In spring, courtyards and squares are decorated with beautifully flowering pion bushes. They grow almost everywhere. Their popularity is associated with huge beautiful flowers that emit a strong but delicate aroma. Ease of care, unpretentiousness have made them indispensable for any gardener. A variety of colors allows you to turn any flower bed into a bright multi-colored carpet. Among the variety of peonies there are several white ones. One of them is Maxim Festival peony.
Variety description
Peonies are perennial flowers. Among the three dozen species there are herbaceous and tree-like varieties. They differ in that the tree-like ones grow in the form of a bush or tree, and the grassy stems disappear for the winter. Treelike in the form of a shrub or semi-shrub grow in nature in southwest China. In temperate regions, herbaceous plants are more common.
Peonies in nature have flowers with five petals in pink, red or white. Just onCaucasus grow white-yellow. There are many stamens, they are noticeable, with long threads of red color.
Some types of peonies:
- Medicinal, which was the first to be grown. Distributed in the Mediterranean.
- Lactic-flowered (white-flowered, Chinese) grows in the Far East. Not affected by diseases, not afraid of difficult weather conditions.
- Narrow-leaved with red flowers and dissected leaves.
The interest in the study of peony is evidenced by the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century a society of peony growers was created in America. Based on these wild species, breeders have created tens of thousands of varieties. All of them are divided into three groups:
- Officinalis - selected varieties of medicinal peony, which includes terry varieties of red, pink and white.
- Chinese peonies - based on peony lactiflora.
- Interspecific hybrids.
According to the structure of the flower, all varieties of peonies are divided into the following groups:
- Plain (non-double).
- Japanese with stamens without pollen.
- Anemone with lots of staminodes (modified stamens).
- Semi-double
- Terry, in which four groups are distinguished, including pink ones.
There are three groups of peonies according to the timing of flowering. The earliest bloom in the first half of June. Those that bloom before the third decade of this month are medium. Late flowering continues until the first decadeJuly.
Maxim Festival Peony
Festiva Maxima is a peony that has proven itself well over a century and a half of its history. It was then that this beautiful flower was created in France.
What does the peony of the Maxim Festival look like? The description and photos show that the peony bush of this variety is tall, sprawling. Stems grow up to 1 meter. The leaves are large, dark green. Terry pink flower. The petals are close to each other. The size of the flower can reach 20 cm. The color of the petals is white, the central ones with red strokes along the edges.
Festiva Maxima is a peony that blooms for about two weeks. The number of flowers is large. The flower is fragrant, with a delicate and rather strong smell.
Maxim Festival Peony Soil
Herbaceous peony of the Maxim Festival can delight with flowering in one place for about three decades. Therefore, when planting it, it is necessary to provide for it to receive a large amount of light in the future. Can grow in slightly shaded areas. The distance from the buildings must be at least 2 m. They will not bloom there.
Festiva Maxima is a peony that loves neutral soil. The acidity level for planting a peony is pH 6-6.5. Adding lime or wood ash will help to make the soil less acidic.
The soil for growing the Maxim Festival peony should be nutritious. But it can also be successfully grown on the poor. Such flowers feel bad on the sand, so it needs to be dilutedclay and organics.
Peony feels worse in wetlands. There, its roots begin to rot, which can lead to the death of the plant.
Planting the peony of the Maxim Festival
You need to replant the peony of the Maxim Festival in the fall, in September. It is undesirable to plant later, because he may not have time to take root in frost.
When planted in the spring, the plant tolerates transplanting much worse. Its buds begin to bloom very early, so they fall off when dividing.
Festiva Maxim - a peony that needs to be immersed in the ground is not deep. The top kidney should be at ground level. If planted much deeper, the shoots will be weak, there will be few flowers. The depth of the pit for planting a peony of the Maxim Festival should be at least 70 cm. The length of the root reaches 60 cm. There must be room for their further growth, otherwise they will stop growing.
If the peony is planted too high, it will be on the surface in spring. It is sprinkled with earth, and transplanted in the fall.
The peony planting pit for the Maxim Festival is prepared earlier. Lay a layer of drainage: gravel, expanded clay, coarse sand.
The removed top layer of earth is mixed with humus, peat. Add a glass of wood ash or superphosphate. Lay at the bottom of the pit. It is better to prepare a hole in advance, six months in advance. But it doesn't always work out. The earth in the pit should settle for at least 2 weeks. If this could not be done in advance, the soil is well rammed when planting a peony.
The distance between the peony bushes shouldbe at least 1 m.
Maxim Festival Peony Care
After planting, peonies need to be watered. You can mulch with peat or mowed grass. The first two years it is not necessary to fertilize peonies. They will have enough useful substances laid down during planting. Loosen the soil, remove weeds. Do not allow the peony to bloom immediately after planting. If flower buds form, they are cut off.
A young bush is covered with peat for the winter. Subsequently, he will not need shelter.
The peony of the Maxim Festival blooms profusely, the photo of which is located here, starting from the third year. After a few years, the bush will grow, the stems will not be able to keep upright and will begin to bend under the weight of the flowers. Therefore, they will need to be supported. It is installed a week before the peonies bloom, so as not to damage the flowers later.
Is it possible to make the Maxim Festival peony even bigger? Reviews of flower growers are advised to remove all buds except the central one. Then the remaining central flower will be larger. Faded flowers are also removed so that the bush does not waste energy on the formation of seeds. They should not be used to propagate the Maxim Festival peony.
Cut flowers
Many gardeners grow cut flowers. But you need to carefully separate them from the bush. On each bush, no more than half of the flowers should be cut. If you cut off all or the main part of it, young buds will be weak. Part of the stem with several leaves should also be left.
Preparing a peony for winter
At the end of summer, fertilizers are applied under the peony bush of the Maxim Festival,humus and minerals. Leaves are cut, but the bush is not covered with them. This can lead to gray mold disease.
