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Peony Black Beauty is a varietal representative of the culture that came to Russia from America. Among the herbaceous varieties, Black Beauty is characterized by the darkest shade of red flowers. The crop is grown to decorate gardens, summer cottages and personal plots.
Description of peony Black Beauty
Peony Black Beauty (Black Beauty) is a perennial plant. Budding begins in the third year of the biological cycle and lasts about 15 years. During this period, the peony produces a lot of root shoots, and the flowering rate does not decrease.
The Black Beauty variety is in demand among gardeners in almost all regions of Russia. The crop is characterized by a high level of frost resistance; thanks to its deep central root, it calmly reacts to Siberian frosts down to -350C.
The plant is light-loving, but can also exist in partial shade. In a shaded place it loses its decorative effect. The shoots become thin and small, buds are rarely formed.
The color of Black Beauty's petals changes depending on the time of day, in the morning the peonies are bright, and with sunset a chocolate tint appears
The peony is especially popular in the gardens of the Moscow region.Due to its high degree of drought resistance, Black Beauty thrives in southern climates. This variety is often found in the resort area of the Black Sea and Azov coasts.
In the first year after planting, the vegetation is aimed at the formation of the root system; in the next season, the peony increases its green mass, intensively forming shoots; in the third year, it lays buds in the spring, and by autumn the plant is suitable for division.
The herbaceous peony Black Beauty grows in the form of a compact bush with strong shoots that do not deviate from the center under the weight of flowers. Therefore, the variety is grown without a garter to a support. The advantages of the variety include persistent immunity to infections and pests. With proper care, the peony practically does not get sick.
Externally, the Black Beauty variety looks like this:
- The height of an adult peony is 80-90 cm, the bush is dense, with multiple shoots, very dense, the volume is within 50 cm, it grows quickly.
Without dividing the parent plant, the crown becomes voluminous, but the flowers are smaller in size
- The stems are erect, with a rigid structure, red-brown, slightly pubescent. At the tops, up to three lateral shoots are formed, ending, like the main stem, with flowers.
- The leaves are attached to long petioles in 3-4 pieces, the arrangement is regular. The leaf blade is long and thin, with a sharp top and smooth edges, the surface is glossy, light green in color.
- The root system is of a mixed type, fibrous roots are close to the surface, the central part goes deep to 60 cm.
The Black Beauty variety with its compact bush and abundant flowering is ideal for mass planting.
Features of flowering
Black Beauty milky peony is classified as a semi-double species with large inflorescences. The variety is mid-early, bud formation begins in late spring, the bush blooms for two weeks. After flowering and until late autumn, the peony remains decorative due to its thick crown. When the temperature drops to zero, the leaves become purple, and after the first frost the above-ground part dies.
The stems are vertical, long, without bends, so the peony looks graceful both in the flowerbed and in a bouquet
How Black Beauty blooms:
- semi-double flowers consist of eight rows of petals, the lower ones are spread out, slightly rounded, with wavy edges, the closer to the center, the smaller the size becomes, the shape becomes concave, the edges are carved;
- the core consists of numerous filaments with bright yellow anthers;
- the flowers are large, the average diameter is 18 cm; if the side buds are removed, the central flower can grow up to 25 cm;
- the shape is lush, round, the aroma is weak;
- The color is dark burgundy with a brown tint.
The splendor of the peony depends on the fertility of the soil, the degree of lighting, and the timely division of the bush.
Application in design
The Black Beauty variety with a dense crown and strong stems does not fall apart and keeps its shape throughout the growing season. Peony is suitable for growing in a large portable pot; it is an interesting option for outdoor containers.
The Black Beauty variety is used to decorate the balcony of a city apartment, loggia, country veranda or winter garden. The plant will not lose its decorative appearance in stationary conditions if it has enough space and ultraviolet radiation.The variety feels comfortable in greenhouses, but the beauty of Black Beauty is fully revealed only in open ground.
Peony is used to decorate the site in combination with different types of flowering and evergreen plants and shrubs. It is necessary that crops have similar soil composition requirements.
Black Beauty peony is planted in a composition with the following plants: geranium, dwarf forms of pine with varied colored needles, pyramidal thujas, ground cover junipers, irises, with white, yellow or cream roses, hydrangea, pelargonium, petunia, zinnia.
