Plant of the Month - Peony
Peony
Delicate, feminine elegance.
Plant: Herbaceous Peony (Paeonia lactiflora)
No flower evokes quite as much passion as the peony. An ultra-feminine flower with a short bloom time, the delicately ruffled, layered petals add a touch of elegance to any garden. The peony suits formal or cottage-style garden, and mixes well in borders with roses, camellias, and foxgloves.
Available in shrub or tree form (0.5m – 2.4m tall), the peony can be difficult to grow & maintain. Preferring a cool temperate climate, the peony needs a cool winter to flower well – perfect for growing in Tasmania! Flowering over four – six weeks in late November, the blooms are only available for a short time.
When planting, choose your location wisely, as they do not take well to being transplanted. Peonies need somewhere sheltered from strong winds, but away from trees or shrubs, as they don’t like to compete for food & water. Peonies should be planted before the first frost – spring-planted peonies generally lag about a year behind those planted in autumn.
It takes a few years until they establish themselves, then they will bloom & grow. As they start to bloom, consider a support such as a three-legged metal peony ring. The peony will grow through then centre of the ring, and help the stems support the large, beautiful flowers.
Once the blooms begin to fade, deadhead them back to a strong leaf. The foliage will need cutting back to ground level in autumn to avoid disease over winter. Peonies are prone to numerous pests, but your local ant population will crawl through the buds, eating the nectar in exchange for attacking the bud-eating pests. Ants are your peonies best friends, even if they’re annoying to shake off when cutting the flowers to display in vases!
The peonies at Entally can be found in the garden beds on the North side of the Conservatory and are well worth a visit in late November/early December. Showcasing many varieties and colours, their voluptuous flowers create a striking background to your photos!