Officers of the Group

Chairperson Kath Carey The Peony Group St Annes Windmill Lane of the Hardy Society Appleton Warrington LU7 9NL e-mail [email protected]

Group Secretary Mrs Gail Harland Newsletter Autumn 2009 The Owl House Coddenham Green Suffolk IP6 9UN e-mail [email protected]

Treasurer Mr John Richey Anton House 10a Great Austins Farnham SURREY GU9 8JG e-mail [email protected]

Newsletter editor John Hudson Deene Cottage Back Lane, East Langton Market Harborough Leicestershire LE16 7TB e-mail [email protected]

Newsletter distribution is by Irene Tibbenham, The Barn, Clay Street, Thornham Magna, Suffolk, IP23 8HE e-mail: [email protected]

Seed distribution is by Judy Templar, 117 Wood Road, King's Cliffe, Northants. PE8 6XR.

Other Committee Members are Peter Johnson (membership secretary).

Membership of the Peony Group is available to all members of the Hardy Plant Society. If you are interested in joining, please contact the Secretary at the above address

Copy deadlines are 31st March for the Spring Newsletter, and 30th September for the Autumn Newsletter.

16

Editorial John Hudson Treasurer’s Report John Richey

If the peony group is to serve its members well, we need to The first occasion to present a treasurer’s report allows for good news: the bank know what people expect from it. We usually discuss this at balance remains healthy at £1,068.76, primarily because we have not been pressed to the AGM, but with only a few people present it is difficult to spend money this year other than on the newsletter. Which of course means this role gauge opinions. Many people have effective contact with the is less stressful than expected. We have watched the renewals trickle in, as they have group only through the newsletter. Please write and tell us done at about the same level as last year. Advance payments and donations have what you wish for. been fewer than last year, but we’re all right. When it comes to cash generation, a subscription increase is not an urgent matter for the present. Those who joined the group in recent years were asked to fill in a form about their interests, favourite and favourite gardens. Penny Johnson sent 21 Now, it’s time to think about 2010. Subscriptions are again due such forms on to me. Later, after we used a leaflet to attract members, the slip 31 December along with your HPS renewal payment. The applying for membership asked generally about interests, but not specifically for £3.00 supplement for the Peony Group represents good value for the newsletter; £5.00 for overseas members to cover the favourites. I have 19 such forms. Not everybody nominated favourites, and extra postage. most interests declared are, as expected, generalized : "I like peonies". However, two themes emerged. Many members would like help with identification: how Peony spray damage Irene Tibbenham can we provide this? Encouragingly, several people mentioned an interest in growing peonies, mainly , from seed. This emphasizes, the importance of We all have different ways of working with weeds. My method is to use glyphosate-based weed-killer on areas where there are no our seed exchange. As noted in this issue, we would welcome more donors. growing, which is basically the vegetable plot and The committee's favourite peonies are illustrated herein. Other member's fa- the drainage areas around the house. Last sum- mer, for a change, and I guess because it was such vourites are a diverse group. Some people named more than one. Only P. a wet summer, I was tempted to spray the weeds mlokosewitchii, with three, appears more than once. Others are PP. emodi, kava- that had invaded my ‘bed’ of peonies (which are chensis, obovata alba, x smouthii and rockii, the only named "tree" peony to make actually more of a line). The peonies had already the list. Hybrids, mostly from P. lactiflora, include Bowl of Beauty, Fairy Prin- been cut down and the leaves removed as they had cess, Kelway's Majestic and Requiem; also the plant described in the 2008 news- succumbed to blight. Subsequently some rather letter as Judy's White. opportunistic and vigorous Paeonia spray damage Not many members named favourite gardens, but Spetchley Park, near Worces- creeping ter, was mentioned twice. A visit there can conveniently be combined with the buttercup Malvern RHS show in early May, when many of the early herbaceous peonies had taken quite a are in flower, including P. obovata alba and 'Jenny' (see Judy Templar's article), as Paeonia ‘Sorbet’! spray damage hold. How- well as some spectacular "tree" peonies. A member, Mrs Eileen Love, wrote re- ever, I had cently to recommend a visit to Houghton Lodge Gardens near Stockbridge in no idea this would cause a problem the following Hampshire: "the peonies were magnificent, as was the rest of the gar- year. Inadvertently I managed to completely see off den" (www.houghtonlodge.co.uk). A photograph shows a double border with some of my herbaceous peonies, and a couple of lactiflora peonies. Many of us must know of more. Some are well known, such others that did survive, produced streaky leaves as Highdown, Hidcote and Wisley, but there must be many private gardens or and willow-like petals. (See photos). I have since University botanic gardens that members should know about. Please don't be read that peonies are rather sensitive to glyphosate- based products and that it becomes absorbed shy about telling us. through their surface roots.

