Nearly every peony I have ever examined has ants swarming all over the unopened flower buds. Interestingly, it's not always the same species of ant, but never more than one species per peony plant. It looks to me like they are tending the flower bud, much like ands tend aphids to harvest their nectar. Is anyone familiar with this apparent symbiosis?
Ant / peony mutualism?
Really is this so The ants must be benifiting from the flower buds as the flower must be benefitting from the ants.
I hypothesize that the ants must be receiving some kind of special oil from the plants while the ants help it grow by unwraveling the unopened flower bud
Friday, November 18, 2011
When peonies finish blooming, do I cut them back?
Due to all the rain this year my peonies bloomed beautifully. Now they are all 'spent' and just the bush remains. Can I cut this back to insure a larger bush next year?
When peonies finish blooming, do I cut them back?
You know..... I just asked my husband the same question today. He didn't know either.
I'll see what I can find in one of my garden books and be back to let you know.
Here is what my book says. The book is "The Well-Tended Perennial Garden", by Tracy DiSabato-Aust. On page 194 it reads:
"Pruning: Deadheading peonies will not prolong bloom, but it will greatly enhance the appearance of the plant, snce in most cases, particularly on double forms, the old flowers are so unattractive. ............The foliage on many forms becomes unslightly with the heat of August as plants are starting fo form eyes at that time and don't have much strength for a bush. It is best for the helath of the plant to leave the foliage on the plant as long as possible, even if it's unattractive, so that the foliage can continue to perform photosynthesis and provide food reserves. Peony experts recommend leaving foliage unpruned untl after the first of September in zones 3, 4, and upper zone 5; leave until the end of September in the rest of zone 5. Gardeners in zones 6, 7, and warmer areas should try to leave the foliage until early October. "
-----------------------------------
So now we both know! Thanks for reminding me to look it up.
;-)
Reply:When the foliage of the peony has turned brown in the fall, after the first heavy frost, cut the plants down as near to the ground as possible
all the info you need here
Reply:You can do it now but its still ealry in the year and it might come back up. Wait till fall and mow it down to the ground on that last mow of the season.
Reply:Paeonia officinalis,ssp (or the Peony) is not really a "bush" or shrub; but a shrublike perennial. Meaning that it dies back(goes dormant) to the root in the fall. So prunning it back won't really insure a larger plant next year...That being said I would cut back the flowering stems to tidy up the plant a bit, and to stop the plant from producing seed. Not allowing the plant to produce seed will do more to insure a larger, more robust plant; seed production takes massive amounts of energy. By not allowing the plant to fruit, the plant will produce more flowers next year in an effort to produce seed...
Reply:just cut off the flower part (that's called deadheading), the nutrients from the stems and leaves need to go back into the soil %26amp; die off naturally. If you cut it back now it will try and grow leaves again.
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When peonies finish blooming, do I cut them back?
You know..... I just asked my husband the same question today. He didn't know either.
I'll see what I can find in one of my garden books and be back to let you know.
Here is what my book says. The book is "The Well-Tended Perennial Garden", by Tracy DiSabato-Aust. On page 194 it reads:
"Pruning: Deadheading peonies will not prolong bloom, but it will greatly enhance the appearance of the plant, snce in most cases, particularly on double forms, the old flowers are so unattractive. ............The foliage on many forms becomes unslightly with the heat of August as plants are starting fo form eyes at that time and don't have much strength for a bush. It is best for the helath of the plant to leave the foliage on the plant as long as possible, even if it's unattractive, so that the foliage can continue to perform photosynthesis and provide food reserves. Peony experts recommend leaving foliage unpruned untl after the first of September in zones 3, 4, and upper zone 5; leave until the end of September in the rest of zone 5. Gardeners in zones 6, 7, and warmer areas should try to leave the foliage until early October. "
-----------------------------------
So now we both know! Thanks for reminding me to look it up.
;-)
Reply:When the foliage of the peony has turned brown in the fall, after the first heavy frost, cut the plants down as near to the ground as possible
all the info you need here
Reply:You can do it now but its still ealry in the year and it might come back up. Wait till fall and mow it down to the ground on that last mow of the season.
Reply:Paeonia officinalis,ssp (or the Peony) is not really a "bush" or shrub; but a shrublike perennial. Meaning that it dies back(goes dormant) to the root in the fall. So prunning it back won't really insure a larger plant next year...That being said I would cut back the flowering stems to tidy up the plant a bit, and to stop the plant from producing seed. Not allowing the plant to produce seed will do more to insure a larger, more robust plant; seed production takes massive amounts of energy. By not allowing the plant to fruit, the plant will produce more flowers next year in an effort to produce seed...
