Peonies are one of the most beautiful flowers to bloom in early summer. They not only decorate the garden, but are also suitable for cutting and arranging bouquets. There are a large number of different hybrids of these flowers, one of them is the peony of the Festiva Maxima variety.
- Description and features
- Landing
- Selecting a location
- Soil requirements
- Selection and preparation of seedlings
- Deadlines
- Planting scheme
- Care
- Watering
- Loosening and weeding
- Top dressing
- Mulching
- How to fence off correctly
- Support
- Preparing for winter
- Why you shouldn’t let it bloom in the early years
- How to cut flowers correctly
Description and features
The history of this variety began in Europe, or more precisely, in France in 1851, when breeders managed to develop a snow-white hybrid of peonies. Since then, the Festiva Maxima variety began to spread throughout Europe and beyond, where climatic conditions allowed the cultivation of these flowers.
Peonies are perennial herbaceous plants. The bushes grow in height to almost 1 m. The inflorescences are double type, white in color. There are red stripes along the edges of the petals.
The inflorescence itself is very large, reaching about 20 cm in diameter. A large number of flowers bloom on the bush. The flowering period occurs in June and lasts 10-14 days.
Landing
Planting peonies is no different from planting other flower crops. You just need to choose the right place and soil mixture for planting the plant.
Selecting a location
The Festiva Maxima peony prefers to grow in open, sunny areas. In partial shade and shade, the culture does not develop well. The inflorescences bloom are small in size, not very lush. It is also worth choosing places that will be protected from strong winds.
Soil requirements
Healthy and bushy peonies can only grow in fertile soil. It is not recommended to plant plants where groundwater is located nearby. Because of this, peonies may die. The main thing is to have good drainage. It is not recommended to plant plants on heavy loamy soils. It is better to choose light, fertile soil with good aeration.
Selection and preparation of seedlings
To grow lush bushes, you need to carefully select planting material. Planting material is sold mainly in sections. They must be taken from a young bush and have 3-5 buds.Planting material should not be dry or show signs of damage.
It is not necessary to prepare the cuttings for planting. Just put it in a growth activator for a few hours.
Deadlines
Peonies are planted in early spring after the soil has completely warmed up, or in the fall before the onset of cold weather.
Planting scheme
Planting process:
- Make a depression of 20-30 cm in the soil.
- Place the cutting in the hole and cover it with soil.
- It is not recommended to deepen the root collar too much.
- Compact the soil near the base of the stem.
Water generously with warm water at the end of planting.
Care
If you properly care for the bushes, you can not replant them for more than 5 years.
Watering
Peonies do not tolerate excessive soil moisture, so if it rains for a long time and the weather is cloudy, you don’t need to water the bushes at all until the soil dries out.
You need to irrigate flowers if it is hot outside. Then you will have to moisten the soil every day. It is allowed to use water heated in the sun.
If you water with cold water, fungal diseases may appear.
Loosening and weeding
It is often necessary to weed the soil before the peonies grow in early spring. When they begin to bloom, you only need to pull out the weeds and carefully weed the soil once a week before watering.
Top dressing
The plants are fed with fertilizers for flowering plants throughout the growing season until flowering.
Mulching
Peonies are very bushy and it is practically impossible to get close to them to pull out the weeds without accidentally breaking the flowers themselves. Therefore, immediately after planting you need to mulch the soil. In addition, the advantage of mulch is constantly moist soil.
Peat, sawdust, straw, and agrofibre are used as mulch. The mulch layer should not be less than 15 cm.Before laying it, the soil is loosened and weeds are removed.
How to fence off correctly
To do this, you can tie the stems to a support.
Support
Due to the height of the stems, bushes may break. To prevent this from happening, peonies need to be tied to a support. Strong metal trellises are installed next to the bushes and the stems are tied to them.
Preparing for winter
Although the Festiva Maxima variety survives winters normally, if you live in cold regions, it is better to cover the plants before the onset of cold weather. The stems are cut almost to the root. Then cover with a thick layer of spruce branches or agrofibre.
Why you shouldn’t let it bloom in the early years
It is not advisable to allow peonies to bloom in the first year after planting. All energy will be spent on the formation of inflorescences, while the root system needs nutrients more so that it forms strong and healthy.
How to cut flowers correctly
Cut off the blooming buds with sharp pruning shears or garden shears at an angle of 45 degrees. It is better to sprinkle the cut areas with wood ash to prevent the development of infections. Cut peonies are placed in ice water.
