2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Spring peony (lat. Paeonia vernalis) - one of the many representatives of the Peony genus, belonging to the Peony family. In nature, the species under consideration is found in deciduous forests, less often in thickets of shrubs in China, Korea and some Russian regions, but to a greater extent in the Far East. This representative of the genus was introduced into the culture back in 1921. Nowadays it is popular among florists and gardeners all over the world. Refers to a number of herbaceous peonies.
Characteristics of culture
Spring peony is represented by perennial herbaceous plants that form compact bushes during growth, not exceeding 30-35 cm in height. The plants are equipped with smooth stems bearing two types of foliage. The upper foliage is tripartite, medium-sized; the lower one is large, twice trifoliate, with elliptical entire leaves with a sharp tip. The color of the foliage of the spring peony is dark green, the reverse side is pale, possibly a slight pubescence with small hairs, which give the leaf a velvety appearance.
The flowers in the culture under consideration are single, up to 10 cm in diameter, formed at the top of the bare peduncle. The sepals of flowers are elliptical, but the petals are oblong oval, usually snow-white, sometimes saturated pink, up to 4-5 cm long. The fruits of the spring peony are bare, no more than 3 cm long, contain blue-black seeds.
The flowering of the culture is observed in the second - third decade of May, sometimes the dates are shifted, which largely depends on climatic conditions. If the spring is cold, then flowering will be late for an indefinite period. If, on the contrary, it is warm, then flowering can please in the first decade of May. The fruits ripen towards the end of August, at the same time they are harvested.
The peculiarity of the spring peony is not at all in its high decorativeness, but in its medicinal properties. To the surprise of many, the flowers and foliage of the spring peony contain a huge amount of tannins and flavonoids, which are required by the human body to maintain the normal functioning of all organs and systems.
Therefore, traditional healers recommend using infusions from the aerial part of plants for the prevention of various diseases. While the infusion from the root of the plant is advised to drink for certain diseases of the nervous system, severe headaches, as well as for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The spring peony is especially widespread in the folk medicine of China; it is rarely used in Russia.
Subtleties of care
Caring for peonies does not have any difficulties. So, in the first three years of life, he only needs loosening, regular and moderate watering, weeding and prevention against pests and diseases, which bother the culture quite often. The main thing is not to allow compaction of the soil in any way, it should be loosened to a depth of 5-10 cm. Otherwise, the plants will feel defective.
They behave in a similar way to a large number of weeds. By the way, they select useful substances from peonies, which significantly affects the further development of plants and, accordingly, their flowering. Moreover, weeds pose a direct threat to the rapid spread of pests, who are not averse to feasting on the juicy stems and leaves of the plant. As a result, not only the appearance, but also the condition of the plants suffers, with untimely intervention they can die without showing their true beauty and attractiveness.
Further care, that is, after 3 years, the plants need pinching. This operation aims to remove excess buds on the stems. If you do not carry out this procedure, the flowers of the spring peony, and other representatives of the genus, will not please with their large size, because due to the large number of "brothers", they will not be able to get enough nutrient moisture and nutrients in full. As the flowering proceeds, it is recommended to remove the faded inflorescences, they do not add decorativeness to plants. Fertilizing crops are also required, they are carried out in the second year after planting - 2-3 times per season. In the first year, fertilizers are applied to the soil for digging.
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