Healing plant: a brief etymology of the word ‘peony’

Peonies, both tree and herbaceous first attracted human interest thousands of years ago. While we today primarily think of peonies as stunning ornamentals, our ancestors viewed them as important medicinal plants.

Tree peonies are grown commercially in China for use in traditional Chinese medicine. Here a farmer in Anhui province tends his field planted with the tree peony 'Phoenix White' and rapeseed (Brassica napus).

Tree and herbaceous peonies are native to Eastern China and wild herbaceous peonies are found growing throughout the Mediterranean regions of Europe. Tree peonies were anointed the national flower of China where they were crowned the ‘king of flowers’  or hua wang over 2000 years ago. An anonymous Greek poet penned a similar sentiment around 300 CE with the epitaph: “Peony, queen of all herbs…” Indeed, it is striking and attests to the real medicinal value of peony roots that in both Greece and China written records survive from the 1st century CE which speak of their beneficial medical properties.

Sliced and dried peony roots are still used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Peony roots contain alkaloids and glucosides. In both China and Europe the roots of peonies are traditionally used for their antispasmodic qualities. It is asserted to have been successfully employed in relieving epilepsy, spasms, and various nervous afflictions. In traditional Chinese medicine, dried peony root is used to treat liver abnormalities, improve blood circulation, as well as to ease a women’s menstruation pains. One of the primary varieties of tree peonies grown for use in Chinese medicine is Phoenix White, which is also cultivated for it’s beautiful flowers.

Paeonia mascula (above) and Paeonia officinalis in the herbal guide of the Greek herbalist Pedanios Dioscorides (c.500 CE).

Our word peony has its roots in ancient Greek. The plant was recognized to possess many curative properties, and was thus given an association with the gods. Paeon, was the physician to the Greek gods and is said to have discovered the uses of the peony root. According to myth, Paeon was a student of Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing. Leto, the goddess of fertility once told Paeon of a special root growing on the slopes of Mt. Olympus which would help soothe the pains of childbirth. Asclepius became jealous of his student, and in his rage threatened to kill Paeon. In order to save Paeon, Zeus turned him into a peony flower so that he could continue to alleviate the pain of women in childbirth. Some sources state that peony seeds were taken by pregnant women in ancient Greece.

The Roman Philny the Elder wrote that a tincture of peony roots "prevents the mocking illusions that the Fauns bring to us in our sleep." This illustration comes from a 16th century German herbal.

In Chinese, the characters for both ‘tree peony’ and ‘herbaceous peony’ also show that these plants were first associated with medicine and healing. In Chinese, tree peony is ‘mudan.’ This compound word consists of two characters. The first ‘mu,’ is composed of two radicals, one which means ox or bull, and the other which signifies something of the earth, or made of earth. The second character, ‘dan‘ represents a medical pill. It can also mean the color red, or the mineral cinnabar.

The chinese charater for tree peony, mudan.

The compound character for herbaceous peony, ‘shao yao‘  reveals the original medical use of the plant. The first character, ‘shao‘ is composed of the sign for plants atop the pictogram for a full spoon or ladle. The second character, ‘yao‘ means medicine, literally, “the plants which bring happiness.”

The Chinese charater for herbaceous peony, shaoyao.

Peonies Blooming for Chinese New Year

In Chinese, chun jie, the word for the traditional lunar new year, means “spring festival.” Though it is still very much winter in northern and central China, the new year heralds the slow awakening of spring. Traditionally the holiday is celebrated by families with mountains of dumplings, and large arsenals of fireworks. Another tradition is ‘forcing’ tree peonies to bloom in time for the New Year. In China, tree peonies represent prosperity and achievement as well as tokens of love. A blooming tree peony not only injects some much needed color into the winter days, but is also a wish for good fortune in the new year.

Forcing tree peonies to bloom in the winter is done by potting up plants in the fall and gradually raising the temperatures in a greenhouse over the course of about two months. There is a very large market in China for forced tree peonies. Businesses display blooming peonies at their offices, and people give potted plants as gifts to friends and family. City governments and universities also put on large public exhibitions of forced tree peonies. A grower we know in China said that his nursery alone forces more than 10,000 plants for the holiday. He estimated that overall about 1,000,000 potted tree peonies are forced to bloom in time for sale during the Spring Festival.

Budded tree peonies in a greenhouse about a week away from opening.

