A friend of mine brought me a gift in the form of a Peony, all the way from overseas, so I am now the proud owner of my very own Peony. As with all plants that are new to me, I always have to do at least some research before planting, so once again, knowing less than nothing about peonies I needed to find out where and how to plant it and how to care for it. All I know for sure is that mine is a red peony and that I should probably plant it up in a pot for starters. That way I can test where it will fare best in the garden as I move it around. Unfortunately my track record with plants in pots is not good (I tend to kill pot plants) and I consider this too special to let it “go to pot in a pot” – so I needed to find the right spot for it. And I need to get it right as I believe they don’t enjoy being transplanted (that is what I’m reading).
My endless searching on the internet had me totally confused and then, quite by chance, Master Gardener and architect, Donna at Garden walk Garden Talk published an article about her Peonies. (How lucky was that?). Her photographs are beautiful – if thats what I can hope for then I am really happy to have this new addition to my garden! What I found really useful in Donna’s photographs was seeing the plant size in relation to the others she has planted them with, as I can now see how much space I need to allocate to mine. This is not always easy to figure out by looking at photographs on the internet as they tend to show close ups of just the flowers or foliage, and not a whole established plant, planted in and amongst other plants. Thanks Donna!
[one_half]Peony in the packet
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[one_half_last]When it grows up I’m hoping for …
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[one_half]Newly planted
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[one_half_last]Looking good …
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So with my newly acquired knowledge I’ve found a spot for it and have planted it where it will receive at least six hours of afternoon sun (as I’ve learnt it needs), in well drained soil, in a spot where it will have space to grow and where it can be admired.
Do you have any advice for a newbie Peony owner? I’d love to hear!
Happy Gardening
xxx
My Notes on Peonies:
Peonies are grown as ornamental plants for their very large, often scented flowers. Due to their colorful and attractive flowers, Peonies have gained a huge popularity these days and are also made available in artificial form which are used as indoor decoration. Peonies are extremely long-lived plants lasting up to 50 to 70 years, so once you get them planted correctly, you will enjoy them for years and years. Peonies are gorgeous perennial flowers that grow as a herbaceous cultivar and as a peony tree. Peonies should be planted away from large trees or shrubs because they will have compete for root space and nutrients, resulting in the size and the quantity of the flowers being reduced.