Peonies good choice for my garden?

17 years ago

Hi,

I have created a raised bed L shaped border with each leg of the border being about 20' long by about 6' wide and backed by a 6' high wooden fence. I originally intended it as a mostly informal border but my wife prefers the more formal look so that's the direction it's going. Soil and light conditions are pretty much perfect for most sun loving perennial plants. Hopefully I won't bore you too much with the plant selections I have made so far but I'm new to this so any input is appreciated. I have bought several great books on border design but of course specific input based on my situation is valuable also.

My basic approach is to start at one end of the "L" with predominately purple colors and progress roughly to pink and then red. One leg of the "L" has a 8' foot high trellis the entire length. I'm starting with purple Clematis teamed with various purple perennials such as verbena, flox and some bulbs. The next "section" would be dominated by roses -backed by a climbing variety progressing down to miniatures with some complementary perennials mixed in and a small urn thrown in for good measure. The final section of the trellis would support Clematis of the red varieties.

At the corner of the "L" the diagonal is about 9' so I was thinking of using a dwarf Kwansan flowering cherry as a centerpiece with various complimentary perennials and bulbs around it. I chose the cherry after reviewing many other types of smaller trees/shrubs for it's classic form, dramatic blooms and it's tolerance of understory plantings. Some say it's a boring tree when it's not blooming or in fall colors but sometimes I think a dramatic change is better than extended mediocrity. Of course a large urn could substitute but that's a little too pretentious IMO.

For the other leg of the "L" I was thinking of using tree peonies as the centerpieces. I'm not sure of this choice however since I was told that the tree peony should be about 3' away from the fence (total width of the bed is 5-6'). This may effectively prevent much foreground plantings. I suppose the peony could be planted somewhat closer to the fence and pruned as necessary. The other negative of the peony is it's short bloom period. This combined with it's relatively large size (although it seems like it takes years to reach full size) may create a somewhat dull area of the bed for most of the season.

Up to this point I have mostly considered plant height and color. The various background colors will be punctuated by a small spots of complimentary colors so it won't look overly planned.

I suppose next I should consider season of bloom and use of foreground perennials to hide faded bulb foilage etc.

Thanks for any comments.

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Comments (2)

maifleur01
17 years ago
Consider bloom season and also do the plants you have selected have similar water and food needs. Don't mix alkali and acid loving plants too close together or dry and moist soil loving.

Do some research on the various tree peonies. I would suggest one tall upright type with perhaps two smaller dwarf types. You can prune the growth back and it will increase the amount of stems. I would suggest purchasing the tall one with a single stem. Bury the stem as suggested to increase the amount of root but as shoots appear from below the surface remove them so the plant remains a single trunked plant. The dwarfs look better, to my eye as multi-stemed plants. Look for plants that have foliage that changes color in the fall also.

You state you have taken into consideration heights of plants. Are you just considering the height when you plant or 5-10-20 years away. You can plant short lived plants and shrubs as fillers until your design matures or you can use annuals as fillers.

Your design sounds delightful. You will need to provide the clematis some root protection until the surrounding plants grow tall enough.
diggingthedirt
17 years ago
The 3' distance from the fence will help ensure good air circulation around the peonies - helping stave off killer fungus problems.

One more design element to consider is texture. Color is very fleeting in most plants, but the leaf shape and plant "mass" are there all season. Well-grown tree peonies have beautiful foliage, form and bark, making an excellent companion to fine-textured, spiky, airy or variegated plants. Mine are underplanted with European ginger, which does not bloom but has *incredible* glossy bright green leaves, and tunica saxifraga Rosea(aka Petrorhagia), which has very finely cut foliage and tiny pink flowers over a fairly long season. Nearby spikes of Iris foliage make a nice contrast. These textures and foliage colors make the garden much more interesting when things are not flowering.

Because the roses will be blooming in summer in one section of your new garden, tree peonies' early bloom makes them a good choice for the other section - no competition. THis section may be more subdured in summer, but that can be an assett in itself.
My kwanzan cherries were here when I bought the house 15 years ago. Be forewarned, they are absolute magnets for many caterpillars (winter moths are a particular problem in recent years) and the leaves look just awful starting just after the flowers fade. I absolutely would never, ever plant one of these. Everything planted underneath gets a daily coating of leaf scraps and insect droppings - a nasty mess to clean up. I'd consider either a Cornus mas (cornelian cherry) or a Prunus 'Hally Jolivette' if I needed a small flowering tree.

It sounds like you are putting a lot of thought into this, and your plan sounds very good. Have fun!
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