2 15 ing seedlings are unlikely to be true to the seed parent. You will see that one dona- From the Chair Kath Carey tion is an ‘only child’, coming from a garden with no other peonies, so there is a chance there of true offspring. “What about the neighbours”, I hear you say! This Dear Members …we had the promise of a BBQ sum- should also be labelled ‘ex-seed parent’ mer. The promise held good for our AGM on 14th June– lunch and the meeting held outdoors on a glori- HERBACEOUS SHRUBBY ous day in my suburban garden. Twelve members

attended, some travelling a considerable distance. Our ex P. anomala ex P. cambessedesii Delavayi group retiring chairman David Victor was caught up with his ex P. “Judy’s White Peony” ex P. delavayi move to Somerset and was unable to attend. He was ex P. lactiflora ‘Bowl of Beauty’ ex P. ludlowii missed on the day and will be from the committee in the future. We wish him ex P. lactiflora ‘Miss America’ well with his new ventures. My thanks go to Gail for all her organisation behind ex P. lactiflora ‘Red Rover’ the scenes to make the day a success. She just could not quite organise the ex P. lactiflora ‘White Wings’ Suffruticosa group weather beforehand to prevent my herbaceous peonies being windswept as three ex P. mascula ex P. suffruticosa (pink) days previously we had some very strong winds and rain. ex P. mlokosevitchii ex P. suffruticosa (red, semi double) ex P. mlokosevitchii (pale yellow, sole peony And who am I? I am a retired housewife with the bug of gardening and a pas- in this garden) sion for peonies. I have no basic botanic knowledge save a few bits from reading ex P. mlokosevitchii (2nd generation seed- Feng Dan group general articles in gardening magazines. It was the foliage of peonies that really lings, yellow) ex P. ostii? (white flowers) gave me a buss and in particular one in the front garden of the baby ex P. mollis (officinalis group, grey leaves, ex P. ‘Feng Dan Bei’? (white, no blotch) clinic where I took my children when tiny. It was a few years before I realised bright magenta flowers) that the plant with the gorgeous foliage was a tree peony. And more impor- ex P. obovata alba tantly it grew in the same uncompromising soil as in my suburban patch – Gansu group ex P. officinalis namely a very free draining acid sandy soil. I asked for seed one year, duly ex P. officinalis (from Archibald seed) ex Gansu group (purple/pink semi double with blotch) planted them and forgot about them for 18 months, not knowing that that was ex P. officinalis ssp. villosa exactly the right thing to do. They sprouted and I had ten seedlings on my ex P. tenuifolia ex Gansu group (Joseph Rock) hands. Most went to a plant sale but one was planted out and is now 2 metres ex P. veitchii ex Gansu group (white rockii lookalike) high and has masses of buttercup yellow flowers every spring. It is never watered ex P. veitchii var. woodwardii ex Gansu group (white rockii lookalike. ex P. veitchii var. woodwardii (ex HPS seed, McLewin code 1.1.4) or fed, grows 45cm from a beech hedge and has never wilted in the driest of bright magenta) ex Gansu group (purple with blotches. summers. It is the most tolerant plant of poor conditions, the only drawback to ex P. veitchii var. woodwardii (pale magenta) McLewin code 7.1.9 ) me, is in winter when it does look like a few dead sticks.

The seeds cost 50p per packet, including post and packing. UK members should The early flowering species have a very poor seed set this year; even my specimen make cheques out to “The HPS Peony Group”; overseas Members should add the of ‘ludlowii’ has very few pods. Coincidentally, it seems odd that seeds sown in amount to their renewal payment at the start of next year. Some donations are very the autumn of 2007 have shown a very poor germination. Was it something to small so please send a ‘limit cheque’, omitting the amount but writing at the bottom do with cold damp start to the winter or just down the quality of the seed from of the cheque ‘not to exceed £x’, ‘x’ being the maximum amount your request would the 2007 harvest? I have kept the pots in the hope (vain?) of something happen- cost. I can then complete the cheque for the cost of the seeds supplied. ing next year. Seed from 2006 was scarcely better when it came to germination in spring 2008. I ditched the pots so have no idea if anything would have come Please write with a list of your requests, enclosing a self-addressed sticky label to: through this year. Judy Templar, 117 Wood Road, King’s Cliffe, Peterborough, PE8 6XR Orders should be with me by 7th December 2009. The peony catalogues are coming through the letterbox and one in particular is

