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Peony White Cap is an American selection variety, created in the middle of the last century and awarded several gold awards. The plant is characterized by a long life cycle, it can bloom in one place for about 12 years. They grow a culture for decorating gardens and creating bouquets.
Variety White Cap is classified as a crop with an average flowering period
Description Peony White Cap
A perennial plant with a well-developed root system, grows rapidly, forms a dense, dense above-ground part. After three years of vegetation, the peony enters the reproductive phase, begins to bloom and form many root shoots (tubers).
The characteristic of the herbaceous White Cap variety is as follows:
- sprawling bush (up to 1,2 m in diameter);
- peduncles erect, rigid structure, dark green, with a smooth surface. Reach a height of 80-100 cm;
- up to four lateral shoots are formed on the stem, ending in buds;
- the root system is mixed, superficial, forms a root circle with a diameter of 40-50 cm, the central part deepens by 40 cm;
- the leaves are dark green, elongated, lanceolate type, the surface is smooth, glossy, the structure is rigid. On the shoots are arranged alternately;
- the tops remain until October, acquiring a maroon color.
The White Cap peony is grown for garden decoration and for cutting. On one stem, from 3 to 5 flowers can bloom, under their weight the flower stalks bend, so the bush breaks up.
A plant with a bright color of inflorescences needs a sufficient amount of ultraviolet light for photosynthesis, the peony is sun-loving, it will not bloom under the crown of large-sized trees, the shade tolerance is weak. The herbaceous shrub White Cap loses crown density, the leaves are faded in the shade, if single buds appear, the flowers are small, dull.
In the varietal characteristic, the frost resistance of the plant is -40 0C. According to gardeners, the White Cap peony corresponds to this parameter. An ornamental plant is grown in the gardens of the European part, the peony feels comfortable both in the warm climate of the Stavropol, Krasnodar Territory, and in the conditions of Siberia, Central, Central Our Country, in the Urals. Depending on the climatic zone, agricultural technology will differ slightly in the frequency of irrigation and preparation for the winter.
Features of flowering
Lactic-flowered White Cap belongs to the Japanese group of peonies. The culture blooms at the end of May, in warm regions this happens a little earlier. Flowering time is 15 days. The biological cycle of a flower lasts from 6 to 8 days. The blooming of buds is massive, the bush is completely covered with bright inflorescences.
Description of White Cap peony:
- anemone-like flowers with a contrasting color, their diameter is 15-17 cm;
- 2 rows of rounded maroon petals;
- the core consists of densely arranged, pinnate, light pink staminodes (stamens);
- at the end of the biological cycle, the central part becomes white or cream.
In cloudy or rainy weather, the color of the inflorescences remains unchanged.
The plant does not give a sufficient number of buds even with periodic shading, therefore, when choosing a site, this feature is taken into account in the first place.
Application in design
White Cap with contrasting coloration and dense green mass is combined with flowering plants, ornamental shrubs, dwarf conifers. Often used in design in a single or mass planting with other varieties of peonies.
The White Cap variety is planted together with plants that, like peony, need a neutral soil composition:
- irises;
- hydrangea;
- daylilies;
- tulips;
- roses.
White Cap does not tolerate the neighborhood of large trees with a dense crown, crops with a creeping root system. Due to the different biological needs for the composition of the soil, it does not get along well with some varieties of junipers.
White Cap variety can be grown on loggias and balconies if they are located on the south side of the building and are lit by the sun most of the day.
Examples of growing peonies for decorating gardens and territories:
- to create a bright accent on the flower bed;
Peony favorably emphasizes ornamental plants
- planted for tamping undersized conifers;
Bright peonies go well with golden thuja
- create compositions in summer cottages;
- to create a foreground corner of the wild;
The contrasting colors of White Cap peony flowers are combined with almost all types of plants.
- planted solo in the central part of the lawn;
Methods of reproduction
The White Cap variety is sterile, does not produce seeds, therefore the culture is propagated only vegetatively. You can cut cuttings from the middle of strong shoots before flowering, place them in water, and when root threads appear, transfer them to the ground. The method is not very productive, the survival rate of cuttings is weak. It will take at least three years before the first budding.
