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Peony roses are a decorative flowering hybrid, bred at the end of the last century by the Englishman David Austin. Unusual flowers of a diverse color palette, shaped like peonies and smelling like a rose, quickly gained popularity. They are widely used in bouquets, for decorating and accompanying festive events, and, of course, for decorating landscape space. But exceptional decorativeness is not their only advantage. Roses of this species are extremely resistant to diseases, weather conditions and are practically not affected by pests, for which they are especially valued by flower growers.
The most beautiful varieties
“Roses of Austin” – as the people call peony roses, they really have a high decorative effect. Rose bushes are graceful, with dense emerald foliage, completely covered with multiple buds or inflorescences during the flowering period. 
It should be noted that in a short time a lot of varieties of these beautiful flowers were bred, of which the following are considered especially popular:
- Constance Spray is the very first peony hybrid bred by Austin, which has not lost any of its popularity over the years. The rose of this variety is widely used in landscape design, as it curls beautifully along the support and blooms very luxuriantly. The bush is vigorous, the lashes reach 4 m, the buds are large, half-open, cup-shaped, of a delicate pink color.
- Pat Austin is a delightful bright rose of honey-orange or copper-yellow color. The flowers are large, semi-double, with a delicate pink aroma. The variety is characterized by early and long flowering (from early June to late summer), as well as high resistance to cold and shade.
- William Shakespeare 2000 is an unpretentious shade-tolerant variety with bright buds of red or crimson color. The rose bush is quite high (1,8 m), the flowers are large, double, located singly on the shoot, the aroma is intense pink.
- Misty Bubbles is a mysterious variety with delicate mauve flowers. The bush is low (up to 60 cm), compact. The flowers are small (3-4 cm), terry, 5-8 pieces per stem, exude a delicate spicy aroma. The winter hardiness of the variety is average, but resistance to diseases and drought is high.
- Golden Celebration is the most popular and most commonly planted variety. The bush is sprawling, rather tall (1,5-1,8 cm), densely leafy. The flowers are terry, yellow-orange, the petals are large, turning outward when fully opened.
- Benjamin Britten is a disease and cold resistant variety with very large (up to 12 cm in diameter) flowers. Bushes of medium height (1,5 m, rarely up to 2 m), beautifully leafy. The buds are densely double, cup-shaped, bright crimson or red in color, with a delicate fruity aroma.
- Othello is another hybrid with large red buds collected in inflorescences. A feature of the variety is the ability of the buds to change color – when blooming, the rose has a rich crimson color, which in cold weather becomes dark crimson, and after a while the flower acquires a purple hue. The bush is sprawling, the shoots are prickly, in a warm climate it blooms again.
- Lady Charlotte is one of Austin’s latest masterpieces, named after his granddaughter. This is a hybrid of an old English variety, from which the flower received its best qualities: a soft yellow color and a delicate aroma characteristic of tea roses. The variety is famous for large densely double buds and undulating long flowering.
Video “Care”
From the video you will learn about the care of these magnificent bushes.
Features of planting and growing
There is nothing complicated in growing these amazing roses. Most importantly, the right fit. If the bush is planted in the right place, in good soil, then it will grow quickly and delight with abundant flowering with the most minimal care. Roses should be planted in prepared and well-fertilized soil. 
Horse manure is considered the best fertilizer for this type of flower, as it saturates the soil well with nitrogen. It is laid in a thin layer (about 2 cm) at the bottom of the planting pit. In the absence of horse manure, compost can be used.
Planting holes are dug wide (up to 1 m) and deep (at least 50 cm), since an adult bush has a voluminous root system.
Depending on the variety, rose seedlings are planted at a distance of 0,5-1 m in the form of a triangle. This scheme allows you to achieve the effect of beautiful decorative thickets, completely strewn with inflorescences.
Before planting, seedlings are recommended to be placed in a growth stimulator for several hours – this procedure accelerates the rooting of the plant in a new place. When planting, it is necessary to ensure that the roots of the seedling are freely located in the planting hole. As for the depth of planting, it is considered ideal to deepen the roots into the ground by 10 cm – at this depth they will not freeze.
Peony roses, like any other, prefer sunny, windless areas, but warmth and sun are not vital for them. They bloom quite successfully in partial shade, in addition, the Austin collection has several shade-tolerant varieties that can grow even in difficult weather and climatic conditions. According to the breeder, peony roses need only 3 hours of sunlight daily for full flowering.
How to care
Competent care is the key to a healthy appearance of the bush and its lush flowering. Despite the fact that peony roses are not very demanding to care for, basic activities such as watering, fertilizing and pruning are required for them. Watering should be done as the soil dries out in the evening at the rate of 12-15 l / bush. Water for irrigation should be separated and not cold.
To make the bush look decorative, fertilizers must be periodically applied under it. The first time the plants are fed at the end of spring with special complex mixtures for roses (sold in flower shops). The next time fertilizers are applied during the period of bud formation, phosphorus and calcium supplements are used.
If necessary, as well as in the case of repeated flowering, roses can be fed with liquid mullein. In August, fertilizing is no longer recommended. When applying fertilizers, it is very important not to exceed the dosage of preparations, since oversaturation with nutrients leads to yellowing of the leaves.
Pruning peony roses is not only a hygienic procedure, but also a way to give the bush a beautiful decorative shape.
Roses should be pruned in the spring. During pruning, all damaged, diseased and old branches are removed, and the tops of the shoots are cut by about a third. Peony varieties tolerate a decorative haircut well, so if desired, the bush can be given an unusual decorative shape.
If your roses do not grow in southern latitudes, then they need to be covered for the winter. Around the middle of autumn, you should start preparing the bushes for shelter: remove all unripe shoots (they create an extra load on the bush) and remove all the leaves. With the onset of the first night frosts, the lashes must be carefully bent to the ground, fixed, and then covered with a thick layer of organic mulch (sawdust, straw, spruce branches). It is not recommended to use film or other airtight materials for roses, as plants can sag and die from lack of air.
Video “Rose diseases and pests”
From the video you will learn about diseases of bushes and pests.
Author: Svetlana Galitsina
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