In spring, courtyards and squares are decorated with beautifully flowering peony bushes. They grow almost everywhere. Their popularity is associated with huge beautiful flowers that emit a strong, but delicate aroma. Ease of care, unpretentiousness made them indispensable for any gardener. A variety of colors allows you to turn any flowerbed into a bright multi-colored carpet. Among the variety of peonies there are several whites. One of them is the peony of the Maxim Festival.
Grade description
Peonies are perennial flowers. Among the three dozen species there are grassy and tree-like varieties. They differ in that the tree-like grow in the form of a bush or tree, and grassy stems disappear for the winter. Tree-like shrubs or shrubs grow in nature in southwestern China. In temperate regions, grassy are more common.
Peonies in nature have flowers with five petals of pink, red or white. Only in the Caucasus, white and yellow grow. There are many stamens, they are noticeable, with long threads of red color.
Some types of peonies:
- Medicinal, which began to grow first. Distributed in the Mediterranean.
- Milk-flowered (white-flowered, Chinese) grows in the Far East. Not affected by disease, not afraid of difficult weather conditions.
- Narrow-leaved with red flowers and dissected leaves.
The interest in the study of peony is indicated by the fact that at the beginning of the twentieth century in America, a society of pioneers was created. Based on these wild species, breeders have created tens of thousands of varieties. All of them are divided into three groups:
- Officalinalis - selected varieties of medicinal peony, which includes terry varieties of red, pink and white.
- Chinese peonies - created on the basis of a milky-flowered peony.
- Interspecific hybrids.
According to the structure of the flower, all varieties of peonies are divided into the following groups:
- Simple (non-double).
- Japanese with stamens without pollen.
- Anemic with a large number of staminodynia (modified stamens).
- Half Terry
- Terry, in which four groups are distinguished, including pink ones.
Three groups of peonies are distinguished by flowering dates. The earliest bloom in the first half of June. Those that bloom before the third decade of this month are average. Late flowering continues until the first decade of July.
Peony of Maxim Festival
The Maxim Festival is a peony that has established itself well over a century and a half of its history. It was then in France that this beautiful flower was created.
What kind of peony of the Maxim Festival? Description and photos show that the peony bush of this variety is tall, sprawling. The stems grow to 1 meter. The leaves are large, dark green in color. Terry pink flower . Petals are snug against each other. The size of the flower can reach 20 cm. The color of the petals is white, the central ones with red strokes at the edges.
The Maxim Festival is a peony that blooms for about two weeks. The number of flowers is large. The flower is fragrant, with a delicate and rather strong smell.
The soil for the peony of the Maxim Festival
Peony grassy Maxim Festival can please flowering in one place for about three decades. Therefore, when planting it, it is necessary to provide that in the future it receives a large amount of light. May grow in slightly darkened places. The distance from the buildings should be at least 2 m. There they will not bloom.
The Maxim Festival is a peony that loves neutral soil. The acidity level for planting a peony is pH 6-6.5. Adding lime or wood ash will help make the soil less acidic.
The soil for growing Peony Festival Maxim must be nutritious. But even the poor can be successfully cultivated. Such flowers feel bad in the sand, so it must be diluted with clay and organics.
Worse peony in wetlands. There, its roots begin to decay, which can lead to the death of the plant.
Planting the peony of the Festival Maxim
It is necessary to transplant the Maxim Festival peony in the fall, in September. Planting later is undesirable, because he may not have time to get accustomed to frost.
When planted in the spring, the plant tolerates the transplant much worse. His kidneys begin to bloom very early, so when they divide, they fall off.
The Maxim Festival is a peony that needs to be immersed in the ground not deeply. The upper kidney should be at ground level. If planted much deeper, the shoots will be weak, there will be few flowers. The depth of the pit for planting the Maxim Festival peony should be at least 70 cm. The root length reaches 60 cm. There should be room for their further growth, otherwise they will stop growing.
If the peony is planted too high, in spring it will be on the surface. It is sprinkled with earth, and transplanted in the fall.
A pit for planting a peony of the Festival Maxim is being prepared earlier. A drainage layer is laid: gravel, expanded clay, coarse sand.
The removed top layer of the earth is mixed with humus, peat. Add a glass of wood ash or superphosphate. Lay pits at the bottom. It is better to prepare a hole in advance, for six months. But this does not always work out. Land in the pit should be left at least 2 weeks. If this could not be done in advance, the soil when planting a peony is well rammed.
The distance between the peony bushes should be at least 1 m.
Peony care of the Maxim Festival
After planting, peonies need to be watered. It can be mulched with peat or mowed grass. The first two years do not need to fertilize peonies. They will have enough useful substances planted during planting. Loosen the soil, remove weeds. Do not allow the peony to bloom immediately after planting. If flower buds form, they are cut off.
A young bush is covered with peat for the winter. Subsequently, he will not need shelter.
Peony of the Maxim Festival blooms abundantly, a photo of which is located here, starting from the third year. After a few years, the bush will grow, the stems will not be able to stay even and begin to lean under the weight of the flowers. Therefore, they will need to provide support. It is installed a week before the peonies bloom, so as not to damage the flowers later.
Is it possible to make the peony of the Maxim Festival even larger? Reviews of gardeners are advised to remove all buds except the central one. Then the remaining central flower will be larger. Faded flowers are also removed so that the bush does not waste energy on seed formation. They should not be used for breeding Peony Festival Maxim.
Flower cutting
Many gardeners grow flowers for a cut. But you need to carefully separate them from the bush. On each bush you need to cut no more than half the flowers. If you cut off all or most of it, young kidneys will be weak. Part of the stem with several leaves also needs to be left.
Peony preparation for winter
At the end of summer, under the bush of the peony of the Maxim Festival, fertilizers, humus and minerals are applied. Cut the leaves, but they do not cover the bush. This can lead to gray rot disease.