May 15, 2008

blooming this week: species peonies

Filed Under annuals & perennials, hot p(l)ants

I HAVE A NUMBER OF SPECIES PEONIES, meaning NOT the big-flowered hussies of garden popularity but their wild, and more discreet, cousins. Two versions of one such species have shown off so far this spring, with several more kinds to come. Want to see?

Just to be clear: I love herbaceous peonies, or P. lactiflora, the blowsy, fragrant lovelies of most late-spring gardens. But I don’t grow them in my mixed borders; I relegate them to a cutting area, where I have enough for many, many vases-full (but not even one-twentieth of the number Martha has!). I might have 25 plants, all of them from our old friends the Klehms in Illinois, and they’ll bloom in another couple of weeks. But what I am loving at the moment in the garden (not the vase) are peonies the way nature made them.

Paeonia mlokosewitschii, more easily referred to as Molly the Witch, is “usually” a beautiful pale yellow, and enjoys a spot in a shady, woodland garden. My very big, old plant of nearly a decade ago, purchased at an auction at a botanical garden party where everyone had apparently had one too many cocktails and didn’t notice it (meaning: I got it really cheap), literally disappeared a few years back. Up and left, mystery never solved. But I had seedlings left behind, and friends have since brought more first-year plants that I have plugged in around the place among hostas and ferns and such, so they are coming on finally into adulthood. Molly the Witch gets to about two feet tall, and is lovely from its first hint of emerging foliage, tinged as it is with a little (or a lot) of red.

What happens sometimes, though, is you don’t get yellow flowers at all, as in the photo below. Seneca Hills Perennials explains this phenomenon in their listing of the plant, and some of my babies came from there. The extra redness in the leaves more than makes up for the fact that the flower isn’t yellow. Celebrating diversity, one species peony at a time.

Update: Another species peony bloomed in late May and early June, in case you’d like to meet it, too.

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13 Responses to “blooming this week: species peonies”

Carol, May Dreams Gardens on May 15th, 2008 6:15 am

I love flowers with interesting stories about them, like your ‘Molly the Witch’. If only I had more shade, I lament, when I read about so many wonderful shade-loving plants.

My hussies should be blooming in another week or so, I think, and some of them will be cut to be brought inside to enjoy close up.
gina on May 15th, 2008 7:48 am

Those are so pretty! And thanks for the Peony lesson. I always learn new stuff when I visit your blog.
Cindy on May 15th, 2008 9:52 am

I love peonies and it’s nice to see some different varieties. I can’t wait until mine start to open up.
margaret on May 15th, 2008 10:09 am

Welcome to Cindy…nice to “meet” you. Glad that you visited and hope to see you again soon…maybe when your peonies get going you can tell us about it.
M.
Muum on May 15th, 2008 11:08 am

I had not heard of this type of color variation in peonies. Interesting to read your post about them.
margaret on May 15th, 2008 11:15 am

Muum: Welcome to A Way to Garden. Yes, I was confused when the peonies weren’t all the same when they grew big enough to bloom, but I checked back with Seneca Hills’ catalog (where I knew some came from) and was relieved that I wasn’t seeing things!
Andrew Ritchie on May 15th, 2008 4:17 pm

I love that you go for the true gems, the originals, the uncommon and the underdogs. Angelica gigas, petasite plants and now these species peonies that I had never heard of.

A Way to Garden may just have to be reprinted as THE Way to Garden.
Jessica on May 15th, 2008 8:06 pm

I actually laughed out loud at the phrase “big-flowered hussies.” It’s so true … Certain plants just seem like they’re trying too hard. Isn’t it amazing how they have such distinct personalities?

(By the way, I’m hugely flattered that you visited by blog. Thanks so much for stopping by!)
margaret on May 15th, 2008 11:24 pm

@All of you: I pay that Andrew Ritchie big bucks to say nice things. ;-)
@Jessica: So nice to see you. I wish you good weather for your event tomorrow…and happy gardening.
Andrew Ritchie on May 16th, 2008 10:54 am

No bucks required! (Well…some cuttings would be nice.) Excellence speaks for itself.
Leslie Land » Woodland Peonies, a walk on the wild side on May 16th, 2008 2:17 pm

[...] flowered seedling - and one of the real deal - over at my almost neighbor Margaret Roach’s blog, A Way To Garden. But as you can see by comparing the pictures there is a lurking mystery; her seedling’s leaves [...]
Tom on July 1st, 2008 10:23 pm

I am seeking advice on whether/when to fertilize peonies. I am in Atlanta, and we are still feeling the effects in the garden from a devastating freeze last Easter. My Molly the Witch — purchased on a visit to Heronswood about two weeks before they closed — is doing well, tho it hasn’t flowered. Love your blog. May Ann Raver be blessed with bountiful blooms for writing about you. Cheers.
margaret on July 1st, 2008 10:41 pm

Welcome, Tom. I have not fed them, or just the usual compost topdressing I give everyone every year, plus maybe a broadcasting of all-natural organic fertilizer (very low NPK numbers).
Strange that it doesn’t bloom…has it made a good clump yet or ????
I think it’s hardy to Zone 8, so heat is not the issue I suppose. Hmmm…The best source of info I was able to find on all peonies including species was that website paenoia.com.

