Paeonia TOW - Part 1

Paeonia are favorites here, although some do a lot better than others.
There are lactiflora cultivars (some home raised from seed), Paeonia
suffruticosa cultivars, P. suffruticosa hybrids, and plants received under
the names P. mascula, P. emodi, P. whittmanniana, P. peregrina, P.
tenuifolia and others.

Repeated attempts to establish the P. officinalis cultivars (double red,
double pink and double white) have been failures. But what that may mean is
that they do not grow in our local soils (warm, acidic). It's probably been
twenty-five years since I last tried these, and I'm a slightly better
gardener now, so maybe they are worth another trial.

Paeonia mascula typically opens the peony season here sometime in April,
although sometimes P. emodi or one of the tree peonies beats it. We are
still experiencing night freezes when these plants are about to bloom. I've
never noticed damage on P. mascula or the tree peonies, but P. emodi
frequently aborts its buds here if frozen.

The plant I grow as P. peregrina is probably P. arietina or a hybrid
thereof. The identity of mail-order Paeonia has been a major vexation over
the years.

P. wittmannina was mentioned above. The plant I currently grow under that
name is evidently true to name. Many years ago I had another plant under
the name P. wittmanniana which I no longer have but would very much like to
replace. It had very coarse foliage (in fact it was received under the name
macrophylla) and small white flowers with one misshapen petal which
reminded me of the flowers of Franklinia alatamaha. The most distinctive
thing about this plant was the scent of the foliage: it had a distinct
boxwood fragrance (odor to some). Let me repeat: I would very much like to
replace this plant! Incidentally, this plant looked nothing like the
foliage of P. macrophylla illustrated in The Peonies edited by John C.
Wister.

I have not seen Jim Waddick's peony book yet, but otherwise of all peony
books I've seen, all things considered, I think the Wister-edited work is
really outstanding. It includes a detailed account of the work of Prof.
Saunders, too. I think of this work as one of the best American
horticultural works of which I know. If everyone wrote and researched on
this level...If anyone were to ask me "I'm about to write a gardening book,
can you point to a particularly good model" I would point them to the
Wister-edited The Peonies.

Now, let's have some fun. When I was a kid, I used to snicker at my country
aunts who called peonies pee-oh'-nees. They also said Sick'-la-men (for
Cyclamen) and mo'-ter-sick-ul (for what I would have to hop on to get out
of town fast if they heard these remarks). These were delivered in a
distinct northern Virginia accent, perhaps while they were out in the
garden picking cymlins. In my experience, people of my generation (I was
born in 1943) generally say pee'-uh-knee and sigh'-cla-men and
motor'-sigh-kul. But sometimes I still hear those other pronunciations.

Now I realize that the old pronunciation pee-oh'-nee had the advantage of
preserving the long o sound of the Greek Paeon; but it's not above reproach
because it messes up the quality of the initial ae diphthong. Still, I like
it, and I have now retrained myself (much to the occasional astonishment of
the locals) to say pee-oh'-nee (soon to be changed go pie-oh'-nee).

And this raises my curiosity about the state of peony pronunciation among
contemporary gardeners. How are others doing it? Curious minds want to know!

One quibble: when Jim Waddick wrote:

These [tree peonies] have been cultivated for centuries, perhaps a

millennium, in China and in the West for about 150 years.

keep in mind that Paeonia suffruticosa has been grown in Western
(specifically, English) gardens since the late eighteenth century - or
about two hundred and fifteen years.

Jim McKenney
jimmckenney@starpower.net
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I would definitely
need Paeon's help if my aunts heard those snickers! Or did Paeon deign to
treat mere mortals?

PBS TOW
Peonies on the West Coast Part 1 by James W. Waddick

The intent of this brief introduction to peonies is based on two
assumptions: 1) that this is an introduction to the whole genus and 2)
that garden peonies are not widely grown in western gardens. I'll follow
with some suggestions.

The genus Paeonia is primarily a temperate genus of plants
closely related to the Family Ranunculaceae, but now usually confined to
their own Family Paeoniaceae. In many ways peonies are horticulturally
treated as bulbs in the widest sense. Many have thick storage rots and a
life cycle based on spring flowering/fall planted bulbs. Some bulb
nurseries actually grow and sell dormant peonies along with the
traditional tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

Horticulturally the genus is divided into two 'structural'
groups: herbaceous peonies and woody peonies. Systematically they are
best understood as four subgenera:

American Native Peonies (Subgenus Onaepia)

Woody or "Tree Peonies" (Subgenus Moutan) in Part 1

And in Part 2:Chinese Peonies (Subgenus Albiflora containing the
single species P. lactiflora)
Most Herbaceous Peonies (Subgenus Paeonia)

Native Species
Most gardeners, even West Coast Gardeners do not realize that
there is one (or two) species native to the US west coast. Paeonia
brownii ( or ssp brownii) is found in the Pacific Northwest in OR, WA,
ID, UT WY, NV mostly in high desert sites. The closely related, P. b.
ssp. californica (or P. californica) is found in a smaller area of
central and southern CA in desert sites. Both have attractive foliage,
but their dull maroon-brown flowers are hidden in the foliage and
generally attractive only to collectors. They have proven difficult to
grow outside their native area without extensive special care. I grow
mine on a high raised bed for increased drainage and no added water.
This species has the most bulb-like yearly cycle. In mild
climates the foliage emerges in fall at the onset of rains, remains all
winter to bloom in early spring and then goes dormant with spring/summer
heat and dry. P. b. californica is especially intolerant to heavy frost.

Woody Peonies
The cultivated tree peonies grow from 3 to 6 feet tall (certainly
not 'trees') and have long-lived, woody stems. There are two sub groups;
1) the shrubby stoloniferous P. delavayi species with red, yellow or
white flowers, and 2) the taller forms most often found in gardens
including P. suffruticosa, P. rockii and relatives. These have been
cultivated for centuries, perhaps a millennium, in China and in the West
for about 150 years.
Woody peonies comprise as few as 3 or 4 species or as many as 10
depending on your 'authority'. The arrangements are especially
controversial due to the long period these have been cultivated in China.
All are found in SW China and among the most southerly of all peonies. As
expected these will do well in milder climates and can be grown as far
south as Los Angeles with some understanding and proper care.
Tree peonies can reach to seven feet and live over 100 years. A
well-grown plant can have hundreds of flowers up to a foot across and
inspire growers to excess. They certainly deserve to be more widely grown
in many areas and microclimates on the Pacific Coast. They require a
minimum winter chill for dormancy and bud production. Some growers remove
still green foliage during the coolest season to encourage this dormancy.
These plants are the least bulb-like in growth, but can still be
dug and shipped bare-root when dormant in the fall like other bulbous
plants. In the ground treat them like woody shrubs.

Continues on Part 2

Best 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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