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Peonies

loesbobloesbob Posts: 33
in Plants
Hi All,

I am 'Confused of Weymouth'.  I have a couple of peonies.  Lovely but very short period of interest.  I thought I had heard on GW that the intersectional peony flowered for a much longer period and, possibly deaf-headedly, that they flowered into autumn.  Now I am doing a bit of research on what type to get I find that they appear to flower only for the same period as the herbaceous type and even the tree peony does not flower for very long either. 
Am I totally dumb ("Yes" the assembly said) or could some one knowledgeable help me out?  One thing I am sure of is that they are expensive if I get it wrong.

Thanks
Bob
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Posts

  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    They flower a bit longer than regular peonies, but that isn't saying much! From what I gather, some of them produce the odd flower in Autumn if you are lucky, but they don't flower all the way through summer.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    I was very tempted by the utter beauty of peonies of all kinds, but when I realised their short flowering season, I restrained myself, and put my credit card away! In my very small garden, they just wouldn't work.
  • loesbobloesbob Posts: 33
    Thanks that really is good to confirm.  I suppose it will just have to be another rose bush!!

    Cheers

  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Some cultivars have fabulous foliage too. Which makes them worthwhile. The flowering may be short but it can be an amazing show. They make fantastic background plants when the flowering is over. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • UsFourUsFour Posts: 49
    edited August 2020
    I have three peonies in a very small garden ... they are all lactiflora Shirley Temple ... white full blooms and scented ... they have taken a couple of years to get going but the foliage is good, the blooms are fantastic but very heavy, so any rain and wind will make them flop really badly. This year they were fantastic till we got a prolonged rain wind episode. Still good blooms even then but too heavy. They have good foliage when blooming has finished. They flower for quite a long period and are later flowering .. June early July?  Shirley Temple is *not* expensive .. otherwise I wouldn't have bought them ;-)

    Next year I will stake them well in advance and that should solve the flopping problem. One is in partial shade behind an Acer Bloodgood  ... it flowers but it isn't happy. It is always reaching for the sun. This autumn I am going to move it to a sunny spot. The Shirley Temple is good if in sun and staked for bad weather. xx
    UsFour 

    The older you get, the more you realise that it is OK to live a life others don't understand.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    I have a trio of Shirley Temple planted and this year used frames to support them and they were so much better @UsFour

    Used these, which are sturdy and inexpensive: https://www.plantsupports.co.uk/p/grow_through_3_legs_46cm_x_94cm_a0049 

    Similar ones can bought by other sellers, just avoid anything coated in plastic as the lifespan is really short. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • roisin897roisin897 Posts: 32
    UsFour - I bought this kind of supports for peonies a few years back and it works really well, as long as I remember to put it in place early in the season (then gradually lift it). 
    Age doesn't make you forgetful. Having way too many stupid things to remember makes you forgetful.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    snap @roisin897 ;) 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • roisin897roisin897 Posts: 32
    Loesbob - if you have a friend or neighbour with Peonies, they may want to divide them this autumn and give you some? I have a bed of peonies and like to have four main plants, so every couple of years I dig up some that are spreading, pot them up and gift them to friends. I have daffodil bulbs in the same beds for the spring, then the peonies come up, then snapdragons grow up through the peonie foliage when the blooms have finished. 
    Age doesn't make you forgetful. Having way too many stupid things to remember makes you forgetful.
  • UsFourUsFour Posts: 49
    The problem is that my plants are reasonable large ... am not sure that frame would encompass them and I'm on a small budget. Just gonna use bamboo stakes and a net weave of Biostretch garden twine (see link) as long as it is done early should be good to support them. 

    https://tinyurl.com/yy9hjskz
    UsFour 

    The older you get, the more you realise that it is OK to live a life others don't understand.
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