Contents
Peony Solange – herbaceous large-flowered variety of medium-late flowering period. Sun-loving, unpretentious plant with a compact bush, but falling apart during the blooming of buds. Peony Solange was registered in 1907 in France.
The Solange variety has spherical, large flowers.
Description of Peony Solange
A bush of the Solange variety with a spreading crown and thick shoots grows up to 70-90 cm. Dark green trifoliate leaves are large, dissected, up to 20-30 cm long.
Oval-elongated leaf blades are shiny above, with a pointed tip, reddish veins, like the stems. Thick leaves retain the decorativeness of the bush throughout the warm season. Although the stems of Solange peonies are powerful in appearance, they are not always stable. Under the weight of large flowers, they tend to the ground. Therefore, a bush of a long-standing French selection is always surrounded by a strong frame.
The rhizomes of the Solange variety are large, spindle-shaped, covered with a brownish-brown skin on top. In the spring, shoots grow rapidly from the buds. The Solange variety is frost-resistant, tolerates temperatures up to -40 ° C, develops well in any region of the middle climatic zone. For lush flowering requires sufficient watering and top dressing. Peony Solange pleases with luxurious flowering in one place without a transplant for up to 20 years, then the bush is moved or the volume of the substrate is completely changed in the same planting hole.
Features of flowering
Spherical, densely double flowers of the Solange variety are very lush and voluminous, 16-20 cm in diameter. The light cream petals are plentiful and create a gorgeous, rounded flower shape that looks like a huge airy pom-pom. The middle of the Solange peony is invisible among the mass of petals, small, yellow. The lower petals are much larger than the central, upper ones, gracefully concave. Near the Solange bush, a fresh and rather strong aroma is felt.
Solange’s pinkish buds rarely open the following spring after fall planting. Usually flowering begins in the second year of growth, when the rhizomes take root and create flower buds. The mid-late variety Solange opens buds at the end of the second decade of June, and in cooler regions – at the beginning of July. Peony blooms for 7-10 days, in good weather it does not lose its attractiveness for a long time.
For luxurious flowering, the plant needs appropriate care:
- autumn and spring fodder;
- regular watering, especially in the budding phase;
- lighted area, protected from sudden gusts of wind.
Application in design
Lush peony grassy Solange is a real decoration for the garden and any flower bed. Design solutions for using a luxurious milky-flowered variety are different:
- tapeworm in flowerbeds or in the center of the lawn;
- medium-sized element in the background of mixborders;
- bright light accent against the background of dwarf coniferous shrubs or plants with crimson foliage;
- corner component of garden paths, spaces near the entrance;
- border for a paved area near the house or terrace;
- framing for a summer pond;
- back and side background for garden benches.
The dark green dense foliage of the Solange variety is decorative for a long time. White-creamy flowers go well with varieties of peonies of other colors, decorative deciduous and flower shrubs, low conifers. Peony Solange blooms during the blooming of roses, delphiniums, irises, lilies, daylilies and clematis. Varieties of these crops, similar in color or contrasting, blend well. The border near the luxurious peony bush Solange is planted with geyhera or annuals: petunia, lobelia, low-flowering species of irises, daffodils and other small bulbs that bloom in early June.
Solange petals with iridescent shades from pale pink to creamy and snowy white
When choosing neighbors for a peony, you must be guided by the following rules:
- between different bushes there should be a distance of at least 1 m so that ventilation takes place well;
- always leave the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe trunk circle of the peony open for loosening.
Peony Solange is often used for cutting and creating bouquet arrangements, as they retain their splendor in water for a long time. The variety is not suitable for tub culture. If grown, containers of 20 liters are used, and the number of shoots is normalized, no more than 5-6 for a container.
Methods of reproduction
It is most convenient to propagate Solange peonies with rhizomes. The variety has a powerful root system: the tubers are thick, dense. Therefore, it easily takes root even after planting in the spring. Experienced flower growers propagate the Solange peony by spring cuttings, cuttings of formed stems before flowering or dropping layering in early June. In most cases, a spring peony transplant is not recommended. The plant will develop a green mass, not a root system, which is important for subsequent lush flowering.
Rules of landing
A spectacular flower is bred mainly in autumn – from mid-August to mid-September. When choosing a site for a large-flowered peony, adhere to the requirements:
- a place exposed to the sun most of the day and protected from strong winds;
- landing near buildings, retreat from the walls by 1 m;
- cannot be placed in lowlands where melt or rainwater collects;
- culture develops best on loams with a slightly acidic reaction.
Planting pits with a depth and diameter of 50 cm for several bushes of a variety with a spreading crown are dug at intervals of 1 m. Drainage is placed below, then a mixture of humus or compost with garden soil equally, 0,5 l of wood ash and 60-80 g of superphosphate. Selected, healthy rhizomes, with buds and no signs of damage, are planted to a depth of 10 cm. They are covered with the remaining substrate, lightly compacted and watered. Usually in the first year of planting the plant does not bloom, the buds bloom in the second or third year. If they did not have time with the autumn planting, peonies are planted in the spring. In the initial period of development, make sure that the seedlings receive enough watering and develop well.
Aftercare
The young peony is watered abundantly, especially during periods of drought. Watering frequency – 1-2 times a week, depending on weather conditions, 20-30 liters of water for an adult bush, in the south they arrange sprinkling in the evening. After watering, the soil in the near-stem circle is slightly loosened, weeds are removed that interfere with nutrition and can become a source of diseases and pest reproduction.
For luxurious flowering in the first year, top dressing is carried out with a complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizer only in autumn, at the end of August or at the beginning of September.
Adult bushes are fed three times per season:
- at the end of March or in April with ammonium nitrate or urea;
- in May, nitrogen-potassium preparations;
- after flowering, peonies are supported with complex fertilizers for flower shrubs.
In autumn, instead of potash fertilizers, wood ash is applied.
Preparation for winter
The bush of the large-flowered variety Solange is normalized. For more lush flowering, only the first largest buds are left on the peduncle, all subsequent ones are cut off at the beginning of their formation.
After flowering, wilted buds are cut off. Broken stems and leaves are removed. At the same time, you can not cut off all the stems early. Until autumn, the process of photosynthesis continues, with the help of which the rhizome accumulates the necessary substances to create replacement buds. All shoots are pruned just before frost.
In the middle lane, only young seedlings of peonies cover the first two years. Having made water-charging watering at the end of September, the bush is spudded, covered with agrofiber or spruce branches from above. Adult bushes only spud with compost or humus mixed with garden soil.
Pests and diseases
The Solange variety is not susceptible to gray rot, but other fungi may be affected. Preventive spring spraying of the near-stem circle with Bordeaux mixture or blue vitriol prevents diseases and the development of pests. When a leaf curl virus infection occurs, the plant is removed from the site.
Peony flowers are annoyed by garden ants and bronze beetles, which feed on the juice of the buds and disfigure the petals. Manual collection is used against bronzovok, and targeted drugs are used against ants.
Conclusion
Peony Solange is an exquisite decoration of any garden, a frost-resistant and sun-loving variety suitable for growing in areas of the middle lane. Cover for the winter only young bushes. Properly selected substrate and simple care will ensure the plant develops well.