Unfortunately, the roots of these tree peonies have been severely trimmed to fit in these small pots. They will need to be transplanted into the ground or much larger containers for long-term survival. It will take many years before the plants are able to produce this many blossoms again.

Peonies in the winter!

In order to preserve the blossoms, they are wrapped in newspaper for transport.

This exhibition for the 2011 Spring Festival at the Institute of Botany at the Chinese Academy of Sciences feature over fifty different varieties of tree peonies.

Spring is coming!

We have successfully forced tree peonies in the past and are happy to announce that we will be doing so again this year. Look for Cricket Hill Garden tree peonies blooming at the Connecticut Horticulture Society’s display at the CT Flower and Garden show from February 23rd to 26th.

 

Peonies in Classical Chinese Poetry

In China, tree peonies have been objects of aesthetic fascination since at least the Sui Dynasty (589-618 CE). Painters and poets have worked to capture the ephemeral beauty of the blossoms. Tree peonies are also used to evoke female nature, love, prosperity and status. To help lighten the cold, dark days of winter, we find ourselves returning to some of our favorite peony poems of Chinese antiquity. Enjoy!

Spring River Flowers Moon Night

The river is smooth and calm this evening,

The peony flowers bloom.

The moon floats on the current.

The tide carries the stars.

– Qian Qi (Tang Dyanasty)

Visit to the Hermit Chui

Moss covered paths between scarlet peonies,

Pale jade mountains fill your rustic windows.

I envy you, drunk with flowers;

Butterflies swirling in your dreams.

– Qian Qi (Tang Dynasty)

The Blossoms of Luoyang

My lover is like the tree peony of Luoyang,

I, unworthy, like the common willows of Wu Chang.

Both places love the spring wind.

When shall we hold each others hands again?

Incessant the buzzing of insects beyond the orchard curtain

The moom flings slanting shadows from the pepper tree across the courtyard.

Pity the girl of the flowery house, who is not equal to the blossoms of Luoyang.

– Ting Liunang (Tang Dynasty)

Peonies at Jixing Temple

Springtime radiance, gradually, gradually where does it go?

Again before a wine jar, we take up a goblet.

All day we’ve questioned the flowers, but the flowers do not speak.

For whom do they shed their petals and leaves, for whom do they bloom?

–Emperor Yang (Sui Dynasty)

Tree Peonies

Embroidered garden, everywhere there, fettered with famous flowers;

My steps are blocked by the red tiers of budding crimson

I ponder on your favors, which resemble the colors of springtime-

Upon tree peony branches, indeed their glory’s profuse.

–Lu Shusheng (Ming Dynasty)

The Red Peony

Voluptuous green so leisurely and tranquil

and robe of red now light, now dark

heart of the flower sadness about to break

but how could we know this from such spring colors.

–Wang Wei (Tang Dynasty)

Drinking with Friends Amongst the Blooming Peonies

We had a drinking party to admire the peonies.

I drank cup after cup till I was drunk.

Then to my shame I heard the flowers whisper,

“What are we doing, blooming for these old alcoholics?”

–Ling Huchu (Tang Dynasty)

Matching Premier Linghu’s “Taking Leave of the Peonies”

In my official mansion, a balustrade of flowers.

But when it’s time for them to bloom, I’m always away from home!

Do not say the Twin Capitals are not far distant parted.

The springtime brilliance beyond my gate is the very abyss of Heaven.

–Liu Yushi (Tang Dynasty)

Warmest Fall Ever at Cricket Hill 2011

While we have relished the last few weeks of unseasonably warm weather here at Cricket Hill, we are also anticipating the onset of winter. Tonight the mercury will finally dip to 27 degrees, 25 degrees forecast for tomorrow night. We humans, the plants and the earth need a little rest. Still, even as everything prepares for winter dormancy, growth continues.

For a limited time, take 15% all peonies and gift certificates from Cricket Hill Garden at treepeony.com with use of code GIFT15.

We had to cut this tree peony right to ground this spring because of winter rodent damage. It is about 15 years old and has a robust root system. All of these stems are newly grown this year and the plant will have several flowers next year.

This 'Beauty Spied in the Bath' just can't wait until spring to show off. Unfortunately this bud will die off with a really hard frost. If some of your tree peony buds are also beginning to open, you can try to spray them with wilt-proof to prevent sever winter damage. In the past we have used this with some success in preserving prematurely sprouted buds.

