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Peony Nick Shaylor is a popular representative of the milky-flowering peonies, famous for its soft pink flowers. The variety is highly valued for its large, aromatic buds and resistance to harsh environmental conditions. It is also popular because of its unpretentiousness and ease of care.
Description of peony Nick Shaylor
Milky-flowered peony "Nick Shaylor" is a perennial plant of the peony family that can live up to 50 years. The group of varieties was called “milky-flowered” because the first peonies of this section, still wild at that time, had milky-white flowers. According to the main classification, all species in this group belong to herbaceous peonies.
The plant has strong stems that can withstand the weight of large flowers. It is densely packed with dark green leaves, elongated in shape. The bushes are spreading, and after flowering they look good because of their carved foliage. The height of "Nick Shaylor" reaches 90 cm. Closer to the inflorescences, the foliage thins out, the bulk of it is concentrated on the lower half of the plant.
"Nick Shaylor" - the best garden and cut variety of late-blooming peonies
The main advantage of Nick Shaylor milk-flowered peonies is their large, double, pink-shaped flowers.On the large pale pink petals you can sometimes notice streaks and veins of crimson color. There are yellow stamens in the center of the bud, but they can hardly be seen behind the thick petals.
Flower growers note the unpretentiousness of the plant, which lies in its drought and frost resistance. It is easily accepted and quickly grows into spreading bushes.
In Russia, the areas from Arkhangelsk and further south are best suited for them, but with proper preparation for winter they can also be grown in colder regions. With good care, “Nick Shaylor” can withstand temperatures down to -37 ℃.
Features of flowering
The variety belongs to the groups of large-flowered, double, rose-shaped and herbaceous peonies. Flowering is later, begins at the end of June and lasts only about 10 days.
The most common color of the Nick Shaylor variety is pale pink. Sometimes a lush flower smoothly changes its color from the periphery to the center: the large petals at the edges are milky white, and the small ones in the center of the plant are soft cream. The diameter of each flower reaches 20 cm; there are 7-12 of them on one plant.
The central buds bloom first; they are the largest on the bush. Lateral flowers are then formed. To form a luxuriantly blooming peony, the central buds are cut off immediately after wilting, after which the lateral ones develop in full force, and the bush blooms long and luxuriantly, forming new buds.
Flowers on which crimson veins appear are especially expressive.
The special charm of Nick Shaylor peonies is given by bright red veins that stand out sharply against the background of the main soft shade. True, such strokes do not appear on all bushes. But peonies always give off a strong, delicate aroma.
Application in design
"Nick Shaylor" is used in a wide variety of landscape compositions.If the idea is to use only peonies, then select varieties with different flowering periods. Alternately replacing each other, they retain the decorative effect of the composition for up to several months. “Nick Shaylor” also goes well with other types of flowers; roses, irises, phlox or astilbe are usually used.
Herbaceous peony Nick Shaylor can be combined with tree varieties. The differences between the species create a spectacular contrast that looks great on alpine slides or rockeries. When combined with other herbaceous peonies, you can create a beautiful landscape due to varieties with flowers similar in shade.
Combinations with dwarf coniferous trees and shrubs have proven themselves well. Among the latter, a very wide selection is now offered: from small cone-shaped thujas to blue dwarf spruces and spherical pines.
Nick Shaylor peonies will add lushness and structure to compositions such as:
- flower beds;
- alpine slides;
- design of paths;
- clearings;
- framing the terraces.
“Nick Shaylor” can also be used as beautifully flowering individual plantings.
Reproduction methods
The vegetative method is the only way to propagate Nick Shaylor peonies. It is carried out using layering, root cuttings or dividing the bush. The latter is used most often because it is simple and gives good results. Seed propagation is rarely successful for Nick Shaylor peonies.
Nick Shaylor peony can be divided in two ways: with partial or complete digging of the plant. It is recommended to completely dig up bushes for younger peonies, and incomplete digging is used for older large plants, this will help rejuvenate them.
The “delenka” is cleaned of rotten roots and cut to 18 cm
For complete digging, cut the stems with pruning shears to a height of 10 cm.After this, the bush is removed from the ground, washed with water under pressure to remove dirt, and a “cut” is obtained from it. For partial excavation, select a suitable sector, dig a trench on one side of the plant and remove soil from the roots.
Next, in both cases, a piece of rhizome with several stems is cut off, the cut area is allowed to dry for a couple of days, and then covered with a mixture of compost and soil. It is necessary to remove old rotten roots from the “division”, and shorten healthy ones to 15-18 cm.
Landing rules
Choosing a place to plant Nick Shaylor is very simple. The main thing is to make sure that it will not be shaded by a wall, trees or bushes. In addition, the latter can deprive it of water and nutrients. When planting bushes near paths, you need to leave enough space, otherwise it will get in the way when it grows.
