Plant of the month – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

Plant of the Month: Tree Peonies

One morning in mid-April – the warmest of the month so far, I had the pleasure of visiting our ex-chairman, Jillian S, to see the display of her stunningly beautiful tree peony flowers. These are well established shrubs with one or two still in bud and the rest nearly finished flowering, apart from the 2-metre species Paeonia delavayi, which is covered in red flowers and buds.

Every gardener should possess at least one tree peony – just to experience their few weeks of fleeting beauty – and, of course, their very handsome and large foliage, which is an added bonus to every garden for many months of the year.

I noticed that Jillian’s tree peonies have or had far more buds than mine, which is about 20 years old. Why is that? Jillian tells me that she has always had a strict policy upon purchasing any plant, including the tree peonies, and that is to immediately repot the plant with one-third multi-purpose and two-thirds of soil from her own garden. Only when the roots have established themselves in the new soil mix does Jillian then plant them in her borders. This method ensures there are fewer plant losses as the roots get the chance to adjust slowly to the change of soil, with the outcome being much stronger and robust root systems and, ultimately, stronger and healthier plants. And, that is the best gardening tip I have ever received!

Jillian tells me that all her peony varieties (Paeonia x suffruticosa) arrived as ‘freebies’ during 2009 and 2011, as special offers advertised in one of our major newspapers. They would arrive in good condition: an 18” stem with two or three branches and a sturdy root system of approximately 9” in length. These would, after potting on, be left for around 9 months to 1-year before being planted into a bed. In springtime, from then on, when the soil is still moist, a mulch of homegrown compost is added around the base of the plants to retain the health of these specimens.

Paeonia x suffruticosa possibly Huang Hu Huang Dao Jin

Paeonia x suffruticosa possibly Wu Long Peng Sheng

Over the years, Jillian has diligently and systematically recorded in notebooks all of her purchases. And in one of her notebooks she has found her notes on the exact dates the tree peonies arrived:
4th June 2009: Hai Huang Yao (yellow) and Huang Hu Huang Dao Jin (cerise with white splashes).
11th November 2009: Wu Long Peng Sheng (pink/red) and Honxia Hu Hong (pink).
23rd April 2011: Wedding Day.

Peonies prefer morning sun and dappled shade if possible and Jillian’s peonies are perfectly positioned, growing on the north side in the spring garden, some protected by the apple trees. Very little pruning is necessary but I notice that Jillian’s tree peonies are more elegant than my shrub, so a little judicious pruning on my part would not go amiss!

Anna L

Plant of the Month: Bergenia emeiensis

I have a choice plant in my garden which, amazingly, I have managed to keep alive all these years and it’s all thanks to Margaret T, who kindly gave me an off-shoot such a long time ago.

To make sure it was protected, I planted this bergenia in a pot on the shady side of the steps, so that the plant would stand out and not get damaged. It flowers every winter and has been flowering all through February this year and the elegant white, nodding flowers are still hanging on, fading to a shade of blush-pink. The rhizomes have outgrown the pot now so I will be thrilled if I can return the favour and offer Margaret T an off-shoot of this beautiful plant. Plants are difficult to obtain but I understand seed might be available on the market.

The botanists and growers regard this species as the most elegant of all the Bergenias and I can see why, as this compact plant with its rosette of neat, oval, apple-green, shiny leaves enhances the dainty flowers, which are held aloft on elegant, often blush-pink stems.

Seed was first collected from the limestone cliffs in Sichuan in the Himalayan mountains in 1935 and again in 1982 by Roy Lancaster who introduced the species to the UK. Cambridge Botanic Garden website mentions that Bergenia emeiensis can be seen growing in their Alpine House and that they are also trialling the species in their woodland area. The plant used to be regarded as tender but I regard it as a hardy perennial in my small courtyard garden which, like many London gardens, has its own micro-climate. Even so, I do, unfortunately, sometimes lose plants during colder winters but this species has not yet been damaged and so it’s a great treat to be able to admire this handsome specimen from my kitchen window.

Anna L

Plant Of the Month: Lonicera fragrantissima (Winter Flowering Honeysuckle)

If you want to lift your spirits on a cold, grey, winter’s day, then this is the plant for you!

At the Tibetan Peace Garden, adjacent to the Imperial War Museum, on an amazingly warm and sunny February afternoon, I was greeted at the entrance by the beauty and fragrant flowers of an often underrated winter flowering shrub.

The creamy-white-pale yellow, tubular flowers with protruding stamens often appear on bare or semi-evergreen stems and in my garden they literally flower for months, from November-December through to March-April. I can view the masses of flowers from my kitchen windows which is a visual treat but really, it’s my neighbours who benefit from the spectacle and fragrance as the shrub is situated on the boundary wall.

At the Tibetan Peace Garden, the shrubs are situated in full sun and their 2×3 metre spread on either side of the entrance pillars acts as a welcome into the garden enclosure and also indicates they are absolutely loving their perfect, sun-soaked, location.

Plant of the Month: Iris unguicularis (Algerian Winter Iris)

As much as I love this perennial and have planted many clumps over the years, I find it struggles in my clay soil. My now, one-and-only plant, obviously needs more sun and perhaps lighter soil, as it has flowered perhaps only once this winter and that was on 23rd November, when I took the photograph below. But Margaret T’s winter irises have been really putting on a display, with her two clumps producing 2-3 flowers at a time, on and off since December. And these will carry on flowering well into March. I’ve seen them flowering profusely when nestled against sunny, front elevations, in poor soil. But in Margaret T’s garden, the soil is rich from regular additions of compost and manure and you can see by her photograph that she has healthy, plump plants.