Japanese pear tree will need some pruning later this winter.

The abundance of summer is past, but some cold tolerant baby greens (Chinese cabbage, collards and arugula) still fill our salad bowls.

It's also time to harvest our root vegetables. So sweet after the frost!

After staying away from the garden all year, the deer finally stuck our chard. In a way I'm relived, as I can now 'harvest' one with clear conscience.

Even after some deer nibbling, kale continues to provide a bountiful, delicious harvest.

October Winter Wonderland or Snowy Fever Dream at Cricket Hill?

On Sunday, we awoke to the little gifts which ‘winter’ storm Alfred deposited by our door….10” of wet snow and more downed limbs than we ever remember.

Have to get the ole' snow shovel out today before we can get to any tree peony potting...We have never seen snow in such quantities this early.

For the first morning, before it started to melt, we appreciated the snow for making it look as if all our fall clean-up work was done.

Mundy Hepburn's glass sculptures have never looked better.

These blown glass sculptures have already withstood a hurricane and a freak snow storm. We and the artist are confident that they will make it through the winter unscathed.

January 30?... No, October 30th!!

This particular grouping of Mundy's work really needed a coating of snow to showcase its beauty.

On the 'sunny' side of things, with the power out for three days we did transfer essentials from the refrigerator to the snow.

Five days later.....all our our fall clean-up work is exposed....It is amazing how quickly everything has melted away.

The ten day forcast has days in the 50s and 60s and the nights above freezing. The ground is nowhere near frozen and we are still busy digging and planting peonies.

Fall at Cricket Hill Garden 2011

We have been very busy the last few weeks shipping out peonies all over the country and even to western Europe. Its been very gratifying to see how well many of the plants grew this year. Its a great pleasure for us to send out such high quality plants which we know will thrive in our customers gardens. After quitting for day, we took a camera for a quick tour of the garden in fall. We hope you enjoy.

'Snow Lotus' specimen still nicely holding it's foliage. We have not seen much interesting fall color on tree peonies this year, likely due to the excessive rain we received in the late summer.

Other tree peonies, particularly some of the P. rockii related cultivars have gone totally dormant and lost all of their leaves.

The last of the tomatoes, some will still ripen, while the green ones are perfect for pickles.

In the vegetable garden the nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) are still growing strong and offer some very vibrant color in addition to peppery deliciousness.

Smooth luffa (Luffa aegyptiaca), almost ready to be harvested and dried for use as a sponge. This vine provides us with a delicious addition to stirfry when young.

Just as my eyes were drawn to it's blazing color amid a fading garden, the mason bees feast on a last bit of nectar on this dahlia.

A second crop of mustard greens came up from self-seeded from plants originally planted this past spring.

Grown as a beautiful ornamental, the large, purple-cast leaves of the castor bean (Ricinus communis) belie the toxicity of this plant. There is enough ricin here to take care of many, many Bulgarian dissidents.

Another deadly beauty Monkshood (Aconitum spp). In the background, our native spice bush Lindera benzoin lights the swamp with a vibrant yellow. Lindera benzoin was an important medicinal plant for Native Americans, it was used as a “blood purifier” and for treating colds, rheumatism and anemia.

Herbaceous peony seed sprouted, direct planted outside in late August.

Tree peony seed sprouted, direct planted outside in late August. The tree peony seeds we have inside in damp sand are also beginning to sprout.

David (in Colonel Saito voice): "Be happy at your work."

Digging and Dividing a Herbaceous Peony

The time for digging and dividing herbaceous peonies has arrived and can be done anytime through early November. Do you have a large, old herbaceous peony clump that you would like to propagate? The best way to do this is through dividing the root system. This is a form of asexual reproduction, and yields a duplicate of the mother plant. Many plants are propagated this way such as hosta, iris and daylilies. Planting the seeds from a favorite peony variety is sexual reproduction and this will yield new plants which may not share the same attributes as the mother plant.

Dividing herbaceous peonies is fairly straight forward process with an end result that will gladden any gardener; more beautiful peonies to spread around the garden or share with friends.

Digging up a herbaceous peony

By this time of year, herbaceous peonies are not looking their best.

First cut the stems down, but leave 8'' of stem to aid in pulling the roots out of the ground.

Dig around the 'drip line' of the peony. For a large clump, this is at least 15'' away from the center of the plant. We like to use a heavy duty fork, but a shovel will also do just fine.