14 3 from Pivoines Rivière in France. I bought some peonies from them four years Correspondence Two notes from John Evans ago (thanks to Penny Johnson’s recommendation a few years back), and even Paeonia 'Rubra Plena" - I was interested in the article on Paeonia ‘Rubra Plena’ in the last with poor school French found it possible to master the order form. They sent newsletter, and add the following: notice of dispatch beforehand so I was prepared for them on arrival – two tree peonies and two herbaceous. Even with postage and packing they were modestly This peony is generally believed to have been introduced into Europe from the Mediterranean priced compared to UK nurseries. I notice that the prices are up but this is eastern areas, in the 16th century. It is recorded that Gerard, in his Historie of Plants, pub- largely due to the value of the euro. All have formed strong plants despite one of lished in 1591, referred to it as growing in English gardens. the tree peonies having rather desiccated looking roots on unpacking. Their The peony derives its botanical name from the ancient Greek physician, Paeon, who was a catalogue has something new this year that I have not seen elsewhere. There is student of the god Apollo and who used the species in herbal medicine, hence the epithet the usual description (in French) but symbols to denote the flowering position. officinalis, meaning used in medicine or herbal shops. From a Greek fable, it is said that Apollo It is easy to tell at a glance if the flowers look upward, to the side, or downward. became very jealous of Paeon, because of his doctoring skills. His vengeance was to drive Paeon So very often one learns by ones’ mistakes which flowers tend to hang their to the underworld, not to be seen again, hence the story of the peony's unknown origin. I have heads. One of my purchases does hang its head and this winter is going on the always admired the charm and reliability of this peony, which blooms regularly in my garden. compost heap, along with a couple that do not justify their garden space due to It is interesting to note that this peony could be a hybrid with P. peregrina, as both species origi- poor flowering. Most of my herbaceous peonies are in a separate bed and I do nate from the east Mediterranean region; P. peregrina being called the Red Peony of Constantin- treat them more kindly than the tree peonies. The bed gets topped dressed each ople. year with garden compost, dolomitic dust and in spring some general purpose fertiliser. Despite the organic matter that goes in, the soil does dry out each There was a brief mention in the newsletter of peonies as cut flowers. It was rewarding to visit the Malvern spring flower show, and see the many fine exhibits of peonies in the cut flower summer, and the plants get their autumn hues in late August, even this summer classes. I believe that no other cut flower can equal the peony, because of its charm and long- despite the rain we had in July and August. With best regards. Kath Carey lasting qualities. It must be remembered, as I learned by experience, that peony buds will not open unless cut when beginning to open and show colour. From the Secretary Gail Harland Tree peonies—It was rewarding to read the article by Martin Page, in the June 2008 issue of the The AGM this year at the home of our new chairman Kath Carey RHS Garden journal, about the many virtues of the tree peony. I have always admired the tree in Warrington took place on a beautiful sunny day. Thank you peony, since seeing the Mudan, (Paeonia rockii) in flower in a garden in Menton, in the south of so much Kath for arranging the weather as expertly as you did the France. with its large white flowers with a dark maroon blotch at the base its petals, it certainly lovely lunch and most enjoyable meeting! After the AGM itself displays charm and admiration to those who have seen it. we visited the Grappenhall Heys walled garden, which was created I have recently obtained a plant known as Paeonia rockii, and look forward most eagerly to its around 1830 by Warrington banker Thomas Parr. The garden, flowers in the seasons to come. Living in this area, 1300 ft above sea level, I have always hesi- now maintained by one gardener and a team of volunteers has a tated in attempting to grow tree peonies. Another of my favourites is P. delavayi trollioides, with large formal kitchen garden and extensive pleasure grounds with a wide variety its nodding small primrose yellow flowers, quite enchanting. I have also recently added a tree of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, although sadly they could not compete peony with the attractive Japanese name "Quan She Mao Yu", which I understand means with the beautiful peonies we had admired in Kath’s own garden! "Champion Black Jade", as it has rich Burgundy double flowers. My thanks to the writer for suggesting that tree peonies should be more widely grown. We now have a new chairman and treasurer in place and Peter Johnson has Seed List Judy Templar nobly volunteered to carry on as membership secretary but I’m sure that it would help to reinvigorate the group if we also had a new secretary. If anyone This year six members donated seed. It really is good fun growing feels able to take over this role (which is not an arduous one) please would they peonies from seed and I would encourage you to do so, but we get in touch with me. need seed to distribute!

