeds are removed with the roots.
4. In early spring, the peony is fed with nitrogen-containing products and potassium phosphate. For the period of budding, phosphorus is added. When Paula Fey blooms, the plant is fertilized with organic matter; nitrogen is not used during this period.

Preparation for winter

Before frost, the stems are cut, leaving about 15 cm above the ground. The plant is watered abundantly, the mulch layer is increased, and organic matter is fed. Young seedlings after autumn planting are recommended to cover with straw, then with burlap, and in winter make a snowdrift over them.

Pests and diseases

Paula Fey gets sick very rarely. The hybrid has stable immunity to all types of infection. Only with insufficient aeration and drainage can a peony be affected by gray rot or powdery mildew. The plant must be treated with “Fitosporin” and transferred to another place.

Of the insects on Paula Fey, the bronze beetle and the root-knot nematode parasitize. Get rid of pests with Kinmiks.

Conclusion

Peony Paula Fey is a herbaceous shrub of early flowering. A hybrid variety created for ornamental gardening. The plant has a strong immune system. Vibrant, semi-double flowers in a coral hue are compatible with all types of plants with similar cultivation practices and biological requirements.

Reviews about peony Paula Fey