Content
Peony Duchesse de Nemours is a type of herbaceous crop species. And despite the fact that this variety was bred 170 years ago by the French breeder Kalo, it is still in demand among gardeners. Its popularity is due to its stable lush flowering regardless of weather conditions and a pleasant, unobtrusive aroma, reminiscent of lily of the valley.
Duchesse de Nemours looks good in a flower bed, in a garden, and is also suitable for cutting
Description of peony Duchesse de Nemours
Peony Duchesse de Nemours is characterized by a sprawling, medium-sized bush, reaching a height of 100 cm and a width of 110-120 cm. The plant is splendid with branchy shoots that grow in all directions. Openwork dissected leaves of a dark green bottle shade are densely located on them. By autumn, the plates acquire a crimson tint.
Duchesse de Nemours, like all herbaceous peonies, has a well-developed root system. It is formed in this culture in a very specific way. Every year, new root processes are formed above the replacement buds at the base of the bush. And the older ones gradually thicken and turn into a kind of tubers. As a result, the root system of an adult bush deepens by 1 m, and grows in width about 30-35 cm.
In this variety, aerial shoots die off in the fall, but with the arrival of spring, the bush very quickly gains green mass. A young seedling grows within three years. When growing, the plant does not require support, as it has strong shoots.
Peony Duchesse de Nemours is distinguished by its high frost resistance. It easily tolerates temperatures as low as -40 degrees. Therefore, it can be grown in all regions where frosts do not exceed this mark in winter.
This variety is photophilous, but can withstand light partial shade, so it can be planted near tall crops that enter the growing season late.
Flowering features
Duchesse de Nemours is a terry variety of medium-flowering herbaceous peonies. The bush begins to form buds in April or early May. Lush bloom occurs in late spring and early summer, depending on the growing region. This period lasts about 18 days.
The diameter of the flowers in Duchesse de Nemur when blooming is 16 cm.The main shade is white, but closer to the center, the petals have a soft cream shade. Flowers do not lose their decorative effect after rain. Such a non-monochromatic color makes this peony variety especially attractive and elegant.
The splendor of flowering depends on the location of the plant in the garden or flower bed. Duchesse de Nemours, with a lack of light, grows bushes and reduces the number of buds. It is also important to apply top dressing in a timely manner so that the plant has the strength to fully bloom.
Cut peony flowers retain their decorative effect for a week
Application in design
Peony Duchesse de Nemours looks spectacular in group plantings with other dark varieties of culture, with the same flowering period. Also, this species can be planted singly against the background of a green lawn or coniferous crops.
In mixborders, Duchesse de Nemours goes well with delphinium, foxglove perennial asters and helenium. To create contrasting compositions, this variety is recommended to be combined with poppy seeds, irises, heuchera and carnations, where the main role will be assigned to the peony.
Duchesse de Nemours also looks great against the background of other decorative deciduous perennial crops, where the latter play the role of a kind of background. This peony is not suitable as a tub culture, as it forms a long root. If desired, it can be used as a decoration for the gazebo, planting bushes on both sides of the entrance.
Tall trees can also serve as a backdrop for group compositions of the peony Duchesse de Nemours
Reproduction methods
This variety of peony can be propagated by seeds and "cuttings". The first method is used by breeders when obtaining new types of crops. When grown by seed, the peony bush blooms in the 6th year after planting.
The second propagation method is ideal for obtaining new seedlings. But it can only be used if there is an adult Duchess de Nemours bush, which has been growing in one place for many years and has begun to bloom poorly.
In order to obtain the "delenok", it is necessary to dig out the overgrown plant in late summer or early autumn. Then it is good to clean the ground from the root and wash it so that the plexus of the processes can be seen.
Novice gardeners are advised to divide the Duchess de Nemours peony root into strong "delenki". Each of them should have 3-5 buds at the base and 2-3 well-developed root shoots 8-10 cm long. More experienced growers can use seedlings with 1-2 buds and 1-2 root shoots. But in this case, the process of growing a peony will be longer and more painstaking. Prepared seedlings should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, and then planted in a permanent place.
Landing rules
Planting a newly acquired sapling of a peony Duchesse de Nemours is best done in the northern regions in September, and in the southern and central regions throughout October.
A place for this culture must be selected well-lit and protected from strong gusts of wind. The peony should be placed at a distance of 2 m from tall crops and at a distance of 1 m in a row. The groundwater level on the site should be at least 1.5 m. The plant prefers loam with a low acidity level.
A peony seedling should be well developed, have at least 3-4 aerial shoots and a well-developed root system. In this case, the plant should not show any signs of damage. The landing pit for Duchesse de Nemour should be 60 cm in diameter and depth.It must be filled with a nutrient mixture in advance, combining the following components:
- turf soil - 2 parts;
- sheet land - 1 part;
- humus - 1 part;
- sand - 1 part.
Additionally, add 200 g of wood ash and 60 g of superphosphate to the resulting substrate. This nutrient mixture should be filled with 2-3 volumes of the planting pit.
Landing Algorithm:
- Make a small elevation in the center of the landing pit.
- Put a seedling on it and spread the roots.
- When planting, growth buds must be placed 3-5 cm below the soil surface.
- Sprinkle earth over the roots.
- Compact the surface.
- Water the plant abundantly.
It is necessary to plant the plant at least 3 weeks before the onset of frost
Follow-up care
In the first year, the peony seedling actively grows the root, therefore, it forms few aerial shoots. Throughout the season, it is necessary to ensure that the soil at the base does not dry out and constantly loosen the soil surface. To prevent excessive evaporation of moisture, it is recommended to mulch the root circle with humus. You do not need to fertilize the plant in the first year.
Peony Duchesse de Nemorouz is distinguished by its unpretentiousness. Therefore, it does not require special care. Starting from the second year, the plant needs to be fed with a mullein at the rate of 1 to 10 during the period of active growth of shoots, and during the formation of buds - with superphosphate (40 g) and potassium sulfide (25 g) per bucket of water. The rest of the care is the same as in the first year.
Preparing for winter
It is not necessary to cover adult bushes of the Duchess de Nemours peony for the winter. In late autumn, aerial shoots should be cut at the base. In young seedlings up to 3 years of age, it is recommended to cover the root circle with 5 cm thick humus mulch. And with the arrival of spring, this shelter should be removed, since this culture has an early growing season.
You need to cut off shoots from a peony with the arrival of the first frost
Pests and diseases
This herbaceous peony variety is characterized by high resistance to common pests and diseases. But if the growing conditions do not match, the plant's immunity decreases.
Possible difficulties:
- Aphid - when this insect appears, it is necessary to spray the bushes with "Inta-Vir" or "Iskra".
- Ants - to combat them, it is recommended to sprinkle the soil and shoots with buds with tobacco dust or ash.
- Brown spot - for treatment, a 0.7% solution of copper oxychloride should be used.
- Rust - Fundazol helps to fight the disease.
Conclusion
Peony Duchesse de Nemours is distinguished by light soaring flowers that rise above the bush. Thanks to this feature, this variety retains its leading position to this day. In addition, it is characterized by a stable and lush flowering, subject to the minimum maintenance rules.
Reviews of the peony Duchesse de Nemours
