Peonies are long–lived, they can grow in one place for more than a dozen years, reach a height of 1 m. The rhizome is large, the roots are cone–shaped, powerful. There are several stems, triple or unpaired pinnate leaves of all shades of green, bluish or dark purple are arranged alternately along the stems. The flowers of the peony are single, fragrant, reaching 15-25 cm in diameter, they are good both on the bush and in the cut.
Peony is unpretentious, its agricultural technology is not difficult, so it has always been appreciated by flower growers: even when the flowers fade, peony bushes with openwork lush foliage retain their attractiveness.
Growing peonies will not require a lot of time or excessive effort from you. The most important thing is to choose the right site for peonies, because they will grow on it for many years. The root system of adult plants reaches a depth of 70-90 cm, so transplanting a bush that has reached 4-5 years of age is not an easy task.
Peonies prefer to grow in well-lit areas, it is very desirable to have sunlight for 5-6 hours in the morning. But peonies are afraid of drafts, so it would be nice if they were protected by tall bushes or trees. Do not plant peonies in the lowlands: rhizomes can rot from stagnation of water.
Growing peonies from seeds has many subtleties, but it is very interesting to wait for the result of your own breeding work. A characteristic feature of peony seeds is low enzymatic activity. This means that a very small number of seeds will germinate in the first year after sowing, if they are planted immediately in the open ground. Most will rise in a year. It is not uncommon for seeds to germinate in the third or even fifth year. Therefore, in order to "deceive" nature, step-by-step stratification is used.
This property of seeds also passes to seedlings. They grow very slowly, adding several leaves per year. They begin to bloom 5-7 years after planting in the ground.
In order to "deceive" nature and get greater germination, seeds are germinated at home, using an artificially created temperature drop — stratification, simulating the change of seasons.
Before you start planting for 2-3 days, soak the peony seeds in the settled water at room temperature. It is even better to use a growth stimulant for this by preparing a solution according to the instructions, or a strong solution of potassium permanganate (the color should be saturated, inky purple). Stratification takes place in several stages. It is important to accurately observe the time frame and all the recommendations given.