Get your digging tool under the root system and gently pry. Do not be impatient to get it out of the ground. Take the time to dig around the clump a few times to loosen the soil and the roots.

Use the stems to ease the roots out of the ground.

Rather than pulling straight up, work it from the sides. Freshly dug peony roots are very brittle.

Dispose of old peony leaves outside of your garden. If you leave them to compost in the garden, any harmful fungi on the leaves will colonize in the compost and only spread further in the garden next year. Old peony leaves can also be burned.

Thoroughly wash off the root system. Cover with a damp towel or tarp and allow to sit overnight. This will soften up the roots and make the task of dividing much easier.

Dividing a herbaceous peony

Peony dividing tools and supplies.

Supplies:

• Isopropyl alcohol and paper towels for sterilizing dividing tools
• Garden clippers
• Assortment of old knifes of various sizes; a paring knife and large cutting knife do well
• Linoleum knife
• Rubber Mallet

After letting your roots soften overnight, begin by cleaning up the remaining stems so you can see the eyes and how the roots intertwine. The 'eyes' are the bullet shaped pink buds which grow from the crown of the plant. Each 'eye' represents a stem and potentially flowers for next year.

In order to grow well, a new division needs ample roots. Too many eyes with just a little root will be unbalanced and struggle to thrive.

Use the large knife with the aid of the mallet to make your first big cuts.

Make further cuts as necessary with a smaller knife.

After making your cuts, gently pry the pieces apart, carefully untangling the roots.

Cut off any roots with black spots.

Use the linoleum knife to further clean any lesions on the divisions.

Four new peonies out of one. These could be further divided, but we like to have at least 4 eyes per division, suggested minimum is two. New divisions may or may not flower the following spring, depending on the amount of root present. If there are flowers, most likely they will be significantly smaller than a the plant will produce after 2-3 years of undisturbed growth.

If all this seems a bit to much for you, there is the more primitive, but also effective method I like to call the “old farmer technique” of dividing herbaceous peonies.

Dig up clump.

Take good aim with a sharp shovel....

The results are not as precise but the process certainly more expeditious.

Now its time to plant your new divisions. Remember that the ‘eyes’ should be no more than 2” beneath the soil (shallower in warmer climates). Check back next week for a post on planting herbaceous and tree peonies.

‘Itoh’ or intersectional peonies are also propagated by division. Since the crowns of these hybrids are very dense and woody, its best to let them dry out for at least a day before attempting to divide.

Grafting Tree Peonies

From late August to early October is the time to graft tree peonies in our USDA zone 5. Grafting is the most efficient means of reproducing a new clone of an existing tree peony variety. This is an ancient technique whereby the bud of the desired variety is fused onto an under-stock of either tree or herbaceous peony root. This nurse root serves as a ‘battery’ which powers the new growth for a year or two before it develops its own roots.

Cross section of a successfully grafted tree peony. This plant did not ultimately flourish because it was not planted deeply enough and the tree peony never developed its own roots.

One of the main reasons tree peonies remain expensive plants is that grafting, though a relativity labor intensive and slow process remains the most effective means of asexual propagation. Tree peonies reportedly can be rooted from summer cuttings, but success requires humidity and temperature to be carefully controlled. This is very difficult and not done in any production setting we are aware of. There have been some reports of success in cell tissue micropropagation of tree peonies, though large-scale success has thus far proved elusive. Age-old grafting techniques are the preferred method of propagation of tree peonies in Japan, China and the U.S.

Grafting will remain an essential skill for gardeners to propagate woody plants, as it has been for centuries. We present here a low tech method with little specialized equipment for those dedicated gardeners who seek to propagate their woody tree peonies.

Grafting tree peonies is similar to other kinds of grafting, but also differs in a few key ways. The following is the method we use at Cricket Hill Garden.

Preparing Tree Peony Scions and Herbaceous Peony Roots

Cuttings can be taken from tree peonies from late August through early October. In this period the buds have reached a good size and the stem have yet to become too woody.  Select large terminal buds for cutting. These cuttings are known as “scions”. Each scion should contain at least one terminal bud. If you can get a secondary bud as well, all the better.

Choose big terminal buds like this for use as scions.

After cutting your scion, trim off the leaves. Leave buds lower down on the branch to develop. Realize that in cutting the terminal buds, you are cutting off next years flower buds. This may be hard for any peony grower to accept, though a new tree peony may be of some compensation.

