THE LONG-LIVED PEONY

The popular herbaceous peonies can be grown under a wide range of soil conditions. They are very hardy, low maintaince, have attractive foliage, and are excellent cut flowers.

The best time to plant or divide peonies is in the fall. Divisions should have three to five "eyes" to ensure blooms in a year or two. Well-drained garden loam is required for good growth of peonies. Dig a hole twelve to eighteen inches deep and twelve inches wide. Be sure that the pink "eyes" of the division are no more than one and one-half to two inches below the surface. Allow four to five feet between clumps. Peonies perform best if planted in full sun.

A low nitrogen complete fertilizer, such as 4-12-4, is recommended at the rate of two to three pounds per 100 square feet. Low nitrogen fertilizers are recommended to prevent weak stemmed plants. Apply in early spring when the stems are two or three inches high. After a heavy frost, cut the stems down to three inches from the soil surface.

Diseases include Botrytis Blight which is the most destructive. The blight occurs on the buds, flowers, foliage, and stems. Black, soft buds and wilted or soft stem tissue under the buds are an indication that botrytis is present. Sanitation is important; remove the stems in the fall of the year after frost. Phytopthora Blight produce black spots on the stems, leaves, and flower buds. There usually is no brown fungus mat produced, and this is how it differs in appearance from botrytis blight. Follow the same control for botrytis blight. Ants are not harmful to peonies. They feed on the sweet secretion covering the buds. Japanese Beetles feed on the flowers and foliage and can be handpicked.

GOLDEN CHAIN  TREE or GOLDEN RAIN TREE

Have you noticed the yellow flowering trees around town? Their beauty is without a doubt spectacular. They are either a Goldenchain tree or a Goldenrain tree. Do you know the difference?

Laburnum x watereri, also known as Waterer Laburnum or Goldenchain tree, is considered a small tree or shrub with a rate of growth of twelve to eighteen inches a year. At maturity it will attain a height of twelve to fifteen feet with a spread of nine to twelve feet. Goldenchain trees have an upright oval to round-headed shape. In May they bear eighteen-inch, tapering clusters of rich, yellow, pea-shaped flowers resembling wisteria blooms. The wood is dark in color, coarse, very hard, and may be stained to resemble ebony. It is much in demand among wood turners. The leaves, fruits, and flowers are all poisonous.

Transplant in the spring into moist, well-drained soil. These trees are adaptable to many situations but prefer light shade and will not tolerate standing water. They are hardy to zone 5 (cold hardiness zone.)

Koelreuteria paniculata, also known as Panicled Goldenrain tree or Varnish tree is from the Orient. Its rate of growth is ten to twelve feet over a five-to-seven-year period, reaching a height of thirty to forty feet with an equal spread.

It is a beautiful, dense tree with a rounded outline, developing to a flat top. The flowers are about one-half inch wide, borne in a twelve-to-fifteen-inch long panicle in July. This species is excellent for late yellow flowers.

A Goldenrain tree may be used as a small lawn tree, for shading a patio, and it is a good tree for urban plantings. These trees are hardy to zone 5, require full sun, and grow in almost any well-drained soil. Established trees will tolerate drought.