Tag Archives: #peonymyths

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.

 

Peony Myths Debunked – Part 1

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With all the fake news we find online these days it’s no wonder that peonies also have some “interesting” ideas floating around about them.

In this two-part series we’ll be debunking some of these myths.

Peonies Are Difficult to Grow

Peonies are actually quite easy to grow if a few simple rules are followed:

  • buy a well-established, mature plant
  • plant in a sunny/part-shaded and sheltered position
  • make sure whatever type of soil it is that it is free-draining
  • plant herbaceous and intersectionals with the crown no more 2.5cm below the surface
  • water consistently while buds are forming in spring
  • don’t over-water as peonies don’t like to have soggy ‘feet’ or roots
  • mulch, but not too much
  • feed once a year in the spring/autumn/summer
  • cut back herbaceous and intersectional peonies in autumn
  • prune tree peonies

 

Peonies Don't Like Cold Weather

Will your peony endure a snowy winter? Even though they may look delicate, they are hardy down to -25C and have been growing for many generations in parts of China, Japan, North America, Europe and Alaska where it is very cold.

Peonies need the colder weather to hibernate and get to work on new buds for Spring time. In fact, many growers have said that the colder the winter the better the blooms will be the following season.

The only time your peony may take a bit of strain is if there is a late frost, as it can damage the leaves. However, your peony won’t be beyond repair and will likely be back to its old self by the next season.

Peonies Only Grow in Certain Types of Soil

Peonies will be happy in any type of soil. The only necessity, no matter what soil you have, is that it is free draining.

Even if it is clay! Yes, clay!

That said, it can be a bit tricky to ensure clay soil drains well. If it is very hard-packed clay you’ll want to mix in some sand or stones before planting.

Specialist peony fertiliser will be a welcome addition to the soil when planting a peony in your garden for the first time. This will enrich the root growth in the first season.

Peonies Hate Moving

Who likes change? Ok, ok, some of us do. But most human, animal and plant beings are creatures of habit (or habitat) and will protest at being uprooted from their homes.

However, contrary to popular opinion peonies really don’t mind being moved. They just need to be handled correctly.

Here are some tips:

  • autumn after cutting back/pruning is the best time to move
  • ensure eyes (pink buds) on the roots are not damaged in the process
  • don’t over-mulch/cover them with too much soil
  • herbaceous and intersectional – crown (top of the plant) no more than about 2.5-5cm below surface
  • grafted tree peonies – graft union no more than about 10-15cm below surface

 

Peonies Don't Last Long

Absolutely untrue! In fact, you may need to leave them in your will as some have been known to live on happily for more than 90 years!

Because peonies take a while to mature, flowering from around 3-5 years old, some may have dug up their peonies prematurely thinking they’re dead.

This is why it’s best to buy your peony at flowering maturity from a reputable nursery so you can enjoy flowers every year from year one.

 

And that’s all for now! We hope this has helped you come around to the idea of adopting a peony.

Look out for part 2 of this series for more peony myth debunking...