Peony roses: Pixabay Peony roses are the result of a successful experiment by breeders, thanks to which gardeners received about 200 varieties of beautiful flowers. You can propagate hybrid roses at home. We plant an exclusive flower in the garden, having previously studied the secrets of growing and caring for it.
Description and best varieties
The history of peony roses began at the end of the last century by the English gardener David Austin. That's why they are sometimes called ostinki. Flowers consist of a huge number of petals compressed inside wrappers. In most varieties they do not open completely, maintaining their appearance without any special changes until the end of flowering. Features of peony roses that make it possible to distinguish them into a separate group:
- The flower shape is pompom-shaped, cup-shaped or rosette-shaped.
- Rapid growth and development of the bush.
- Strong and pleasant aroma of most varieties.
Peony roses differ from other roses not only in the shape of the flower, but also in their good endurance. Requiring minimal care, the bush quickly turns into a garden decoration. The colors are varied, from white with a pink tint to dark purple. There is no pure white.
Today, about 200 varieties are known that belong to the peony (English, Austin) varieties. Despite their unpretentiousness to growing conditions, not all of them can withstand frost. Therefore, the number of varieties growing in our climatic conditions is limited. Nevertheless, there is enough choice to decorate the garden with English roses of various colors and bush heights.
The main varieties of peony roses:
- Constance Spry was created in the middle of the last century, 1961. The variety belongs to the climbing variety. The height of the bush is 6 m, width is 3 m. The shoots are covered with small thorns. The leaves are hard and large. To grow, you need support. Flowers with a diameter of up to 14 cm are arranged in groups of 4...6 pieces in an inflorescence. Fragrant. It blooms for several weeks in early summer. Can grow in partial shade.
- Miranda is a relatively new variety (2005). The flowers are pink, the outer ones are light, closer to white. The inner ones are bright pink. The aroma is weak. The bush is small, up to 1.5 m tall. Single flowers. The variety tolerates partial shade and moist soil well. The flowers are suitable for cutting. The bush blooms 2 times a year.
- Rosalind with cream petals.
- Tranquility (2012) has a bush 1.2 m high and has a spherical shape. You can grow it as a climbing plant, launching it on a support, or allow the bush to grow to the sides. There are almost no thorns on the stems. Flowers are collected in inflorescences of 3…5 pieces. The petals are white with a yellowish tint, becoming lighter during flowering. Repeat flowering variety.
- Claire Austin has a sophisticated scent. The height of the bush is 1.5 m, width is 1 m. It blooms 2 times per season. The flowers are white-cream, up to 10 cm in diameter. Arranged 2…3 pieces in an inflorescence. The variety is disease resistant and tolerates soil moisture well.
- Alabaster has densely double flowers with a delicate aroma. They are located one at a time on a tall stem. Suitable for cutting. The height of the bush is 0.9 m, the width is up to half a meter. Blooms 2 times a year.
- Graham Thomas (1983) is one of the best varieties of J. Austin. Flowers with bright yellow petals up to 12 cm in diameter are arranged in groups of 3...5 pieces. The aroma is not strong, but pleasant. It is distinguished by abundant two-time flowering. The first time it is abundant, the second time it is weaker. The height of the bush in our climate is up to 1.5 m, in the southern regions it can reach 3 m. The variety is resistant to diseases and weather conditions.
- Golden Celebration is similar to the previous one, but the diameter of the flower is very large. Up to 16 cm. The color of the petals is honey-yellow. The flowers are fragrant. Flowering continues all summer. The bush is resistant to diseases and high humidity.
- William Shakespeare with very fragrant flowers of bright red or purple. The diameter of the flower is up to 8 cm. The height of the bush is 2 m, width is up to 1.2 m. The variety is resistant to diseases, changes in temperature and humidity. Blooms 2 times a year. The first flowering is abundant, the second is long-lasting, until frost.
- Benjamin Britten has an original flower shape. Its petals do not open until the end of flowering, only slightly revealing the terry inner part. The color of the petals is orange. The diameter of the flower reaches 12 cm. They are arranged in groups of up to 3 pieces. The aroma is strong and pleasant. The height of the bush is 1 m, width is 70 cm. Flowering is long-lasting, but not very abundant.
- Munstead Wood has a low bush, up to 1 m in height. Width 0.6 m. The variety is resistant to diseases. Medium-sized flowers are collected in 3...5 pieces in an inflorescence. The petals are velvety, they change color during flowering, becoming darker, to black and red. The flower opens well, at the end of flowering the stamens become noticeable.
Features of planting and caring for flowers in the garden
For a rose to look decorative, it must be planted correctly and then carefully cared for.
