Paeonia 2008

[Paul T]

Hans,

Wonderful, wonderful pictures.  I love the P.mlokosewitschii.  So nice to see the real thing.  I too thought they were usually more yellow.  Not one I have grown myself so only going by other pictures.  I rather like the shading in colour of yours, perhaps more than the pics of the yellows I have seen.  The P. morrisii is very special.  Love that foliage colouration to go with the flowers.

Looking forward to seeing further pics as more come into flower.  Thanks for taking the time to prepare and post the pics for us.

[Hans A.]

WOW - Hans, Olga and Dimitri - thanks a lot for the photos -

@Hans, are you growing Paeonia clusii in the garden?  - First time I see a rose coloured one.

[Hans J]

@Hans, are you growing Paeonia clusii in the garden?  - First time I see a rose coloured one.

Hi Hans A. ,

Yes -I grow P. clusii in the garden -more or less without protection .
I have the luck to live in the river Rhein valley with a very mild climate .
Yes  P. clusii with pink flowers are really rare .....

[Hans A.]

Great - I tried to grow P.cambessedesii seedlings in Bonn but finally  they died by late frost in spring.
Do you knoe if there is a danger to get hybrids by growing P.clusii and P.cambessedesii close together?

[Hans J]

Great - I tried to grow P.cambessedesii seedlings in Bonn but finally  they died by late frost in spring.
Do you knoe if there is a danger to get hybrids by growing P.clusii and P.cambessedesii close together?

Hans ,

I had also no luck with P. cambessedesii - I have now only few seedlings which are in pots .....earlier rised plants have not survived outside ....
Sorry - but I dont know if P. cambessedesii and P. clusii hybridize ....never tried ! .....but P. clusii is here always very early .....this is the problem when comes in february late frosts ......

[David Nicholson]

Hans, I have a small pot of seeds from P. cambessedesii just beginning to show through the gravel topping would they be better left outside to the weather or would it be best to put them under glass please?

[Hans J]

David ,
 
this is difficould to say for me ....
Fist - I dont know which wether you have where you live ....if you live in a drier part of GB so it should be possibly .
I have seen pics from B.G. in your country there grows P. cambessedesii phantastic !!!

The other problem is I dont know from which motherplants your seeds comes .....I know it exist peonies on Mallorca from near 1000 m altitude .....and I have heard from populations near the sea -so there is maybe a genetic differnce ....

Good luck
Hans

[David Nicholson]

Hans, the only way I can describe the weather in the South West of England is 'mainly wet' I bought the seed from an AGS Show so they could have come from anywhere. I think I shall try to play safe and bring them under glass.

[Hans J]

  David 

But you have not so wet wether like in Scottland or ?
Please look that the seedlings have not full sun -I'm shure they like it not .
I have seen P. cambessedesii growing in the wild .....and it was really shady

[Lesley Cox]

I'm quite happy to accept that P. mlokoseweitchii can vary in colour in the wild, but I can also confirm that in the garden it will happily hybridize with anything else that's out at the same time.

Maggi, isn't the foliage of P. obovata just the most beautiful thing? I love that pewter/red overlay which sets of the flowers so well. Worth growing for that alone I think.

I wish I had taken some pics of two seedlings of P. suffruticosa, grown from seeds given me by the sadly late Essie Huxley, last April. I was very surprised that they germinated within just a very few weeks of sowing, and have grown on nicely. The leaves have died off now, leaving sturdy little "trunks," about 10cms high, but before they fell, the leaves went brilliant scarlet. When they grow up they'll be fantastic!

[afw]

Re: Paeonia Cambessedesii

David,
 I grew several from seed in Hertfordshire in a gritty bed facing due west, sun most of the day, and when I had to move one in order to pass it on to a friend the main root was so thick I had to saw through it.
 It had been been in that bed for about 10 years. Incidently  behind it grew Arum Creticum which also multiplied greatly.

I bought a tiny seedling of P. Cambessedesii with me and this year it is about to flower for the first time. We have been here nearly 5 years, so it is a slow grower. Bearing in mind its root system it is a large long tom pot.

[Hans A.]

There are always so many versions of the same name - I think Paeonia cambessedesii should be correct. ;-)

David - I think you it is better you leave it outside and just cover if frost is expected - Hans is right, I found this species in 20 meters as in more than 1000 m - always in northfacing slopes in Pinewoods, Quercus woods or in the open between rocks - I do not think there are many genetic differences in hardiness as even in high altitudes frost normally occcurs only a very short period of time .

[David Nicholson]

Thanks to Alan and Hans for their help, but could I ask for a little more information please. My Paeonia cambessedesii seedlings amount to just two tiny ones at the moment, with the possibility of four more to come if all the seeds germinate. How long should I leave them in the seedpot before transplanting them, and I assume they would be better in pots until they get big enough to plant out? I have more Paeonia species seeds in the fridge, what would be the best time of year to sow them?

[Hans J]

David ,

To your questions :
You should wait maybe a other year if more seeds germinate ...but  my experience is that after 3 years of waiting there is not any hope ....
Peonies in pots are a big problem ( and I have a lot of experience ) you should plant it after the second year of germination in a special border ( only for seedlings ).
The problem with perennial peonies is they build a big rootstock ....and after this they make more stems ....
Treepeonies have more fine roots ( more like a tree ) so they can grow fine for some time in a big long pot .

Make sure of excellent drainage !!!

Peony seeds in the fridge do not do well - better is a cool room ( like a cellar ) - you can sow it after July ....but I would suggest you to water first the seeds ( change the water every day ) and put the pots in cool shady edge of your garden ( protected from too much rain )

Good success
Hans

[afw]

RE: Paeonia cambessedessii,
Hi David

Yes, I would leave them in pots for a season or two, outside in the shade. They should be okay outside in your balmy weather but, of course, be prepared to move them inside should it deteriorate markedly.

They will die down completely after 'flowering', leaving a tiny stem 'stub' above the surface of the pot. They will have made quite a substantial root system even so and I suggest transplanting them, like any shrub in
the autumn, when if during the growing season they look strong  enough to move. A gritty alpine mix seems to suit here but you must modify to suit your climate, of course.