When buying peony seedlings, you should stop your choice on the Pillow Talk variety. This handsome man with pink terry buds will not leave anyone indifferent. Having studied the characteristics of planting and care, you can achieve abundant flowering crops.
Peony Pillow Talk (Paeonia Pillow Talk) - what kind of variety, the history of creation
Peony Pillow Tok was bred in 1994 in the United States. It is a herbaceous perennial plant. The stem reaches a height of 80 cm. Terry flowers, petals of a pale pink color. The diameter of the buds is from 20 to 25 cm.
Peony Pillow Explosion
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Pion Pillow Peonies Pros:
- beautiful flowering;
- unpretentiousness in leaving;
- ease of cultivation.
Among the shortcomings, short flowering can be distinguished.
Use in landscape design
Peony Pillow Tolk harmoniously looks in single and group landings. The variety is used to decorate flower beds and borders.
Peony in the design of the landscape
Growing a flower, how to plant in open ground
Peonies can be planted in several ways. Only breeders propagate flower seeds. Gardeners plant peonies by dividing the bush. Each method has its own characteristics.
Planting with root cuttings
The root cuttings are a small part of the rhizome, on which there is necessarily a kidney and a root.
Description of the planting process by cuttings:
- Dig a peony, clear the rhizome from the ground and divide it into several parts.
- Make a weak solution of potassium permanganate and soak the stalk in it for several hours.
- Dry the seedling and roll it in crushed charcoal.
- Leave the cuttings for several hours so that a crust forms on the site of the slices.
- Plant cuttings in the ground, the distance between them should be at least 30 cm.
Attention! For the winter, the cuttings are sheltered. A transplant to a permanent place can be carried out in 1-2 years.
Planting with root cuttings
What time is the landing
Cuttings are harvested in late August - September. The grown plants are transplanted to a permanent place in the fall.
Location selection
Peony Pillowtalk prefers to grow in open sunny areas protected from cold winds. It is undesirable to plant bushes in the shade. So the flowering will be sparse.
How to prepare the soil and flower for planting
A few weeks before the seedling is planted, the soil is dug up and rotted manure or compost is applied. Before planting, the soil is again dug up and the seedling is soaked for several hours in a growth activator (Epin, Kornevin).
Step-by-step instructions for planting a milky-flowered peony:
- Dig a hole.
- Cover the bottom with expanded clay or crushed brick.
- Put the seedling in the ground and dig in the soil.
- At the end of the planting, the seedling should be abundantly watered with warm water.
Important! The root neck cannot be deepened, otherwise the plant will take root for a long time.
Fertilizing and planting a flower
Seeding (for breeding)
Seeds for planting are collected from August to September. Shoots appear within 1-2 years.
Landing process:
- Dig grooves, 5 cm deep.
- Plant seeds at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other.
- Before the onset of cold weather, mulch the soil and cover the beds with fir branches.
Plant care
It’s impossible to grow a healthy plant without properly organized care.
Watering and feeding
Bushes begin to water in the spring after the soil warms up. Enough 2-3 times a week. In summer, plants are watered every day.
In the first half of the season, the peony needs nitrogen. During budding and flowering, phosphorus and potassium are introduced into the soil. Mineral fertilizing should be alternated with organic.
Additional Information. Of mineral fertilizers, superphosphate, potassium salt, ammonium nitrate are used. From organic matter - wood ash, rotted manure and compost.
Mulching and cultivation
Several times a week, the soil is loosened before watering. It is not necessary to mulch the soil in regions with a mild winter; peony normally tolerates small frosts.
Preventative treatment
As a preventive measure against diseases and pests, the bushes are sprayed with Iskra or Karbofos preparations before cutting the leaves. Of the folk methods, processing yarrow broth is considered effective.
Blooming Peony Pillow Explosion
During the flowering period, the plant needs special care.
Period of activity and rest
The flowering period of the peony is short - from late May to mid-June. Rest time falls on August - April.
Flowering peony
Care during and after flowering
During flowering, watering should be plentiful. On one bush you need to spend 3-6 liters of water. Phosphate and potassium top dressing is also needed.
Important! On the stems, several buds are usually formed. Because of this, inflorescences are small. During budding, you need to break off the side buds, leaving only the largest.
After flowering, the fallen petals are immediately collected. If this is not done, the likelihood of developing fungal diseases due to mold is high. Faded buds are immediately cut to foliage.
What to do if it does not bloom, possible causes
Reasons why the peony does not bloom:
- Recessed root neck.
- Too frequent or rare bush transplants.
- Deficiency or excess of nutrients. If the bushes are overfed, they actively increase the deciduous mass, but do not bloom.
- Improper care.
- Diseases and pests.
Flowering may not start due to the wrong place: if the peony grows in the shade or the soil is too wet or dry. Stagnation of water, which leads to the appearance of mold and fungal diseases, is also dangerous for the culture. Problems can arise if the bushes grow near the walls of the house or under the crown of trees.
Peonies after flowering
After flowering, you will not have to devote much time to care.
Transfer
Bushes do not need frequent transplants. With proper care, a peony can grow in one place up to 15 years. Transplants are necessary if the plant has grown greatly or ceased to bloom. You also need to transplant peonies for some diseases.
Note! Immediately after flowering, peonies cannot be transplanted. You need to wait for the bushes to rest. The best time to transplant is the end of September.
Pruning
At the end of flowering, stems with faded flowers are cut to the middle of the stem. Foliage can be trimmed closer to fall, when it becomes burgundy and begins to dry out.
Winter preparations
A few weeks before the cold, they stop watering the soil and applying mineral fertilizers. In autumn, you can dig the soil (the main thing is not to touch the roots) so that insects do not appear in the spring. You also need to make rotted manure. In the northern regions, the soil is still mulched so that frost does not kill the root system.
Mulching peonies before winter
Diseases, pests and ways to combat them
Most often, a peony is sick with fungal diseases:
- rust;
- gray rot;
- verticillus wilting;
- powdery mildew.
From insects, ants, aphids and gall nematodes attack the plant. Pests can be controlled by spraying with fungicides and insecticides. If there are not very many insects, they can be washed off with a soapy solution.
Peony Pillow Talk is unpretentious in care and easy to grow. Due to the beautiful and abundant flowering, it has become very popular among gardeners.