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Who's Gardening Here?

from martha to just margaret
I was so blessed to visit and document many of the nation’s finest homemade gardens for 15 years for ‘Martha Stewart Living,’ first as its garden editor and then as editorial director for the company. The list of places we were proud to publish included my own upstate New York home a few years back. Take a tour of how it looked then. Want to know more about me? Or read what Anne Raver said in June in The New York Times, calling A Way to Garden “the best (garden blog) I’d ever seen.”
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One of the most popular questions at A Way to Garden: Why do you garden? A bunch of us answered in a stream of comments, but there's great newer stuff on the Forums. Just in case you'd like to tell us why, too (or have a good read about what makes the rest of us tick).
July Garden Chores

All based on my Zone 5B Berkshire/Hudson Valley location; adjust accordingly.

JULY STARTS OUT as Throw In the Trowel Month here, but then summer shapes up and the heat-lovers have their day. All is forgiven! Keeping up with watering and weeds tops the to-do list, with planting and other more macho tasks (other than mowing my steep hillside) at a minimum.

FIRST, THE HAIRCUTS: Many perennials (euphorbia, some true geraniums, ribbon grass) do better the second half of the season if cut back hard. Others need just deadheading. Annuals that grow leggy can often benefit from a chop job, too. Do some experiments. Sometimes a plant can’t look worse, and you probably won’t kill it. :-)

MAKE A PASS through each bed each week, since weeds are not just unsightly but steal moisture, nutrients and light from desired plants. Top up mulch in all garden beds if washed or worn away to help in the plight.

IF YOU ARE IN JAPANESE BEETLE territory, handpick (as with other obvious pests like tomato hornworms) in early morning and drown in a can of water to reduce infestation. Plan to try to reduce grub population with nematodes.

GARDENS NEED an inch of water a week from you or the heavens. Check your rain gauge to make sure they get it, and remember: soak deeply in the root zone, don’t spritz things with a sprayer now and again like you’re washing the car. That’s a garden no-no. Pots need extra attention, especially smallish ones in sun, and they also need regular feeding. Be alert!

TREES & SHRUBS

STOP FEEDING woody plants. Promoting more soft growth in high summer isn’t good; time for them to start moving toward the hardening-off phase of their cycle. No more eats till earliest spring.

TREES ARE especially vulnerable to drought, particularly the oldest and the youngest (those planted in the last few years). Water deeply, as with a Tree-Gator. Ugly…but better than not watering the kids!

ALWAYS BE on the lookout for dead, damaged, diseased wood in trees and shrubs and prune them out as discovered. Ditto with suckers and water sprouts.

SPRING-FLOWERING shrubs like lilacs reach the end of their pruning window after July 4th here, otherwise risking damage to emerging buds for next year’s blooms.

THROUGH MONTH’S END, softwood cuttings of Buddleia, Weigela, Rose-of-Sharon and roses, among other shrubs, can be taken to propagate more plants inexpensively.

VEGETABLE, FRUIT & HERBS

STRAWBERRY BEDS may appreciate rejuvenation now.

KEEP GARLIC AND ASPARAGUS well weeded. Garlic may start to fade and topple by later this month or next, as harvest time nears. When several lower leaves yellow, try carefully lifting a head or two to judge readiness, before lifting all to cure during a warm, dry spell in an airy, sheltered place. Let asparagus ferns grow till frost to feed the underlying crowns.

CONTINUE SOWING carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce, dill. With salad greens, select heat-resistant varieties, and sow small amounts every 10 days. Direct-sow a short row of bush beans every two weeks through month’s end, and another mound of bush cukes and zucchini right now.

FOR PEAK FLAVOR, harvest basil, sage, marjoram and oreganos, mint, tarragon are best harvested just before bloom. Start more basil from seed for combining with those September tomatoes, and dill for late pickles. Harvest lavender, rosemary and chamomile as they flower, blossoms and all.

FLOWER GARDEN

SOW VIOLAS (and pansies where they overwinter) in flats indoors for set-out in fall, where they’ll appreciate a protective mulch after the ground freezes. Fall-planted violas bloom earlier next spring.

