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Peony Solange is a herbaceous large-flowered variety with a medium-late flowering period. A sun-loving, unpretentious plant with a compact bush, but falling apart when the buds open. Peony Solange was registered in 1907 in France.
The Solange variety has spherical, large flowers
Description of peony Solange
The Solange variety bush with a spreading crown and thick shoots grows up to 70-90 cm. The dark green trifoliate leaves are large, dissected, up to 20-30 cm long.
The oval-elongated leaf blades are shiny on top, with a pointed tip, and reddish veins, like the stems. Thick leaves retain the decorative appearance of the bush throughout the warm season. Although the stems of Solange peonies are powerful in appearance, they are not always stable. Under the weight of large flowers they bend to the ground. Therefore, a bush of long-standing French selection is always surrounded by a strong frame.
The rhizomes of the Solange variety are large, spindle-shaped, covered with brownish-brown skin on top. In spring, shoots quickly grow from the buds. The Solange variety is frost-resistant, tolerates temperatures down to -40 °C, and develops well in any region of the middle climate zone. For lush flowering, it requires sufficient watering and fertilizing.Peony Solange delights with luxurious flowering in one place without replanting for up to 20 years, then the bush is moved or the volume of the substrate is completely changed in the same planting hole.
Features of flowering
The spherical, densely double flowers of the Solange variety are very lush and voluminous, 16-20 cm in diameter. There are many light cream petals, and they create a magnificent rounded flower shape, like a huge airy pom-pom. The center of the Solange peony is invisible among the mass of petals, small and yellow. The lower petals are much larger than the central, upper ones, gracefully concave. Near the Solange bush, a fresh and rather strong aroma is felt.
Solange's pinkish buds rarely bloom the following spring after planting in the fall. Flowering usually begins in the second year of growth, when the rhizomes take root and create flower buds. The mid-late Solange variety opens buds at the end of the second ten days of June, and in cooler regions - at the beginning of July. Peony blooms for 7-10 days; in good weather it does not lose its attractiveness for a long time.
For luxurious flowering, the plant requires appropriate care:
- autumn and spring feeding;
- regular watering, especially in the budding phase;
- illuminated area, protected from sharp gusts of wind.
Application in design
The lush herbaceous peony Solange is a real decoration for the garden and any flower bed. There are various design solutions for using a luxurious milky-flowering variety:
- tapeworm in flower beds or in the center of the lawn;
- a medium-sized element in the background of mixborders;
- a bright light accent against the background of dwarf coniferous shrubs or plants with crimson foliage;
- corner component of garden paths, spaces near the entrance;
- border for a paved area near a house or terrace;
- framing for a summer pond;
- back and side background for garden benches.
The dark green, dense foliage of the Solange variety is decorative for a long time. White-creamy flowers go well with varieties of peonies of other colors, decorative deciduous and flower shrubs, and low conifers. Peony Solange blooms during the blooming of roses, delphiniums, irises, lilies, daylilies and clematis. Varieties of these crops, similar in color or contrasting, go well together. The border near the luxurious Solange peony bush is planted with heuchera or annuals: petunia, lobelia, spring-blooming low species of irises, daffodils and other small bulbous plants that bloom in early June.
Solange petals with iridescent shades from pale pink to creamy and snow-white
When choosing neighbors for a peony, you must be guided by the following rules:
- There should be a distance of at least 1 m between different bushes to ensure good ventilation;
- always leave the area of the peony tree trunk open for loosening.
Peony Solange is often used for cutting and creating bouquet arrangements, as they retain their lushness in water for a long time. The variety is not suitable for tub culture. If grown, use 20 liter containers, and the number of shoots is normalized, no more than 5-6 for a container.
Reproduction methods
The most convenient way to propagate Solange peonies is by rhizomes. The variety has a powerful root system: the tubers are thick and dense. Therefore, it easily takes root even after planting in the spring. Experienced flower growers propagate the Solange peony by spring divisions, cuttings of formed stems before flowering, or by dropping layering in early June.In most cases, spring replanting of peonies is not recommended. The plant will develop green mass rather than a root system, which is important for subsequent lush flowering.
Landing rules
The spectacular flower is grown mainly in autumn - from mid-August to mid-September. When choosing a site for a large-flowered peony, adhere to the following requirements:
- a place exposed to the sun most of the day and protected from strong winds;
- when planting near buildings, retreat from the walls by 1 m;
- cannot be placed in lowlands where melt or rainwater collects;
- the culture develops best on loams with a slightly acidic reaction.
Planting holes with a depth and a diameter of 50 cm for several bushes of a variety with a spreading crown are dug at intervals of 1 m. Drainage is placed below, then a mixture of humus or compost with garden soil in equal parts, 0.5 liters of wood ash and 60-80 g of superphosphate. Selected, healthy rhizomes, with buds and without signs of damage, are planted to a depth of 10 cm. Covered with the remaining substrate, lightly compacted and watered. Usually the plant does not bloom in the first year of planting; the buds bloom in the second or third year. If you don’t have time for autumn planting, peonies are planted in the spring. During the initial period of development, make sure that the seedlings receive enough watering and develop well.
Aftercare
The young peony is watered abundantly, especially during periods of drought. Watering frequency - 1-2 times a week, depending on weather conditions, 20-30 liters of water for an adult bush; in the south, sprinkling is done in the evening.After watering, lightly loosen the soil in the tree trunk circle, remove weeds that interfere with nutrition and can become a source of diseases and the proliferation of pests.
For luxurious flowering in the first year, fertilizing is carried out with complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizer only in the fall, at the end of August or at the beginning of September.
Adult bushes are fed three times per season:
- at the end of March or April with ammonium nitrate or urea;
- in May, nitrogen-potassium preparations;
- After flowering, peonies are supported with complex fertilizers for flower bushes.
In autumn, instead of potash fertilizers, wood ash is applied
Preparing for winter
The large-flowered bush variety Solange is rationed. For more magnificent flowering, only the first largest buds are left on the peduncle; all subsequent buds are cut off at the beginning of their formation.
After flowering, faded buds are cut off. Broken stems and leaves are removed. At the same time, you cannot cut off all the stems too early. Until autumn, the process of photosynthesis continues, with the help of which the rhizome accumulates the necessary substances to create replacement buds. All shoots are pruned only before frost.
In the middle zone, only young peony seedlings cover the first two years. Having carried out water-replenishing irrigation at the end of September, the bush is hilled up and covered with agrofibre or spruce branches on top. Adult bushes are only covered with compost or humus mixed with garden soil.
Pests and diseases
The Solange variety is not susceptible to gray rot, but it can be affected by other fungi. Preventive spring spraying of the tree trunk circle with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate prevents diseases and the development of pests. In case of a viral infection of leaf curls, the plants are removed from the area.
Peony flowers are plagued by garden ants and bronze beetles, which feed on the sap of the buds and disfigure the petals. Manual collection is used against bronze beetles, and targeted preparations are used against ants.
Conclusion
Peony Solange is an exquisite decoration for any garden, a frost-resistant and sun-loving variety, suitable for growing in areas of the middle zone. Only young bushes are covered for the winter. A properly selected substrate and simple care will ensure good development of the plant.
