Tree peonies grow up to 2 meters and bloom for up to 50 years, which makes the flowers long-lived. The plant is quite finicky. Therefore, you should immediately understand the importance of the care listed below. When growing, it is important to keep in mind that shrubs do not like too dry or, conversely, excessively wet soil. In addition, you should not plant close to other plants (at least 2 meters from each other), because peonies also do not like close quarters.
Boarding time
The best time is the end of August or the beginning of September. But it is permissible to plant the plant in the spring, that is, in April or May. Although it will be difficult for the plant to adapt while it is blooming.
Soil selection
These plants do not like to be transplanted, so you must immediately choose a place for them in light partial shade, where moisture in the soil does not stagnate and where the scorching sun and unpleasant drafts do not penetrate.
If the soil has a lot of sandy soil, it should be fertilized with the following substances:
- turf;
- clay;
- peat;
- humus.
You should take a closer look at the soil, where the humus layer is quite thick and the reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline. Loams are suitable for these parameters.
Rules for planting peonies
To plant a tree peony, you need to make a small earthen mound where the bush should be placed. Then water the peony and wait until the moisture saturates the ground. After this, it is necessary to sprinkle the seedling so that the root collar is somewhere at the level of the soil surface.
There is an opinion that the hole for the plant should be prepared a month before the planned planting. It is worth adding fertilizers and additives, namely potassium and nitrogen. Subsequently, during care, these additives should also be used.
Watering the plant
In general, peony should be watered no more than 2 times a month. You will need a lot of water - approximately 6–8 liters per watering. In summer, you can water more often. After the flower has been watered and a couple of days have passed, it is recommended to loosen the soil around it. In this case, garden tools should not be immersed more than 5 centimeters.
How to trim correctly
The peony should be pruned before the growing season begins. Withered and damaged stems are cut off. But some frozen branches should not be removed - the buds may bloom later. And 10–15 centimeters are removed from old shoots. In general, shrubs do not like pruning. It is needed mainly for decorative purposes. But you still shouldn’t forget about removing dry branches.
Winter protection
Tree peonies are resistant to cold weather. But for the first few years of life they need to be covered with lutrasil, spunbond or burlap, which is tied on top with a rope. In addition, before all these procedures, it is worth trimming the leaves. But this should be done when the temperature is not lower than 0 °C.
Fertilizer selection
Potassium and nitrogen are fertilizers that must be used constantly. Nitrogen is relevant when the growing season is just beginning. And potassium-phosphorus substances - when buds begin to form. For the first 3 years, you should use a spray bottle when applying fertilizer.
Thus, it is important to choose the right place to plant a seedling and promptly care for it throughout the year. Tree peonies should be covered in winter and watered generously in summer. This plant is very capricious - it will die if you do not follow the rule of the golden mean when caring for it.
