The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Perennials => Topic started by: John on October 03, 2011, 08:32:43 AM
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Just thinking back to the few Paeonia that I have seen in the wild and on our trip to Turkey last year we were fortunate to just catch Paeonia mascula at it's best. In open Cedrus libani habitat.
The last picture is in cultivation and shows how colourful the seeding plant can be. In this case P. cambessedesii.
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Paeonia caucasica. To my great delight one of four seeds of this paeony germinated last year. It seemed to struggle and died back for winter. Now there are two lovely plump red leaves showing. It is still in a three inch pot. I would like to ask the forum expertise about when to plant it out. Immediately, in ten days or so when the frosts are over? Or should I pot it into a larger pot for the summer. Many thanks, Joanna in Toscana
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I think either would be OK. If you can keep an eye on it and not damage when weeding etc. then getting it in the ground might be the best choice.
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I find that Peony seedlings are very resilient, so long as you remember where you planted them when weedng and digging. The only ones I have found difficult are P. brownii/ californica and P. cambessedesii. P. brownii/ californica is just impossible to please in my garden and even tho' it is scarcely anything more than interesting so far as it's browny-green flowers are concerned mt failure with it niggles at my ambition. P. cambessedesii I have grown and flowered from several sources, including seed collected on a cliff face at Torre d'Ariant, but they have not been long lived and so have been another cause of horticultural frustration. It has occurred to me that some sp. may not be very long lived perennials. Do any forum members have experience observing wild colonies in the long term? tn
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That Paeonia caucasica mentioned above is doing famously. But how long til it flowers?
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Most peonies take around six years before they produce flowers, you need to be patient.
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5-6 yrs would be about my experience. Do not try to force it with extra feeding as lush growth and sappy tuberous roots are not what will ensure longevity. A sunny site with some surrounding low open growth to come through in imitation of their natural habitat.
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This blousy paeony came from my local garden centre at a knockdown price. It had no label or indication of colour. The flower is so over the top that it borders on ridiculous. I bought it in April, planted it out in October2014, so it has had one winter's growth.
It will be very interesting to see if it keeps up this exuberant flowering. I am predicting that it will now rest for a few years before coming back in a quieter form. I am wondering if this large flower has been produced with aid of some kind of flowering hormone, as are so many of the pelargoniums from the garden centres.
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One peony plant, two different flowers. This plant came from a rather unreliable garden centre as a red flowering tree peony. I liked the red flower and thought it worth a risk, but sadly the main tree stem had died by the end of summer. However, to my delight, this year there has been leaf growth from below the graft and now this white flower has appeared. I do not know what the rootstock might be but I am happy to have it in the garden.
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A rather nice silver lining, Joanna!
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Probably lactifolia, it seems to be the usual one used.
Roy
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Time to revive this thread ;D
We have a single plant of Paeonia cambessedesii which I grew from seed back in 1998.
It flowers most years but only if we don't get a late frost.
Last year was a bit tough for it and the flowers are bit small I'm afraid but at least it is alive and flowering
cheers
fermi
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I should think you are well pleased with this plant after so many years- thank you for sharing it on the aforum -a lovely flower and very beautiful leaves.
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This is the first flower on Paeonia 'Red Charm' which we got from Kaydale Lodge in Tasmania a couple of years ago, along with 'Coral Charm' which is still building up its strength.
We have put them in a bed which gets some watering over summer (it also contains Liliums)
cheers
fermi
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Paeonia 'Red Charm' is taking the year off (it was so late emerging we worried that it had bloomed itself to death! :o) so its sister, 'Coral Charm' sent up two blooms a couple of days apart. As the flower fades it turns a soft parchment colour!
cheers
fermi
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Both colours are to my liking!!!! They are lovely.
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"Itoh" peonies are all the rage this year - they are a range of hybrids between herbaceous and tree peonies. We visited our friend Stephen Ryan who runs "Dicksonia Rare Plants Nursery" on Mt Macedon in July and bought one from him called "Pastel Splendour" which is flowering now (still in its pot!)
cheers
fermi