Leave secondary buds to develop for next year.

Trimmed tree peony scions.

If you are not going to do you grafting immediately, you can store the scions wrapped in a damp paper towel in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. Scions stored in this manner should be viable for several weeks.

The best herbaceous roots are 2-year-old seedling which have been ‘decapitated’ of their ‘eyes’. Seedling roots are the most vital. If you do not have seedlings, a good healthy piece of root from any herbaceous peony will work very well. To obtain roots from a well established plant, you can either dig up a whole plant and cut what you need or extract a few roots by digging around the clump. For each graft you will need a 5-7” pieces of healthy and undamaged herbaceous root. Be sure that you keep track of the terminal end of the root.

2-year-old herbaceous seedling root which has been 'decapitated', or had its eyes cut off.

Large herbaceous root harvested from the side of a large clump. Note that we have cut the bottom end of the herbaceous root at an angle so we can distinguish it from the top

It’s best to pick and clean your herbaceous roots the day before you intend on grafting. Store them in a cool, damp place. This will allow them to become a bit less brittle and a little more elastic when you are ready to graft. Freshly harvested herbaceous roots can also be used but are quite brittle.

Tree peony roots, usually of ‘Phoenix White’ can also be used as under-stock. These are much more difficult to work with than herbaceous roots and are not recommended.

Before using your scions and roots soak them for 10 minutes in a 10% bleach solution. Then wash them off until they no longer smell of bleach, allow to air dry before begging grafting.

A quick 10% bleach bath before grafting helps to eliminate unwanted bacteria.

There are many different kinds of cuts which can be made to secure the tree peony scion to the herbaceous root. Make sure to sterilize your blades with alcohol before doing each graft. We will discuss the two which he have had good success with at Cricket Hill Garden.

Side Graft

Cut scion and rootstock at complimentary angles. Make sure that your cuts are on a level plain so that there will be good contact. The aim is to have the cambium layers of the tree peony scion and herbaceous understock match up. The cambium layer consists of the undifferentiated cells of the vascular system of the plant and is where growth occurs. In a successful graft the vascular cambia of the scion and rootstock grow together.

For a side graft, make one clean and even angled cut at approximately 45° to the scion.

Make a cut at a complementary angle on the herbaceous root.

The goal is to have the cambium layer of the scion and the rootstock match up.

Align the cambia of the scion and the rootstock.

It is not necessary to have the scion and rootstock be of the same diameter. If one is larger than the other, just match the cambium layers up on one side.

Tie up with rubber band. We use specialty grafting rubber bands, though a plain old office rubber band will also do.

Cover wound completely as possible, don't worry if there is a bit of exposed tissue at the very top.

Wedge and Cleft Graft

This is a standard set of cuts and is perhaps an easier introduction to tree peony grafting than the faster side graft. Wedge and cleft grafting required four cuts. The goal here again is to match up the vascular cambia of the scion and the understock.

First, cut your scion with an even wedge.

Make sure that the two sides are as even as possible. We like to use a very sharp grafting knife or a straight-edge razor blade for fast, clean cuts.

The wedge needs to have an even and clean bevel.

Then, cut a complementary cleft out of the rootstock.

Keep in mind that there is some give to the herbaceous root so the wedge should be narrower than the cleft.

The wedged scion should fit snugly into the cleft in the herbaceous rootstock.

Again, don't worry if the scion and rootstock are of different diameters, just make sure that the cambium layers match up on one side.

Tie up the graft. I like to tuck the tail in at the end and forgo tying a knot.

Tightly tied up.

Don’t futz around trying to get the scion and rootstock to fit just right. The Chinese say the excessive rubbing of the cut surfaces decreases the change of the graft taking. Better to practice making sharp, clean cuts before attempting grafts for the first time.

Even high volume commercial operations do not achieve 100% success in tree peony grafting. Our first year we had about 70% of our grafts come up in the spring, last year was lower, but that is because we began too early in the summer. Hopefully this year we will achieve 80-90% success.

Most tutorials on tree peony grafting have you cover the rubber band and wound area with grafting tape or polyfilm before setting aside to heal. We do not feel that this step is necessary because we heal the grafts for a short time at a high heat as opposed to a relatively longer period at room temperature.

Healing the Grafts

After you have tied up your grafts, they need to be healed. We have found the best way to do this is for a short time at a high heat. Place grafts in a 4” deep tray with clean, slightly damp sand at the bottom. The sand must not be too wet or the grafts will fail. Cover grafts with at least 1” of damp sand.

