Tag Archives: #peonyfloweringseason

Peony Myths Debunked – Part 2

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If you missed our first post on this, please check it out.

Otherwise, here are some more myths that we’d like to shed some light on.

We hope you find it helpful.

May the myth debunking continue!

Peonies Don’t Have Fragrance

You’ll be pleased to know that this couldn’t be further from the truth! In fact, most varieties of peony are scented although some have a more intense fragrance than others.

Scent is a tricky one to pin down as it is quite subjective. For example, in wine tasting - there are many different aromas and tastes each person finds in any given wine. One person picks up freshly cut lawn and another detects tobacco.

Open to interpretation, to say the least…

And so it goes with peonies. The fragrance can also differ at various times of the day according to the weather conditions.

However, we believe these to be some of the most NOSE-able peonies:

  • ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ (AGM) – Beautiful semi-double creamy white flowers with a strong, intoxicating scent
  • ‘Madame Calot’ – Prolific, double pink flowers and strong fragrance
  • ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ (AGM) – Gorgeous fully double sugar-pink with crimson flecks on the outer petals and with a sensational scent
  • ‘Bartzella’ (AGM) – Luminous yellow Itoh peony with gorgeous lemony scents
  • ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ – Wonderfully fragrant variety with lavender pink double flowers which tend not to fade in full sun, making it an excellent cut flower
  • ’Festiva Maxima’ (AGM) – A personal favourite, with a good scent and large, fully double white flowers with a crimson fleck on the outer petals. Makes a popular cut flower

 

You will find many more to choose from here according to your taste.

Peony Flowering Season is Short

Although the main time for them to flower is May, it is possible to have flowers from April all the way through to July. This is because peonies can be divided into early/early-mid/mid/mid-late/late flowering varieties. So if you pick one or two from each category you could have a flowering peony for up to 4 months!

Some examples of ones you could pick:

 

Peonies Won’t Flower Without Ants

There is a popular line of thought that if you don’t have ants on your peonies they won’t open, as the ants make little incisions on the buds whilst harvesting the nectar which enables them to open.

This is not true.

We love having the ants around the nursery but your peonies will still bloom without them.

However, they do have a mutually beneficial relationship as the ants thrive on the nutrient rich nectar and their presence is helpful as they ward off other insects such as thrips that are harmful to peonies.

So don’t get rid of them! Ants and peonies are firm friends.

The ants will only “stick” around until the peony blossoms but if you are cutting some peonies you can just gently shake them off before bringing them inside.

 

And that’s all the debunking we’ve got for now!

If you have any questions about this or anything else, please feel free to catch us on social media.

 

Growth Cycle of the Peony

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Excited to introduce a peony to your garden this year for the first time or perhaps adding another one to your growing collection?

What can you expect when you order a peony from us?

All of our peonies are nurtured until they are at least 5 years old. This means they are well established Paeonia plants at flowering maturity when they go to their new homes. This means that your Primrose Hall Peony should flower from its very first season in your garden.

We grow all our peony plants in 100% peat free compost which is what your potted peonies will be in when they rock up at your door.

EARLY SEASON GROWTH

If you have already ordered a peony from us or are thinking about ordering one, the images to the right is what you can expect it to look like now in its early season growth, according to the 3 main types.

You can spot the early foliage easily with its bright reddish colour and this will change to green as it develops into leaves.

PLANTING

When planting your peonies out into your garden, the depth of planting is very important. If they are planted too deeply the roots will grow and produce foliage but flower production won't be as prolific or at all.

Ideally, for intersectional peonies, the buds, or growing points, should be 2-5cm below soil level – for tree or woody peonies, these should be plant about with the graft union about 15cm below the surface. Space them 60-90cm apart so they have room to spread out as they mature.

Make sure the soil is well-drained and has plenty of organic matter.

Water immediately after planting, being quite generous with the water to help settle the roots in.

WHEN WILL I SEE FLOWERS?

Typically, tree peonies are the first to bloom followed by herbaceous and intersectional. Intersectional or Itoh peonies often flower twice as long as tree peonies.

The following is a general guideline of the flowering season for peonies in the UK.

Weather conditions and your specific location will affect the timing - cooler areas will be a week or 2 later and warmer areas a week or 2 earlier. The length of time the flowers are produced is dependent on the variety chosen.

Very Early - flowering begins late April

Early - flowering begins early May

Mid - flowering begins mid-late May

Late - flowering begins early June

You can expect your Primrose Hall Peony to last for decades in the garden, producing more and more blooms each year. Primrose Hall Peonies can flower from April until July so make sure to look at the flowering times of each variety to ensure you have a continuous flower in the garden!

BUT WHICH ONE TO PICK?

Here are some examples of varieties to pick to enjoy flowers throughout the season:

Tree

Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Hana-kisoi’ (Floral Rivalry) (Japanese Tree Peony) (Early-Mid Season Flowering)

Unusual, rare and highly collectable; tree peonies are highly prized. Hana-kisoi (Floral Rivalry) has stunningly large single flowers that are a silky pink with a raspberry basal flare.

 

 

 

 

Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Okan’ (Japanese Tree Peony) (Mid-Late Season Flowering)

Unusual, rare and highly collectable; tree peonies are highly prized. Okan has large, soft yellow semi-double flowers with sturdy, stiff erect stems.

 

 

 

 

Herbaceous

Paeonia peregrina ‘Fire King’ (Peony ‘Fire King’) (Early Season Flowering)

Herbaceous perennial with glossy green divided leaves and single bright red flowers with striking yellow stamens. Relatively compact.

 

 

 

 

Paeonia 'Miss Mary' (Mid Season Flowering)

Sumptuous deep, rich red single flowers with golden stamens on floriferous herbaceous peony.

 

 

 

 

 

Or for the patio:

Paeonia ‘London’ (Patio Peony ‘London’)

Compact and free-flowering herbaceous perennial. Double deep pink flowers.

 

 

 

 

Intersectional

Paeonia ‘Pastel Splendor’ (Intersectional ‘Itoh’ Peony) (Mid Season Flowering)

Unusual and rare peony. Finely cut green foliage on sturdy framework and single to semi-double flowers that are shades of lilac, pink, cream with a deep red/purple flare at the base. The seed head is amazing for late season interest.

 

 

 

 

 

Paeonia ‘Sonoma Apricot’ (Intersectional ‘Itoh’ Peony) (Mid Season Flowering)

Unusual and rare. Finely cut green foliage on sturdy framework with large, smooth apricot fading to lemon flowers.

 

Hopefully this clears up a few of the magical mysteries of peony planting.

Please let us know if you have any questions!