Peonies - A legendary addition to the garden

Peony

Family: Paeoniaceae (Peony family, formerly Ranunculaceae)
Genus: Paeonia

Picture courtesy of Oregon State University Landscape Plant Database

This is one of those plants that I could write more about than you’d ever want to read. It’s ancient; its history is so rich and culturally varied; and the stories and legends about it— apocryphal though they may be—are legion. My family has its own peony lore: my grandmother grew them at her home in the East and brought tubers to her humble homestead in the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon. They thrived there—one of the few bright spots in that very harsh environment—and every spring Annie cut their flowers and placed them on the graves of friends and family. As her peony clumps grew, she had enough flowers to decorate the graves of acquaintances and even of strangers, taking care to single out the plots that were untended year after year. Annie believed that no one should pass this way unnoticed. When she died in 1930, one of her daughters dug some tubers from the original clump for her own new home in the Walla Walla valley. Every year she placed flowers on Decoration Day, too, extending her peony trips throughout eastern Oregon and southern Washington as the number of flowers and the number of family graves increased. Both peony patches still exist and offer up enough blooms every spring to decorate graves from Enterprise, Oregon, to Goldendale, Washington. They fill as many five-gallon buckets as will fit in the back of my pickup, with enough left over to fill the cab with their color and fragrance. For, you see, my aunt has passed this job on to me. She took special care to teach me where all the flowers are to go, and last year I put peonies on her grave for the first time. The tradition continues with what will forever be known in my family as “Memorial Peonies.”

The history of peonies as symbols of beauty and remembrance spans 2000 years. The Chinese revered them, as did other cultures in Asia. The Greeks had (of course) a myth about them, and gave them their modern name. The Romans brought them to England, where they have been cherished by gardeners for centuries. Peonies have been appreciated for their medicinal qualities as well, and were used to alleviate a variety of ailments, including toothache, the pain of childbirth, seizures, and headache. They are said to offer protection from demonic possession and curses such as The Evil Eye, which explains their traditional placement along walkways leading to entry doors. The peony is the state flower of Indiana…it was used during the Centennial Exposition of 1876 to symbolize American spirit, ambition, and determination to adapt and thrive…and it is the only flower to have a country named after it: Paeonia, in Greece, conquered during the Persian Wars.

Enough of legend and on to the care of peonies in your very own garden. First, there are two main types of peonies: herbaceous peonies, perennials that grow from tuberous roots, and tree peonies, which are deciduous shrubs. Both types are very long-lived, so choose your site properly and prepare the soil well. Unlike many perennials, peonies do not like to be divided or dug up and moved. The tubers of herbaceous peonies should be planted so that their eyes are no deeper than one and one-half inches beneath the soil. Do use a ruler; and of course it will seem too shallow. But plant the tuber any deeper, and you’ll have sumptuous foliage but nary a flower. Remember these guidelines when applying mulch as well. Skip the peony patch. Tree peonies, on the other hand, should be planted deep, even set below the level in that nursery container. Herbaceous peonies are more hardy than the shrub type, although both will do well in Whatcom County. Herbaceous peonies require a period of winter chilling to flower well. Plant both types in full sun, placed where their flowers in late spring to mid summer will show to good effect. They will maintain their attractive foliage until fall, except for P. tenuifolia, the fern-leaf peony. This one goes dramatically dormant in mid-summer and can leave a gaping hole in your border if not planned for. Clip the other types back in the fall, after their leaves brown. Feed peonies lightly with a balanced fertilizer, once just before bloom and once just after. They’ll do well in ordinary garden soil, and they require little additional water during the summer. Peonies are susceptible to Botrytis paeoniae, commonly known as “peony wilt.” Watch for the tell-tale browning of buds, and remember that the infection generally starts at ground level. Remove all the affected parts, down to the ground, and burn them or throw them in the trash; don’t compost them. A reasonable preventative measure is a spray of copper fungicide just before buds open. Peonies are subject to few pests, but they do have a symbiotic relationship with ants. Before bringing cut flowers into the house, dunk them in a bucket of clean water to remove any hitchhikers; and if you’re afraid that ants will wander into your house from the beds, don’t plant peonies near your door. You’ll be on your own then, of course, as far as ancient curses are concerned!

There are several species of tree peonies; most of the different herbaceous types are hybrids of the genus. Flower colors range from white to pink to red, always with blue rather than crimson tones. There are a few pure yellows, more common in the tree form than the herbaceous. Flower forms include single, semi-double, double, and anemone (also known as Imperial or Japanese). Some doubles and anemones have two color tones, and many singles and semi-doubles have contrasting centers. Flowers can range from the size of a tennis ball to that of a dinner plate.

VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver has many wonderful peonies, including an outstanding selection of the shrub type. I know you’ll see many, too, at the A&D Peony and Perennial Nursery during your trip on May 27. I’ll be starting my own annual peony adventure that very day as I start out for the peony patch that was tended by my grandmother, so many years ago.