Be careful not to jostle the scions too much in fitting the grafts into a try of sand.

Keep the sand covered grafts at 90° F for six or seven days. We use a heat mat to do this. Ensure that the sand remains damp by occasionally misting the top and covering with a piece of plastic.  If the medium is too wet or too dry the grafts may fail.

We allow the grafts to heal for six or seven days.

After six days, the grafts will have ‘taken’ and the healing will have begun. We find that if the tree peony buds are still firm there is a good chance that the graft was successful.

Select a planting location which is has deep, well drained soil (pH at least 6.5) and receives about 6 hours of sun.

We use an iron breaker bar to make the holes in the garden bed in which the grafts are planted.

Plant grafts so that top bud is 2-3” beneath the soil, space grafts 8” apart in 1′ rows.

Make sure that the graft is snugly planted with 2-3'' of soil covering the top bud.

Mulch with a light layer of straw or leaves to help retain moisture. Right before or after the ground has frozen in the late fall cover your graft bed with a a layer of clear plastic and add additional mulch on top of this. We do this in November.

Mulch graft beds after planting to retain moisture. Cover with clear plastic and more mulch in the late fall, when the ground begins to freeze. Covering with plastic too early will invite mice to nest in your graft bed and ruin your results. This has happened to us, so we warn you of this problem. Covered grafts are dormant all winter and begin to grow in the spring.

In the Spring…

Uncover your grafts by removing all mulch in mid to late March or when the crocuses bloom. The young shoots should be poking through the soil at this time.

Emergent tree peony graft in the very early spring.

Expect first year grafts to grow to 8-16”. Some may even form viable flower buds, though it is best to pick these off at an early stage so that the plant does not waste energy on a small flower. Begin to fertilize in the later spring after the leaves have turned fully green.

The amount of first year growth is contingent on a number of factors; ranging from scion and understock size to planting conditions and the relative vigor of a given variety.

This comparison illustrates the importance of using large and vigorous herbaceous roots as understock. These are both 1st year grafts of the same variety, the only difference was the size of the herbaceous root used as understock. Bottom line: the bigger the root the greater the strength of the 'battery'.

In the fall of the first year, you may want to further space out your grafts. Space to 2′.  Remove rubber bands. If the graft has not developed any tree peony roots by this point, replant it deeper, at least 4” above the graft union.

1st year graft which has thus far failed to develop any tree peony roots. These are merely roots from the herbaceous understock. It should be replanted above the first two buds.

                                    Grafted tree peonies which are not planted deeply enough often never

                                    develop tree peony roots and will fail to thrive.

2nd year graft with two vigorous stems. Most varieties will begin to flower in the 3rd year.

Supplies

Basic tree peony grafting supplies.

Sharp grafting knife or straight-edge razors

sharp gardening snips

isopropyl alcohol (to sterilize cutting instruments)

paper towels

rubber bands or hemp twine (specialty grafting rubber bands are available from nursery supply companies, but plain old rubber bands will also do)

herbaceous peony roots

tree peony scions (bud cuttings)

tray with damp, clean sand

heat mat (not strictly required, if there are other means of keeping grafts at 90 degrees for the healing period)

N.B.

‘Itoh’ or intersectional hybrid tree peonies can also be reproduced by grafting using the technique described here.

Tree peonies can also be propagated by means of root layering and division. We will be posting on these two techniques later in the fall.

In one of my first posts, I discussed experimental Spring grafting. Unfortunately all but one of these failed, though this could have been for a number of reasons. The scions were picked from winter damage and could have been dessicated, also the root stock was very small. Bottom line is that grafting is best done in the fall.

Some other links of interest on tree peony grafting

A good tutorial prepared by the Mid-west peony society.

An article by English peony grower Jo Bennison on tree peony grafting.

Summer 2011 Renovation and Expansion at Peony Heaven

Summer, in between the sowing and the reaping is a time for growing. These long, hot days can be idled away waiting for the tomatoes to ripen, or even, heaven for-fend at something so decadent as a day at the beach!  At Cricket Hill we spend the dog days of summer opening up new lands and renovating the older parts of the garden. We plan on planting peonies in these new beds, but also more vegetables and fruit trees.

Tilling up some new areas in our nursery field. It wants to be a hay field, but we have other ideas...

