Peony Julia Rose is a magnificent garden plant with many huge semi-double delicate peach flowers located on large and strong stems up to 90 cm tall. This is one of the unique Ito hybrids characterized by extreme frost resistance and longevity, which allows it to be successfully grown even in harsh climatic conditions. In Russia, this exquisite floral novelty appeared relatively recently, but despite its rather high cost, it is quickly gaining popularity among flower growers collecting interesting plant specimens.
History of Ito Hybrids
Ito hybrids belong to a relatively new group of peonies, created in 1958 by the Japanese breeder Toichi Ito by crossing grassy and tree-like varieties of these plants. The scientist managed to develop a unique look of perennial peonies with bright yellow flowers. The novelty interested the owner of the New York peony nursery, Luis Smirnov, and in 1967 he bought the rights to these unusual hybrids from Ito. In 1974, Smirnov, co-authored with Ito, registered several new hybrid varieties in the American Peony Society.
Continued to work on the creation of intersectional varieties of American breeders. Plants were allocated in a separate group, called Ito-hybrids in honor of the Japanese scientist.
To date, several dozen varieties of hybrid peonies have been bred with incredibly beautiful colors, characterized by a wide variety of shapes and colors, starting with all kinds of yellow tones and ending with wine-red and even purple hues. In most varieties, the color of the petals is contrasting, which makes them even more attractive.
In 1991, Peony Julia Rose was bred by American breeder Roger Anderson . Reviews of professional gardeners about this new product were the most enthusiastic and quickly spread not only throughout America, but also in Europe. To date, this unique variety of peonies has won the love and recognition of flower growers around the world.
Distinctive features of Ito-pions
- Plants have high strong stems that can hold large flowers in an upright position, not bending under their weight, so the bushes do not require garter.
- Ito-peonies grow rapidly and are characterized by abundant flowering: more than four dozen flowers can form on one mature bush.
- The size of flowers in intersectional peonies is much larger than in other varieties, and can reach up to 25 cm in diameter.
- All plants are characterized by a long flowering period.
- The foliage of hybrid plants is not afraid of cold weather, unlike its grassy “relatives”, and retains an attractive appearance right up to the frost.
Peony Julia Rose: Description
In this variety, the bushes are sprawling, about 90 cm high, formed by bending or deviating powerful stems with a dense mass of foliage. The leaves have a feathery shape and rich green color. They die off in the late autumn after the onset of frost.
Peony Ito hybrid Julia Rose blooms profusely from early May to mid July. Flowers with a delicate characteristic aroma - semi-matte, semi-double, silky, reaching about 20 cm in diameter. Their color changes depending on the stage of dissolution, passing from raspberry red to orange pink, and then to delicate peach-yellow tones. In the middle of the flower are yellow stamens.
As you can see in the photo, the peony Julia Rose in the midst of flowering looks especially impressive, because on one bush there are simultaneously flowers of different colors, due to their age difference. Due to the ability to change the color palette of petals at certain stages of growth, this variety is also called a chameleon.
Soil for growing Ito hybrids
Peony Julia Rose loves fertile, humus-rich and well-drained soils. When choosing a place for planting, it is necessary to exclude areas where even temporary stagnation of water is possible, for example, after spring snowmelt and autumn rains. The fact is that this Ito-hybrid variety does not tolerate waterlogging - roots drenched in water quickly rot, which causes the death of the plant.
In addition, the use of peat in any form is strongly discouraged. Soil acidity (pH) should be between 6.5-7.0.
External conditions
Peony Julia Rose is not a very whimsical plant, resistant to diseases and tolerates wintering well. However, like any other representative of the flora, he needs certain conditions for growth. The landing site should not only be cultivated and well drained, but also located in a place protected from the wind. At the same time, it should be noted that this variety of hybrid peonies does not tolerate the lack of sunlight and simply will not bloom in the shade. Thus, the bushes must be placed in well-lit places or slightly shaded places.
Peony transplant
Plant transplantation is carried out in late summer or early fall. The planting hole must be dug to a depth of about 70 cm, and its width should be at least 50 cm. The roots of the peony Julia Rose can only develop correctly in loose soil, penetrating to a depth of 80 cm. In hard soil, the rhizome begins to grow to the sides, spreading in topsoil and lacking moisture and nutrients. Naturally, the incorrect location of the root affects the growth and development of the plant.
When transplanting several bushes, the distance between them should be at least 1.5 meters.
At the bottom of the landing pit, a drainage layer should be arranged. To do this, a mixture of crushed stone, broken brick and sand is poured into it with a layer of 15 cm. Then, organic and mineral fertilizers must be added to the soil. To do this, prepare a dry “cocktail” of humus, compost, a small amount of lime, superphosphate, wood ash and potassium sulfate. All this is mixed with the ground from the pit and filled it halfway. Peonies are planted after subsidence of the soil, in 10-12 days.
The root is lowered into a hole and covered with the remaining soil, having slightly tamped it. The top growth point should be buried no more than 3 cm.
Often after a transplant, peony Ito Julia Rose looks slightly wilted and does not please with color in the first season. This is explained by the transferred stress, after which the peony needs a certain time for complete recovery. It is extremely undesirable to transplant Ito hybrids in the spring, since they do not have enough strength and time to recover before the flowering period begins.
Hilling
In addition to the “right” soil and the desired planting depth, periodic peoning also plays a very important role. This procedure is necessary due to the fact that the rhizome of this hybrid has a tendency to build up new shoots up, and after a year or two most of them are above the ground, suffering from heat or cold. That is why plants should definitely be earthed to the required height. Especially carefully, this procedure should be carried out in the fall in order to avoid freezing of the roots.
In addition, although the plant is frost-resistant, additional shelter of the roots will not hurt.
Pruning plants
Blooming peonies are cut, leaving 2/3 of the vegetative mass of the plant - its stems and leaves. Their planned pruning is carried out in November, after the first noticeable frosts. Before the onset of cold weather, Ito-peonies cannot be cut off, since this procedure is harmful to plants.
Cut leaves and stems need to be burned, because they can be sources of the spread of diseases and pests.