Make sure you add the date of next year’s meeting to your diary; it will be held As you know the seeds on offer are from plants growing in the open garden and as such are open pollinated. Peonies hybridise easily so the result- 4 13

to find but too beautiful .on Sunday May 9th 2010 at John Hudson’s home at East Langton, near Market to miss out! He sings its Harborough in Leicestershire, with a visit to the University of Leicester Botanic praises but knows noth- Garden afterwards. Details will be in the next newsletter; phone 01858 545360 ing of its parentage. It seemed that the best bet AGM 2009 Irene Tibbenham might be to get in touch with Kate Portman, On a beautiful sunny day, the HPS peony group met at the home of newly- head gardener at elected chairperson Kath Carey. The group of 12 people attending enjoyed a Spetchley, to find out sumptuous al fresco hot lunch in the surrounds of her colourful species-rich, who had supplied their plant. A number of fully-packed garden, in the leafy suburbs of Warrington. emails passed between Paeonia Nymphye in Kath’s garden us. She could find no record of the purchase but she did find out that it had been last listed in The Plant Finder in 1992. The next step was to go to the RHS Advice Panel to see who listed it in that year. A phone conversation was unsat- Paeonia ‘Jenny’ isfactory because of time constraints but eventu- ally, after many weeks, email communication came up with the answer. Phedar Nursery. Now why didn’t I think of that?

The search had lasted over a year, during which time we made a further pilgrimage to Spetchley and met Kate Portman, a very friendly person and pleased to talk about her peony.

An email to Will McLewin provoked an instant reply explaining that P. ‘Jenny’ is a chance hybrid that occurred at “The Plantsmen” nursery of Eric Smith and Jim Archibald many years ago and that some obovata was clearly involved. It is named The meeting discussed the many activities that had happened this past year in- after Jim Archibald’s wife, Jenny. He agrees cluding the changes that had been made to the newsletter (though John empha- that it is a fabulous plant. Will had a lot, sized there was still a need for more articles); the new members that joined as a sold too much and now has a few scraps that he is slowly increasing. However I was result of the stand at Winchester and peony group leaflet; as well as the future of promised a piece this autumn and just a few the group, and possible activities this next year to increase the profile of the days ago my plant arrived. Now the wait is group, eg a presence at the RHS Chelsea stand. Penny Johnson advised we had on for my plant to grow big enough to a 10% turnover on membership, but the reason why was unclear. However, we flower in my own garden. Leaves of Paeonia ‘Jenny’ did have a very ‘healthy’ percentage of overseas members (~30%). 12 5 Your Committee

Peter Johnson, Membership Secretary

Perhaps my favourite paeony … having sent £50 overseas to Jean-Luc Rivière and then receiving a 6 inch long piece of stick with two buds, it is perhaps surprising that I can consider this my fa- vourite paeony.

The Joseph Rockii type plant grew slowly at first, but is now 5 to 6 feet in height and last year was covered in excess of 25 blooms. It is spectacular, so much so that I even bothered to build a large frame to pro- tect it from any last frosts. All I can say now is, money well spent.

And, please, please do com- plete and return the question- naire with your details, espe- cially your HPS membership Paeonia rockii number. Thank you The Search for Jenny Judy Templar On the way to the Spring Malvern Show 2008 (Peony time) I visited Spetchley Park, as many people had said that the peonies are pretty good there. And indeed they are. We saw lovely P. obovata alba plants as soon as we entered the garden and fur- ther along, in an enclosed part of the garden, some sumptuous suffruticosa peonies of great age. The garden has a number of enclosed areas and in one of these there were some younger plants including Feng Dan Bei, ‘Cardinal Vaughan’ and other big flowered 'tree' peonies.

In one corner was a much simpler plant with pure white single flowers, somewhat reminiscent of P. obovata but with distinctive rosy purple filaments and red/purple styles. The plant was also markedly hairy on the stems, underside of the leaves and even softly so on the upper surface. This beautiful plant was labelled Paeonia ‘Jenny’. I made a note of the name and determined to find a supplier back at home.