After removing as many of the weed roots and rocks as we can, we will augment the new beds with calcitic lime to raise the pH and Azomite to increase the level of micro-nutrients in the soil. We will then cover the bare areas with black plastic to prevent photosynthesis from occurring. The sun-starved meadow grass can then be raked before planting. Hopefully a good layer of mulch will also help keep the grass under control next year.

We harvested a fine crop of 'Connecticut Potatoes' from the field.

Some of our more delectable Connecticut potatoes, these are good for more than rock soup.

We are putting this new bed in an area that has a tendency to flood in the spring, so we need to make it raised. Lucky there is no dearth of stones for the new wall. Because of its proximity to a creek, the soil here is exceptionally rich, and altogether different from our usual sand and rock.

Digging out the stones from one area provide the building materials for this wall. Because of the heavy rains we receive in the spring, we always seek to plant our peonies in raised beds.

We hope that you enjoy these glorious days of summer, whether you are lugging around boulders or even lounging at the beach!

Starting Peonies from Seed

Last year we gave away seeds collected from our collection of Northwest Cultivar Group (rockii) tree peonies. We are going to do this again this year. This year you can order them from our website or send us $3 to cover our packing and postage by either by cash, check or stamps and in a few weeks we will we will send you five fresh seeds. Hurry and get your requests to us soon, we can only provide seeds to the first 100 people. You can email us at crickethillgarden@gmail.com to check if we still have seeds available.

Many of the seeds of Northwest Cultivar group p.rockii tree peony hybrids will yield plants which will produce these beautiful white flowers with maroon flares (after about four years). This flower form and color is very similar to the wild species P. rockii.

In a few weeks it will be time to collect this seasons peony seeds. The vast majority of peonies yield viable seeds so if you left the pods on the plant all summer, try your hand at raising a crop of peonies from seed. Peonies raised from seed do not come true to the parent plant, though they may strongly resemble it. Almost all cultivated tree and herbaceous peonies are hybrids far removed from their wild species ancestors. The exception to this rule are seeds collected from a single species of peony which did not cross pollinate with other peonies.

Intersectional hybrid (Itoh) peonies are sterile and do not yield viable seeds. Unfortunately some garden favorites like the advanced herbaceous hybrids ‘Coral Charm’ and “Lois’ Choice’ are also infertile. Most of the European and American ‘lutea’ hybrid tree peonies like ‘Leda’ or ‘High Noon’ very rarely produce viable seeds. However, these are but a very small subsection of the peony world, the overwhelming majority of Chinese and Japanese tree and herbaceous peonies all yield large quantities of fertile seeds that will soon be ripe for the picking and planting.

Right now the beautiful star shaped pods are swelling and begging to turn from a leathery green to brown in color. Seeds are ready to be harvested when the seedpod has turned a dark tallow-brown. We generally harvest our tree peony seeds here between the 1st and 3rd weeks of August.

A good seed producing tree peony can yield over 50 seeds per pod.

The herbaceous seeds are ready a bit later, around the end of August.

An almost ripe herbaceous peony seed pod.

Direct Method for Seeding Tree and Herbaceous Peonies

Open up each segment of the seed pod carefully and remove the seeds. Damaged seeds will not germinate. Place your seeds in a glass of water and discard any which FLOAT, these are infertile.

Within each lustrous pearl is the germ of a peony which the world has never seen bloom, and has the potential to awe onlookers for centuries to come. Make the world a more beautiful place, plant some peony seeds this fall.

Left to mature seedpods will change to a dark brown and inside the seeds will change to black. The seedpods will also crack open. Black seeds are likely to need 2 seasons to germinate and grow, though they may surprise you next spring. Planting tan color seeds are more likely to give you sprouts in the first spring.

Plant fresh (tan colored) seeds directly in a sandy loam, garden soil mixed with a little extra sand, perlite or aged bark nuggets for drainage. The pH should be near 7.0, which often means adding some garden lime to sweeten the soil.  Either plant directly in a seed bed or use pots with good drainage holes, 10-12” in diameter.  We prefer clay pots or root control bags for seeding, though plastic pots will work.

Plant seeds about 1-2” apart, 2 “ deep, and water well to settle in.  Seed orientation does not seem critical; the rootlet will find its way downward. At Cricket Hill Garden, we will sink the pot into the garden bed so it is protected in winter. Choose a site that is half sun, half shade. Cover over the seeds with 2-3 inches of mulch for protection from squirrels. If late summer and fall weather is hot and dry, water periodically to prevent drying. Normally, this is not needed after September. Later in fall, in late November, add 2-3 more inches of mulch for winter protection.