Reply:just cut off the flower part (that's called deadheading), the nutrients from the stems and leaves need to go back into the soil %26amp; die off naturally. If you cut it back now it will try and grow leaves again.
domain name hosting
I want to transplant old established tea roses. The roots are enormous and I'm fearful of damaging them.?
Northern California, West Sonoma County. Cold enough for apple, peach, lilac, peony, staghorn sumac and warm enough for many 'sensitive' plants like banans, citrus and palm trees. Need/want to transplant 5 of them.
I want to transplant old established tea roses. The roots are enormous and I'm fearful of damaging them.?
I agree with the first answerer. Cut it all back to about 2-3 feet and then begin the process of transplanting. Try not to be too fearful because roses are tougher than they look. I've moved so many roses and the first I ever moved was about 10 years old. I thought I would lose it, but I had great results. I think it even preferred it's new location because it shot up and out like fireworks the following season. Here is exactly how I do it.
Transplanting a rose
1) wait until evening when temps are cooler.
2) cut the rose back to about 2 or 3 feet.
3) prepare the new home by digging a hole 2ftx2ft and water the hole. Fill the hole with water and let it drain at least twice.
4) save the top 2/3 of soil that you just dug up and set aside. Discard the bottom 1/3.
5) amend the soil you saved with peat, bone meal, and garden compost.
6) in the bottom of the hole add a layer of manure 2-3 inches thick and then layers some of the amended soil on top of the manure. Do NOT set the roots directly on the manure.
7) use a shovel to cut around the rose bush about 24inches from the trunk all the way around.
8) Moving around the rose bush again, reinsert the shovel and pull down on the handle. Doing this all the way around will loosen the soil and begin to separate any long roots. Keep doing this until the rose can be easily removed (Don't worry too much if you break a root because roses are tougher than they look)
9) Remove the rose. At this point it is best to keep as much of the origional soil around the roots as possible.
10) set the rose in hole making sure the soil on the root ball is a little above the level of the new hole. You want the rose to be on a small mound.
11) fill in the hole half way with the ammended soil and water. Once the water has run through then finish filling in the hole with the soil and water throughly.
Now that you have transplanted your rose then make sure you give it water everyday for the next 2 weeks. Be sure you water it at the base and early in the morning because roses don't like to get wet. After the two weeks then you can cut back the watering to once a week. If at any point your rose leaves begin to turn yellow then cut back on the watering.
Good Luck
Reply:Roses are pretty tough plants. Prune them back hard, water them well. Dig the new hole and fill it with water and let it drain. Dig as much as possible of the root ball out, use snippers to cut where you need to. Transplant the roses and water well. You can buy a product that you can water in to help your roses not lose too much moisture. Also, try to do it in the cooler part of the day, late afternoon etc.
Reply:cut the stems, foliage back hard. the less plant matter, the less root system will be needed.
I want to transplant old established tea roses. The roots are enormous and I'm fearful of damaging them.?
I agree with the first answerer. Cut it all back to about 2-3 feet and then begin the process of transplanting. Try not to be too fearful because roses are tougher than they look. I've moved so many roses and the first I ever moved was about 10 years old. I thought I would lose it, but I had great results. I think it even preferred it's new location because it shot up and out like fireworks the following season. Here is exactly how I do it.
Transplanting a rose
1) wait until evening when temps are cooler.
2) cut the rose back to about 2 or 3 feet.
3) prepare the new home by digging a hole 2ftx2ft and water the hole. Fill the hole with water and let it drain at least twice.
4) save the top 2/3 of soil that you just dug up and set aside. Discard the bottom 1/3.
5) amend the soil you saved with peat, bone meal, and garden compost.
6) in the bottom of the hole add a layer of manure 2-3 inches thick and then layers some of the amended soil on top of the manure. Do NOT set the roots directly on the manure.
7) use a shovel to cut around the rose bush about 24inches from the trunk all the way around.
8) Moving around the rose bush again, reinsert the shovel and pull down on the handle. Doing this all the way around will loosen the soil and begin to separate any long roots. Keep doing this until the rose can be easily removed (Don't worry too much if you break a root because roses are tougher than they look)
9) Remove the rose. At this point it is best to keep as much of the origional soil around the roots as possible.
10) set the rose in hole making sure the soil on the root ball is a little above the level of the new hole. You want the rose to be on a small mound.
11) fill in the hole half way with the ammended soil and water. Once the water has run through then finish filling in the hole with the soil and water throughly.
Now that you have transplanted your rose then make sure you give it water everyday for the next 2 weeks. Be sure you water it at the base and early in the morning because roses don't like to get wet. After the two weeks then you can cut back the watering to once a week. If at any point your rose leaves begin to turn yellow then cut back on the watering.