This is when the search started. The Plant Finder did not list it. No nurseries seemed to offer it or had even heard of it. I asked various knowledgeable experts but nd to no avail. Martin Page describes it in his 2 book, reluctantly as it is very difficult 6 11 Our Favourite Peonies

Irene Tibbenham, Newsletter Distributor At the close of the meeting, our Honorary Secretary Gail Harland raffled a large tree peony, ‘Eternal Camellias’ that she had grown from a green cutting. This Paeonia tenuifolia was the first peony I ever saw that actually im- was won by Judy Templar. pressed me. Up until that point in my life I was familiar only with the cottage garden types and tree peonies were still plants I could only covet from catalogues. Kees Sahin, my boss at the time, was a serious peony collec- tor, and introduced me to this beautiful single-flowered dark red darling at one of the company’s growers. It looked like a giant form of Adonis aestivalis (pheasant’s eye) and so it was inadver- tently this species that al- tered my views on herba- ceous peonies and stimu- Following the AGM, we drove to Grappenhall Heys Walled Garden, where lated a greater interest in Paeonia tenuifolia Kath volunteers her time. Grappenhall Heys was created in 1830, but following peonies in general. two World Wars fell into decline. In 2005 the local parish council took over the management of the walled garden, which includes both a kitchen garden John Richey, Treasurer and ‘pleasure grounds’. The grounds, though in various stages Sometimes you run across a plant that survives despite your best of restoration were beautifully attentions. It accepts its first planting site with alacrity, throws out a display of leaves, and then just sits there through the first season. And designed and clearly lovingly the second season. Lots of leaf structure but no increase in size. And looked after; interspersed with an the third season. A little Botrytis on the side, but that is fended off. No blossoms in the interesting selection of sculpture. fourth year begins to send a message, so a move is in order. We finished off with afternoon Indeed, an early autumn move tea and home-made cakes, includ- is just what’s needed, for the ing what is now a HPS peony fifth season and ever thereafter group tradition … millionaire’s brings beautiful white blossoms and expanding growth. Ah, but shortbread from Gail. now comes the real test as there’s a major move in store, The weather on this day could not with a large clay pot to become have been more perfect. Our its new home. Green leaves thanks go to Kath Carey for skill- turn to purple, but then to a fully organizing the day’s activities striking dark red and finally an and the delicious lunch. orange. I think it’s going to make the transition with style. It’s a “Mrs Shirley Fry” from Paeonia Mrs Shirley Fry Kelways Ltd. 10 7 Our Favourite Peonies Your Committee

Kath Carey, Chairman John Hudson, Newsletter Editor

What an impossible task to chose a favourite peony. So often it de- Not an original choice, I know, but there's nothing like it in my pends on what is out at any one time but one I am very partial to is garden. I remember regarding Christopher Lloyd's notorious 'Sword Dance'. My plant came as a very small piece from Will comment "flowers for about 5 days in early May, and is at its McLewin some nine years ago. It took some time to settle down but ravishing best for about 4 hours in the middle of this period" as for the last five years it has flowered reliably and made a good sized plant on my very sandy a challenge. I haven't been without at least one plant of it for over 30 years. Not only soil. I give it a handful of Growmore each spring but that is all it gets. It does not strut its stuff until the end of June and into July and this year it was in flower for four weeks. It is is its best ravishing, Japanese flowered with dark red petals and a central boss of pure gold stamens and never but the foliage is needs staking. For me it grows to roughly attractive, and it regularly sets bril- 85 cm. I rather think in better soil it would Paeonia ‘Sword Dance’ make 100cm. Glorious. liant black fertile seeds among the All my peonies give me pleasure but one in scarlet infertile ones. particular flowers in April with cyclamen The seedlings are pink single flowers. I call it 'Ethel' simply either copies of their because it was given to me by someone of mother or a variety that name. The foliage is a blue green and of unusual shades, it always looks good until late summer when the foliage seems to dry out and all welcome! whither rather than colouring. But who is quibbling when it has been a joy for five Paeonia mlokosewitchii months. Judy Templar, Seed Distributor Gail Harland, Secretary I used to think of peonies as big, blowsy flowers, not for me! Then My favourite peony varies all the time but currently it is probably P. I saw and bought the delightful little P. tenuifolia and was hooked. peregrina which always impresses with its’ vivid red bowl-shaped flowers My favourite peony? Since then other enthusiasms have followed, that really glow in the sunlight. It has a particularly long season of inter- est because it also gives lovely furry seedpods and good autumn foliage colour. I'm also a fan as it P. mlokosewitchii, P. has a particularly easy-going nature, requiring no fussing or spraying. It seems resistant to botrytis vesuvian, P. Gansu and has the ability to regenerate from bits of roots left in the ground, so is very easy to propagate. group and “Judy’s White peony”, would surely have been nominated the fa- vourite in their turn. Currently the top one for me has to be Paeonia “Jenny” and to find out why you may read about it elsewhere in this newsletter. Paeonia peregrina Paeonia 'Jenny' 8 9