Planting times vary depending on the method of obtaining the cuttings. Purchased peonies in bags are planted from late April to May. Those purchased in containers are planted until mid-summer, and if the “cuts” are obtained on your own plot, then it is better to start propagating peonies in August.
The depth of the hole for peonies should reach 60 cm. A distance of one meter must be maintained between several bushes. A prepared mixture of humus, black soil and crushed clay is poured into the planting hole. To make the plant better accepted, you can add wood ash and superphosphate. Fill the hole with this mixture so that about 12 cm remains to the edges.
In the center of the planting hole you need to pour a small mound and install a “division” on it. The roots are carefully covered with earth so that the buds are at a depth of 3-6 cm from the surface of the earth.This is a very important point, because the peony may not bloom if the correct depth is not maintained.
Now the future bush needs to be watered, add more soil and mulch. Mulch with a layer of several centimeters is made from sawdust, moss or non-acidic peat.
In the first two years, it is recommended to remove the flowers, or at least most of them. This way you can stimulate better development of peonies, and the flowers in the future will be more magnificent and brighter. Otherwise, the plant will spend nutrient reserves from unformed roots to form buds.
Aftercare
Nick Shaylor peonies are not the most demanding flowers, but without proper care they will be far from their ideal shape. The flowers become small and dull, the bushes are not spreading, and the stems are weak. Therefore, it is necessary to create an optimal agrotechnical background for the plant.
The decorative quality and longevity of peonies depends on proper care.
Peonies are very moisture-loving and require weekly watering. During dry periods, you can water the plants even more often. It is especially important not to deprive plants of moisture during the period of budding and the formation of new buds for the next year; this happens immediately after flowering. During one watering, several buckets are poured under each bush. Leaves and stems should not be wetted, as this can lead to putrefactive diseases. If you wet the flowers, the petals will turn black and fall off.
“Nick Shaylor” needs to be fed with fertilizers high in phosphorus and potassium. These are complex mineral supplements that are carried out in the spring. You need to pour half a glass of fertilizer on each bush.
Peonies love spring mulching. Most often, mown grass is used as mulch, which quickly rots to form vermicompost. Moss and sawdust are also suitable, especially if the plant is sick, because then it is better not to use organic matter for mulching.
You need to loosen the soil under the peonies carefully, trying not to touch the growth buds. Only at a distance of 15 cm from the stems and pains can deep loosening be used. This procedure helps retain moisture, increase oxygen availability and prevent weed growth. Loosening is carried out after heavy watering or rain.
Preparing for winter
The first step in preparing for winter is to prune your bushes. "Nick Shaylor" is pruned at the end of September, but if upon examination of the leaves and stems it turns out that they are very withered, then the procedure can be performed a little earlier.
Shortly before pruning, it is recommended to fertilize peonies. Phosphorus, potassium, bone meal and wood ash are suitable for autumn feeding. But nitrogen fertilizers are not suitable for use in the fall, since they stimulate the growth of leaves and stems.
After fertilizing, peonies are pruned in the fall
Peonies need to be trimmed to the very root, although some still leave 2-3 cm of the stem above the soil level. Cut tops must be burned or removed from the site, as in the future this can become an optimal environment for the growth of parasites that threaten the health of peonies.
Covering "Nick Shaylor" peonies for the winter is only necessary in very cold regions, since the plant is frost-resistant. Before this, it is advisable to mulch it with a 5-10 cm layer of sawdust.Organic matter or cut peony stems are not suitable for this; this is important to consider in order to prevent pest infestation. The plant is covered with spruce branches on top of the mulch.
Pests and diseases
Botrytis, also called gray mold, is a dangerous pest for peonies.
The causes of the disease can be:
- rainy, cool summer;
- acidic soils with poor aeration;
- mulching with tops cut from peony.
Manifestations of gray rot are bright and difficult to miss. The buds become brown and stop developing. Brown spots cover the stems and leaves, and drying out and death begins.
Brown spots are a characteristic sign of botrytis
When gray rot appears, the plant must be treated with “Hom” or “Abiga-Peak”. If this does not help, then the peony will have to be cut off completely, and the remains will have to be burned with brilliant green or Vitaros. The most important thing is to prevent the spread of gray rot to the root.
Conclusion
Peony Nick Shaylor, due to its spreading bushes and soft pink flowers, can decorate any flower garden. Its unpretentiousness and ease of care allow it to be kept almost everywhere. With the right approach to cultivation, you can extend the life of a flower up to 50 years. It is enough to pay a little attention to "Nick Shaylor" to get healthy bushes with large fragrant buds.
Peony reviews Nick Shaylor