Most often, the White Cap herbaceous peony is propagated by dividing the mother bush. Choose strong specimens older than three years of age, make plots and seat them. The procedure is carried out at the end of summer, when the root system forms young tubers. In spring, the culture will bloom.
Rules of landing
A plant with a spring flowering period, therefore, a peony is planted at the end of summer, approximately in August, so that it has time to adapt and bloom next season. Seedlings purchased from the nursery can be placed on the site in the spring. They will bloom after reaching the age of three.
The site is taken away on neutral soil, a place with stagnant water will not work, because the peony will not grow at high humidity. For planting, choose a place without shading with light, fertile soil.
Prepare the territory 10 days before the planned work:
- dig a hole 50 cm deep and 40 cm wide, thoroughly moisten it;
- the bottom is covered with a drainage cushion;
- from above, a fertile substrate of compost and peat is poured with the addition of complex mineral fertilizers;
- about 20 cm are left to the edge of the hole, the recess is filled with water.
If reproduction is carried out by division, the bush is carefully dug out, 5 vegetative buds are left on the plots, the soil is carefully washed off and left for 4 hours. During this time, the root will wilt and will not be fragile. The acquired planting material with a closed root is planted with an earthen clod.
If you deepen it more, then the peony will not bloom, if left on the surface, it will not be able to form a dense green mass.
Landing is to perform the following actions:
- put a stick on the edge of the pit;
The crossbar will not allow the root to settle
- guided by the bar, pour the mixture to the bottom;
- fix the peony to the rail;
The kidneys can protrude above the surface, the main thing is that their base is deepened correctly
- covered to the top with soddy soil mixed with compost.
The plant is watered, and the trunk circle is covered with mulch.
Aftercare
Care for the White Cap variety is standard, no different from the agricultural technology of other varieties. The following activities are carried out:
- Watering a peony is required during any growing season, an adult plant needs 25 liters of water for two weeks. According to this parameter, the irrigation regime is oriented, taking into account precipitation. For a young plant, events are carried out in a small volume in order to prevent the top layer from drying out and moisture stagnation.
- White Cap peony seedlings begin to be fertilized in the third year of the growing season. When the first shoots appear on the plots, they need potassium. During shoot formation, nitrogen and ammonium nitrate are introduced. During the budding period, they are fed with organic matter and superphosphate. In July, fertilize with a complex mineral remedy.
- Loosening is necessary for aeration, it is carried out at the first sign of soil compaction, and weeds are removed along the way.
When mulching a plant, loosening is not relevant, because the soil does not dry out for a long time. In this case, weeds are removed as they appear.
Preparation for winter
Cut off the aerial part only when it begins to die. Early peony pruning is not recommended.
Preparation for winter is carried out around October, after the first frost:
- bushes are watered abundantly;
- peonies planted in the current season spud;
- increase the layer of mulch;
- top covered with straw;
- install arcs and stretch any covering material.
For an adult White Cap peony, moisture-charging watering, fertilizing with organic matter and increasing the layer of mulch are enough.
Pests and diseases
If the site is selected in accordance with the biological requirements of the peony, the White Cap variety is not sick. Only in the shade and with high soil moisture can gray rot develop. In such cases, the plant is rarely saved. At the first sign of illness, you must:
- dig a bush;
- wash off the soil;
- remove parts of the affected root;
- treat with any antifungal drug and transfer to another sunny and dry area.
Of the pests on White Cap, the root-knot nematode and the bronze beetle parasitize.
If insects are found, the bushes are treated with insecticides.
Conclusion
Peony White Cap is a herbaceous perennial shrub. This is a popular variety that is suitable for planting in regions with cold and warm climates. The plant has large two-color inflorescences and a decorative green mass. It grows rapidly and blooms profusely only on fertile soil and with sufficient lighting.
Peony Reviews White Cap
