Why are Itoh peonies so expensive?
Summary: slow, labor- and time-intensive production, fragile handling and refrigerated logistics, concentrated seasonal demand, and market premiums for rarity and aesthetics all combine to make peonies an expensive flower. Itoh peonies are vigorous; it is important to leave them enough room to grow. One possible cause of peonies’ failure to thrive is locating them too close to a tree, where they have to compete with the tree roots for nutrients and water. Another possible cause is cutting too many flowers.Fall planting: Plant as soon as possible into its permanent location. To prevent roots from heaving, cover loosely with a thin layer of straw or a fir bough. Pull back mulch in spring. Flowering: In the first few years, Itoh peonies spend their energy getting established and may not flower.Plants are generally hardy to zone 4. Itoh peonies can be divided much the same as herbaceous peonies. Itoh peonies have a longer bloom period than herbaceous peonies at up to two and a half weeks! They also tend to bloom at a younger age than herbaceous peonies.Itoh peonies are essentially a cross of bush and tree peonies with a shrubby, round habit, sturdy stems, and large, repeat blooming, exotic colored blossoms in violet, red, pink, orange, yellow, and white.
What are the benefits of Itoh peonies?
Long-Lasting Blooms Itoh Peony ‘Bartzella’ offers a remarkable blooming period compared to traditional peonies. While many peonies bloom for a short window, ‘Bartzella’ typically showcases its stunning flowers from late spring to early summer, ensuring your garden bursts with color for an extended time. The most frequent culprit is incorrect planting depth. Peonies are particular about how deep they’re planted. If the crown—or the ‘eyes’ where the flower shoots emerge—is buried too deep (more than 2.Bloom times and dividing peonies After flowering, the plant has a nice rounded green habit to show off other summer and fall blooming perennials. Dividing and planting is best done in late September through October.September and October are the ideal time for getting those new peonies in the ground. In short, you’ll want to: plant them in a sunny/partly shady and sheltered spot.The Cons of Planting Peonies One of the most common issues directly relates to the stature of the plant. Before planting, growers will need to carefully consider the size and shape of the peony bushes at maturity. Since peony flowers are very large, many stems can also droop or hang.Why Should You Deadhead Peonies? Once peony flowers have faded, they start to form seed pods. While this is a natural process, allowing the plant to focus energy on seed production can weaken the root system and reduce next year’s blooms.
Are Itoh peonies hard to grow?
Growth Expectations Peonies are very resilient and hardy, but do take time to establish and become a mature flowering plant. Intersectional peonies will mature to 3-4 feet wide, with more flowers and more stems being produced each year. If you’re having trouble getting your peonies to bloom, it’s usually because they are planted too deep (the buds should stick up just above the soil surface) the plant is too crowded (peonies need room to thrive) or it isn’t in enough sunshine (peonies need full-sun to bloom well).The more sun, the more flowers! The less sun, the fewer flowers the plant will produce and the longer it will take to mature. Peonies can not tolerate wet feet.Peonies thrive in well-draining, nutrient-rich soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced mix like 10-10-10 and again after blooming to support roots.Intersectional peonies have so many buds they are in flower for longer than most herbaceous peonies. This can be for up to 3 weeks or more. The flowers are big, and generally semi-double. They open from large, beautifully shaped buds into deep bowls that loosen as the flower ages.Plant the peony roots in full sun with the eyes about 2 inches below the surface. If you plant them too deep or too shallow, they will not bloom. Space the peonies about 24 inches apart or more up to 30 inches if you live in a damp area. Weed them, feed them and water them.
What is the downside of peonies?
Easily the most common peony problem is that they flop over. Peony blooms are large compared to their stems. Add some rain or a windy day and they end up bloomside down on the ground. Installing plant supports early in the season is the best way to prevent flopping. With sanitized snips in hand, stroll out to your peony plants. Follow the stem down into the foliage and snip it at a node where a leaf is growing. Cutting one or two leaf nodes down helps hide the old stem. Collect the deadheaded blooms and dispose of them.
Should Itoh peonies be cut back in the fall?
In the fall, cut them about 4 to 6 inches from the soil level—or to wherever the stems die back to. Like herbaceous peonies, Itoh peonies will come back in the spring from the ground. While herbaceous peonies should be cut back in the fall after the first fall, tree peonies should be mostly left alone. In the fall and early, spring, you can remove some leaves and dead branches from tree peonies as necessary.I generally recommend cutting Intersectional and Itoh peonies down to the ground each fall. Woody peonies (tree peonies) should never be cut back, although leaves can be taken trimmed off. Always reach out with any peony questions you may have!Check back next week for a post on planting herbaceous and tree peonies. Itoh’ or intersectional peonies are also propagated by division. Since the crowns of these hybrids are very dense and woody, its best to let them dry out for at least a day before attempting to divide.In the fall, cut them about 4 to 6 inches from the soil level—or to wherever the stems die back to. Like herbaceous peonies, Itoh peonies will come back in the spring from the ground.
What is special about Itoh peony?
The Itoh Peony is a hybrid between the traditional herbaceous peony and the tree peony. This unique combination results in a plant with the best of both worlds—strong, upright stems that support enormous blooms, combined with lush, dark green foliage that remains attractive all season long. Itoh (or Intersectional), is a cross between herbaceous and tree peonies. In winter herbaceous peonies die back to their underground parts, whereas tree peonies lose their leaves but retain viable woody stems above ground. The Itoh hybrids are intermediate between herbaceous and tree forms.The Itoh Peony is a hybrid between the traditional herbaceous peony and the tree peony. This unique combination results in a plant with the best of both worlds—strong, upright stems that support enormous blooms, combined with lush, dark green foliage that remains attractive all season long.Itoh peonies enjoy full sun locations but can also tolerate a bit of shade, especially in very hot climates. Plants are generally hardy to zone 4. Itoh peonies can be divided much the same as herbaceous peonies.
What is the difference between an Itoh peony and a regular peony?
Both herbaceous and Itoh hybrid peonies have a place and use in any sunny garden bed or border. The main differences between the two are the sturdiness of the stems, bloom colors, and bloom times. Therefore, to fill your garden with continuously blooming peonies throughout the season for up to 6 weeks, you may plan to plant a variety of cultivars, from Very Early- to Very Late season bloomers. Notes: The actual date at which a specific peony variety begins to bloom depends on the climatic area you live in.Lush, bombastic and classically beautiful, Peonies are top performing perennials that can yield decades of harvests for the cut flower farmer. However, peonies take approximately three years after planting to establish and reach the size where normal flower harvests won’t affect the health of the plant.These Itoh peonies are late midseason plants and will flower in late spring to early summer for three to four weeks thanks to the many side buds which open in sequence. These beds will be bursting with color next May. These Itoh peonies are sturdy, cold-hardy plants.You can transplant the bushes to a sunnier location in the fall and cover your bushes in early spring to encourage them to bloom more next year. Do peonies re-bloom after deadheading? Peonies will re-bloom the following season after deadheading them.Flying delicate, petal-packed blooms across the globe while keeping them fresh can add a steep markup (we won’t even mention tariffs)! On top of that, peonies are famously slow to grow. It can take two or three years before a plant produces a bloom worth cutting, and they don’t exactly rush the process.