Peony

Family pion.

Herbaceous and shrubby perennials;the leaves are large, regular, triple, twice or thrice-steep, the upper ones are whole;flowers large, apical, calyx of five leathery sepals, corolla usually of 5 or 10 petals obovate or almost round, stamens numerous, with thin threads;fruit - leaflet or multi-leaf. Lyon of the Deliaway ♦ Deciduous shrub;height up to 1 m;flowers single or 2 - 3 pieces;up to 6 cm in diameter, dark purple or dark reddish-brownish;blooms in May - June. Peony dendritic ♦ Deciduous shrub;height up to 2 m;leaves on top of bright green, from below - yellowish-green;flowers single, up to 20 cm in diameter, the number of petals - 6-8 - 12, white, pink, red, dark purple or violet, there are mixed colors, with spots at the base of the petals, fragrant;blooms from the end of April to the end of May. Peony yellow * Deciduous shrub;height up to 1 m;leaves double-pied, single flowers, up to 7 cm in diameter, lemon-yellow or golden;blooms in June. Peony officinalis ♦ Grassy half-shrub;height up to 80 cm;young stems are pubescent;the leaves are two-gingival, from below rarely eroded;flowers single, cup-shaped, more than 10 cm in diameter, sepals unequal, decaying, staminate filaments reddish, petals bright red( 5-8 pieces);blooms in April-May. Peony MILF-FLOWER( garden peonies) * The species includes many-numbered varieties, differing in appearance, usually with very large flowers. By classification, they are all divided into three groups with a number of subgroups. Groups:

I. Unthinking. Perianth of 5 petals, single row.

//.Semi-double. Subgroup 1 - Japanese - the petals are wide, arranged in 1 row, the central disk is surrounded by staminodes( colored like petals, and resembling stamens similar to them).Subgroup 2 - anemone - differ from the previous subgroup topics,

that the staminoids fill the entire center of the flower, there are few true stamens. Subgroup 3 - typically semi-double - differ in that the petals are arranged in 2 - 3 rows, between them - the real stamens.

///.Terry. Subgroup 1 - hemispherical - gustomahrovye, lower petals large, internal - narrow, the general shape of the flower resembles the hemisphere. Subgroup 2 - crown-shaped - the marginal petals are large, broad, arranged in a row, in the middle - numerous narrow, internal - a few wide, collected in an elevated ring in the form of a crown. Subgroup 3 - horn-shaped - large-sized, compact, the lower petals are large, the stamens are all turned into petals, the general shape of the flower resembles a rose. Subgroup 4 - semi-rosy - differs from the previous subgroup in the presence of a small number of stamens in the center.

Varieties: "Albrecht Durer" - height up to 80 cm, non-primary, white flowers;"Duches de Nemours" - height up to 90 cm, terry, crown, flowers white with yellow;"Madame Butterfly * - - height up to 80 cm, semi-double, Japanese, pink flowers;"Margarita Gerard" - height up to 80 cm, terry, rosy, flowers body-pink;"Mont Blanc" - height up to 85 cm, terry, crown, white flowers with reddish-carmine stripes on the central petals;"Felix Kruss" - height up to 100 cm, terry, hemispherical, red or red-purple flowers;and other varieties.

Relatively unpretentious plants.

Requirements for humidity: it needs watering in dry weather, but does not like water stagnation.

Requirements for heat and light: cold-resistant, warm and sun-loving plant, only a slight shading is permissible.

Requirements for soil: low-lime fertile clay soils;feeding three times - with the growth of shoots, during budding and flowering.

Reproduction: peonies medicinal and milky-flowered - by dividing the bush( every 5 -6 years), by layers and stem cuttings;half-shrub also inoculated. Seeds - only for breeding purposes.

Features: very durable, in one place can grow more than 10 years. The transfer is very bad.

Use: flowerbeds;in the first place - for cutting.