Peonies visit every spring

My garden friends have left. They arrive each spring, put on a show of color and fragrance, and fade into summer. Welcome, beautiful, carefree. I can't take credit for their presence. I didn't invite them. I inherited them almost thirty years ago when we moved in. Each year I smile, offer a blessing, blow a kiss and continue on with my day, a little happier because of their presence. Some years I have remembered to round up their mounding, large, floppy blooms in a metal hoop. They tend to droop and drag on the ground. Most years, including this year, I forget. Enough of the waxing poetic. On to the nitty-gritty. My loyal friends are the garden peony. Peonies were cultivated in Asia and Europe over 2,500 years ago and arrived in the United States in the early 1800s, according to Joe Boggs, writing in an Issue of Buckeye Yard and Garden Online. They are reliably winter hardy, easy to grow, and develop large but rather short-lived flowers, gorgeous in the garden or as cut flowers. They are generally disease and insect free. The plants are even attractive post-bloom boasting glossy dark green foliage. Other requirements? Full sun, room to grow with good air circulation, protection from strong winds, well-draining soil that holds moisture. My white peonies sit at the end of a fence, spilling out over one edge, part of a border of roses and day lilies. My hot pink friends surround a light post sharing a bed with stella d'oro daylilies, coral bells, sedum, and a bowling ball covered in pennies. Picking flowers does not injure the plants but removing too many leaves can. Cut flower stems short leaving at least two leaves intact. Post season management includes removing stems when dormant in late fall. Cut the plant to the ground and remove the refuse. This is the surest way to prevent the spread of insects and disease. As the plants age, an annual fertilization scratched into the soil or as the package directs will make them happy. Division in late September and early October will spark growth and development. Prepare the soil 10-12 inches deep and wide enough for the roots to spread out. Dig up the clump and divide it into smaller plants. Do not overcrowd. A spring division is less desirable but may be successful if done early. Mulch the plant to preserve moisture and prevent alternate freezing and thawing. Remove mulch in the spring. Want more information? The peony was declared the state flower of Indiana 1957. Purdue University Cooperative Extension offers basic information in its Fact Sheet HO-76-W, The Peony: State Flower of Indiana. For a local connection, Pam Bennett, OSU Master Gardener Volunteer Program Director, advises in another BYLG article for peony and garden enthusiasts to mark their calendars for the first weekend in June for the Peony Festival in Van Wert. That was last weekend so we've missed it for this year. In the 1900s, Van Wert area gardeners grew this beautiful, aromatic flower in large fields earning the city the nickname Peony Capital of the World. The peony has been celebrated there annually for the last thirty years Are you sold? Head out to your local nursery and check out their stock BFF!