Many gardeners dream of starting this beautifully flowering, perennial plant on their site. But some simply don’t know where to buy the tree peony. Preparing for the winter and proper care for it is another issue that often excites lovers of this plant. This shrub under good conditions can reach a height of one and a half meters and have large (up to 20 cm in diameter) flowers. Tree peonies have a not very pleasant smell, unlike their usual counterparts. Inflorescences can be white, pale pink, burgundy, purple and even bright yellow.
The shape of the flowers may also be different: pink or crown. This is truly a long-lived garden, in one place it can grow for several decades. Therefore, it is so important to initially choose a good and suitable place for him on the site.
How and where to plant a tree peony on the site?
When choosing this shrub for your garden, keep in mind that planting should be carried out exclusively in late summer or autumn (until mid-September). During spring planting, the probability of frost is very high, and this can adversely affect the plant: the kidneys or the whole peony will die. The place requires a bright, calm. Strong winds can break branches near the bush. China is the country where the tree peony was first grown. Shelter for the winter there is not required for the plant. In our climate, this is necessary, therefore, choosing a place, think in advance where there is more snow on the site. They dig a hole for a peony cone-shaped, crushed stone, crumb brick, expanded clay, gravel are poured at the bottom . Good humus is added to the earthen mixture, 200-300 grams of lime and superphosphate each. Landing must be done carefully, in no case can you deepen the growth point (root neck). It is very easy to determine it in young plants, it has a larger diameter and resembles a cone. The soil must be well-drained. The plant responds well to the introduction of ash or bone meal into the soil . It can be mixed with the ground before planting. It can be diluted with water and periodically watered peony. This is especially true if the soil is clay, but still really want to plant tree peonies.
Plant care
Shrub care is quite simple and includes the following items: watering, pruning, weeding and top dressing with mineral fertilizers. Humidification should be plentiful, but not too frequent. The volume of each irrigation in hot and dry summers is 6-7 liters of water per bush. At the same time, you need to weed near the bush and slightly loosen the ground. Mulching of the soil around the peony trunk with humus is also welcome. In the first two or three years, feeding is not necessary. In the fourth year, watering with fertilizer is carried out 3-4 times during the summer season: during the growth of shoots, during the period of swelling of the buds, and when the tree peony blooms. Preparation for winter begins in October, before this time the plant should gain strength. Use for this you need nitroammophoska and superphosphate.
Bush pruning
Cut the shoots in order to rejuvenate the bush and give it the desired shape. Pruning of stems is carried out at the very beginning of the growing season, in the spring, during the awakening of the buds. If the shoot is healthy, then cut to the first living kidney. The weak leave a height of about 20 cm.
Tree Peony: Shelter for the Winter
If you grow shrubs in the middle zone of Russia or Siberia, where there are quite severe winters with severe frosts, then you need to cover the tree-like peony. Preparation for winter begins with leaf pruning, when the daytime temperature is set at zero or several degrees of heat. After they are all trimmed, the best option is to build something like a hut from branches or spruce (pine) spruce branches. This will be the shelter of the tree-like peony from too heavy snow, it will prevent breakdown of shoots and buds when the snow begins to melt in the spring. Outside, the hut must be tied with a rope so that it does not fall apart. As soon as the first snowfalls begin, it is better to gradually throw a hut with snow. Some prefer to bend shoots to the ground and cover with dry leaves or the same spruce branches. This option is also possible if it is a young tree-like peony. Preparing for winter in this case will be easier, since the stems are still flexible and amenable to bending. But this method is not quite suitable for old instances, with very lignified branches. In the spring, it is important to remove the branches in time so that the plant does not over-ripen. For the winter, a tree-like peony can, of course, not be covered up if there is abundant and high snow cover in your area. Then he will wrap the bush like a blanket, and the only thing to be afraid of is breaking the stems. But in recent years, very often severe frosts, below 20 degrees, are accompanied by a lack of snow. In this case, all the shoots will freeze, so it’s better to cover the tree peony anyway. Preparing for winter is an important stage for the plant, in no case should this be neglected.
Propagation of a Tree Peony by Seeds
Wilted flowers from the bush must be removed, as this interferes with growth, unless, of course, you want to get the seeds of a tree peony at home. In this case, it is better to leave 3-4 ovaries for aging, and cut off the steel ones. The process of growing a tree peony from seeds is very laborious, and the result has to wait a long time, and it is not always successful. Planting is carried out in September in open ground or in seedling greenhouses. In the second case, the first day you need to withstand crops at a temperature of 18 to 30 degrees. Then they need to be kept in a cold room, until the first leaves appear. The temperature should not exceed 10 degrees. You need to plant young specimens in small pots, pinch the roots. Growing a tree-like peony from seeds, be prepared for the fact that it will bloom only after 5-6 years. The shades of it may be completely different from the color of the mother plant. There are also positive aspects, for example, a tree-like peony from seeds will have a higher resistance to adverse growing conditions, have a high coefficient of resistance to all kinds of diseases.
Propagation by cuttings
For this method, adult semi-lignified shoots with air buds are used. The best time is mid-summer (in June). The cut is done with a sharp knife below the kidney, obliquely. It is advisable to treat it with a growth stimulator. Rooted cuttings in a dish filled with a mixture of wet sand and peat, at an angle of 45 degrees. The air kidney must be completely buried in the ground.
Propagation by layering
This must be done before the flowers bloom. Choose the shoots that are closest to the ground. On the shoot, a cruciate incision is made, treated with a growth stimulator and then bent close to the ground. It is best to fix the stem with an iron arc or press it with something. Top part of the shoot with a cut needs to be sprinkled with soil. It is also necessary to constantly maintain moisture, water. In autumn - in September - the rooted young peony is separated and transplanted to a permanent place.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
Held in the middle or end of August. Large and old specimens are dug up, the earth is washed off the roots under a strong stream of water. Further, the bush is divided, the process is similar to the propagation of grassy peonies. Separate the roots with a sharp knife or ax, and root immediately in a permanent place. Thus, a young tree-like peony is obtained. Shelter for the winter is required the same as for adults.
Tree Peony Inoculation
A very effective and productive method of reproduction. You can inoculate on the roots of a grassy or tree-like peony. This should be done in mid-August. For scion use only fresh, new shoots. The process is painstaking and time-consuming. You can read about it on specialized sites, in books. It does not hurt to consult with a specialist in the field of floriculture.
Diseases and Pests
A tree peony is more resistant to disease than its grassy counterpart. The only significant threat may be gray rot, the development of which is facilitated by excess moisture. In this case, the affected leaves must be immediately removed and burned, and the plant itself treated with a solution of copper sulfate or potassium permanganate.
If you want to have a spectacular and unusual perennial plant on your site, then let it be a tree peony. Preparing for the winter and caring for it will not take much time, and the unusual appearance and bright flowers will delight your eyes and surprise guests.
It can be planted both in single bushes, and in group planting, for example, with ordinary grassy peonies. And let the shrub saplings are quite expensive, but its long-term flowering more than compensates for all costs.