Grassy peony and tree peony: differences, characteristics, selection criteria
Peony perennial herbaceous and tree peony are two beautiful flowers that can become a worthy highlight of the garden. Previously, preference was given to a herbaceous variety, but recently bright disc-shaped and very large flowers began to appear in the plots more and more often. This speaks to the growing popularity of tree varieties.
Differences
The tree-like and herbaceous varieties of peony have significant differences not only in appearance, but also in the characteristics of cultivation. However, both plants please with beautiful flowers.
Bush and bush
Characteristic leaves and powerful lignified shoots make it possible to attribute the tree-like peony to shrubs. With the onset of cold weather, the ground part of a herbaceous plant dies off, while in a tree-like plant, on the contrary, it begins to grow stronger. Over time, a lush, rounded bush can reach a height of 2 m. The plant also differs in that on a tree type, it is not necessary to cut faded buds in time to stimulate subsequent flowering and properly distribute vitality.
Resetting tree foliage
In autumn, the tree-like peony sheds its leaves. At the same time, the shoots remain, grow stronger. As a result, they look a lot like wood.
Terms of growth in one place
A tree-like peony in one place can grow for decades, if there are all the necessary conditions and a supply of nutrients for this. Herbaceous varieties are more demanding and need to be repotted after 10-15 years.The signal that the plant needs to change its place of growth is poor flowering.
Flower diameter
In a tree-like peony, the flowers are larger and reach a diameter of 25-30 cm, while in another species this figure does not exceed 20 cm.
Ripening dates
Grassy peony blooms a couple of weeks later than its tree counterpart. The exact flowering period depends on the region and weather conditions.
Variety of colors
The color scheme of the herbaceous peony is more diverse than that of the tree. There are varieties with pink, burgundy, white, lilac color of inflorescences. Breeders brought even bicolors to the attention of flower growers. But this plant does not have a rich yellow color. The same goes for tree-like flowers. This feature does not cause much discomfort to gardeners, since the variety of colors is enough to satisfy the needs of the most demanding connoisseurs of beauty.
Other Features
A characteristic feature of the tree peony is a long flowering period, which lasts about 1 month. Cold winters can only tolerate new varieties of this variety, while the old ones require mandatory shelter for the winter. Herbaceous varieties tolerate the cold season more easily, since their ground part still dies off at the first frost.
Selection criteria
When choosing a variety or variety of peony for a garden or a personal plot, flower growers are guided not only by their tastes and preferences, but also by the climate, the agrotechnics of the plant, and the exactingness of care.
Decorative properties
In terms of decorative qualities, both types of plants are on the same level.Here you need to be guided only by your own taste. A lush tall bush will give a special charm if it is planted in an open area and will not be covered by other shrubs. Herbaceous varieties look great in both single and group plantings
Unpretentiousness
As the experience of gardeners shows, tree peonies are more unpretentious than their counterparts. They show increased resistance to pests and pathogens, easily endure winter, grow for decades in one place without transplanting.
Comparison chart
Comparison of herbaceous and tree peony should be presented in the form of a table.
| Treelike | Herbaceous |
| Has a soft herbaceous stem | |
| The bush reaches the maximum height of 1 m | |
| To stimulate foliage growth, it is recommended to prune the first flowers | |
| The flower reaches a maximum diameter of 20 cm | |
| Over 4600 varieties have been bred | |
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