Dendritic peonies
This decorative culture is quite widespread in Russia. Peony is unpretentious, beautiful, but doesn't have many species - a little more than 40. Some species of peonies are growing in the Crimea, on the Mediterranean Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, in the eastern and south-western parts of Asia, in central Russia, North America, and also in the northern part of the African continent. By the way, some species listed in the World Red Book and protected by law - for example, Endemics.
Dendritic or suffrutescent peony is one of the most widespread kinds of peonies in Russia.
Dendritic peony belongs to a polymorphic species. Originally from China. Grows in Sichuan, Shensi, Shansi and Chansu. Also taken root on the south side of Tibet, where it feels rather well in marl limestone at an altitude of more than 2.5 thousand meters.
In modern materials on gardening and breeding this species is called - decorative garden. Bush of mature plant reaches a height of 1 - 1.5 meters. Blossoms by large (up to 25 cm) inflorescences on one bush can simultaneously be from 30 to 70 flowers. Petals of dendritic peony are thick, embossed, painted mostly in white, purple, crimson or pink color with a constant dark magenta heart. The inflorescence has a large number of stamens with quite large anthers of a bright yellow color. Flowering depends on the air temperature - than it is cooler, so flowers live longer. On average, this period is 10 days.
Suffrutescent peony of polymorphic type has several varieties that are divisible into three groups: double, semi-double and regular. Despite the relatively short period of flowering plants are beautiful until the autumn. Decorative effect is supported by large bipinnate leaves of bright green color, and the original form of the fruit.
Yellow peony and Delaveyi peony also been found in the mountainous Chinese province Yuinan in 1883-84 ys. This high-mountainous region of forest and subalpine zones (height from 2.5 up to 3.5 thousand meters above sea level), where for a long time Chinese not let the Europeans. It was a closed area of China.
Inflorescences of small size (up to 9 cm), located for 3-4 pieces on the sprig. We get bright, abundant bushes of flowers. Yellow peony according to its name has a bright-yellow petals and Delaveyi peony - chestnut (dark brown) color. The period of their blooming is two weeks later than of polymorphic dendritic peony.
These plants are frost-resistant, and therefore have taken root in the middle of Russia. Vitality of the plants caused by the fact that the bush starts up hard stiff roots under the ground, of which in the spring appear the sprouts instead of the frozen in winter.
Now more than 500 subspecies of peonies are known for selectionists. It's good to divide them all into four bulky groups:
- Chinese-European;
- Japanese;
- Interspecific hybrids;
- Intersectional hybrids.
Double flowers are typical for the first group, semi-double and simple - for the second. The third is formed by plants get from crosses of dendritic and yellow suffrutescent peonies. Last group includes the Ito-hybrids, it is a new group and is currently complemented. Representatives of this group became peonies obtained from dendritic and herbaceous species.
As the period of flowering is short enough, many gardeners are trying to prolong it. Artificially is not possible to prolong the period of flowers preservation, you should think about the different varieties of plants. Plant a herbaceous wild growing peony ( blooms from the late May to early June), dendritic (late June - early July) or varietal herbaceous, Intersectional hybrids (late June - mid July). In such a way, peonies will delight you with their bright colors for almost two months.