'Root Control' bags planted with peony seeds mulched for winter.

If conditions are right, the warm late summer weather will cause the seed to sprout and then cooler fall temperatures will promote root growth until the freezing weather. Nothing will show above soil level until next spring. Some seeds will not germinate until the second spring. Do not be impatient.

Tree peony seeds sprouting in the early spring. These germinated in the fall.

Remove mulch from the pot in spring about two weeks after the ground has thawed, leaving pot submerged in the garden. Observe any new growth by May. Young sprouts need to be watered and fed a mild liquid fertilizer, such as Neptune’s Harvest fish-seaweed fertilizer every other month during the growing season, April to September. Young sprouts will be about 2” tall.

1st year tree peony seedlings.

1st year herbacoeus peony seedlings.

Move young seedlings ONLY IN THE FALL. Allow them to grow undisturbed until September of their first year.  After the first year space to about 6” apart in the garden.

In the second year tree peony seedling develop true leaves and grow to over 6'' tall with foliage.

Young plants may be moved again in the fall season of their third year to a more permanent location. Allow at least 4 to 5‘ for each plant (3′ for herbaceous peonies) choosing a well drained site with 5-6 hours of sun. Tree peony seedlings will often start to bloom in their fourth year. While herbaceous will sometimes bloom in their third year. Keep in mind that peonies sometimes take several years of immature flowers before they show their mature form.

We have found this ‘direct’ seeding method very effective for seeds of  Northwest Cultivar group Chinese (P.rockii) tree peonies such as ‘Snow Lotus‘ and herbaceous peonies. Seeds from other hybrid groups of tree peonies may germinate more easy with the benefit of the steps described below.

A method discussed for germinating peony seeds in many Chinese books on tree peonies and practiced by an excellent peony grower and hybridizer we know is a bit more complicated but may yield better results with seeds from less freely germinating hybrids such as traditional zhongyuan or central plains Chinese tree peonies and Japanese tree peonies.

Instead of opening the seed pods and immediately planting the seeds, allow the pods to cure in brown paper bag for a week in your garage or a shady, dry and not to hot space. After a week, carefully open the seedpods and apply the ‘float test’ discussed above. Then place the seeds in a zip-lock bag of slightly damp fine sand. Put your seed bags back in your shady, dry, not too hot space. In six to eight weeks the seeds should germinate, with the white rootlet protruding from a crack in the seed coat. At this point, plant your germinated seeds in the ground or in a container as described above. A note of caution, the protruding rootlet is very fragile, so handle with care when planting.
If you have dry, black peony seeds planting them directly in the ground will most likely mean waiting two years for them to germinate.

Black, dry seeds need to go through a period of winter chill (either natural or simulated) before germinating.

In this case it is best to mimic winter dormancy by stratifying the seeds. First, ensure that the seeds are fertile by subjecting them to the ‘float test.’ Place seeds in a zip lock bag of slightly damp sand and put the bag in the vegtable crisper of your refrigerator. Check after 12-16 weeks to see if they have germinated. When the rootlets emerge, plant as directed above. We have had good success in getting seeds to sprout this way, but find that they require some special attention once planted. They seem to be more prone to fungal infection and ‘damping off’ so be sure that seeds germinated by stratifying do not receive too much water and are planted in a place with good air flow and light penetration, i.e. do not do leave them in the shade by the deck where they will get dumped by the spring rains, as I did this year with some P.browni seedlings.

Some other considerations regarding peony seeds:

• Single, and semi-double flowers tend to yield more seeds than complex double forms.

• Place in cold and dry storage if you are unable to plant right away.

• Seeds collected from single specimen tree peonies (not in proximity to any other tree peonies) may not be viable.

Some of the beautiful tree and herbaceous peonies we have raised from seed. We call them our own Peony Heaven hybrids, but really we are just stealing the credit of the bees and the wind!

'Zhou Dynasty Yellow' herbaceous peony

'Peony Heaven Celestial Peach' herbaceous peony

New and as yet un-named Peony Heaven tree peony. Bloomed for the first time in 2011.

Another new Peony Heaven tree peony.

'Post-Modern Phoenix White' Peony Heavne tree peony