Herbaceous Peony: The "Prime Minister of Flowers" - Growing Methods, Precautions, and Blooming Time

Herbaceous peony, also known as the farewell grass and the "prime minister of flowers," belongs to the order Dilleniales, family Paeoniaceae, genus Paeonia, section Paeonia, and is a perennial herbaceous plant. It closely resembles the tree peony commonly seen in our daily lives, and the two are often planted together to enhance ornamental value. So how do you grow herbaceous peony? Let's take a look together at the growing methods and precautions for herbaceous peony.

Brief introduction to herbaceous peony:

Herbaceous peony, also known as Jiangli or Licao, belongs to the order Saxifragales, family Ranunculaceae, genus Paeonia, and is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant. Herbaceous peony is hailed as the “flower fairy” and the “flower prime minister,” and is listed as one of the “six famous flowers.” It is also called the “May flower god.” Because it has been regarded as the flower of love since ancient times, it is now honored as the representative flower of the Qixi Festival. Herbaceous peony is a traditional famous flower of China, tolerant of cold, fond of cool climates, intolerant of waterlogging, and equally famous as the king of flowers, the tree peony.

How to grow herbaceous peony:

Herbaceous peony is cold-hardy, fond of fertilizer but afraid of waterlogging, likes moist soil but is also drought-tolerant, likes sunlight, and prefers cool climates in summer. Potted herbaceous peony tends to scorch its leaves under the strong midsummer sun, so attention should be paid to shading. Herbaceous peony has fleshy roots and a relatively long root system, so it should be planted in fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam. Planting it in clay or low-lying waterlogged areas can easily cause root rot.

Growing methods for herbaceous peony:

1. Planting time for herbaceous peony: Herbaceous peony likes sunlight and is cold-hardy. It prefers cool temperatures and fears heat, growing poorly under high summer temperatures. Autumn is the best time to plant herbaceous peony.

2. Soil: For ground planting, choose a sunny site with high terrain and good drainage, and never plant it in low-lying areas prone to water accumulation. Herbaceous peony has fleshy roots, so when planting, choose loose, fertile, slightly acidic sandy soil. It is not suitable for growing in alkaline soil. If the soil is too alkaline, it will cause leaf yellowing and even shrinkage and death.

3. Cultivation points: For open-field cultivation, apply farmyard manure, deep plow, break up the soil finely, and form raised beds. Generally, the bed height is 10?15 cm, the bed width is 70 cm, and the length is unlimited. The planting spacing is 80 cm. When planting, dig holes according to the length and size of the root system, taking care that the roots spread out and are not planted too deep. Cover with soil to a depth of 4?5 cm above the top bud. After planting, water thoroughly once, and mound soil over it for winter.

4. Fertilizer and water management: Apart from natural rainfall, ground-planted herbaceous peony does not need frequent watering. Usually, it only needs appropriate watering a few times before and after flowering, when water demand is highest and spring drought occurs, to supplement the lack of soil moisture. Each watering should not be excessive. Fertilizer application should be controlled, with three topdressings per year. The first is when new shoots rapidly emerge. When the leaves and flower buds are extending, apply quick-acting fertilizer mainly, which is called the flower-promoting fertilizer.

5. Shaping and pruning: To make herbaceous peony flowers abundant and colorful and to grow robustly, shaping and pruning are very important. Shaping mainly includes trunk establishment, branch pruning, bud removal, bud thinning, and removal of spent flowers. Herbaceous peony can be trunk-established after 2—3 years of planting. For varieties with very strong growth vigor and vigorous growth, they can be pruned into single-trunk herbaceous peonies. For varieties with weak growth vigor and few branches, generally remove thin and weak branches and retain strong branches.

6. Pest and disease control: Common pests and diseases of herbaceous peony include brown spot disease, anthracnose, rust disease, root rot, root-knot nematode disease, longhorn beetles, red spiders, scarab beetles, mole crickets, etc. Among them, brown spot disease, anthracnose, and rust disease are fungal diseases. Pest and disease control should focus on early prevention. Once pests or diseases occur. According to the degree of occurrence, follow the above dosage, appropriately shorten the spraying interval, and increase the number of applications.

Precautions for growing herbaceous peony:

After planting, herbaceous peony should not be frequently transplanted, otherwise the roots will be damaged, affecting growth and flowering. To help herbaceous peony grow well, reasonable fertilization is needed every year. After each fertilization, water thoroughly and immediately loosen the soil to reduce water evaporation. During the rainy season, cultivate and weed frequently.

For potted herbaceous peony, after Frost's Descent, cut off withered branches and leaves to prevent pests and diseases. During overwintering, there is no need to move it indoors. Place it on a balcony or under the eaves in a sunny spot, and just keep the potting soil from becoming too dry.

Before herbaceous peony blooms, once side buds appear, they can be removed promptly so that nutrients are concentrated and the terminal bud produces larger and more beautiful flowers. After the flowers fade, if you do not plan to propagate by seed, cut off the flower stalks at any time to prevent seed formation and nutrient consumption.

When does herbaceous peony bloom

The flowering period of herbaceous peony is relatively short, generally 8-10 days. In cool weather or in a shaded place, the flowering period can last half a month. After the flowers fade, cut off the flower stalks promptly to avoid nutrient consumption. However, it will be affected by other factors, and the flowering time will also be affected. Generally, it is affected by factors such as temperature, moisture and rainfall, and light.

In addition, herbaceous peony has yellow filaments, a shallow cup-shaped floral disc wrapping the base of the carpels, and a bluntly rounded apex. Now horticultural varieties are rich in flower colors, including white, pink, red, purple, yellow, green, black, and bicolor, etc. The petals can reach up to a hundred, and some varieties even have 880 petals, with varied flower forms. Therefore, herbaceous peony generally blooms from May to June, opening around 7 a.m. each morning.