Peony White Cap is one of the most interesting representatives of its kind. He is loved by flower growers for their appearance, since his inflorescences are two-tone, which is rarely found among peonies. They love him for the compactness of the bush, which can be successfully located even on the smallest summer cottage.
Peony White Cap (Paeonia White Cap) - what kind of variety
Peony White Cap was born in 1956 thanks to the activities of American breeder Winchell George E. The name is translated simply “white cap”. This is because by the end of flowering, the entire peony burns out in the sun and becomes almost completely white.
Peony white cap
Throughout its history, the plant has won many awards, including international ones.
For reference! The Latin name of the White Cap variety is read in different ways in Russia: some say the White Cap peony, others the White Cap, but most often they pronounce the White Cap.
Short description, characteristic
Peony White Cap Botanical Description:
- life form - milky-flowered herbaceous perennial;
- stems erect, but bent under the weight of inflorescences, therefore, needs support;
- stem height up to 1 m;
- one stem carries immediately up to 4 shoots, each of which ends with a large bud;
- leaves are hard, dark green in color, lanceolate, with alternate arrangement;
- by autumn, the foliage acquires a crimson hue;
- terry flowers, painted in 2 colors: the middle is white-pink, and the petals located on the edges are dark crimson (however, at the end of flowering, the bud burns out completely and turns white);
- flower diameter is about 16 cm.
Important!The flower is grown not only to decorate the garden, but also to cut. He stands in bouquets for quite some time.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The pros and cons of culture are presented in the table.
| Grade Advantages | Variety disadvantages |
| high decorativeness; | Needs mandatory support, without which during flowering can fall apart. |
| simultaneous opening of all buds; | |
| frost resistance; | |
| unpretentiousness; | |
| compactness; | |
| does not require regular transplants. |
Use in landscape design
The white-flowered peony White Cap attracts the attention of both ordinary flower growers and landscape designers.
It looks great in group plantings, like a border plant and for the design of parapets. Ideal for combining with other peonies. Especially impressive looks next to the peony Edulis Superba.
Growing a flower, how to plant in open ground
Peony White Cap is quite unpretentious, but nevertheless needs to follow certain rules when planting and leaving.
Planting with root cuttings
The root stem is a part of the peony's rhizome, which has an independent root and 1 or more eyes for growth. In order to apply this method of planting, you must first select the planting material.
Its preparation is carried out as follows:
- Gently, without damaging the roots, the rhizome of an adult peony is dug up. It is divided into small pieces, about 6 cm each. All pieces should have at least 1 kidney and a root.
- For a couple of hours, parts of the rhizome are put in a potassium permanganate solution, then rolled in crushed charcoal and dried in fresh air until a small crust forms (it will take 10-12 hours, you can leave it overnight).
After this, the planting material is deepened into the nutrient mixture by about 4 cm. The place where the cuttings will germinate should be well lit. The substrate should be moistened regularly.
Important! It is possible to germinate root cuttings both at home and in the open ground. In any case, shoots appear in the spring. They can only be transplanted to a permanent place in a year.
Time, place, preparation
Since the flower most often propagates by dividing the rhizome, it can be planted both in the second half of spring and in late summer - early fall. It is this time that is best suited for laying the active root system of the White Cap peony.
The place should be well lit, protected from gusts of cold wind and drafts. Light shading is acceptable, protecting the flower from midday hot rays. The soil must be nutritious and well-drained. Groundwater should pass no higher than 1 m from the roots of the flower.
The landing pit is prepared about 1 month before the start of landing. The soil must be well loosened, with the obligatory addition of compost and humus, as well as mineral and complex fertilizers.
Sapling is easier to prepare. A couple of hours before direct disembarkation into the soil, the root system is checked for damage, soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate, the places of cuts are processed with crushed charcoal.
Important! If you plan a spring landing, it is better to prepare a landing pit in the fall.
Landing procedure step by step
- Drainage and necessary fertilizers are introduced into the prepared landing pit.
- Sand is added to too clay soil and vice versa.
- Prepared seedlings put in holes, sprinkle with earth.