Planting dates and technology
The crop is planted in open ground in spring or autumn. It is important that it is planted a month before the expected frost. The root system is placed in a container with water for 3-4 hours. Potassium permanganate is added for disinfection.
Planting is done as follows:
- dig a hole measuring 60x60x60 centimeters;
- Expanded clay or small stones are laid on the bottom;
- filled with fertile substrate;
- bushes are planted and watered abundantly;
- if necessary, install a support.
To retain moisture, the ground around the seedlings is sprinkled with mulch.
Irrigation and fertilization of bushes
Water roses in the morning or evening with settled water. 15-20 liters of liquid are spilled under the bush. The next irrigation is carried out after the top layer of soil has dried. Otherwise, the crop may become infected with fungus. Next spring, nitrogen is added to the soil under the bushes. The substance promotes rapid growth of shoots.
Then, during the season, mineral fertilizing is applied without the use of nitrogen. Otherwise, the peony rose will grow stems to the detriment of flowering.
Trimming and shaping the cap
In the spring, sanitary pruning is carried out. Remove diseased, dry branches, and also thin out the crown. In the fall, shoots that have not yet had time to ripen are pruned. After each wave of flowering, the buds that are beginning to dry out are cut off. The rose is not allowed to bloom in the year of planting.
Cutting and using roses
Culture serves as decoration for the local area. It is planted as a tapeworm and combined with other plants. Low-growing varieties are planted along the path in the border, tall varieties are used as hedges. A rose with thick shoots and beautiful inflorescences is used for cutting.
Shelter for the winter
Most varieties overwinter in the garden without shelter. With the onset of stable frosts, the bushes need to be hilled to a height of 15-20 centimeters. In regions with a cold climate, a frame is installed above the bushes, which is covered with agrofibre. If the lashes are long, before covering them, they are removed from the support.
Protection from insects and diseases
Under unfavorable climatic conditions, peony roses can be affected by diseases and pests. For prevention, they are treated several times a season with special preparations. Plant debris in which pathogenic microorganisms and insect larvae can overwinter is removed from the root circle.
Peony rose propagation
To grow peony roses, grafting onto Rosa laxa rootstock is used. They differ in that they do not produce root shoots. In summer, budding is used in a T-shaped incision on the shoot. A bud with a shield, cut off immediately before grafting, is placed in it. Carefully fix with a medical plaster, the joint is treated with garden varnish. It is advisable to make a protective sun shield. When a young shoot begins to grow from the bud, the protection is removed. Over time, the fixing patch is also removed. If this is not done, moisture and nutrients will soon cease to flow to the shoot, and it will dry out.
Propagation of peony roses by cuttings is especially popular among amateur gardeners.
It can be carried out in winter. To do this, keep the cuttings in a damp newspaper and placed in a plastic bag until callus forms at the end of the shoots and the buds sprout. Planted in a pot, covered with a glass jar. In summer they are transplanted into partial shade.
You can plant cuttings that you recently purchased nearby. They are cut from this year's shoots, which have already become a little woody and will not wither. Take a cutting with 3 leaves. The bottom two are cut off, the top one is left in whole or in part. Immerse in loose soil up to the top bud. Cover with a jar and create a greenhouse. Nowadays, the method of growing rose cuttings in a potato tuber, from which the eyes are first cut out, has become popular.
Historical reference
These colorful peony-like flowers are often called English David Austin roses or "Austins." They are distinguished by bright colors, non-standard for traditional English roses, as well as a long flowering period. Their aroma is one of the most memorable, and the flower shapes are very diverse.
All these achievements appeared thanks to the English breeder David Austin, after whom this collection is named. He began work on breeding English roses of a new format in the mid-60s, and in the early 80s, garden rose lovers all over the world were already talking about them.
Thanks to breeding work, traditional English varieties have gained unprecedented popularity and distribution. Variations in the colors of the buds range from noble snow-white to bright crimson. All varieties have a rich aroma, which is also diverse.
There is the following gradation of aromas:
- Classic, characteristic of varieties of English roses.
- The scent of myrrh.
- Fruity notes.
- Musky.
- Tea, with notes of lemon.
The intensity of odors will vary depending on air humidity, time of day (stronger in the evening), and ambient temperature. This feature allows you to turn even a small area of the garden into a fragrant place. To do this, you need to find out the basic conditions for planting and growing peony roses in open ground.
All about planting a seedling
The soil for growing roses must be nutritious. Before planting, apply a large amount of rotted manure. Horse compost is best suited, but due to its unavailability, other types or compost are used.
Landing Features:
- A pit is prepared with a depth of 50 cm and a width of 1 m. In places with close groundwater, a drainage layer of broken bricks, shards, expanded clay, and crushed stone is laid. Fill it with soil, poured into a mound at the bottom.
