Paeonia

James Waddick jwaddick@kc.rr.com
Fri, 30 Jul 2004 11:41:57 PDT
Chinese versus Japanese plants.

	The Japanese cvs have been propagated almost exclusively (at 
least commercially) by grafting a simple, but iffy technique 
involving the scion of a tree peony grafted to an herbaceous root 
under-stock as a temporary nurse root. Commercial cvs are those that 
tend to grat easily and later produce their own roots easily. Some TP 
are far more difficult to graft and much slower to produce their own 
roots independently.

	The Chinese cvs  have been developed for propagation by a 
different methods, but primarily by divisions. Until the last 2 or 4 
years I never saw a grafted Chinese plants. Stock plants are gown in 
a way to encourage shoot growth and later division. This has been 
developed over a very long time.

	These plants in my opinion are not handled well for export. 
They might do fin for resale in China or locally, but exported plants 
seem to be dug long before they get to the target buyer, roots and 
top growth severely stressed. As Jim says they need TLC and a mild 
climate.

	But don't give up yet and try some of the rockii selections 
coming from NW China. Much better garden potential.

	The "so-called winter blooming peonies' are real. They are 
primarily cvs developed in southern parts of Japan and S.E. China 
where they can bloom as early as February. In Japan gardeners may go 
go to extremes to protect the fragile bloom by placing paper 
umbrellas over the entire bush or a straw enclosure on 3 sides.

	Then again in both Japan and more so, in China, the TP is 
held in extremely high regard above most other flowers. Even in the 
US TP remain poorly represented in most gardens.

			Jim W.
-- 
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph.    816-746-1949
E-fax  419-781-8594

Zone 5 Record low -23F
	Summer 100F +


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