After that, the soil around the White Cap peony is carefully watered and mulched with any natural material.
Seeding (for breeding)
Planting with seeds is not recommended, since the hybrid variety and maternal properties are not transmitted to the subsidiaries.
If you want to try yourself as a breeder, it is important to remember that the seeds germinate very tightly. They are collected in late summer, subjected to prolonged stratification and scarification. But the chance that they will ascend is minimal.
Plant care
Caring for a flower is quite simple, the main thing is to follow all necessary procedures on time, as well as tie up a peony and give it support. Otherwise, the stems simply may not support the weight of the flowers.
Watering and feeding
Fertilizing is not required the first 2 years after planting, the plant will have enough nutrients that were laid in the ground during planting. Starting from the 3rd year, the flowers are fed:
- immediately after the complete snow melt (approximately in mid-April);
- during the formation of buds;
- at the end of flowering.
For feeding use special complex fertilizers. During flowering, potash and phosphorus fertilizers, as well as a weak solution of chicken droppings, are possible. In the spring, you can add a little ash to the soil.
All grassy peonies are quite resistant to drought. This also applies to the White Cap variety. Adult bushes enough to water once a week. In this case, from 20 to 40 liters of water is poured under each bush. This dose depends on the age, size of the plant, as well as weather conditions.
Attention! Each time after watering, the soil is slightly loosened so as not to touch the root system of the flower. You can replace this procedure with mulching.
Preventative treatment
Preventive treatment is most often carried out in early spring, even before the buds are laid.
Peony is treated with fungicidal solutions. Bordeaux mixture (3 l per 1 bush) will protect against pests.
Blooming Peony White Cap
Flowering medium-late, the plant blooms in mid-May.
Blooming Peony White Cap
Flowering begins in late May - early June, lasts about a crescent. After this, the bush goes into a dormant stage.
During flowering, you need to regularly water and feed the White Cap. It is important to exclude the use of nitrogenous fertilizers, they are contraindicated in flowers.
Important! During the flowering period, top dressing is performed 3 times: when the buds are only laid, immediately when inflorescences appear, after flowering.
What to do if it does not bloom, possible causes
The main reasons that can cause a lack of flowering are the following:
- Lack of light. If the bush was originally planted incorrectly, it needs to be transplanted to a more open place, only after that it will bloom.
- Nutrient deficiency. After 2 years of life, additional fertilizer is required in the substrate.
- Very deep flower planting. The maximum depth of the landing pit is 50 cm.
If the florist initially treats his plant carefully, it will grow, develop and delight with lush and bright flowering.
Peonies after flowering
After flowering, preparation of the paeonia White Cap variety for winter begins. This should be taken especially carefully. The development and flowering of peonies in the next year depends on the proper observance of all the rules.
A transplant is required only if the plant has been planted incorrectly or has grown too much and needs to be rejuvenated.
It is very important to remove all wilted flowers, they can cause the development of many infectious diseases. Cardinal pruning of grassy peonies is carried out before wintering - the ground part is completely removed, only small parts of the stem of 15 cm remain.
Winter preparations
Since this variety can winter at fairly low temperatures, preparing for winter will be uncomplicated. The remaining stems swell to the highest possible height. From above they are covered with cut parts of an adult plant.
No other shelter is required. They will perfectly survive the winter frosts under a layer of snow.
Peony preparation for winter
Diseases, pests and ways to combat them
Peony White Cap is immune to most infectious diseases. Protection is enhanced by preventive spring flower treatment.
Do not plant a peony next to potatoes or strawberries, which attract insect pests.
Attention! Fungal diseases occur most often with improper care, especially with shading and waterlogging.
In this case, the problem should be fixed, the damaged parts need to be cut off, and the bush treated with fungicides. When parasites appear, special insecticides will help.
Peony White Cap is an excellent choice for those who are going to start breeding these beautiful flowers for the first time, for those who do not have much time to devote to its plants, but want to create beauty in their garden. But experienced gardeners and landscape designers should not lose sight of the variety. This is a great plant that looks great both on its own and in company with other plants.
