The power of the peony
The shameful truth about many garden writers, myself among them, is that we fail to observe in our own gardens the advice we liberally bestow on our readers. A case in point is the need to stake herbaceous perennials in good time to prevent damage by wind and rain.
As a town gardener on a minuscule site, I lack access to pea sticks or other unobtrusive natural staking material. I use instead lots of plasticcoated, galvanised steel, semicircular supports, which come in various sizes and are intended to stop plants fl opping across paths and lawns. These work well for containing the overall bulk of a plant, but often need to be combined with stakes for individual fl ower stems.
Two peonies were among the fi rst plants to go into the garden when I started making it six years ago. They have since then formed healthy clumps and are one of the glories of the garden in early summer. The plants are Paeonia lactifl ora hybrids, many of which were bred in France in the 19th century for the cut-flower trade. My fi rst is ‘Charlie’s White’, which has huge white flowers in which the central petals are serrated and tinged with yellow, and my second is the luscious ‘Bowl of Cream’, which describes it perfectly.
I love the way the new shoots of peonies, looking rather like rosy asparagus, start piercing the earth in February. (Just in case you’re tempted – they are not edible and even the slugs avoid them.) The speed of their growth is phenomenal and it is easy to fail to stake in good time. I use rusted metal stakes, which are easy to push into the ground and offset the white flowers beautifully. If one fails to stake, one can guarantee that wind or rainstorms will dash the heavy flower heads to the ground and ravage the foliage, which will look horrible right through to autumn. This year the stakes went in just in the nick of time.
Were I choosing my peonies now, I would be attracted to the less blowsy forms, with single flowers. There were several of these at Chelsea, notably the pale lemon P. ‘Claire de Lune’ in Jo Thompson’s Stop The Spread Garden and P. ‘Krinkled White’ in Christopher Bradley-Hole’s hauntingly beautiful The Telegraph Garden. An advantage of the single-flowered peonies is that the fl owers tend to close at night when they fi rst come out, and therefore last longer. Also, this type of peony requires no staking.
Peonies are not only beautiful, they are also easy to grow once established and are very long-lived. They will grow in most soils, including clay, provided they are not wet, and prefer a sunny or partially shaded site. With her usual economy, Margery Fish, in A Flower For Every Day, sums up their value: ‘Paeonies grow in popularity every year because they are perfect for our present style of gardening. They cost rather a lot to begin with, but they save money in the end because once you have planted them they will need no more attention.’
Plant bare-root peonies in autumn while the soil is still warm; containergrown peonies can be planted any time. Put plenty of organic matter – garden compost or well-rotted manure – in the planting hole. Don’t plant too deep – the top of the crown should be 5cm below soil level. I mulch to conserve moisture and suppress weeds, but avoid covering the crown. The foliage looks handsome in autumn, but is getting tatty by the end of November, which is when I cut it back to just above the ground.
Peonies
Claire Austin Hardy Plants: 01686- 670342, www.claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk
Kelways: 01458-250521, www.kelways.co.uk
Rusted iron stakes and supports
Leander Plant Supports: 01773- 550495, www.leanderplantsupports.co.uk
Muntons Traditional Plant Supports: 0800-130 3421, www.muntons.net
Plant Belles: 01363-84514, www.plantbelles.co.uk
Contact Sarah at sarah.langtonlockton@lady.co.uk
Humphry Repton was commissioned by the 6th Duke of Bedford to enhance the Pleasure Grounds and deer park, and work has been in hand for the last nine years to restore or recreate his designs. This year the Duchess of Bedford will be opening the second phase of the Children’s Garden and the Cone House, both based on Repton’s original plans from 1805-1810.
Top nurseries will be offering garden plants, and local scouts will be on hand to ferry them to cars from the plant crèche. Pippa Greenwood and Diarmuid Gavin will be at the show on both days giving talks and advice and running a question and answer session for gardeners. There will be a food court and the Woburn Abbey Tea Room for refreshments, plus over 30 suppliers of excellent produce for visitors to take home from the Food Hall.
www.woburn.co.uk/gardenshow
Chive ‘Cha Cha’ has a head of spiky leaves where a fl ower usually forms. Shortlisted for Chelsea Plant of the Year 2013. Hardy and pest- and disease-resistant. Potted plant, £6.99 at www.suttons.co.uk
As a town gardener on a minuscule site, I lack access to pea sticks or other unobtrusive natural staking material. I use instead lots of plasticcoated, galvanised steel, semicircular supports, which come in various sizes and are intended to stop plants fl opping across paths and lawns. These work well for containing the overall bulk of a plant, but often need to be combined with stakes for individual fl ower stems.
