The Magic of Peonies
by Rob Sproule
“A rose is a rose, but a peony is a friend forever.”
– Anonymous
Loving the spotlight, peonies’ broad blooms announce themselves in our yards every June like a full throated Opera singer. It’s a nostalgic flower for me. My mom had a radiant “Sarah Bernhardt” against the house and I would gravitate to it when it bloomed (although, admittedly, mostly for the ants).
History
If world history were a play, the peony would play many parts. It’s played roles ancient and modern, medicinal and ornamental. It’s a national emblem of China and the state flower of Indiana, a namesake of Greek gods and the favourite flower of Hillary Duff.
Named after Paian, the mythical physician of the Greek gods, peonies were grown for their medicinal properties thousands of years before Europeans looked to them as ornamental plants. Paian used peony roots to heal Hades, god of the underworld, after Heracles wounded him.
Peonies have been beloved in China for thousands of years. With its name translating to “flower of riches and honour”, it’s a widely used symbol in Chinese art and its popularity spreads back to 1,000 BCE. Widely cultivated in the Imperial gardens of several dynasties, the best varieties commanded princely sums.
Basic Care
Planting a peony is a gift to your grandchildren: they can live up to 100 years. They’re astonishingly easy to care for, especially when you think of how much beauty they bring to our yards.
Great for Zone 3, peonies are reliably hardy once established and shouldn’t need any extra winter care other than being well watered heading into freeze-up. They’ll bloom in mid- to late-June; plant in full sun and in raised borders, where the roots are warmer, and they’ll bloom sooner than plants in the shade.
Choose your location wisely because they hate being transplanted. Make sure they have space to grow out (typically by about 2′ on each side). Grab a peony ring and they can grow 10-15 years before needing dividing.
Peonies dislike wet feet and won’t need much supplemental watering, except in drought years and the first year you plant it. Nip off any buds that appear that first year; the plant should be using it’s energy for rooting in and growing.
Plant it in a sunny spot. Peonies won’t bloom unless they get several hours of sun daily. Sun will also reduce the risk of botrytis, or grey mold, which can happen during damp, cool falls. Cut back the foliage to 8″ off the ground in the fall and clean up old petals and leaf litter.
Ants, Ants Everywhere
As anyone who has brought a beaming bouquet of peonies indoors will tell you: where there’s peonies, ants are soon to follow. The greedy little ants eat the sugary sucralose that the buds secrete just before they open and leave as soon as the sugar is gone.
It’s a pervasive myth that peonies somehow need ants to bloom, and that the relationship is mutually beneficial. The truth is that the only ones benefiting are the ants, and peonies would bloom with or without them.
If you love cut flowers but don’t fancy ants on your dining room table, cut the peonies before blooming, and before the buds have secreted the sticky sucralose. It’s a timing game, as you don’t want to cut too early. Perfect time is when the bud has started to turn the colour of the bloom and is as soft as a marshmallow.
