Content
Peony Krauss is a bright and profusely flowering variety with a long history. Its large juicy crimson inflorescence caps attract admiring glances, and its unobtrusive aroma creates a special summer atmosphere.
Breeding history
Milky-flowered peony Felix Crousse is an old variety of French selection. It bears the name of its creator - the famous collector and author of more than 75 varieties of peonies, winner of the World Exhibition in Paris - Francois Felix Cruz. This hybrid was bred in 1881 and is one of the first creations of the originator. Despite the fact that the variety became the “test of the pen” of the French gardener, it is still considered one of the best red peonies.
Description of the peony variety Cruz with photo
The herbaceous peony Felix Krauss is a large-flowered terry hybrid. It is distinguished by powerful spreading bushes 80-90 cm high. When planting, you need to take into account that one plant will require at least 1.5 m of free space. Strong stems can hold up to three large flowers.
Thanks to its beautiful carved foliage, the Felix Krauss peony remains decorative throughout the growing season. Until autumn, the leaf blades are painted in a dark green hue, then the bush begins to play with crimson and purple colors and becomes even more elegant.
The milky-flowered peony Felix Krauss blooms with lush bomb-shaped terry caps. The diameter of the flower is about 17 cm. Along the edge of the inflorescence there are large silky petals of a rich crimson color. In the center there are many small petals forming a dense ruby-red pom-pom. Flowers exude a subtle, unobtrusive aroma.
As the flower opens, the protective and outer petals Felix Krauss bend outward, and the central ones keep the shape of a hemisphere
On rainy days, the peony bush tends to fall apart under the weight of the buds, so it is advisable to make a support for it.
Peony Felix Krauss is a heat-loving variety. When choosing a place for planting, you need to give it a sunny, wind-protected area with light and well-drained soil. With proper agricultural technology, a peony bush grows in one place for about eight years without losing its decorative appearance. The maximum interval between transplants is 20 years.
Timing and duration of flowering
Peony Felix Krauss is a late variety. Its flowering period is in July. In the northern regions - for the second half of the month. Flowering duration is about two weeks. Cut flowers last less than seven days, so Felix Krauss is rarely used for bouquets.
Advantages and disadvantages
Peony Felix Krauss is distinguished by its lush flowering, bright colors and unpretentiousness. Even inexperienced gardeners can grow it successfully.The variety, proven over the years, does not lose popularity.
Pros:
- resistant to low temperatures;
- is highly decorative;
- easy to care for;
- does not need frequent transplantation.
Minuses:
- has average immunity if the rules of agricultural technology are not followed;
- takes up a lot of space on the site;
- does not tolerate dampness and gusts of wind;
- withers quickly when cut;
- requires a garter to the support.
Subtleties of landing
The optimal time for planting the Felix Krauss peony is the end of August or the beginning of September. In this case, the plant will have enough time to adapt to the new location and successfully overwinter.
For each bush, you must choose a spacious, sunny place with a minimum diameter of 1.5 m, preferably without drafts. A hole 60x60x60 cm is dug in the middle. A layer of drainage 10-15 cm thick is laid on the bottom. Then the hole is filled with nutritious soil from garden soil, peat, humus and river sand, taken in equal parts.
Next, young peonies are planted in a permanent place so that the renewal buds are buried 3-5 cm. The final touches to a successful planting will be abundant watering and mulching.
Care instructions
Peony Felix Krauss is an unpretentious garden crop. The variety requires only infrequent watering, periodic loosening of the soil to a depth of 5-10 cm, weeding, mulching, fertilization and preventive treatments against pests and diseases.
Preparing for winter
In the autumn, the Felix Krauss peony should be fed with mineral fertilizer with a minimal amount of nitrogen or without nitrogen compounds. In regions with a harsh climate, it is better to play it safe and mulch the bush with peat, after cutting off the above-ground part of the plant.
Reproduction methods
The seed method of propagating Felix Krauss peonies is practiced mainly by breeders in order to develop new varieties and hybrids. This is a very painstaking and time-consuming work, so this method is not popular among gardeners.
Typically, the Felix Krauss peony is propagated by dividing the bush or cuttings. In the first case, the plant is carefully dug up, excess soil is shaken off, the rhizome is washed under running water, dried and divided into several parts. The cut area must be powdered with crushed coal. Regular activated carbon from a pharmacy is also suitable for these purposes.
For propagation by dividing the bush, a plant aged 3-5 years is best suited.
Cuttings of peonies are resorted to when it is necessary to obtain the maximum amount of planting material from one plant. This process is quite labor-intensive and long. A peony propagated in this way will bloom only after a few years.
When using root cuttings, a small fragment with a renewal bud and roots is cut off from the rhizome.
When cutting from a stem, a shoot is taken from the middle of the bush and divided into cuttings with two internodes. The survival rate is low, and this method is practiced only when they do not want to disturb the root system of the mother bush.
Disease and pest control
Peony Felix Krauss may suffer from gray rot, rust, and ring mosaic if agricultural practices are incorrect. Fungicides are used to combat fungal diseases. Among the crop pests, the most common are aphids, bronze beetles, thrips, and ants. To get rid of insects, insecticides are used.
Application in landscape
Peony Felix Krauss will look equally impressive in both group and single plantings
It will not get lost even among the brightest neighbors. It is beneficial to combine red peony with roses and rosehips, irises and lupines, lilies and daylilies. Felix Krauss will sparkle with rich colors against the background of lawn grass, ground covers, hostas, and ornamental grasses.
Unpretentious peonies are often used in mixborders, borders, they are planted along paths or given the main role of tapeworm
Conclusion
Peony Krauss is an excellent option for an undemanding and spectacular perennial that will decorate any garden. The noble shade of its silk flowers does not lose its relevance; it is not for nothing that this old variety is still loved by many gardeners. It is often used by landscape designers around the world.
Reviews from gardeners about the Krauss peony
