I love peonies, they are the most gorgeous of blooms, and there are so many varieties, so many colours. We had a wonderful peony in our front garden of our family home and people would stop to look at it and would photograph it, it was luscious, or as they say round here, lush!
I bought a peony for our garden here but unfortunately I didn’t think carefully enough where I was planting it, and then one Christmas, my husband decided to plant our Christmas tree in the garden, forgetting the peony was there… it has become totally, lost, but still bravely gives us a few flowers every year.
I was looking up about the plants and discovered these growing tips:
- Ideally plant in full sun, though a few will tolerate light shade – ours gets full shade and struggles out from behind the Christmas tree to find any light at all
- Most prefer neutral to slightly alkaline soils – I have no idea what our soil is
- Good drainage is essential – our garden is somewhat like a bog
- Peonies are relatively drought tolerant – just as well as I am sure the Christmas tree takes most of the moisture
- Feed with a balanced general – our poor peony has never been fed
- To conserve moisture and suppress weeds, mulch around the crown – I can’t get to the crown, it’s hidden behind the Christmas tree
- The flower stems may not be strong enough to keep the often heavy flamboyant flowers upright and staking is often required – the Christmas tree holds any brave blooms up
- It is generally best to cut the foliage to ground level as it dies back in the autumn – I can’t get at it to cut it back…
This autumn I will try and rescue it, or at least take some seeds and try and grow some more plants, but I think unless the tree goes, there is no hope!
Lois Elsden 