When planting, Black Beauty should not be combined with perennials that have a creeping root system. Competition for nutrition will not be in favor of the variety. They create mixborders with this peony without using plants with red flowers, because against the background of a bright culture they will become invisible.
Examples of growing Black Beauty in gardening:
- For framing flower beds.
Peonies of different varieties are planted, creating a composition based on contrasting flower colors.
- Mass planting is used to decorate lawns.
The burgundy flowers of the Black Beauty peony highlight the simple wild plants
- For decorative design of the recreation area.
In combination with flowering plants, peonies create a special color
- Planted on the sides of a garden or park path.
The alley of peonies looks bright and festive
- In the foreground of the estate as a tapeworm.
Peony will decorate any place on the site
- Create compositions with evergreen crops.
Dark flowers of Black Beauty harmonize well with golden thuja
Reproduction methods
The Black Beauty variety is suitable for any method of propagation.Generative is used in nurseries; seedlings are grown en masse for sale, but it takes 3 years for the peony to gain strength. You can increase the number of bushes on the site by cuttings and layering. These methods are ineffective, so gardeners rarely use them.
The variety grows well, forms young tubers in sufficient quantities, the adult plant is divided into several parts so that each has 3-5 vegetative buds, then assigned to a permanent place. The next season the plant will produce buds, and in a year it will be a full-fledged bush.
Landing rules
In any climate zone, peonies are planted at the end of summer or in the first ten days of September. The frost-resistant plant will fully adapt before winter and will enter the active phase of the growing season in the spring.
Requirements for the location:
- The place should be sunny, temporary shading is allowed. The site needs good air circulation.
- Light, fertile, well-drained soil is suitable; the peony should not be placed in a constantly wet place.
- The soil composition is neutral.
The planting hole is prepared 14 days before work so that the soil settles. The pit must be at least 60 cm deep and wide. Drainage is required at the bottom. Mix peat and compost, add potash and superphosphate, pour the substrate into the hole and fill it with water.
Black Beauty planting technology:
- At the beginning of September, the bush intended for division is pruned to the first buds.
- Carefully remove from the soil, wash off or shake off the soil, and prepare plots.
- Mix the soil with compost.
- Place the peony in the center, place a bar on the edges, measure down 4 cm and place the buds at this level. Tie the root to the bar.
- Fill the hole with the mixture, compact it, water it, sprinkle the circle with ash, and cover it with mulch.
To prevent the settled soil from pulling the roots along with it after watering, fixation is necessary
Aftercare
The agricultural technology of Black Beauty is no different from other varieties with large red flowers:
- The main condition is feeding. The plant will not bloom on poor soil, and shoot formation will also slow down. In early spring, organic fertilizers and urea are applied. When buds begin to form, treat the peony with the Bud stimulator. From mid-June they fertilize with Agricola. The drug stimulates the formation of buds for the next season. At the beginning of autumn, root feeding with superphosphate and potash is required.
- Water an adult peony during budding and flowering. Then in mid-August and before wintering.
- Mulching is carried out immediately after planting, covering the soil around the plant with a mixture of peat and humus. At the beginning of each season, the material is updated.
- They loosen the soil without a specific schedule, with each compaction, and remove weeds as they grow.
- Before frost, the bush is cut off completely, down to the first buds.
Preparing for winter
In order for the bush to successfully overwinter, preparatory work is carried out. Activities required for the Black Beauty variety:
- cutting dry crown;
- moisture-recharging irrigation;
- hilling a bush;
- adding organic matter;
- increasing the mulch layer.
During the first winter, it is better to cover young plants with any material and cover them with snow in winter.
Pests and diseases
Among the pests on peony, aphids and, less commonly, root-knot nematodes can be found. Treated with Black Beauty Aktara.The bush rarely gets sick; only under unfavorable conditions (high humidity, shading) can fungal infections (powdery mildew or rust) progress. Eliminate the problem with Fitosporin.
Conclusion
Peony Black Beauty is a popular large-flowered variety with semi-double inflorescences. The plant is frost-resistant, suitable for growing in open ground in all regions of temperate climates. Culture has found application in landscape design.
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