PRUNE RAMBLER ROSES and once-blooming climbers now, after their flowering period.

MANY PERENNIALS and biennials can be started now from seed, then set out in the fall into nursery beds.

I MOW THE foliage of my ripened daffodil drifts around July 4th. Deadhead faded perennials unless they have showy seedheads (same with bulbs), or you want to collect seed later (non-hybrids only).

ARE ANNUAL VINES getting the continuing support they need, whether twine, wire, lattice?

ORDER BULBS to get varieties you want (see Sources). Remember our “early, middle, late” mantra when doing so.

PREPARE NEW beds for fall planting by smothering grass or weeds with layers of recycled corrugated cardboard or thick layers of newspaper, then put mulch on top.

EDGE BEDS to make a clean line and define them, and keep edges clean with regular fine-tuning with grass shears. A clean edge makes a big difference.

HOUSEPLANTS
Houseplants, including amaryllis, can spend the summer outdoors, in a sheltered location with filtered bright light (not direct sun). Feed regularly.

LAWN
Don’t bag or rake clippings; let them lie on the lawn to return Nitrogen to the soil.

COMPOST HEAP
Don’t let the heap dry out completely, or it will not “cook.” Turning it to aerate will also hasten decomposition, but things will rot eventually even if not turned.
In Brief

genetic reversions in progress
THERE APPEARS TO BE A REVOLT GOING ON around here. A mass reversion, to be specific…so far noted in four plants who have changed color on me. What’s a gardener to do?

why I count birds
I LEARNED RECENTLY that I am one of 50,000 people (a million total so far) who submit monthly bird-watching checklists to ebird.org, a joint program of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon. That number is up from only 5,000 a month just three years ago (and you can make it 50,001 if you sign up to help). But why bother?

loving to hate white flowers
I KEEP SAYING I hate white flowers, but then I see them all over the yard and think, hey, I must have planted them, so what’s up with that?

when the godlight shines
YOU KNOW IT WHEN you see it, and I call it the godlight. That heavenly slanting light that turns things, well, heavenly. Have a look—and tell me if it’s been shining on you lately?

twist-off ticks
I AM COMING IN everyday with at least a tick or two on me; not embedded, thankfully, so far, but it's only a matter of time. But I am prepared. Are you?

foliage fetish
ASK YOURSELF with every plant you consider buying: how are its leaves? Flowers come and go, but leaves stick around, so they had better be good.

body-count update
SOME OF US confessed early on to having lost some plants to winter, but what’s up and croaked since? I can’t believe everything’s just gone perfectly…anyone ready to confess?

can-do pruning
REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.

the ‘other’ peonies
JUNE IS PEONY TIME, the big raucous kind of peony time, but not long ago another kind of peony you might want to consider adopting did its subtler, wonderful thing.

which lilac to plant?
SO MANY LILACS, so little space. Browse a glossary of some of my favorites before you shop—maybe you’ll like them, too.

non-blooming peonies?
ARE YOUR PEONIES not cooperating—is there not a good crop of flower buds, and you don’t know why? This came up on the Forums, and here’s the dish.

gone, but not forgotten
ONE OF MY FAVORITE spring bloomers, Hylomecon japonicum, poked up through the soil surface the last week in April for a showy couple of weeks. Learn about this little-grown but easy perennial.

anything but forsythia
I guess I have a thing against forsythia…even though I have several specimens of it along the fringes of my property. But there are better choices for spring color among shrubs.

surprise (avian) visitors
If you make a garden for birds, or even plant a crabapple or two (or ten), you never know who’ll show up.

gourd of all gourds
DON'T GET ME STARTED on Cucurbita, the genus that includes pumpkins and squash and some gourds. But rather than digress into a thousand-word rant here on my truest loves, let me just say this: nest egg (as in ‘Nest Egg’ gourd).

magnolias to love
THEY’RE MEMORIES NOW but I couldn't garden without magnolias. Want to know more about the queen of the spring-blooming trees?

a cage supreme
READY TO END your relationship with tomato cages that are barely tall and wide and strong enough for half a healthy tomato plant? Try these.

order in the garden
I AM LABELING my plants, I am. As memory fades, out comes the label machine, just in the nick. Saved by the Dymo. You can be, too.
Buried Treasure

I NOTICE THAT BLOGGING results in some rich but buried treasure: great stuff in a comment thread you may not see; interesting topics on the forums that perhaps you haven't visited.

Subjects ranging from feeding and pruning Hydrangeas and pruning clematis, to entertaining (read: ranting) lists and lists of garden no-no’s (not just mine!).

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