Puny Peonies
Anne Jaeger June 3, 2003
Your peonies puny? You are not alone. Experts call this the worst year in the last 20 for botrytis, a fungus rampant in cool wet weather. Not to worry though, it’s a fleeting problem. Next year may be completely different. As for this year, I’ve got some tips to help you salvage what’s left and enjoy what you have.
*Banish Botrytis: If you’re seeing the tell-tale signs of the illness, pick off all infected parts of the plant. Man, it is ugly. Botrytis turns the leaves brownish black (sometimes kind of fuzzy) and make the foliage and flowers shrivel. This year I’ve lost about a handful of leaves on one plant but the others seem to have escaped unscathed. You gotta be ruthless though. So, if disposal means cutting the stem down to the ground; do it. The fungus can infect all parts of the plant, except the roots. Thus, you can whack the shriveled stem to the ground if need be.
*Foiling Fungus: The owners of Pacific Peonies outside Canby resort to a spray program. Theresa Snelson says you won’t find a fungicide labeled specifically for peonies “So just use products made for roses and spray on the same schedule.” For the most part that entails spraying a fungicide as soon as the new growth starts to push up from the ground. Spray every 7 to 10 days. The directions on the bottle explain the rest. Now, we can concentrate on enjoying what you have.
*Fresh From the Fridge: How about having a vase full of homegrown peonies in August? Extravagant, wouldn’t you say? Yes, it’s far past their bloom time, but it can be done. Peonies will last for months if they’re stored in the fridge. While the flowers are still on the plant, choose a bud that is showing color and just about to open but isn’t quite there yet. Cut it and swaddle it airtight in plastic wrap. Chris Baglien of Pacific Peonies says buds keep three to four months this way. The flowers open when the stems are plunged into a vase of water. So amaze your friends, and fool your enemies with that little trick.
The other way to have peonies all year long is to buy them freeze dried. Not since Tang emerged on the market has freeze drying created something so sweet. Traditional air drying doesn’t work on peonies because they have such high water content. The process of freeze drying allows the petals to keep their shape and the whole flower looks remarkably real. Freeze dried, they last as long as you want. Simply blow the dust off with a blow drier set on low. Since most of us don’t have a freeze dried in out back pocket. You’ll have to buy the flowers already freeze dried. Pacific Peonies makes their own.
One final word about peonies; if you want a show stopper, seek out the new plants called “intersectional” peonies. They are a rare cross between tree peonies and garden (herbaceous) peonies. Oh my gosh! What stunners. I recently got one called “Bartzella.” It really is the queen of the intersectional. Big double yellow peony flowers nearly the size of dinner plates and the frilly leaves you see on tree peonies. You can find these at Caprice Nursery, Pacific Peonies as well as other from other peony growers, but they don’t come cheap. You’ll need an inheritance to afford them. Most intersectionals are priced well more than a hundred if not $250 dollars. In my estimation “Bartzella” earns its title as “one of the most beautiful flowers in the world.” And this plant will outlast you and your grandchildren. They continue growing that long.
