Planting Itoh Peonies in My Gardens
Come spring, I'll have more gorgeous peonies blooming than ever before here at my Bedford, New York farm.
I simply adore peonies and have been collecting them for quite some time. I have a long tree peony border planted under the semi-shade of giant sugar maples at one corner of the farm. I have a giant bed completely dedicated to pink and white herbaceous peonies just across the carriage road from my home. And, I also have tree peonies planted in the sunken garden behind my Summer House. Recently, I received a large collection of intersectional Itoh peonies grown by Monrovia, a wholesale plant nursery specializing in well-nurtured shrubs, perennials, annuals, ferns, grasses, and conifers with several nursery locations across the country. I decided these hybrid peonies would be perfect in the formal Summer House garden beds surrounded by my green boxwood hedges. Yesterday, my gardeners planted about 50 yellow and salmon Itoh peonies - I just can't wait to see them bloom in May.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- As a serious and passionate gardener, I am always looking for ways to add more beauty and texture to all my garden beds. When these peonies arrived, I already knew where to place them. All of them are from Monrovia, where they grow more than 18 different varieties of these “Itoh” peonies.
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- The varieties we received include this gorgeous ‘Bartzella’ Itoh peony. Itoh peonies are hybrids of herbaceous peonies and tree peonies. Dr. Toichi Itoh, a Japanese botanist, was the first person to successfully combine the pollen from a tree peony with the ovary of an herbaceous peony in the 1940s. This one features extra-large, vibrant yellow blooms. The outer layers are a lighter lemon meringue color, becoming a more rich yellow toward the center. And tucked within the fluffy blossoms are flares of red. ‘Bartzella’ also has a slightly spicy aroma. (Photo by Doreen Wynja for Monrovia)
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- This Itoh peony is called ‘Singing in the Rain,’ which features huge, semi-double, creamy flowers delicately flushed in apricot-salmon. The flowers have a soft, pleasing scent, and are displayed on long stems, which are perfect for cutting. (Photo by Doreen Wynja for Monrovia)
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- This is ‘Pink Double Dandy.’ When blooming, it shows off large, semi-double to double, lightly fragrant flowers on strong stems above a compact mound of dark green foliage. The blooms are dark lavender-pink when mature. The petals then fade to a soft pink, revealing a cluster of yellow stamens in the center. This cultivar was hybridized by Don Smith, a leading Itoh Peony breeder. Some of these pink peonies will be placed in my tree peony border. (Photo by Doreen Wynja for Monrovia)
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- I wanted the yellow and apricot peonies to be planted in the formal rectangular beds behind my Summer House. The hostas were moved to another area make room for the peony plants.
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- Here is one of the beds all cleared and ready for planting. Beneath the soil, there are also hundreds of spring blooming white snow drop bulbs, which also bloom in spring.
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- Ryan carefully positions all the peonies in the beds – all in lines and grouped by color.
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- These peonies are planted about three feet apart to give them ample room to grow. Itoh peonies are prolific bloomers. They can grow vigorously to three feet tall and four feet wide and will grow a second set of blooms – up to 60 blooms on a healthy and mature plant.
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- Here’s Brian as he starts to plant – more than 20 in this bed. Also called intersectional peonies, Itoh peonies share qualities with both parent plants, tree and herbaceous peonies. Like tree peonies, they have large, long lasting blooms and strong stems that do not require staking. They also have dark green, lush, deeply lobed foliage that lasts until autumn. Itoh peonies are also resistant to peony blight.
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- These plants are dormant now, but look at all the stems. These are also mature plants, so they should flower very beautifully next year with enormous blossoms up to eight inches across.
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- Brian starts by digging the hole at least twice the size of the plant. Itoh peonies are best planted in full sun to part shade and in rich, well-drained soil.
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- This hole is about a foot-and-a-half deep and wide.
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- Once the whole is dug, Brian tests its size by putting the potted plant into the hole.
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- Next, Brian sprinkles a good amount of fertilizer in the hole and on the surrounding soil. I always say, “if you eat, so should your plants.” For these plants, we’re using Roots fertilizer with mycorrhizal fungi, which helps transplant survival and increases water and nutrient absorption. Itoh peonies are sensitive to high levels of nitrogen, so when fertilizing in spring and summer, be sure to use a fertilizer that contains a low level of nitrogen.
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- Brian gently releases the plant from its container – these peonies are in excellent condition. He then uses his hands to gently loosen the roots to encourage growth.
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- Here he is placing the peony into the hole – the tops of the stems should just be level with the ground.
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- This peony is at the perfect height and should do just fine through the cold season.
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- Brian then backfills the hole, making sure it is packed well and all the stems are fully covered.
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- Because the plants are cut down and show no foliage at this time, Brian uses the empty upturned pots to indicate where they are so he is sure the peonies are planted in perfectly straight lines down the bed.
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- Once all the peonies in the section are planted, the entire area is top dressed with another layer of soil and then raked smooth. These Itoh peonies are late midseason plants and will flower in late spring to early summer for three to four weeks thanks to the many side buds which open in sequence.
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- These beds will be bursting with color next May. These Itoh peonies are sturdy, cold-hardy plants. When properly planted and cared for, these fragrant specimens can live for 100 years or even more.
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