Garden Peonies

Top row (l-r): 'Gay Paree', 'Festiva Maxima', 'Bowl of Beauty', Middle row (l-r): 'Red Charm', 'Comanche', 'Krinkled White', Bottom row (l-r): 'Kansas', 'Sarah Bernhardt', 'Illini Warrior'

Peonies are among the most beloved of all garden flowers available with its uses tracing back roughly two thousand years to China. Over four thousand varieties exist in cultivation today in a vast array of colors and forms. Many varieties are fragrant and virtually all possess attractive foliage that looks good all summer. They are exceptionally long-lived plants and their blooms make exceptional cut flowers.

The biggest challenge to growing peonies in the Pacific Northwest is keeping the plants free of Botrytis paeoniae, a devastating fungal disease that can occur when plants are not grow in optimal cultural conditions. This disease can be recognized as soft brown or brownish-red areas developing at the base of leaves and shoots which then wilt or collapse. Peonies require fertile, well-drained soil and would prefer four hours or more of direct afternoon sun. Aside from buying infected plants, you should be free of problems once you've made sure that you've sited your peonies properly.

When planting, it is also helpful to know that peonies resent being planted too deeply. Herbaceous peonies (those that die back completely each fall, stems and all) should be planted with their 'eyes' or growth buds right at the soil level. Tree peonies should be treated as shrubs, with the base of their stems kept at or above the soil level so that they don't develop root rot. Peonies also resent being overfertilized or disturbed after they've been planted. A little compost each spring is about all that they require.

When shopping, it is very important to avoid selecting varieties based solely on photographs from books or catalogs. This can be extremely disappointing. It is very helpful to observe varieties in bloom or to buy 'tried and true' varieties from reputable nurseries that are familiar with what grows well here in our region. It should be noted that peonies do vary in their bloom times by several weeks and many of the double-flowering varieties have a tendency to flop under all of our rain. Since many peonies require some staking, you may also wish to seek out some of the smaller dwarf and 'rock garden' types which are wonderfully maintenance-free. My final caveat is that young plants often do not bloom the first year and take about three years to become fully established. Your patience will be rewarded many times over.

Cheers, Tim

NPA 'March Mania' Plant Sale at BBG

Helleborus x hybridus - Rose Madder Strain


Important Reminder For Gardeners On A Budget:

NW Perennial Alliance's 'March Madness' Plant Sale
This Sunday March 8th at the Bellevue Botanical Garden (11 a.m. - 3 p.m.)

The NPA's annual spring sale (formerly known as the 'Hellebore Open House') has been an annual mecca for collectors of rare woodland plants and ephemerals. This year, however, they will also be selling off a massive number of plants that have been removed from the Bellevue Botanical Garden's NPA border during its current renovation for once-in-a-lifetime prices. Good garden plants, hellebores in particular, may not be available at these prices again anytime soon. Don't miss out on these good deals. Happy hunting. Cheers, Tim

MARCH TO-DO LIST

Narcissus 'February Gold' blooming earlier today (3/2)



MARCH TO-DO LIST:


MULCH GARDEN BEDS: Spread compost in all of your garden beds but be mindful not to bury the stems of your trees and shrubs. Many drought-tolerant perennials and herbs are also resentful of being buried. This mulch will feed your plants all season and keep their roots cool in the summer months ahead.



WATCH FOR SLUGS: Apply SLUGGO or other brand of Iron phosphate pellets around your emerging perennials to prevent slug damage. It is safe to pets and wildlife.



PRUNING: The beginning of March is an ideal time to prune roses. Remove thin, scraggly growth and preserve the stronger canes for the framework. A good general rule is to prune back the canes you're keeping by half. It is also helpful to prune about 1/4" above an emerging bud that is facing outward from the center of the plant. Contrary to conventional wisdom, roses do not do best when pruned back hard to the ground unless it is to remove diseased wood. For an excellent description of how to prune hydrangeas, follow my link to www.taunton.com/finegardening/ . The only other notable plants to prune at this time are summer-blooming shrubs and sub-shrubs that bloom on new wood, such as Buddleia, Lavatera and Caryopteris.



FERTILIZING: March is a fine time to apply granular organic all-purpose fertilizers to your hardy plants. The weather will regulate their release and there is very little chance of overfertilizing if you follow the application instructions. They will feed all season and improve your soil when added to a compost mulch. Avoid all water-soluble synthetic fertilizers (ie. Miracle-Gro) until April and try to limit their use to container plantings of summer annuals. Although effective in the short-term, they often kill microbes that are vital to long-term soil health.



PLANTING: Now is a fine time to plant just about anything you can find. Make sure to dig shallow, wide holes (at least twice the diameter of the roots) and don't bury the stems of your trees and shrubs. When planting in heavy clay soils, it is helpful to add up to one part fine bark or 'bark mulch' to three parts of the native soil when backfilling around the plants to provide better drainage. The extra air space between the soil particles will prevent root-rot, the leading cause of death in heavy soils. Avoid using sand to improve drainage, it has the exact opposite effect in heavier soils. Also, avoid planting in low areas that never dry out unless you can find plants that will tolerate those conditions. If the soil is extremely dry, add one part compost to three parts of the existing soil.



WEEDING: Eliminate as many weeds as possible before they flower and go to seed. This is the key to long-term weed control. Be careful not to use dangerous preemergent herbicides like Casoron in close proximity to your plants.



SHOPPING: Spring is right around the corner and now you can enjoy the best selection of roses, hellebores, small fruits and fruit trees. There is still time to buy dahlias and lilies for summer bloom too. Over the next few weeks, nurseries will be bursting at the seams with all of their new Japanese maples, dogwoods, clematis and a huge assortment of perennials and grasses. For collectors, the rarest of the rare trees, shrubs and perennials will be coming (and going) in the next six weeks or so. Trees with the best shapes or structures will be the first to go too. If you are looking to add a special tree to a prominent spot in your garden, you may not want to wait until summer or fall. Nurseries will not receive new trees until next spring.



GARDEN TOURING: March is an excellent month to visit one of the many public or private gardens in the Seattle area. A few favorites are the Bellevue Botanical Garden, which is open to the public, and the E.B. Dunn and Elizabeth Miller Gardens in North Seattle, both of which are private gardens that you can tour by appointment.


Cheers and Happy Gardening, Tim