Two peonies were among the fi rst plants to go into the garden when I started making it six years ago. They have since then formed healthy clumps and are one of the glories of the garden in early summer. The plants are Paeonia lactifl ora hybrids, many of which were bred in France in the 19th century for the cut-flower trade. My fi rst is ‘Charlie’s White’, which has huge white flowers in which the central petals are serrated and tinged with yellow, and my second is the luscious ‘Bowl of Cream’, which describes it perfectly.
I love the way the new shoots of peonies, looking rather like rosy asparagus, start piercing the earth in February. (Just in case you’re tempted – they are not edible and even the slugs avoid them.) The speed of their growth is phenomenal and it is easy to fail to stake in good time. I use rusted metal stakes, which are easy to push into the ground and offset the white flowers beautifully. If one fails to stake, one can guarantee that wind or rainstorms will dash the heavy flower heads to the ground and ravage the foliage, which will look horrible right through to autumn. This year the stakes went in just in the nick of time.
Were I choosing my peonies now, I would be attracted to the less blowsy forms, with single flowers. There were several of these at Chelsea, notably the pale lemon P. ‘Claire de Lune’ in Jo Thompson’s Stop The Spread Garden and P. ‘Krinkled White’ in Christopher Bradley-Hole’s hauntingly beautiful The Telegraph Garden. An advantage of the single-flowered peonies is that the fl owers tend to close at night when they fi rst come out, and therefore last longer. Also, this type of peony requires no staking.
Peonies are not only beautiful, they are also easy to grow once established and are very long-lived. They will grow in most soils, including clay, provided they are not wet, and prefer a sunny or partially shaded site. With her usual economy, Margery Fish, in A Flower For Every Day, sums up their value: ‘Paeonies grow in popularity every year because they are perfect for our present style of gardening. They cost rather a lot to begin with, but they save money in the end because once you have planted them they will need no more attention.’
Plant bare-root peonies in autumn while the soil is still warm; containergrown peonies can be planted any time. Put plenty of organic matter – garden compost or well-rotted manure – in the planting hole. Don’t plant too deep – the top of the crown should be 5cm below soil level. I mulch to conserve moisture and suppress weeds, but avoid covering the crown. The foliage looks handsome in autumn, but is getting tatty by the end of November, which is when I cut it back to just above the ground.
Peonies
Claire Austin Hardy Plants: 01686- 670342, www.claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk
Kelways: 01458-250521, www.kelways.co.uk
Rusted iron stakes and supports
Leander Plant Supports: 01773- 550495, www.leanderplantsupports.co.uk
Muntons Traditional Plant Supports: 0800-130 3421, www.muntons.net
Plant Belles: 01363-84514, www.plantbelles.co.uk
Contact Sarah at sarah.langtonlockton@lady.co.uk
Garden show time
Woburn Abbey Garden Show, held on 22 and 23 June, from 10am to 5pm each day, takes place in the glorious gardens of Woburn Abbey – 28 acres of formal gardens, immaculate lawns, woodland and lakes.Humphry Repton was commissioned by the 6th Duke of Bedford to enhance the Pleasure Grounds and deer park, and work has been in hand for the last nine years to restore or recreate his designs. This year the Duchess of Bedford will be opening the second phase of the Children’s Garden and the Cone House, both based on Repton’s original plans from 1805-1810.
Top nurseries will be offering garden plants, and local scouts will be on hand to ferry them to cars from the plant crèche. Pippa Greenwood and Diarmuid Gavin will be at the show on both days giving talks and advice and running a question and answer session for gardeners. There will be a food court and the Woburn Abbey Tea Room for refreshments, plus over 30 suppliers of excellent produce for visitors to take home from the Food Hall.
www.woburn.co.uk/gardenshow
Plant of the week
Chive ‘Cha Cha’ has a head of spiky leaves where a fl ower usually forms. Shortlisted for Chelsea Plant of the Year 2013. Hardy and pest- and disease-resistant. Potted plant, £6.99 at www.suttons.co.uk