Good Luck
Reply:Roses are pretty tough plants. Prune them back hard, water them well. Dig the new hole and fill it with water and let it drain. Dig as much as possible of the root ball out, use snippers to cut where you need to. Transplant the roses and water well. You can buy a product that you can water in to help your roses not lose too much moisture. Also, try to do it in the cooler part of the day, late afternoon etc.
Reply:cut the stems, foliage back hard. the less plant matter, the less root system will be needed.
What can you feed to peonies to keep their stems from drooping?
Do you live in the south? Because peonies don't do well down here.
Also, they plants are very poisonous. A tea made from one bloom is said to be strong enough to kill a person.
What can you feed to peonies to keep their stems from drooping?
One shovel full of aged horsemanure per year
I have 1 thats 36 years old
Reply:Feed Miracle Grow like any other flower. Peonies are hardy plants with a good root system. Even after moving the plant, another one grew in the same place as I didn't get all the roots.
Reply:Weak Flower Stems means either deficient soil or excess shade,
Weak stems that do not stand up well when the blossoms are out indicate either a weak stemmed variety, a phosphorus deficiency, or the plant is in too much shade. Fertilize with a balanced, high-phosphorus fertilizer. That is the P of N-P-K. Give the plants bone meal. One handfull scratched into the soil.
If the plant is in shade, move it to a sunny location. If the problem persists, you may have to either stake the flower stems or try another variety.
Apply bone meal or other low nitrogen, complete, slow release fertilizer once a year after flowering (and deadheading.) This is the time of "eye" formation.
Also, they plants are very poisonous. A tea made from one bloom is said to be strong enough to kill a person.
What can you feed to peonies to keep their stems from drooping?
One shovel full of aged horsemanure per year
I have 1 thats 36 years old
Reply:Feed Miracle Grow like any other flower. Peonies are hardy plants with a good root system. Even after moving the plant, another one grew in the same place as I didn't get all the roots.
Reply:Weak Flower Stems means either deficient soil or excess shade,
Weak stems that do not stand up well when the blossoms are out indicate either a weak stemmed variety, a phosphorus deficiency, or the plant is in too much shade. Fertilize with a balanced, high-phosphorus fertilizer. That is the P of N-P-K. Give the plants bone meal. One handfull scratched into the soil.
If the plant is in shade, move it to a sunny location. If the problem persists, you may have to either stake the flower stems or try another variety.
Apply bone meal or other low nitrogen, complete, slow release fertilizer once a year after flowering (and deadheading.) This is the time of "eye" formation.
Cat ate Peony! URGENT?
My cat ate half of a peony leaf. I know peonies are posionuos to cats but my mom won't do anything about it. I'm scared is my cat going to die!!!! This is urgent! Should I just wait and see if she's fine. HELP!
Cat ate Peony! URGENT?
Call a friendly vet and ask.
Reply:You should call animal control - its illegal for your mom to withhold treatment when the cat is obviously in danger. It should be taken to the vet immediately to ensure that it is safe. You can also log onto the www.aspca.org for poison control contact info.
Do you have a friend or family member that can help you out? Call them - if they can drive you to a shelter or vet - you can explain your situation and I believe they would check out the cat - they won't let it be sick or die. So, reach out to someone you know will help you if your mom is so ignorant and evil that she won't take care of your poor defensless animal.
Reply:why do you have anything that is poisonous to cats in your house?????? get the cat to the vet if you care about your cat. call animal control on your mom if she won't take your cat to the vet
Reply:No. She will die
Reply:In all the toxic plant lists I just looked up it did not say peony on any of them.
I really doubt that a small bit is going to hurt the cat, I had a similar situation on mothers day my kitten was chewing on a calla lily someone brought over and I freaked out. I called the animal poisin control hotline and she found out the a calla lily is not a true lily and although it still was poisionus if my cat was not showing any symptoms then she probably was ok.
Cat ate Peony! URGENT?
Call a friendly vet and ask.
Reply:You should call animal control - its illegal for your mom to withhold treatment when the cat is obviously in danger. It should be taken to the vet immediately to ensure that it is safe. You can also log onto the www.aspca.org for poison control contact info.
Do you have a friend or family member that can help you out? Call them - if they can drive you to a shelter or vet - you can explain your situation and I believe they would check out the cat - they won't let it be sick or die. So, reach out to someone you know will help you if your mom is so ignorant and evil that she won't take care of your poor defensless animal.
Reply:why do you have anything that is poisonous to cats in your house?????? get the cat to the vet if you care about your cat. call animal control on your mom if she won't take your cat to the vet
Reply:No. She will die
Reply:In all the toxic plant lists I just looked up it did not say peony on any of them.