- Inspect the root system of the bush. Renew thick roots by cutting them a couple of millimeters. Remove damaged or dry roots. The roots are treated with drugs that stimulate rapid growth. If they are not there, they are dipped into a clay mash.
- Place the bush in the hole. The depth of the dive depends on the temperature regime of the region. In places where winters are often frosty and snowless. Experts advise deepening the bush by 10 cm. This will save it from completely freezing in a harsh winter.
The area should be illuminated by sunlight for at least 3 hours a day. Under large trees or on the north side of a building, a peony rose will practically not bloom.
The distance between bushes during group planting should be at least 50 cm, and for lush bushes up to 1 m. They can be planted in the shape of a triangle. This way, thickets will quickly form from them. Pruning gives the bush the desired shape. The result is original compositions of abundantly blooming rose bushes. For planting in groups, it is recommended to choose bushes of the same growth vigor or plant them, taking into account the height of an adult bush.
Growing
The best time to plant peony roses is the second half of spring. Despite its ease of care, the peony rose has its own preferences. For example, the plant does not like direct sunlight and bright sun, but prefers partial shade. For favorable growth, the plant needs 2-4 hours of sun per day. If the plant does not see the sun at all, then there is a possibility that the plant will not bloom at all. The plant loves well-drained and loose soil with low acidity.
Peony roses prefer horse manure as a fertilizer; it is easily absorbed by the plant. Therefore, when replanting a plant or fertilizing it, use it or regular compost. When planting or replanting a plant, gardeners recommend preparing a hole about 1 meter wide and up to half a meter deep. For favorable growth, drainage is placed at the bottom of the hole using fertile fertilized soil. If the soil in which the peony rose is to grow lacks nutrients, then most likely the plant will have problems with rooting, and will most likely not take root at all.
Care instructions
After planting, the rose is watered with 1-2 buckets of non-cold water. Mulch the tree trunk circle with sawdust, peat, humus or mown grass. This will protect the soil from drying out and reduce the amount of watering. The first six months are watered frequently, once every few days.
In the future, as development progresses, the number of waterings is reduced. Roses planted in partial shade or well mulched require less watering. Apply 12 to 15 liters of water to one bush at a time. Water in the evening.
The next year after planting, they begin to feed the roses. Fertilizers are applied:
- In early spring, rose food purchased at a flower shop.
- At the beginning of June - nitrogen fertilizers.
- During the formation of buds - phosphorus and potassium.
Too much mineral fertilizer can lead to yellowing of the leaves or even death of the plant. Pruning roses helps prepare plants for winter, and in spring and summer form a bush of the desired shape. All shoots are shortened by a third of the length. For the winter, they are protected from frost so that the buds and shoots do not freeze.
To create a lush bush, only thin shoots are pruned. To form a rounded crown, cut 2/3 of the stem length. Peony roses are not damaged by pests and diseases.
Preparing for winter
Home garden floriculture. Video. “Is it necessary to cover Tree Peonies for the Winter?”
As mentioned above, tree peonies are not afraid of frost, but they still need to be covered for the winter. The fact is that during thaws in the spring, the buds that are in the open air wake up and the peony begins to grow. However, frosts that follow a thaw can cause the death of this plant. In this regard, in October it is worth preparing the bush for wintering. To do this, you need to tie the stems and sprinkle the tree trunk circle with a layer of mulch (peat). After the frosts begin, the bush must be covered by making a kind of hut over it from dry leaves, spruce branches and a fairly thick layer of fine bark. You can use jute bags for this.
Using peony rose
Despite the fact that peony roses appeared relatively recently, they managed to win the hearts of gardeners with their positive characteristics. They are planted singly or in groups. They create compositions from varieties of different colors or plant other types of roses in the foreground.
Peony roses look good against the background of conifers, grapes or clematis of contrasting colors.
The use of peony roses to create bouquets has become widespread. Thanks to their beauty, abundance of colors and aroma, they are especially popular among brides. They are used to create wedding bouquets and decorate halls for special events.
More information can be found in the video:
What do peonies look like?
Today, many plants that resemble peonies are grown, so you need to know how they differ and what they are called.
- Peony roses...
- Rose Austin...
- May rose...
- Terry mallow…
- Begonia terry...
- Aster Chinese peony...
- Ranunculus...
- Eustoma
Interesting materials:
How can you wash tires? How can you remove putty from clothes? How can you cut the salt in soup? How can you rinse your mouth? How can you weed the beds? How can I wash Palace? How can you please your mother on March 8? How can you glue paper snowflakes to the window? How can you disinfect an electric razor? How can you wipe a ski mask?