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Peony Primavera is a popular flower grown by many gardeners. This is due to good adaptive abilities and unpretentious care. When flowering, such a peony will definitely become a beautiful decoration in a flower bed or house adjoining area. With strict adherence to the instructions, even inexperienced flower growers can grow such a plant.
Description of the herbaceous peony Primavera
This is a perennial plant that was bred by breeders in 1907 in France. The flower in a short period of time has gained popularity among gardeners around the world.
Representatives of the Primavera variety reach a height of 90 cm. The plant has a thick and strong stem with one, less often several inflorescences. The shoot is covered with numerous green lanceolate leaves. Although the stem is strong, the plant needs a garter when growing, which allows you to give the bush a neat look.
Peonies are among the light-loving flowers. However, the Primavera variety can also be grown in shaded areas. It is enough that a little sunlight falls on the plant during the day.
Despite the strong stems of the peony, it needs to be tied up
A feature of the Primavera variety is its endurance to adverse conditions. It has good frost resistance, so they can be grown in any region, especially with a warm or temperate climate. No less important is the fact that Primavera is resistant to diseases common among other ornamental plants.
Features of flowering
On healthy bushes, several stems grow. On each of them, single or, in rare cases, numerous inflorescences appear. They are large and reach 20 cm in diameter.
Anemone type flowers. The lower petals are wide, grow in 1-2 rows. Those located above are narrow, short, rounded. This is due to the fact that the Primavera variety was obtained by crossing a terry and Japanese peony.
The color of the flowers is unique. In the middle, the petals are yellowish, and those that surround them are white or pinkish. The splendor of flowering depends on the age of the bush. Usually the largest buds grow on peonies from five years old. Plants grown in the ground for less than 2 years do not bloom.
The buds are pale cream or pale pink in color.
The flowering of the milky-flowered peony Primavera occurs mainly in late spring. If warming has come late, then the deadline may shift to the beginning of summer. The duration of flowering usually does not exceed 3 weeks.
Application in design
Peonies of the Primavera variety are often used for decorative purposes. With their help, flower beds, borders and flower arrangements are created. Due to its high growth, the Primavera variety is used to create hedges. But most often they are used as a central decoration, planting other ornamental plants around them.
A flower arrangement with peonies “Primavera” will be well complemented by:
- white and yellow roses;
- lilies;
- phlox;
- chrysanthemums;
- asters;
- zinnias;
- petunias;
- nasturtiums.
It is not recommended to grow a plant next to flowers from the Ranunculaceae family. They quickly deplete the soil, and their roots secrete enzymes that negatively affect other plants.
Peonies can decorate any flower bed and summer cottage
When composing flower arrangements, it should be remembered that peonies always occupy a dominant position. In addition, these are perennial bushes that love moisture and need a lot of space.
Methods of reproduction
The main way is to divide the bush. This option is suitable for specimens that have reached the age of 6-7 years. Choose a bush with several stems. They dig it up, divide the rhizome, after which each sprout is planted in a new, previously prepared place.
You can propagate the bush by division, carefully dividing the tubers
Another breeding option is layering. To do this, choose a bush with several stems and spud them with a layer of fertile soil. The layer should reach 25-30 cm in height. In the summer after flowering, the hilled stems form root layers. Then they are cut and planted in fresh soil.
Rules of landing
For peonies “Primavera” you need to choose the right site. Well-lit places, protected from strong winds, are best suited. Then the plant quickly forms roots and develops.
It is better to plant a peony in the fall or in the spring before bud break.
Spring planting is not recommended. This is due to the fact that at this time of the year, a shoot begins to form faster in a peony than a root system. Because of this, he becomes fragile and sensitive. The bush weakens and does not bloom in the future.
The key to success in growing peonies is proper planting. Having chosen a place, it is necessary to prepare the soil. After that, you can send the seedling to the ground.
Landing algorithm:
- Dig a hole for each bush, 50-60 cm deep and wide.
- Lay a drainage layer of gravel, expanded clay or crushed stone at the bottom.
- Mix garden soil, half a bucket of humus, add 100 g of superphosphate.
- Fill the hole with the resulting mixture, cover with a layer of mulch.
- Leave for 4-5 days.
- Dig a shallow hole, place a seedling, bury.
- The height of the soil layer above the tubers is no more than 6 cm.
When planting, seedlings should be watered with a small amount of soft settled water. In this case, you should make sure that the liquid is well absorbed and does not stagnate.
Aftercare
Representatives of the Primavera variety are considered unpretentious. However, in the first year after landing in open ground, they need careful care. Young bushes are recommended to be tied up, as they can be damaged even by mild winds.
Care also includes:
- Regular watering – 10 liters of settled water for each bush.
- Loosening the topsoil – 1 time in 2-3 weeks to enrich the soil with oxygen.
- Systematic removal of weeds.
- Feeding the soil with complex fertilizers – every month until wintering.
In the spring, after the snow melts, they are fertilized with nitrogen-potassium fertilizers. Each bush requires 15-20 g of solution. The second top dressing – in 2 months. Compositions with phosphorus and potassium are used. A similar procedure is repeated 2 weeks after flowering, when the buds are laid.
It is better to plant the plant in loamy soil, in which water stagnation does not occur.
Adult bushes need to be watered once every 1 days. Each plant will require 10 liters of water. The soil is loosened once a month. For mulching, use peat, straw or dry compost.
General principles for caring for different varieties of peonies:
Preparation for winter
A few weeks after the end of flowering, dried leaves should be removed from the bush. The remaining stems continue to care until October. When they become whitish and lose their freshness, they are also cut off.
Despite frost resistance, the plant in the cold season should be covered with sawdust or spruce branches.
To strengthen the plant before wintering, you need to make additional top dressing of the soil. For this, superphosphate is used. For 1 bush take 8 liters of warm water and 1 spoon of fertilizer. First, the flower is watered with ordinary liquid, then the solution is injected.
Mature plants do not need shelter. They tolerate severe frosts well. Peonies up to 2 years old should be covered with sawdust mixed with peat after pruning.
Pests and diseases
When growing peonies Primavera (Primavera), flower growers may encounter certain difficulties. Despite the unpretentiousness and resistance to adverse conditions, such a plant can get sick. This is usually caused by a violation of the rules of planting and care.
The most common problem is root rot. It appears due to excessive soil moisture. This happens due to improper irrigation or due to stagnation of the liquid. In such cases, regular loosening of the soil should be carried out in order to improve the outflow of water.
Due to improper care, Primavera peonies may develop fungal diseases:
- powdery mildew;
- gray rot;
- late blight;
- Fusarium wilt.
To treat such diseases, it is necessary to remove the damaged parts of the plant. Fungicides that suppress pathogenic microorganisms are also used.
Among the pests of Primavera peonies, aphids, thrips and bronze beetles are common. During treatment, peonies during the growing season should be sprayed with a solution of Karbofos.
Bronze beetles can be manually removed from flowers
Flower rhizomes can infect nematodes. This is rare and is usually caused by other plants nearby. In case of damage, the bush will have to be removed so that the worms do not spread to neighboring specimens.
Conclusion
Peony Primavera is intended for cultivation in open areas. The flower is unpretentious in care, therefore it is popular among gardeners. Subject to the basic rules of planting, watering and feeding, the peony will live up to 20 years. Thanks to the regular and abundant flowering, Primavera will become an excellent decoration for a flower bed or summer cottage.