Peonies Are Forever

The lovely sight of blooming Peonies is in May and June everywhere. Here are some tips on how to take care of these old-fashioned beauties: 
Certain Peonies growing in gardens which have been there for more than 100 years. No one’s ever divided them or fussed with them, and they just keep coming up every year and flowering in lovely colors.
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Planting Time
The ideal time to buy and plant them would be in September, early October.  Prepare a site that is maybe 2 feet across and about a foot deep, and add lots of compost in with it.
If you don’t have any compost (shame on you : ), then at least add a bit Bonemeal. 
If your garden soil is low pH (slightly acidic) mix a little bit pulverized limestone in.
Don’t plant the root too deep!  The same principle as with Irises.
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Peonies need to have sun -  lots of it! 
An optimal condition would be a very sunny spot and good drainage. Peonies do not like to be in a wet site.  Planting them on a slight slope would be the ideal location. Get Peony stakes and set them up as early as possible in order not to have the stems to bend when they are growing up.  The stakes avoid blooms toppling over.
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When to Plant
Most of the peonies are sold in the springtime and they bloom in May or they’re in flower and the garden centers show them. You have two choices.  Either you can keep it in the container and hold it until fall.  Best is to dig a hole in the future location, place the container in and surround it well with soil.  Don’t overwater - but also don’t let it go dry for long periods of time.
Or - if you really want to plant it into the ground, don’t disturb the tiny feeder roots.
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With the right selection of peonies, you could have them flowering five to six, maybe even seven weeks, depending on the season and the Peony types.  And if you do a good job of preparing the planting site, the peony is going to be there for a long time. 

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Beautiful Peonies at the Farm

Have a look before they disappear... until next year

These Peonies can be admired at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa. But hurry up, the temperatures climb up to 30 degrees Celsius and they might not bloom longer than another week. I took these images a day after a heavy rainfall, but they were still beautiful.

Peonies are amazing, very long-living flowers/bushes: The peony is among the longest-used flowers in ornamental culture and is one of the smallest living creature national Emblems in China. Along with the plum blossom, it is a traditional floral symbol of China.

According to Wikipedia they are named after Paean, a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.

Once planted the Peony likes to be left alone and punishes those who try to move it by not flowering again for several years. Once established, however, it produces splendid blooms each year for decades. The blossom heads are very heavy and need some support to avoid weeping down.

Their marvelous fragrance and bountiful flowers make them a must-have perennial. Peonies are drought tolerant, low maintenance and deer-resistant. See more images and tips at the Canadian Peony Society Page.

For the Novice Gardener

Wondering what to plant in sunny spots?

Here are some sun loving plants:

YARROW (Achillea)
Will grow in dry soil, tolerates drought and some salt and likes well-drained, loamy or sandy soils. Plants grown in too rich soil tend to be tall and floppy. Divide every 2 years in spring or fall. This plant is very undemanding. Excellent for cut and dried flowers, fragrant and attracts butterflies.

STONE CROP (Sedum)
The wide variety of stone crop is a dependable choice for the late summer and fall garden, offering foliage interest earlier in the season, then a colourful display of flowers in the fall - from August to November."Autumn Joy" is by far the most popular of these, a familiar sight when it begins to produce green broccoli-like buds in mid-summer, which gradually open into enormous dusty-pink flower heads, finally deepening to rich bronzy-red. Even the dead flower heads have good winter effect. In rich soils, plants may be pinched in June to prevent floppiness. A classic perennial!

LAMBS EAR (Stachys)
They are a superb foliage plant that reaches a height of about 1 foot. The gracefully shaped leaves are a woolly and silvery white that is extraordinarily effective in combination with a wide range of colors from fire-engine red to golden yellow to gentian-blue. In late spring or early summer, the plants send up furry, silver stalks of small lilac pink flowers on spikes to about 2 feet high. The somewhat fragrant flowers are not very small. Bees love the flowers.

CLEMATIS
Clematis enable the gardener to have masses of bloom from late winter to late fall. To accomplish this, varieties with different bloom times can be grown together or planted in complimentary areas of the garden. In colder climates where temperatures drop below 0°F (-20°C) foundation planting and mulch are required to ensure a long life. The old adage of "their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade" must be adhered to at all times. Best plant Clematis behind a low growing shrub that will give shade to the first 2 feet of the plant.

PEONY
Peonies are long-lived (over 50 years), drought tolerant and low maintenance. Peony flowers come in a range of colours, including yellow, coral, peach and lavender, in addition to white, blush, pink, magenta, and red. Peonies grow two to four feet tall and thrive in sunny flowerbeds and well-drained soils. Although they tolerate a wide range of soil types, you'll have the best success with good soil rich in organic matter. Add compost and blood meal in fall in a circle around the plant.

MAGNOLIA
is famous for its beautifully shaped, very fragrant flowers. The color begins early May, with your tree adorned with 4 inch blossoms that are red purple on the outside and white on the inside. Magnolia trees are a strong, vigorous grower with an upright habit. Place your tree in full sun in soil amended with some organic matter to improve drainage and nutrient holding capacity. Hardy to USDA zone 5 to 6 and all higher zones. Pruning a magnolia tree should be avoided.

ROSA RUGOSA
Rugosa roses are very hardy and disease resistant, and known for their ability to grow in the most hostile environment, both hot and cold. Rugosa’s survive despite neglect and are popular as a thorny, dense hedge. The fragrance is sweet and pleasant. It will grow in salty conditions, shade, full sun, and poor soil, so long as it's well-drained. Along the East Coast it even grows right in the sandy beaches! There are other reasons to grow this beauty besides the low maintenance. Large blooms cover this plant in early summer, giving way to sporadic blossoms up to the first frost in November.

WEIGELA
Weigela are very adaptable shrubs and most are small enough for any size garden, especially with a little pruning in the spring. This beautiful plant / shrub has not only attractive flowers, but also showy leaves, especially the variety "My Monet". The only requirement is full sun to produce copious flowers. The problem with Weigela is deciding which cultivar to grow from over 180 named cultivars. Grow in full sun and protect from winter wind in cold areas. Prune annually after flowering slows down. Many of the newer varieties repeat bloom sporadically during the season.