I really doubt that a small bit is going to hurt the cat, I had a similar situation on mothers day my kitten was chewing on a calla lily someone brought over and I freaked out. I called the animal poisin control hotline and she found out the a calla lily is not a true lily and although it still was poisionus if my cat was not showing any symptoms then she probably was ok.
Do peonies need to be lifted in the fall?
someone just gave me some tubers should I plant them or wait till spring?
Do peonies need to be lifted in the fall?
Fall is the best time to plant your Peonies. Be sure to plant them about 3-6ft. apart as they tend to get very bushy. Mulch with leaves or evergreen boughs for winter blanket. I use the trimmed branches from our x-mas tree for extra cover on young plantings.
In spring before they get to large, put a peony ring in place for support of the large flowers that become top heavy. Don't get discouraged if they do not bloom the first year. I hope they do for you, but time is of the essence! Full sun to part shady. Very fragrant, and ants love them! Happy Peony planting!
Reply:plant them now and no the do not need to be lifted in the fall have some that have been in same spot for 25 years
Reply:you can plant them in the spring or fall. you can leave them in the ground, you don't have to pull them up every fall. i planted peonies and they bloomed beautifully the 2nd year.
Reply:I don't know about planting them but I do know they do NOT need to be lifted in the fall. We had 9 plants/bushes in our yard when I was a kid. Every fall we mowed them off and every spring they came back up. (20 years that I know of.)
Reply:Peonies do best with fall planting. In zone five and south they are hardy. Places farther north, look for a protected 'micro climate' or mulch them. They die back to the ground every winter and re-emerge in the spring.
they prefer a spot with full sun (except in the south) and they bloom more heavily in sun, but the flowers last longer in part shade. Plant in a large hole, in good well drained, moisture retentive soil. If soil is excessively acid, add one cup lime per plant. Keep fertilizers, bone meal, and lime away from direct contact with the roots. Plant with the eyes or 'growing points' to the top about 1 1/2 inches beneath the soil surface. Mulch the first winter to protect from severe cold.
Reply:DON'T lift those peonies in the fall! They need a cold dormant period to grow and bloom next year. Fall is the best time to plant, divide and transplant peonies. Make sure you do not plant them any deeper than 2 inches or you will not have nice blooms.
auto loan
Do peonies need to be lifted in the fall?
Fall is the best time to plant your Peonies. Be sure to plant them about 3-6ft. apart as they tend to get very bushy. Mulch with leaves or evergreen boughs for winter blanket. I use the trimmed branches from our x-mas tree for extra cover on young plantings.
In spring before they get to large, put a peony ring in place for support of the large flowers that become top heavy. Don't get discouraged if they do not bloom the first year. I hope they do for you, but time is of the essence! Full sun to part shady. Very fragrant, and ants love them! Happy Peony planting!
Reply:plant them now and no the do not need to be lifted in the fall have some that have been in same spot for 25 years
Reply:you can plant them in the spring or fall. you can leave them in the ground, you don't have to pull them up every fall. i planted peonies and they bloomed beautifully the 2nd year.
Reply:I don't know about planting them but I do know they do NOT need to be lifted in the fall. We had 9 plants/bushes in our yard when I was a kid. Every fall we mowed them off and every spring they came back up. (20 years that I know of.)
Reply:Peonies do best with fall planting. In zone five and south they are hardy. Places farther north, look for a protected 'micro climate' or mulch them. They die back to the ground every winter and re-emerge in the spring.
they prefer a spot with full sun (except in the south) and they bloom more heavily in sun, but the flowers last longer in part shade. Plant in a large hole, in good well drained, moisture retentive soil. If soil is excessively acid, add one cup lime per plant. Keep fertilizers, bone meal, and lime away from direct contact with the roots. Plant with the eyes or 'growing points' to the top about 1 1/2 inches beneath the soil surface. Mulch the first winter to protect from severe cold.
Reply:DON'T lift those peonies in the fall! They need a cold dormant period to grow and bloom next year. Fall is the best time to plant, divide and transplant peonies. Make sure you do not plant them any deeper than 2 inches or you will not have nice blooms.
auto loan
Peony Flower Tattoo?
Where can I find a design of a Peony that I can use as a tattoo.
Peony Flower Tattoo?
is this what you are talking about?
http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/em...
here are some more
http://www.backyardcity.com/images/sni/s...
http://www.centerforconsciousliving.com/...
Reply:Go on-line and type in peony.........................you'll get pictures
out the yin yang......
Reply:here are some tatt examples
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10...
Peony Flower Tattoo?
is this what you are talking about?
http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/em...
here are some more
http://www.backyardcity.com/images/sni/s...
http://www.centerforconsciousliving.com/...
Reply:Go on-line and type in peony.........................you'll get pictures
out the yin yang......
Reply:here are some tatt examples
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10...
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