Peony Roses
Peony Roses, Peonies, and Paeonia
Peonies, often called Peony Roses are not roses at all, but belong to the Paeoniaceae family. Usually referred to as the peony in the United States, the plants are more often referred to as peony roses, or paeonies in Australia and New Zealand. There are two basic types of peony roses, the peony tree, which can grow to a height of 10', and the more familiar herbaceous peony which is shrub like and grows to a height of around 3'. The tenacious variety is more popular in cottage and old fashioned gardens. Originating in China, the peony is one of the oldest garden plants in existence today.
Rain Not Always Welcome - The peony has large flowers, often resembling the blossoms of a camellia or a rose, hence the name peony rose. The flowers are sometimes scented, though the fragrance is typically not strong. Blossoms may be single or double, depending upon the variety. Peonies are not hard to grow, and seem to do best in areas having cold winters and mild summers. They are generally quite easy to care for but often require staking. The blossoms, which can be rather large, are usually well supported by the stems, but given a good rain storm, the blossoms can collect sufficient water to bend the stems and flowers to the ground. A peony bush is a bad sight when this occurs, though the plant will usually recover once the excess water is shaken off.
Peony roses often have a blooming period of between two and three weeks, and a peony bush will usually have a multitude of blossoms, each growing on an individual stem. Once the flowers have begun to fade and lose their petals, they can be cut off. Removing the spent flowers will not result in a second blooming, but the foliage will remain green and attractive until late in the fall, when it then may be cut back to ground level.
Transplanting And Dividing - Peony roses spread, but quite slowly. They are not an invasive plant, but several of them planted in a small area may eventually begin to crowd each other out. The tuberous roots can be easily divided to produce new plants. This should usually not be attempted until the parent plant is around 5 years old and has had a chance to develop a rather extensive root system. The parent plant does not always take well to transplanting in its entirety however, something to take into account when planning the layout of the garden. The root clumps on a mature plant can easily be two to three feet in diameter, making transplanting a somewhat dicey endeavor. A transplanted peony may take a year or two to fully recover, but eventually will. Newly divided plants will normally not bloom the first year following their being placed in the soil, but should start producing large blooms the following year.
The roots will benefit from a mulch during cold winters as they are usually not far beneath the surface of the soil. It is rarely that they need to be dug up however. During the summer months, caution needs to be exercised when cultivating around the roots to avoid possible damage.
Easy Maintenance - Peony roses grow best in a soil that has been deeply turned and mixed with compost or manure at planting time. A top dressing of fertilizer annually will usually ensure prolific flowering. Fertilizing is usually done once the season's blossoms have faded. Because of the tuberous nature of their roots, peony roses usually do not require heavy watering, especially if watered lightly at reasonably frequent intervals. For a plant which does not require much care, peony roses invariably put on quite a show.