Divine divas - the peony
BONUS post for paid subscribers: The divas of my garden, and why I gloat about them
There are certain plants in the gardening world that make you feel smug. For me, that plant is the peony. Every spring, as their fat buds swell and burst into bloom, I find myself gloating ever so slightly (okay, quite a lot) to my family and friends in the North Island of New Zealand. Because while I’m down here in North Canterbury, reveling in peony glory, they’re left muttering into their subtropical compost heaps, wondering why theirs never make it past “green stick with dreams.”
The reason? Peonies are cold-loving divas. They want proper winters. None of this “putting on a jersey in June and calling it a season” nonsense. Peonies need repeated cold days to do their thing, and North Island warmth just won’t cut it unless you’re perched high enough up a mountain to freeze your toes off. People do try to cheat, dumping bags of ice on their peonies several times each winter. But that’s more maintenance than I’m prepared to endure for anything that isn’t a teenager. And even then, it’s not a guaranteed success. My advice? Don’t waste your money unless your winters are properly chilly, and by ‘chilly’ I mean repeated frosts.
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt bud
The joy of clay (yes, really)
I’ll admit clay soil has its frustrations. But peonies? They seem to love it. I’ve amended mine and popped them into raised beds, and they thrive on the clay’s moisture-retentive, nutrient-rich qualities. Once established, I’ve found them to be surprisingly low-maintenance and relatively disease-free. But they can have a few issues from time to time. Here’s a low-down on peony problems:
